Hi all,

As J.B. recently posted, we did another birder's trip to Poplar Island
yesterday. Conditions were rather windy and cool, and (as we had feared) the
persistent NE winds of the last few days seem to have cleared out quite a
few of the shorebirds. Lots of ducks coming in, the seasons are turning...

Jan Reese came along with us, and we visited primarily those areas where he
had seen interesting birds on his rounds the day before. Alas, we were
unable to relocate the Baird's Sandpipers he had recorded, but there are
acres of appropriate habitat and the birds were flighty due to quite a bit
of raptor activity. We watched for some time an adult Bald Eagle trying to
snag a constantly diving Shoveler (which eventually escaped, the eagle
giving up!)

We had a nice contingent of 18 birders and again, enjoyed the hospitality of
the Maryland Environmental Services folk, Robin and Shaun (our driver).

Birds seen on the island, as well as from the boat (thanks to Sherman Suter
for keeping count):

Double Crested Cormorant    200+
Great Blue Heron            10
Great Egret                 2
Snowy Egret                 4
Gadwall                     2
Black Duck                  12
Mallard                     60+
Northern Shoveler           100+
Northern Pintail            20
Green-winged Teal           25
Lesser Scaup                1
Surf Scoter                 2
Scoter sp.                  ~10
Turkey Vulture              2
Bald Eagle                  8-10
Northern harrier            3
Sharp-shinned Hawk          2
Merlin                      1
Peregrine                   1
Kestrel                     2-3
Black-bellied Plover         12
AM. GOLDEN PLOVER           2
Semipalmated Plover         ~50
Killdeer                    6
AMERICAN AVOCET             2
Lesser Yellowlegs           15
(Western) Willet            1
Spotted Sandpiper           3
Ruddy Turnstone             2-3
Sanderling                  250+
Semipalmated Sandpiper      50+
WESTERN SANDPIPER           10
Least Sandpiper             30
WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER      4
DUNLIN                      2-3
Short-billed Dowitcher      1
Laughing Gull (most from boat)  50+
Ring-billed Gull            10
Herring Gull                500+
Greater Black-backed Gull   1500+
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL    5
Caspian Tern                2
Royal Tern                  3-4
Common/Forster's Tern       10
Belted Kingfisher           1
Tree Swallow                4
Parula Warbler              1
Red-winged Blackbird        25
Brown-headed Cowbird        250+

Insects (not all species recorded):
Monarch                     common
American Painted Lady       2
Painted Lady                1
Buckeye                     2-3
Checkered White             10
Clouded Sulfur              5
Giant Cloudless Sulfur      1

Black Saddlebags (dragonfly) common

Before Trip, 20 minutes at Black Walnut Point:

GREAT CORMORANT             1 (thanks Jim Stasz!)
D-C Cormorant               many!
Bald Eagle                  2
Sharp-shinned Hawk          1-2
MERLIN                      1
Forster's Tern              2
Belted Kingfisher           1
Gray Catbird                2
Tufted Titmouse             2
Redstart                    2
Common Yellowthroat         2

Gail Mackiernan and Barry Cooper
Colesville, MD