Hi Folks,

Yesterday (7/27) Bill Hubick and I shared one of our greatest kayaking 
adventures yet when we decided to explore Ellis Bay WMA in Wicomico County. 
The alarm went off at 2:45 a.m., and I picked up Bill shortly after 3:30. 
It's a great drive to the Eastern Shore at that time of day, and we cruised 
comfortably along US 50 to Mardella Springs, with the requisite stop at Wawa 
for provisions.  We took our favorite back roads down to Whitehaven, and 
headed east on Mezick Rd. which becomes Muddy Hole Rd. after crossing Clara. 
As has been posted on Osprey, Muddy Hole Rd. has undergone an astonishing 
transformation, and no longer lives up to its name.  It has been graded and 
graveled and is now totally unrecognizable as the Muddly Hole Rd. on which 
many of us tested our nerves (foolhardiness?).  We had read that the gate 
into Ellis Bay WMA had been closed a week or two earlier, and so was the 
case when we drove to it.  We would not be able to launch at the rickety old 
boat ramp in the WMA, but we had a backup plan which we executed--launch at 
the bridge over Broad Creek near the west end of Muddy Hole Rd.  The road 
was wide enough near the bridge for us to park the car, and we loaded up the 
kayak, slid it over the rocks by the bridge, positioned ourselves, and were 
water-borne by 6:20 a.m.

It was near low tide, there wasn't much flow in the creek, and we just eased 
our way along, with Bill keeping the list and photographing every other 
bird, while I provided most of the propulsion.  The biggest fear of paddling 
a place like this is getting lost, so I had made up a composite map from the 
ADC Map book.  It didn't do much good.  We never really knew where we were 
during the entire five-hour float.  We could never find the boat ramp in the 
WMA, but the great advantage to launching on Broad Creek is that it was like 
the main highway (north-south) through the property, and we could always get 
back to it, so we were able to find our way back to the bridge without 
scaring ourselves.

Oh, the birds.  Some incredible numbers.  I'll save the best for first:  we 
had eight LEAST BITTERNs, of which seven were actually seen, and I believe 
Bill photographed five of them.  This was a county bird for both of us, and 
we couldn't believe how they seemed to be everywhere.  And our best 
photographic moment---Bill asks me to bring the kayak across the stream, and 
he starts clicking away as we head straight for a bittern that had just 
flown across and landed in the reeds at the edge.  We got closer and the 
bird just stood there.  We got closer yet, and the bird continued to stand 
there.  I am just waiting for the bird to flush, but it doesn't.  Soon, Bill 
whispers to me "Stan, back up!"  We had gotten so close to the bird, that 
Bill could no longer focus his camera.  He had a moment of disbelief when he 
lowered his camera, and saw the bird scarcely a foot beyond arm's reach.  It 
was an incredible look, and the bird did the classic "bittern thing" which I 
implore everyone to see at the following site:

http://www.billhubick.com/images2/least_bittern_wicomico_md_20080727_06.jpg

We explored Muddy Hole Creek and Hughes Creek (at least we think we were at 
these places), and in the course of the five-hour float tallied 32 SEASIDE 
SPARROWs (a county bird for Bill), and the rediculous number of 133 MARSH 
WRENs.  These were almost all singing males, meaning we only scratched the 
surface of an actual population count.  Also of interest were five CLAPPER 
RAILs, though none was seen, and three CATTLE EGRETs flying over, another 
county bird for Bill.  I've included the entire ebird list for this trip at 
the end of this message.

It was after 11 a.m. when we returned to the bridge, I with very sore arms. 
When I attempted to determine our distance traveled on Google Earth this 
morning, I came up with a total distance of 19 miles.  It was now high tide, 
and after Bill got out of the kayak, I stood up, leaned over, and eased my 
way out.  Bill pointed to something that dropped in the water.  It was the 
sheath for my glasses.  I picked it up; there were no glasses in it.  I 
checked all my pockets; no glasses.  At high tide, I could only see about a 
foot into the water onto the large rocks below.  I thought my glasses were 
down there somewhere, but there was no way I was going for a swim to grope 
around for them.  I told Bill that we would come back in the late afternoon 
when the tide was low, and look for them then.

We stretched our aching muscles, having paddled for nearly five hours 
without a break.  We had a bite to eat while we loaded the kayak onto the 
car.  I had grabbed my peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but somehow put it 
down and had no idea where.  All right, first the glasses and now the 
sandwich.  What was next?  Didn't bad things come in threes?  We would soon 
find out.  At least I had a spare sandwich.

We left Broad Creek, heading back on Muddy Hole Rd. to the ferry at 
Whitehaven.  It was a lovely trip across the Wicomico, as it almost always 
is, and we noted the first juvenile LAUGHING GULLs of the season.  Once 
across, we motored along back roads in Somerset County, slowly working our 
way toward Deal WMA.  We hadn't gone far when some strange light illuminated 
on the car's instrument panel, and soon we discovered that the light meant 
something understandably ungood:  we had a flat tire.  Oh joy, bad things do 
come in threes, or at least I hoped they would be limited to three.  This 
and my previous car were both RAV-4s, and I had never before had a flat tire 
since getting my first RAV in 2001.  It was time to learn where everything 
was, and while I began reading the owner's manuel, Bill was already removing 
panels to reveal the necessary tools.  I was impressed at how quickly and 
efficiently the two of us working together got the tire changed.  I'm also 
glad that RAVs carry a full-sized spare rather than a disgusting donut.

So we were back in business, and soon found ourselves at Deal, where we 
drove the almost bird-less Green Dumpster Rd., and then took a trip down 
Messick Rd.  Here the large pond had the bird I wanted the most:  a SPOTTED 
SANDPIPER for my county closeout.  From the parking area at the end of the 
road we viewed a large group of ROYAL TERNs, of which one was juvenile, and 
heard another Clapper Rail and Marsh Wren.  Also, a NORTHERN HARRIER hunted 
the marshes in the distance across the water.

Riley Roberts Rd. was the part of the WMA where things were really 
happening.  After passing a family of three or more ORCHARD ORIOLEs on the 
way in, we stopped first where the gravel piles are, and then made periodic 
stops along the water on the left.  Numbers of waders were quite impressive, 
as they usually are, and the shorebirds were definitely in, as we tallied 
nine species here.  Highlights, with numbers:

Mute Swan--1 (DNR seems to be doing an effective job of contolling the 
population)
Great Egret--38
Snowy Egret--85
Little Blue Heron--5 (2 adults and 3 juv)
Ticolored Heron--3 (1 adult, 1 juv, 1 very distant)
Gossy Ibis--105 (about 90 of them in one huge flock dropping into the marsh)
N. Harrier--1 molting male--a gray ghost to be
Clapper Rail--1
Semi Plover--19
Spotted Sandpiper--2
Solitary Sandpiper--1 (a county bird for both of us)
Greater Legs--6
Lesser Legs--1
Semipal. Sandpiper--3 (county bird for Stan)
Western Sandpiper--2 (county bird for Stan)
Least Sandpiper--14
Short-billed Dowitcher--6 (1 Atlantic and 5 Prairie)
Caspian Tern--1 adult (Bill only)
Forster's Tern--8 (6 adult, 2 juv)
BH Nuthatch--1
Marsh Wren--6
Yellow Warbler--1 (early migrant?)

BAD TURNS TO GOOD

From Deal, we decided to return to Wicomico Co., and once we re-crossed the 
Wicomico River to Whitehaven, we headed back to the Broad Creek bridge on 
Muddy Hole Rd. to see if there was a chance I could find my glasses.  I 
pulled the car up to the thick wooden railing on the driver's side of the 
bridge, and stopped.  Bill said "look."  I looked out over the marsh, but 
didn't see to what bird he might be refering.  He said, "no, look on the 
bridge."  There, on the thick wooden beam, not more than a few feet from my 
left elbow were my glasses, carefully placed by some kind soul.  I was 
deeply moved by this gesture of kindness and concern.  Bill said, "Hey, why 
don't you leave a note."  I was impressed with this idea, and scratched out 
a note of thanks, placing it partly exposed under a large rock on top of the 
wooden beam.  Perhaps the note would be found and read; I hoped so.

Feeling very good about the turn of events, we headed down along the 
Nanticoke to Waterview.  A hummdinger of a storm was on the way, but before 
it broke loose we were able to find the resident group of CATTLE EGRETs in 
the pastures just north of town, where we tallied nine adults and two 
juveniles.  With the heavy rain now falling, we skipped all the usual stops 
along the Nanticoke, and headed out to the borrow pit on US 50 just west of 
Salisbury.  By the time we reached the borrow pit, the rain had slowed to a 
mild shower.  We found our only FIELD SPARROW of the day by the pond just 
east of the overpass, and in the largely dry borrow pit was a small puddle 
close to the road with a Killdeer and SOLITARY SANDPIPER, but that was it 
for shorebirds, and there were no waders.

We were thinking of just heading home on US 50, but about 10 miles east of 
Cambridge we encountered a traffic backup (there were flashing lights way 
ahead), so we turned at the next available side road, and took the scenic 
route north through Dorchester, Caroline, and Talbot Counties.  The pond 
along Skeleton Creek Rd. in Caroline had a SPOTTED SANDPIPER as its only 
shorebird.  Tanyard Marsh at low tide was surprisingly devoid of shorebirds, 
with just a LEAST SANDPIPER zipping across the flats, but there were some 
other goodies.  There were four COMMON MOORHENs, two juveniles and one adult 
seen, and another one calling, and a KING RAIL bellowed from the reeds very 
close to the road.  Also, two CASPIAN TERNs, an adult and a juvenile, sat on 
the flats with a Ring-billed Gull, and at one point in time one of them flew 
a short distance along the nearby Choptank River.

Talbot Co. was not very productive today, with many singing GRASSHOPPER 
SPARROWs being about the most notable birds.  The once-flooded fields near 
Covey's Landing Rd. where many shorebirds were found in May were now dry and 
birdless.

Our final birding stops were at the ponds along Rte 309 in Queen Anne's Co. 
Our one productive stop was at a pond on the north side of the road where 
besides an adult pair of Killdeer with two small youngsters we found 
SOLITARY SANDPIPER, LESSER YELLOWLEGS, and PECTORAL SANDPIPER, one of each, 
while a N. BOBWHITE sang from across the highway.

It was a great day, packed with adventure, and Bill and I each tallied five 
county tics.

After dropping Bill off, I rolled into my driveway almost 19 hours after 
beginning the day.

Oh, and the good news--I found my peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Oh, and the bad news--we had run over glass, and it made my tire unfixable. 
It's time for a new tire.  No, it's time for a whole new set.

My hats off to anyone who made it through this report.  Good birding 
adventures to all.

Stan Arnold
Ferndale (AA Co)



ebird report for Ellis Bay:
>
>
> Location:     Ellis Bay WMA
> Observation date:     7/27/08
> Number of species:     37
>
> Wood Duck     1
> American Black Duck     1
> Least Bittern     8
> Great Blue Heron     4
> Great Egret     2
> Cattle Egret     3
> Green Heron     3
> Turkey Vulture     1
> Osprey     3
> Bald Eagle     1
> Red-tailed Hawk (Eastern)     2
> Clapper Rail     5
> Greater Yellowlegs     1
> Laughing Gull     24
> Royal Tern     1
> Mourning Dove     1
> Ruby-throated Hummingbird     3
> Belted Kingfisher     2
> Eastern Wood-Pewee     2
> Eastern Kingbird     1
> White-eyed Vireo     1
> American Crow     2
> Purple Martin     4
> Tree Swallow     1
> Barn Swallow     12
> Brown-headed Nuthatch     1
> Carolina Wren     1
> House Wren     3
> Marsh Wren     133
> Eastern Bluebird     1
> Common Yellowthroat     21
> Eastern Towhee     3
> Seaside Sparrow     32
> Northern Cardinal     2
> Indigo Bunting     2
> Red-winged Blackbird     85
> American Goldfinch     1
>
> This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)
>