Hola,
 
Spent most of the daylight Saturday looking for Hanna jewels between  
Chesapeake Beach and Herrington Harbor, with most of that time watching the bay  from 
our place at Holland Point.  In short, Hanna was a big tease here on  the 
Western Shore.  
 
Viewing conditions at Holland Point varied. At times heavy, wind-driven  rain 
obscured windows and optics, balanced by periods where I could see the  eight 
miles to Knapps Narrows.  The worst weather was between about  one-thirty and 
three, where the rain was the heaviest.  It was probably the  most windy 
between eleven and noon.  I knew we were in the clear around  four PM when I 
watched a Monarch Butterfly lazily drifting over the Bay.  The Baywatch produced 
the fewest unusual birds.  A smattering  of Black Terns and a couple of Common 
Terns were the only birds I saw that  I don't see everyday down here.  
 
I found a storm-roost of about 2000 gulls at ball fields behind the water  
park and Traders restaurant in Chesapeake Beach, but aside from a Laughing  Gull 
with a completely black hood, I found nothing unusual in three different  
visits.  Ring-billed and Great Black-backeds probably numbered 100  each, Herring 
Gulls half that, and Laughing Gulls the balance.  No terns at  all.  No 
Sabine's Gull.  Later there was a flock of Laughing Gulls and  Forster's terns in 
the marsh behind Abner's (the marina across from Rod 'N' Reel  in Chesapeake 
Beach).  
 
I checked the mudflats at the Calvert/Anne Arundel County line many  times.  
At about eleven AM, it seemed every Snowy Egret in the two counties  was 
roosting there.  I did a rough count (not ruling out possible Little  Blues mixed 
in) and stopped at 200.  I returned later to firm up that  count, but by then 
they had dispersed.  There were also forty Great Egrets  as well.  Black Terns 
waxed and waned with some passes revealing none, and  my high count was eight. 
 
 
Around Herrington Harbor there were typically three small  Larid 
storm-roosts.  I found a single Caspian and a brace  of Common Terns in these groups, and 
counted 65 Royal Terns, but nothing  terribly unusual.  The best bird in that 
area was an immature  Yellow-crowned Night-Heron in a tree in the 
northern-most parking area.  
 
Glad to not be picking up scraps of lumber, chain-sawing, or thinking about  
building yet another pier, but a little disappointed and muy surprised at the  
lack of storm-driven birds.  
 
Cheers, 
 
Todd 
 
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Todd Michael  Day
Jeffersonton, Virginia
Culpeper County,  USA

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