I've been wanting to explore Ellis Bay WMA for a long time, and with a free  
day this past Thursday I decided to take my 10-foot johnboat and check  it 
out. This is a big chunk of marsh on the map that seems to get little birding  
pressure, being virtually inaccessible except by water, and I've always been  
intrigued by the possibilities for some of the good marsh birds like  
Rough-legged Hawk, Short-eared Owl and Sedge Wren. I didn't get any of  these in my 
snow-shortened morning, but a great surprise was a LONG-EARED OWL  that sounded 
off around 7 AM from an isolated wooded hammock way out in the  marsh. Having 
recently reviewed the various owl vocalizations I recognized this  series of 
mellow "whoooip" calls, which ended in a less structured sort of  mournful, 
almost human-sounding notes. Not quite as good as seeing the bird, but  what a cool 
way to start the day. Other than that, the only notables were 2  flyover 
GREAT EGRETS, scattered BUFFLEHEAD and COMMON GOLDENEYE, and a raft of  ~200 
CANVASBACK on the open waters of the Wicomico River. HARRIERS, MARSH WRENS  and 
SWMP SPARROWS were numerous, and both VIRGINIA and CLAPPER RAIL were  heard.
 
I've always thought there might be Black Rails out here in season. However,  
to my untrained eye the marsh seems different from that of nearby areas  such 
as Elliott Island, Deal Island and Pocomoke Sound where BLRA has been known  
to occur. Hard to describe, but it seems soggier, without the drier meadows of  
saltmeadow grass (Spartina patens?). Then again, I really didn't get to see 
all  that much in a few hours. More exploration is called for. This is one of 
those  rare places where, for a short time, you can imagine you're the only 
person  in the world.
 
Joel Martin
Catonsville, MD



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