Hi again folks,

Elaine and I accompanied the Howard Co. Bird Club for a trip to Poplar
Island (Talbot Co.) on Friday, 24 August, but first did a little birding
enroute.  Stopping at the quaint little village of Claiborne, and scanning
the pilings and jetty we had:

    Claiborne, TALBOT Co.:
BROWN PELICAN--3
DC Cormorant--1
GB Heron--2
Snowy Egret--1
Spotted Sandpiper--1
Least Sandpiper--2
Laughing Gull--15
Ring-billed Gull--3
Herring Gull--3
Great Black-backed Gull--1 adult
Royal Tern--1 juv.
Forster's Tern--50

Stopping at Lowe's Wharf Rd., we were able to scope a single Caspian Tern
among about 75 cormorants way out on the pound nets.

The pond visible from Ferry Cove Rd. had too much water, leaving no
shorebird habitat, so only a few Mallards were present.  A family of one
male and at least two juvenile Blue Grosbeaks provided us with some
entertainment, however.

Tilghman Back Park at Knapps Narrows had a Hummingbird and Green Heron, but
the channel waters were very high, leaving no sandbars (and thus no
Oystercatchers) today.

It was a beautiful day to visit POPLAR ISLAND; a bit warm and humid, but a
pleasant breeze most of the time.  Birds seen on or from the island (numbers
above 9 are estimates):

    Poplar Island, TALBOT Co.:
Mute Swan--3
Am. Black Duck--4
Mallard--37
Teal, sp.--25 (flyovers that no one could get on from our vehicles)
N. Shoveler--25
BROWN PELICAN--5
DC Cormorant--100+
GB Heron--25
Great Egret--3
Snowy Egret--3
Green Heron--1 (not on the island checklist??)
Osprey--50
Bald Eagle--8
BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER--1, still in breeding plumage
Semipalmated Plover--50
Killdeer--1
Greater Yellowlegs--3
Lesser Yellowlegs--25
Willet--3
Spotted Sandpiper--3
RUDDY TURNSTONE--3
Sanderling--18
Semipalmated Sandpiper--100s
WESTERN SANDPIPER--6 (good close views)
Least Sandpiper--100s
WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER--1 (good comparison w. Semipal.)
Pectoral Sandpiper--1
Short-billed Dowitcher--2
WILSON'S PHALAROPE--3
Laughing Gull--100s
Ring-billed Gull--2
Herring Gull--100s
Great Black-backed Gull--1000+
Caspian Tern--2
Royal Tern--2
Common Tern--10
Forster's Tern--100s
Least Tern--1
BLACK TERN--1 (juv with brownish-gray plumage and red legs)
Purple Martin--15
Tree Swallow--1
Bank Swallow--4
Barn Swallow--2
Red-winged Blackbird--25
Common Grackle--2
Brown-headed Cowbird--40

Following the Poplar Island trip, and a good nap, Elaine and I headed down
to Wicomico Co., but not without stopping to count the CATTLE EGRETs in the
pasture just south of Bozman (Talbot Co.), which we passed at least six
times this weekend.  This afternoon we had our highest count ever (we've
been passing this place for four years while atlasing), a total of 25 birds,
slightly upping the count given by Les Roslund in a recent post.  Our
purpose for going to Wicomico was to look for waders, particularly the YCNH
reported by Carol Broderick, but we dipped on them.  What we did find in
Waterview, at the south end of Nanticoke Rd. (Hwy 349?) were the following:

    Waterview, WICOMICO Co.:
Wild Turkey--7
Snowy Egret--1
Cattle Egret--9
Green Heron--1
N. Harrier--1
Virginia Rail--1 called spontaneously from the marsh at 7 p.m.

We then headed north, checking various spots along the Nanticoke waterfront,
looking for terns.  Our one good spot was at the Cedar Hill Park and Marina,
where, on the south jetty in the company of about 15 Royal Terns was a BLACK
SKIMMER.

Saturday, 25 Aug, was just about a wash for us.  We visited many stream
crossings in Talbot Co., hoping for migrants, but none were to be had.  A
family of 4 or 5 Scarlet Tanagers where Trappe Rd. (Hwy 565) crosses Trippe
Creek, just west of US 50, was noteworthy.  We worked our way into Caroline
Co. where we visited the marina at the town of Choptank, hoping for unusual
terns, but only a few Forster's were evident.  One unusual sighting there
was a (BIG BROWN?) BAT flying around at 10:30 in the morning in 91 degree
heat.  It eventually found a hiding place in one of the wooden electrical
junction panels used to service the boats.  Our afternoon was as exciting as
the morning, and little wonder with 90+ temps lingering well into the
evening hours.  Our big thrill was a scattering of common shorebirds at a
farm pond off of Mack's Lane (near the "town" of McDaniel, east of St.
Michaels, Talbot Co.), where we had a Lesser Yellowlegs, a solitary Solitary
Sandpiper, and six Least Sandpipers, and a juv. Bald Eagle stirring them up
a bit.

No complaints, however, as today and Friday made up for the slowness on
Sat., and I was able to pick up ten county birds for the weekend.

Best to all,

Stan Arnold
Glen Burnie