Twenty stalwart observers braved less-than-ideal conditions to count 
birds on the Lower Kent Christmas Bird Count on Sunday, 16 December. 
Rain (mostly light) fell until early afternoon, temperatures were in the 
mid-thirties, and strong gusty winds strengthened as the clouds parted 
late in the day. We ended the day with 118 species, about average for 
the last few years, and 116,652 individuals, 38 percent of which were 
Canada Geese.

The decided highlight of the count was Kent County's first Dovekie (the 
Northeast's smallest alcid), seen winging its way south past the Bayview 
overlook at the old headquarters of Eastern Neck NWR at about 8:30 AM. 
Other species of interest, with fewer than ten appearances in the last 
25 years of records for the count, include: single Greater White-fronted 
Goose (second year) and Ross's Goose (third year) at Swan Point; four 
Cackling Geese (tenth year) with various Canada flocks; two groups of 
ten Brant on the Bay off Swan Point (third year); an immature Golden 
Eagle (ninth year) at Swan Point; a Peregrine Falcon (fifth year) 
feeding in a field in the Rock Hall area; three Greater Yellowlegs 
(sixth year) at Chesapeake Farms; two immature Red-headed Woodpeckers on 
the Duck Inn Trail at Eastern Neck NWR (ninth year); five Brown-headed 
Nuthatches (second year) - four at Eastern Neck NWR and one across the 
Chester River in Queen Anne's County; a House Wren (fifth year) in Queen 
Anne's County; and 43 Snow Buntings at Swan Point. As usual our most 
abundant birds were waterfowl with 44,481 Canada Geese, 17,240 Snow 
Geese, and 12,073 Lesser Scaup. Setting 25-year high counts were 
American Goldfinch (482), Bald Eagle (103, including 62 immatures), 
Horned Lark (175), American Robin (445),  Eastern Towhee (169), and 
Savannah Sparrow (159).  The 28 Red-breasted Nuthatches was the best 
tally in seven years but well below the 1999 count's 39. The weather put 
a damper on our ability to tally good counts of some species, in 
particular owls, but all-in-all, observers rose to the challenge and 
produced a very successful count.

Good luck to everyone on their remaining CBCs and best wishes for the 
New Year,

Walter Ellison & Nancy Martin

23460 Clarissa Rd
Chestertown, MD 21620