Hi Everyone,

I met up with Jim Brighton, Tom Feild, and Zach Baer at 5:00 a.m. to begin owling for our territory in the Denton CBC on Saturday (12/20). We were hoping for a couple saw-whet owls, but had to settle for the three more expected species and four woodcock (individuals, not species). Highlights for the day were impressive concentrations of geese and swans, a modest morning finch flight (good band name?), and a few decent county birds. Here are the lists sans most of the expected residents:

Tuckahoe State Park, Queen Anne's Co.

Snow Goose--88
Ross's Goose--1 flew over with a dawn Snow Goose flock
Canada Goose--102
Tundra Swan--19
Wood Duck--2
Mallard--2
Hooded Merganser--3
Bald Eagle--3
Killdeer--28; all on one field edge along Crouse Mill Road
American Woodcock--1 heard just before dawn west of Tuckahoe; Jim only
Eastern Screech-Owl--1
Barred Owl--1
Belted Kingfisher--1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker--1
Hairy Woodpecker--1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted)--23; 17 flushed from one damp field west of Tuckahoe
Pileated Woodpecker--1
Horned Lark--45
Winter Wren--3
Golden-crowned Kinglet--1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet--1
Eastern Bluebird--18
Hermit Thrush--1
Gray Catbird--1; Jim and Tom only
Brown Thrasher--1; calling at dawn
American Pipit--3
Cedar Waxwing--37
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)--9
Eastern Towhee--1
Field Sparrow--7
Song Sparrow--18
Swamp Sparrow--6
White-throated Sparrow--32
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored)--2
Purple Finch--3; flyovers, calling in early morning
Pine Siskin--1; flyover, calling in early morning (Tuckahoe Lake parking lot)
American Goldfinch--28

Rte 309--Horseshoe to Rte 404, Queen Anne's Co.
* An impressive collection of geese with constant incoming flocks

Snow Goose--2485
Ross's Goose--1; Zach only
Canada Goose--675
Cackling Goose (Richardson's)--Tom only
Tundra Swan--62
Mallard--6
Ring-billed Gull--1
Horned Lark--76
American Pipit--2
Savannah Sparrow (Eastern)--2

Horseshoe Road, Queen Anne's Co.

Snow Goose--90
Canada Goose--15
Tundra Swan--3
American Kestrel--1
Ring-billed Gull--16
Winter Wren--1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet--1
Eastern Bluebird--5
Cedar Waxwing--7
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)--2
Song Sparrow--4
White-throated Sparrow--15
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored)--7

Tuckahoe State Park, Caroline Co.
* All sightings in campground or along Cherry Lane except where noted

Snow Goose--315
Ross's Goose--1; same bird that flew over the lake in early AM
Canada Goose--60
Tundra Swan--5
Hooded Merganser--3; same three seen flying over the lake
Bald Eagle--3
American Woodcock--3
Great Horned Owl--2
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker--1; Bill and Tom only; along Tuckahoe Creek in a holly grove; my county closeout
Pileated Woodpecker--1
Horned Lark--1
Brown Creeper--1
Golden-crowned Kinglet--1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet--1
Eastern Bluebird--6
Hermit Thrush--6
Eastern Towhee--3
Field Sparrow--4
Fox Sparrow (Red)--1
Song Sparrow--1

Sparks Road, Caroline Co.
Notes: Found to our surprised that Ninetown Road has signs saying "Private Property" and "Do Not Enter."

Snow Goose--1000; Distant flock, conservative estimate
Ross's Goose--1; arrived with one of the incoming flocks
Tundra Swan--18; including two very pink-billed immature birds
Horned Lark--1; just one heard calling, no concentrations noted here

Cow Barn Road, Caroline Co. near Ridgely WWTP

Cooper's Hawk--1
White-crowned Sparrow (Eastern)--6; hedgerow at the entrance to the small park

Denton WWTP, Caroline Co.

Canada Goose--150
American Black Duck--3
Mallard--20
Ring-necked Duck--43
Lesser Scaup--1 hen
Greater/Lesser Scaup--1 hen
Bufflehead--8; no longer the tough county bird it was once considered to be
Ruddy Duck--2
Ring-billed Gull--3
Eastern Phoebe--1

Sharp Road, Talbot Co.

Cackling Goose (Richardson's)--1
Canada Goose--800
House Finch--4

Pickering Creek Audubon Center, Talbot Co.

Greater White-fronted Goose (Greenland)--1--Bill only; flushed from the main impoundment in a large flock of Canada Geese
Snow Goose--1 blue goose with Canadas
Canada Goose--2000; conservative; many flocks moving about; many thousands in the area
American Black Duck--30
Mallard--20
Northern Shoveler--15; Bill only; flushed from the back briefly and landed again
Ruddy Duck--2
Bald Eagle--2
Northern Harrier--1
Great Horned Owl--1; calling at about 3:40 p.m.

Dusk at Tanyard Marsh, Caroline Co.

Snow Goose--250
Cackling Goose (Richardson's)--1; flew in with Canadas
Canada Goose--1500; conservative
Tundra Swan--5
American Black Duck--2
Mallard--7
American Black Duck/Mallard--50
dabbling duck sp.--28; distant and at dusk
Bald Eagle--2
Northern Harrier--1
LEAST SANDPIPER--7; good find; new December species for me in Maryland; well seen via scopes and watched at length; interestingly, we also noted the species here in November (2 on 11/8/2008)
Dunlin--1; at least one continues from the large flocks seen recently (43 on 11/29/2008)
Ring-billed Gull--31; commuters
Herring Gull--1 adult

Good birding!

Bill

Bill Hubick
Pasadena, Maryland

http://www.billhubick.com