Hi Folks,

I got to spend a couple hours with Matt Grey this morning checking out the 
birds at the Swan Creek facility at the end of Kembo Rd. in northern Anne 
Arundel Co.  This is probably the best place to find shorebirds in this 
county, and is likely to get much better over time, as it takes on some 
characteristics of Hart-Miller Island.  Access is restricted, and one should 
check with Matt for details.  There weren't too many shorebirds today, with 
one each of SEMI PLOVER, SPOTTED SANDPIPER, and LESSER YELLOWLEGS, and a 
maddening flock of about 25 peeps that would not put down for more than two 
or three seconds at a time, eluding identification.  Quite a few waders 
today, mostly at the mitigated wetlands on the property, including 11 LITTLE 
BLUE HERONs (2 adults, 6 calico, 3 white imms), two CATTLE EGRETs, and two 
GLOSSY IBIS.  An immature PEREGRINE FALCON put on a show by harassing a 
Great Blue Heron in the air, while it in turn was chased by a pair of E. 
Kingbirds.  The falcon perched long enough for me to get some digiscoped 
images.  There were quite a few brown juvenile HERRING GULLs, many of them 
chasing the adults, begging for food.  Also of interest was a singing MARSH 
WREN, a family of four BALTIMORE ORIOLEs, and five CASPIAN TERNs.  The 
complete ebird list:
>
> Location:     Swan Creek Dredged Material Facility
> Observation date:     8/5/08
> Number of species:     38
>
> Canada Goose     25
> Mute Swan     2
> American Black Duck     1
> Mallard     24
> Great Blue Heron     7
> Snowy Egret     4
> Little Blue Heron     11
> Cattle Egret     2
> Glossy Ibis     2
> Osprey     4
> Peregrine Falcon     1
> Semipalmated Plover     1
> Killdeer     4
> Spotted Sandpiper     1
> Lesser Yellowlegs     1
> peep, sp.    25
> Laughing Gull     9
> Herring Gull     46
> Caspian Tern     5
> Mourning Dove     2
> Ruby-throated Hummingbird    1 (Matt only)
> Downy Woodpecker     1
> Eastern Kingbird     2
> American Crow     1
> Barn Swallow     5
> Carolina Chickadee     2
> Carolina Wren     1
> Marsh Wren     1
> American Robin     1
> Cedar Waxwing     4
> Common Yellowthroat     1
> Song Sparrow     1
> Northern Cardinal     1
> Indigo Bunting     2
> Red-winged Blackbird     3
> Baltimore Oriole     4
> House Finch     2
> American Goldfinch     4


Stan Arnold
Ferndale (AA Co.)