Dave Powell and I spent the weekend on the lower Eastern Shore, primarily in 
Somerset and Wicomico Counties.  Despite the lack of migrant songbirds (2 
total), the night birding and shorebirds made for a productive outing.

We left DC after dinner Friday, arriving a little later than planned at Tanyard 
due to Bay Bridge traffic.  In the area between Hog Island Rd and Skeleton 
Creek Rd, we had 4 Whips and a Chuck.

Next stop was Dorchester County for Whips.  We missed them on Puckham Rd, 
but found one at the entrance of Camp ESPA on 313 between Eldorado and 
Sharptown.   That was our last nightjar of the evening despite a few more 
stops in Wicomico and Somerset Counties.   We heard a King Rail on Rumbly Pt 
Rd north of Irish Grove, but nothing interesting out in the marsh.  

Shorebirds were the highlight of Saturday's birding.  There were a number of 
good puddles in fields in Somerset County.

 - Pond at north end of Rumbly Pt Road - 2 Spotted Sandpipers

 - Flooded field on Rt 667 (Hudson Corner Rd) between Burnettsville Rd and   
   Lovers Lane:
      - 1 Solitary Sandpiper
      - 4 Least Sandpipers
      - 2 Spotted sandpipers
      - 1 Killdeer
      - 1 Greater Yellowlegs
      - 1 Blackpoll Warbler

 - Flooded field on Rt 413 between Rt 361 and Kingston - 10 Semipalmated 
   Plover

 - Flooded field on Dublin Rd between Follow Ditch Rd and Cokesbury Rd (near 
   Wellington WMA)
      - 8 Greater Yellowlegs
      - 3 Lesser Yellowlegs
      - 1 Short-billed Dowitcher
      - 18 Bald Eagles

 - Messick Rd pond near Deal Island
      - 14 Semipalmated Plover
      - 1 Semipalmated Sandpiper
      - 6 Least Sandpipers

For county listers, another notable stop was the pond on Clyde Ford Rd south 
of the landfill on Rt 361, which had 2 Northern Rough-winged Swallows.

Our second migrant warbler of the day was another Blackpoll at the Salisbury 
Zoo.

Our Saturday night birding started shortly after dusk on Laws Rd in Worcester 
County.  Driving west from the intersection of Shockley Rd, we had 4 Chucks 
and 1 Whip.  We then zipped across the county line into Wicomico, where we 
had 1 Chuck at the intersection of Spearin and Mt Olive Church Rd.  
Continuing west, we had 3 more Chucks on the Worcester side of Meadow 
Bridge Rd between McGrath Rd and Sea Tick Rd.  Finally, we drove WNW on 
Sea Tick Rd in Somerset, getting 4 Chucks and a Whip.  We again heard the 
King Rail on Rumbly Pt Rd driving back to Irish Grove.

Sunday was a bit on the slow side with 0 migrant song birds.  We had 3 good 
stops on the way back.  At the end of the road (rt 349) in Waterview, 
Wicomico, we had 2 Boat-tailed Grackles, 1 Seaside Sparrow, 5 flyby 
Sanderlings, and 3 Semipalmated Plover.  

The trail along Puckham Branch off of Puckham Rd in Dorchester County had 1 
Kentucky Warbler, 2 Louisiana Waterthrush, a 1 Tom Feild.  The three of us 
then headed up to a trail off of North Tara Rd that had 1 Yellow-throated 
Vireo, 3 Louisiana Waterthrushes, 2 Prothonotary Warblers, and 4 Worm-
eating Warblers.  The vireo was close-out #100 for Dave.

John Hubbell
Washington DC