Hi All,

Nancy and I  (plus a somewhat reluctant Ian) went down to Somerset 
County to run an atlas miniroute relative abundance survey in the Deal 
Island-SW atlas block that includes the communities of Deal Island and 
Wenona on the Bay. Afterward we took in Deal Island Wildlife Management 
Area south of MD-363.

We had spent the night at Irish Grove. The house there has a wonderful 
air of nostalgia and rustic comfort about it. We took a run down Rumbly 
Point Road last evening (25 June). Not too much doing as the moon slowly 
faded behind thickening haze. Our tally was 8 Virginia Rails, a single 
Clapper Rail, and a Marsh Wren.

The miniroute yielded 46 species during the 15 stops. It was very 
different from most of those I've done over the years as we had Brown 
Pelican at two stops (7 total birds), Boat-tailed Grackle at three stops 
including a female with food for young (6+ birds), Seaside Sparrow at 
three stops (3 birds), Snowy Egret at two stops, and Great Egret at 
three stops. I was also impressed with finding Gray Catbird on eight 
stops because this bird is pretty spottily distributed (especially 
inland) on the Lower Shore.

Deal Island WMA was in good form. We had most of the usual salt marsh 
suspects including many herons and ibis (20 Great Egrets, 15 Snowy 
Egrets, 15 Glossy Ibis [no white-faced], and three Tricolored Herons), 
3+ American Black Ducks, 3 Northern Harriers, 4 Clapper and 6 Virginia 
Rails, 8+ Willets, 24 Seaside Sparrows (including a male feeding a 
fledgling cowbird), and 15 Boat-tailed Grackles (fledglings being fed). 
It was interesting to note four Eastern Meadowlarks singing along the 
main access road, I do not think of meadowlarks as salt marsh birds. Our 
best finds were 2 BLACK-NECKED STILTS (it looked like both were male) on 
the main access road, and 2 COMMON MOORHENS calling at the landing at 
the end of the main access road. On our way back to Princess Anne on 
MD-363 we had an adult RED-HEADED WOODPECKER carrying food fly across 
the road just west of Monie (and east of Oriole Back Road). It was a 
good morning of late June birding, 'skeeters, greenheads, deer flies and 
all.

Good birding,

Walter Ellison & Nancy Martin

23460 Clarissa Rd
Chestertown, MD 21620
410-778-9568

Observing Nature is like unwrapping a big pile of presents every time 
you take a walk.