Hi Everyone,

Jim Brighton, Tom Feild, Matt Tillett, and I decided to meet early (imagine that) and start the day at dawn at Black Walnut Point in Talbot Co. This lovely site at the southern end of Tilghman Island can be a great place for migrants when luck and weather are on your side. After working the marshy southern end, we moved a bit north and ran into Jan Reese. We spent nearly four hours in the area, eventually turning up 14 species of warbler and several fresh arrivals. Popularity contest winners were PHILADELPHIA VIREO and BAY-BREASTED WARBLER, while new arrivals included RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETs, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHes, and MYRTLE WARBLER. Jan also found a juvenile RED-HEADED WOODPECKER before we all met up, but it was not relocated. Below are the full list for Black Walnut Point and abridged lists for the rest of the day. 

Black Walnut Point, Talbot Co.

Canada Goose--5
Double-crested Cormorant--45
Great Blue Heron--12
Turkey Vulture--1
Bald Eagle--3
Laughing Gull--45
Ring-billed Gull--15
Herring Gull (American)--12
Great Black-backed Gull--6
Common Tern--1
Forster's Tern--90
Royal Tern--47
Mourning Dove--6
Yellow-billed Cuckoo--1
Belted Kingfisher--1
Red-bellied Woodpecker--1
Downy Woodpecker--3
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted)--4
Pileated Woodpecker--1
Eastern Wood-Pewee--2
Empidonax sp.--1
Philadelphia Vireo--1
Red-eyed Vireo--7
Blue Jay--24
American Crow--14
Carolina Chickadee--7
Tufted Titmouse--4
Red-breasted Nuthatch--3
Carolina Wren--9
House Wren--4
Ruby-crowned Kinglet--3
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher--1
Eastern Bluebird--1
Swainson's Thrush--1
American Robin--9
Gray Catbird--11
Northern Mockingbird--3
Brown Thrasher--13
European Starling--12
Cedar Waxwing--7
Northern Parula--3
Yellow Warbler--2
Magnolia Warbler--3
Black-throated Blue Warbler--3
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)--1
Black-throated Green Warbler--1
Pine Warbler--2
Prairie Warbler--1
Bay-breasted Warbler--1
Blackpoll Warbler--1
Black-and-white Warbler--3; my county closeout (#90)
American Redstart--8
Ovenbird--1
Common Yellowthroat--7
Northern Cardinal--3
Blue Grosbeak--4
Indigo Bunting--2
House Finch--5
American Goldfinch--4
Non-avian: Many Monarchs active right at dawn; Painted Ladies, Mourning Cloak

Pickering Creek Audubon Center, Talbot Co.

Canada Goose--450
Mallard--12
Green-winged Teal (American)--11
Bald Eagle--2; 1 juvenile
Semipalmated Plover--1
Killdeer--14
Lesser Yellowlegs--3
Least Sandpiper--1
Pectoral Sandpiper--1
Common Yellowthroat--3
Field Sparrow--2
Song Sparrow--1
Indigo Bunting--3

Spring Road Impoundments, Talbot Co.
* Completely dry for the first time that Jim Brighton has seen. Some limited water in the Llandalf Road impoundments.

Skeleton Creek Road, Caroline Co.

Killdeer--6
Least Sandpiper--1
Eastern Wood-Pewee--1
Magnolia Warbler--1
Pine Warbler--3
Bay-breasted Warbler--1
Black-and-white Warbler--1

Poplar Neck Road, Caroline Co.

American Kestrel--11 in a 2-mile stretch
Large rail sp.--1 heard by Matt
Sora--1 heard
Eastern Phoebe--1
Pine Warbler--7
Prairie Warbler--1
Indigo Bunting--1
Bobolink--1

A clearing along Smithville Road, Caroline Co.

Eastern Wood-Pewee--2
Red-eyed Vireo--2
Cedar Waxwing--12
Northern Parula--1
Pine Warbler--2
American Redstart--2
Summer Tanager--1

Idyllwild (Smithville Road), Caroline Co.

Empidonax sp.--1; two-second glimpse suggested Least
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher--1
Black-and-white Warbler--2
American Redstart--2
Field Sparrow--2
Indigo Bunting--1

Dusk at Tanyard Marsh, Caroline Co.

Wood Duck--13
Mallard--9
Green-winged Teal (American)--3
SNOWY EGRET--1; a tough bird in Caroline
Northern Harrier--1
Virginia Rail--1
Common Moorhen--13; 4 adults and 9 juveniles; sadly, three others dead on the road ((Note: If you want to see this species here, I'd suggest simply arriving early in the morning or at dusk and scanning the muddy edges of the marsh; they're easy enough here that using playback is unnecessary))
Semipalmated Sandpiper--2
Least Sandpiper--3
Laughing Gull--385
Ring-billed Gull--16
Herring Gull (American)--1
Forster's Tern--1
Fish Crow--2
Bobolink--1

PHOTOS: http://www.billhubick.com/new_set.html

Matt's updates: http://flickr.com/photos/mattyfioner/

Good birding!

Bill

Bill Hubick
Pasadena, Maryland

http://www.billhubick.com