Hi Everyone,

At midnight on Saturday (1/3), I joined Jim Brighton, Mikey Lutmerding, and Ron Gutberlet in an insane, impromptu attempt to break Maryland's January Big Day record. Our fourth member wasn't even confirmed until late on Friday afternoon and we managed about three hours of sleep between the four of us. Our rough itinerary was negotiated en route with useful advice and a sanity check from Matt Hafner. And then there we were, standing in a cold, quiet marsh at midnight. 

Our goal was to locate 139 species in 24 hours to break the record of 138 species set by Jim Stasz, Matt Hafner, Marshall Iliff, and George Armistead. We came remarkably close, finding 134 species in what was one of the most hilarious and exhausting days of birding we've ever spent. 

Our best birds included KING EIDER, HARLEQUIN DUCK, KING RAIL, SORA, COMMON MOORHEN, WESTERN WILLET, THAYER'S GULL, ICELAND GULL, NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL, five wrens, VESPER SPARROW, LARK SPARROW, and SEASIDE SPARROW.

The night was fairly quiet, but marked by several exceptional finds. Beginning in Caroline Co., we picked up VIRGINIA RAIL at our first stop, and were then shocked to hear a calling COMMON MOORHEN at a reliable breeding location. A WILSON'S SNIPE called as it flushed. We continued south and spent a lot of time stopping and listening along Elliott Island Road, where the three expected owl species were vocal and at least one CLAPPER RAIL spoke up to be counted. Our first EASTERN SCREECH-OWL flew in quickly to a whistled imitation, and when briefly viewed by flashlight, we saw it was a beautiful red morph. We left the Dorchester marshes with 12 species.

We had decided to spend dawn in the western Somerset marshes, so we used the last hour of darkness to search that area. We were lucky to hear a wintering SORA originally found by Ron and Mike Walsh near Fairmount WMA, and even more so to hear a NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL in a nice patch of cedars. As we hurried to our dawn location in Fairmount, we were at 14 species with three especially good birds in the bank. 

In place well before dawn, we found another rara avis, Sen~or Jim Stasz, keeping vigil over the marsh. We told him that of course he couldn't tell us about any birds, but this typically isn't a great risk from holders of the current record. 

Pre-dawn and dawn at Fairmount was very productive, with many skulking species vocal for a few minutes right at dawn. It is really cool to pick up MARSH WREN, SEDGE WREN, and especially SEASIDE SPARROW (2) in January. As the sun peaked over the horizon, of course the tempo quickly accelerated, and I hardly stopped writing: BCNH, SOSP, BUFF, SWSP, GRYE, MODO, NOHA, TRES,... By the time we finished scanning the waters around 
Frenchtown for bay ducks, we were at 60 species.

On our way to the birdy fields and hedgerows of eastern Somerset, we picked up an immature RED-SHOULDERED HAWK and an EASTERN PHOEBE, both missable species. The next 50 minutes were to be our most productive of the day, and between Vessey Orchard, Coventry Parrish Road, and vicinity we added 23 new species. Among these were three WOOD DUCKs, a flock of SNOW GEESE (strangely tough in Somerset), HOUSE and WINTER WREN, VESPER SPARROW, two MERLINs within a few seconds of each other, HAIRY WOODPECKER, PALM WARBLER, RUSTY BLACKBIRD, and the continuing (now wintering) LARK SPARROW. The activity was so consistent here that we decided to delay leaving. We were getting not only missable birds, but also many of the woodland species we'd need in the Pocomoke. We made the right choice to not leave a decidedly birdy area. We were at 93 species at 10:00 a.m.

We decided that we couldn't pass up the good gulls at the Salisbury Landfill, and so we headed north. A Canada Goose flock at the Stockton Road turf farm, just south of Salisbury, held two RICHARDSON'S GEESE. Both were just south of Passerdyke Creek, and so in Somerset County. En route, we reviewed our unusual situation and what species we could reasonably pick up in the Pocomoke. It would be great to make up some time, and we were somehow missing only a few woodland species: Pileated Woodpecker, Brown Creeper, and Golden-crowned Kinglet. We figured that we'd pick up the latter somewhere along the way (nope), and Ron told us he'd had the former two and Red-breasted Nuthatch in his yard just yesterday. We rolled the dice and invested 15 minutes to route Ron's backyard. None of these species showed, but we did pick up our only SHARP-SHINNED HAWK. 

The landfill was good to us, with three species of rare gull located quickly, the original first-cycle THAYER'S GULL, a first-cycle KUMLIEN'S GULL, and four LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLs. On our way to Ocean City, we spotted an AMERICAN KESTREL along Route 50 (#99).

We had roughly three hours before we had to be leaving Ocean City for our dusk spot at Deal Island. We worked a fairly typical route through favorite OC spots, and our luck was good but not perfect. At the Ocean City Inlet, we found the two continuing KING EIDERs as well as the female HARLEQUIN DUCK. A FORSTER'S TERN was plunge-diving in the inlet, while 25+ BONAPARTE'S GULLs worked near the end of the jetty. NORTHERN GANNETs were scoped in the distance.  At South Point, the Eurasian Collared-Doves were 
nowhere to be seen, but we added GREATER SCAUP to the tally. Jim pushed for a quick stop at the Assateague State Park parking lot for RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, and fortune smiled upon us. The Bayside Development Pond helped clean up our duck list, including REDHEAD, but held out on Eurasian Wigeon. West Ocean City Pond held our only CANVASBACKs, as well as a single drake GREEN-WINGED TEAL. With a few extra minutes, we added a second check of Eagle's Nest campground and were rewarded with a close WESTERN WILLET. 

Adrenaline is pumping. It's 3:10 and we are at 127 species. We need 12 to win and 11 to tie. We have some painful misses, but we also have a lot of rarities. If the dusk heron flight is good, we should have it. 

A flock of 200 COMMON GRACKLEs flies over Route 50 east of Salisbury (#128). We stop to check the hack tower at Deal for Peregrines, but instead spot a large bird perched in a tree top in the distance. A scope check verifies that it is a SHORT-EARED OWL (#129). We're still missing a few water birds, and incredibly, the needs list includes Double-crested Cormorant. Fortunately, a brief stop at the Chance Inlet cleans up that awful near-miss (#130). As we pull away, the window of opportunity for White-winged Scoter, Great Cormorant, and Brown Pelican is closed.

OK, single digits to win and dusk at Riley Roberts Road holds many possibilities. As we scan the first open area, we are relieved that one of the three swans is a MUTE SWAN (#131). At the end of the road, we again join Mr. Stasz, who knows that time is running out. As we walk out along the dike, he asks how many we need. "Eight to win!" I yell back over my shoulder, just as Mikey points out flying bittern. "Seven!" I amend.

It's a beautiful dusk. A constant stream of Black-crowned Night-Herons passes overhead, and at least six AMERICAN BITTERNs make short-distance flights across the marsh. At one point we had the pleasure of comparing the two species' "wuck" calls side-by-side. HOODED MERGANSERs are croaking nearby, the sound reminiscent of Pickerel Frog, and elsewhere we hear the "ndik" calls of Gadwall. A SHORT-EARED OWL hunts the surrounding area, and a Horned Grebe casts a silhouette on an orange mirror. Clapper Rail. Marsh Wren. But where are the egrets? Seriously, not ONE Boat-tailed Grackle? 

Finally, we catch a break and Mikey gets us on a distant TRICOLORED HERON (#133). A Great Horned Owl is calling as we walk back to the car, sighing.

We want the record, though, and it technically can be done. We still need American Woodcock and Barn Owl. Black Rail could happen, and of course a Lesser Yellowlegs might vocalize at any marsh stop. We have spots for King Rail. We review the many options, including a return to the western shore. The next five hours required pure grit. We slowly drove promising roads for woodcock, and we did a lot of listening. We did pick up two KING RAILs in Worcester Co. (#134)

By the end of the night, the sleep deprivation was taking its toll. I think Jim and Mikey had a full conversation in their sleep. At one point Jim mumbled "There's gulls..." and later murmured something about "the impoundments." At one point we were laughing so hard that half of us were literally crying. We learned that with enough Red Bull and Rockstar, we make a pretty good beatbox quartet.

We ended with 134 species, quite a miracle for such a ridiculous, impromptu effort. It was an epic, unforgettable day.

Full list: Snow Goose, Brant, Cackling Goose, Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Tundra Swan, Wood Duck, Gadwall, American Wigeon, American Black Duck, Mallard, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Canvasback, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Greater Scaup, Lesser Scaup, King Eider, Harlequin Duck, Surf Scoter, Black Scoter, Long-tailed Duck, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Hooded Merganser, Red-breasted Merganser, Ruddy Duck, Red-throated Loon, Common Loon, Pied-billed Grebe, Horned Grebe, Northern Gannet, Double-crested Cormorant, American Bittern, Great Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, Merlin, Clapper Rail, King Rail, Virginia Rail, Sora, Common Moorhen, American Coot, Black-bellied Plover, Killdeer, American Oystercatcher, Greater Yellowlegs, Willet, Ruddy Turnstone,
 Sanderling, Purple Sandpiper, Dunlin, Wilson's Snipe, Bonaparte's Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Herring Gull, Thayer's Gull, Iceland Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Forster's Tern, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Eastern Screech-Owl, Great Horned Owl, Barred Owl, Short-eared Owl, Northern Saw-whet Owl, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Eastern Phoebe, Blue Jay, American Crow, Fish Crow, Horned Lark, Tree Swallow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Carolina Wren, House Wren, Winter Wren, Sedge Wren, Marsh Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Eastern Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, American Robin, Gray Catbird, Northern Mockingbird, Brown Thrasher, European Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Palm Warbler, Eastern Towhee, Chipping Sparrow, Field Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow, Lark Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Seaside
 Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, Eastern Meadowlark, Rusty Blackbird, Common Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, House Finch, Pine Siskin, American Goldfinch, House Sparrow.

Selected misses: Blue-winged Teal, White-winged Scoter, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Peregrine Falcon, Barn Owl, Rough-legged Hawk, Brown Creeper, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Fox Sparrow, Purple Finch, an extra shorebird or two (Western, Lesser Yellowlegs, Long-billed Dowitcher), American Woodcock, Pine Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, White-crowned Sparrow, Wild Turkey, sharp-tailed sparrows.

Good birding!

Bill

Bill Hubick
Pasadena, Maryland

http://www.billhubick.com