I enjoyed the warm and sometimes peculiar weather this weekend birding with my brother Mike. On Saturday we ventured south to Point Lookout State Park, where there were plenty of Surf Scoters, Cormorants, Loons, and Gannetts. There were dozens of Long-tailed Ducks and Yellow-rumpeds, but not in the same flock. 

Unquestionably the best bird of the trip was a WESTERN/CLARK's GREBE. Unfortunately, the bird did not cooperate enough for me to make a solid ID, so I can't narrow it down any further than one of these two species. I first located the grebe on the western side of the point, about 100 yards for shore. I immediately recognized what I was working with - a large grebe with a very long neck with a superficially similar pattern to that of a non-breeding Horned Grebe. I had the scope on it as it was swimming away from me on a diagonal course (so I was looking at its back and part of its neck and head). To my GREAT CONSTERNATION the bird picked up and flew another 300 yards out west, giving me only 10ish seconds of viewing. I lost it in the haze/horizon waves, but continued to scan the horizon for another 1 hour, eventually relocating the bird at a great distance, but it was too far for any further identification. As it was flying away from me, there was limited white on the wings, which suggests Western Grebe but because I have no experience with these species, I wasn't going to make a call based on that. 

On Sunday me and Mike helped out Steve Hillyer on the Rock Run CBC in Cecil County. Due to some regulars not being able to make it this year, we were covering two sectors - the two most southeast sectors (Furnace Bay Area). We made out pretty well as a group, with the best birds being a CACKLING GOOSE (Furnace Bay), ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK (found by Steve while driving), MERLIN (Charter Hill Rd) , WILD TURKEY, HORNED LARK, RUSTY BLACKBIRD, 1100+ AMERICAN COOTS (Furnace Bay), READHEAD (Port Deposit and Furnance Bay).

The full lists from our weekend are as follows:

Location:     Point Lookout State Park
Observation date:     12/27/08
Number of species:     39

Canada Goose     4
Mute Swan     2
Greater Scaup     12
Greater/Lesser Scaup     100
Surf Scoter     75
Long-tailed Duck     65
Common Goldeneye     170
Hooded Merganser     1
Red-breasted Merganser     12
Ruddy Duck     1
Common Loon     6
Pied-billed Grebe     1
Horned Grebe     9
Western/Clark's Grebe     1
Northern Gannet     9
Double-crested Cormorant     18
Bald Eagle     2
Ring-billed Gull     16
Herring Gull     3
Great Black-backed Gull     8
Mourning Dove     1
Red-bellied Woodpecker     2
Downy Woodpecker     3
Hairy Woodpecker     1
Northern Flicker     2
Carolina Chickadee     16
Brown-headed Nuthatch     4
Carolina Wren     3
Ruby-crowned Kinglet     1
Eastern Bluebird     4
Northern Mockingbird     2
European Starling     15
Cedar Waxwing     5
Yellow-rumped Warbler     80
Song Sparrow     1
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored)     13
Northern Cardinal     2
Red-winged Blackbird     5
American Goldfinch     4

Location:     Charter Cove
Observation date:     12/28/08
Number of species:     37

Cackling Goose     1
Canada Goose     3500
Mallard     30
Canvasback     1
Redhead     1
Ring-necked Duck     4
Lesser Scaup     45
Bufflehead     1
Common Goldeneye     1
Hooded Merganser     5
Ruddy Duck     10
Pied-billed Grebe     12
Great Blue Heron     2
Red-tailed Hawk     1
Merlin     1
American Coot     1100
Ring-billed Gull     45
Great Black-backed Gull     2
Mourning Dove     2
Eastern Screech-Owl     1
Red-bellied Woodpecker     1
Downy Woodpecker     2
Blue Jay     6
American Crow     25
Fish Crow     5
Tufted Titmouse     2
Carolina Wren     2
Golden-crowned Kinglet     2
Hermit Thrush     1
American Robin     1
Cedar Waxwing     13
Eastern Towhee     1
Song Sparrow     8
White-throated Sparrow     6
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored)     4
Northern Cardinal     4
Red-winged Blackbird     4

Location:     Perryville Community Park
Observation date:     12/28/08
Number of species:     45

Canada Goose     2500
Tundra Swan     106
Gadwall     1
American Wigeon     3
American Black Duck     14
Mallard     102
Ring-necked Duck     16
Lesser Scaup     42
Bufflehead     15
Common Goldeneye     1
Hooded Merganser     7
Common Merganser     14
Red-breasted Merganser     6
Ruddy Duck     200
Pied-billed Grebe     21
Great Blue Heron     5
Turkey Vulture     5
Bald Eagle     2
Red-shouldered Hawk     1
Red-tailed Hawk     1
Ring-billed Gull     278
Herring Gull     3
Great Black-backed Gull     7
Mourning Dove     1
Belted Kingfisher     1
Red-bellied Woodpecker     6
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker     1
Downy Woodpecker     5
Northern Flicker     6
American Crow     54
Carolina Chickadee     40
Tufted Titmouse     32
White-breasted Nuthatch     7
Brown Creeper     5
Carolina Wren     7
Golden-crowned Kinglet     10
Ruby-crowned Kinglet     5
Northern Mockingbird     3
European Starling     65
Song Sparrow     9
White-throated Sparrow     7
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored)     26
Northern Cardinal     9
American Goldfinch     22
House Sparrow     12

Location:     Port Deposit
Observation date:     12/28/08
Number of species:     17

Canada Goose     500
Mallard     72
Redhead     1
Bufflehead     14
Black Vulture     60
Turkey Vulture     20
Bald Eagle     2
Red-tailed Hawk     2
Ring-billed Gull     250
Herring Gull     2
Great Black-backed Gull     9
Northern Flicker     1
American Crow     2
Fish Crow     50
Carolina Wren     2
Dark-eyed Junco     1
American Goldfinch     1


Robert Ostrowski
Bowie, MD