Hi Everyone,
I met Matt Tillett and Tom Feild at 3:45 a.m. to be at Assateague at dawn (8/24). We arrived with minutes to spare, and our first sightings were Sen~or Jim Stasz, coffee in hand, and Mike Burchett, who will again be joining us full-time in Maryland. Soon there were one each of Jim Green, Stan Arnold, and Mark Hoffman. The morning heron flight was quite impressive, highlighted by at least 57 TRICOLORED HERONs passing the Bayside parking lot, sometimes in groups of 10 or more. Migrant songbirds were few, but we did eventually hit seven species. Of these, the most enjoyable was a high-flying migrant CANADA WARBLER that appeared overhead and made the jump to the mainland. The best bird of the morning watch appeared suddenly, a northbound GULL-BILLED TERN that provided only a short view. During the heron flight on 8/23, Jim Stasz and Mike Burchett observed a possible REDDISH EGRET flying by at dawn.
Other nice finds for the day were UPLAND SANDPIPERs in Worcester and Somerset (the latter a county bird for Stasz), two EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVEs continuing at South Point, and MARBLED GODWITs and SANDWICH TERNs on Skimmer Island. Top non-avian sighting goes to a gorgeous ROUGH GREEN SNAKE that we spotted in a small tree while sorting through a pocket of warblers.
We parted ways with Jim, Mike, and Mark on Assateague. Stan accompanied us to Skimmer Island. Matt, Tom, Jim Green, and I worked south from Assateague, west to Deal Island, across Whitehaven Ferry, and up the Nanticoke River in Wicomico.
Here's the full list for Bayside, followed by highlights from other locations:
Assateague I. NS--Bayside
Brown Pelican--3
Double-crested Cormorant--2
Great Egret--2
Snowy Egret--15
Little Blue Heron--36
Tricolored Heron--57
Osprey--1
Killdeer--2
American Oystercatcher--1
Willet--2
Ruddy Turnstone--1
Laughing Gull--65
Herring Gull (American)--18
Great Black-backed Gull--2
GULL-BILLED TERN--1
Caspian Tern--3
Royal Tern--14
Chimney Swift--1
hummingbird sp.--1; flew by quickly; made the jump to the mainland
Eastern Kingbird--3
Fish Crow--7
Carolina Wren--2
American Robin--1
Gray Catbird--8
Brown Thrasher--4
Yellow Warbler--2
Canada Warbler--1
Northern Cardinal--3
Red-winged Blackbird--7
Boat-tailed Grackle--45
Orchard Oriole--1
Baltimore Oriole--3
American Goldfinch--1
Assateague Bayside Campground
Cattle Egret--6
Yellow-billed Cuckoo--1
Eastern Kingbird--1
White-eyed Vireo--2
Red-eyed Vireo--2
Pine Warbler--7
Prairie Warbler--3
Black-and-white Warbler--1
American Redstart--2
Common Yellowthroat--5
Eastern Towhee--3
Non-avian: ROUGH GREEN SNAKE; Common Wood-Nymph.
Assateague I. NS--Life of the Forest
Semipalmated Plover--3
Killdeer--4
Spotted Sandpiper--1
Lesser Yellowlegs--4
Least Sandpiper--14
Short-billed Dowitcher (Atlantic)--7
Caspian Tern--1
Forster's Tern--1
Eastern Wood-Pewee--3
Brown-headed Nuthatch--1
South Point
EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE--2 (...did they nest?)
Ocean City Airport
Killdeer--15
UPLAND SANDPIPER--1; observed from Rte. 611
Skimmer Island
Brown Pelican--13
Double-crested Cormorant--65
Great Egret--16
Tricolored Heron--1
Cattle Egret--2
Black-bellied Plover--1
Semipalmated Plover--6
American Oystercatcher--4
MARBLED GODWIT--2
Ruddy Turnstone--6
Sanderling--300+, including two large, intensely feeding groups
Least Sandpiper--5
Laughing Gull--60
Herring Gull (American)--145
Great Black-backed Gull--12
Common Tern--25
Forster's Tern--15
Royal Tern--28
SANDWICH TERN--3
Boat-tailed Grackle--2
Berlin WWTP
Wood Duck--17
Mallard--30
Great Egret--1
Spotted Sandpiper--1
Lesser Yellowlegs--2
Semipalmated Sandpiper--7
Least Sandpiper--22
Tree Swallow--1
Blue Grosbeak--2
Rte 13--N of Pocomoke City
UPLAND SANDPIPER--1 **
** Found mid-morning on 8/24 by Jim Stasz and Mike Burchett. It was in a freshly mowed field on the north side of Rte 13 north of Pocomoke City. The site is directly across from the large Sysco warehouse. Stan Arnold visited the site in the late afternoon and was treated to two Uppies.
Deal Island--Riley Roberts Rd
Canada Goose--172
Great Egret--21
Snowy Egret--18
Little Blue Heron--9
Tricolored Heron--2
Green Heron--3
Black-crowned Night-Heron--2
Glossy Ibis--9
Clapper Rail--4
Black-bellied Plover--3
Semipalmated Plover--225
Greater Yellowlegs--1
Semipalmated Sandpiper--4
Least Sandpiper--26
Short-billed Dowitcher (Atlantic)--22
Caspian Tern--7
Forster's Tern--8
Ruby-throated Hummingbird--1
House Wren--1
Boat-tailed Grackle--3
Deal Island--Green Dumpster Rd
* Very slow in the heat of the day. Water levels very low. This is actually the full list from about 30 minutes on this road:
American Black Duck--1
Mallard--1
Great Egret--3
Snowy Egret--1
Green Heron--1
Northern Harrier--2
Semipalmated Plover--1
Marsh Wren--1
Common Yellowthroat--4
Cedar Hill Marina
Laughing Gull--more by far than I've ever seen here; probably well over 1,000 just roosting on the rock jetties
Royal Tern--35, including many begging juveniles
Neaby woods
Ruby-throated Hummingbird--1
Great Crested Flycatcher--1
White-eyed Vireo--2
Brown-headed Nuthatch--2
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher--1
Pine Warbler--10
Summer Tanager--2
Tyaskin Park
Laughing Gull--180
Ring-billed Gull--1; adult; only one seen on the Nanticoke
Royal Tern--2
Quantico Creek, Town of Quantico
Green Heron--1
Ruby-throated Hummingbird--1
Pileated Woodpecker--1
Eastern Phoebe--1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher--1
American Redstart--2
Indigo Bunting--1; only one seen all day
Sod Farm on Old Railroad Road
Canada Goose--220
Semipalmated Plover--1; flew in, calling
Killdeer--54
Least Sandpiper--3
Pectoral Sandpiper--1
Purple Martin--5
Tree Swallow--2
We ended the day watching for nighthawks and night-herons along the Nanticoke River in Vienna. As the last light faded, a Black-crowned Night-Heron called nearby, but it was too dark to hope for spotting it fly into Wicomico, where it's a tough county bird.
Another great day!
Oh, and although I haven't posted any weekend photos, I did post Page 4 of updates from our recent SE Arizona trip (http://www.billhubick.com/new_set.html).
I just checked Matt Tillett's page, and he's posted some great photos from yesterday, including a lovely landscape at Deal and shots of the Rough Green Snake
(http://flickr.com/photos/mattyfioner/).
Good birding!
Bill
Bill Hubick
Pasadena, Maryland
http://www.billhubick.com |