Yesterday Frances & I got good looks at the male TUFTED DUCK
in the Cambridge marina, as previously reported. We were
also mobbed by many hundred CANVASBACKS (and a lone male
REDHEAD) at the end of Oakley St. We didn't see the
Eurasian Wigeon, but others reportedly did.
We went on to Blackwater NWR, where there was a large
concentration of SNOW GEESE (we managed to pick out 11 neck
collars) plus a group of AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS, as
previously reported. The eastern portion of the refuge is
still closed (I was told it would open "in about 2 weeks"),
so we also checked out the new Tubman Rd. Trail to look for
BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCH and got great looks at one chirping
away as we were about to leave. Following are our eBird
submissions for the three locations:
Location: Cambridge - Choptank River
Observation date: 1/9/09
Notes: A stop at Cambridge to look for reported Tufted
Duck and Eurasian Wigeon at the marina. Got good looks at
the former; the latter was reported seen at the time, but
not by us. Clear/sunny, cold, windy. We also checked out
the end of Oakley St (many Canvasbacks!) and the view from
the yacht club (we returned there in the afternoon,
15h55-16h05, and saw the goldeneyes and flyby Tundra Swans).
Number of species: 23
Canada Goose 50 at least
Tundra Swan 12
American Wigeon 10 at least, both sexes
Mallard 10 at least, both sexes
Canvasback 500 approx, both sexes
Redhead 1
Tufted Duck 1
Lesser Scaup 5 at least, both sexes
Greater/Lesser Scaup 200 approx, both sexes
Surf Scoter 5 at least, both sexes
Long-tailed Duck 2
Bufflehead 10 at least, both sexes
Common Goldeneye 2
Ruddy Duck 3
Horned Grebe 1
Turkey Vulture 1
Bald Eagle 1
Ring-billed Gull 30 at least
Great Black-backed Gull 2
Rock Pigeon 1
Blue Jay 1 heard only
crow sp. 1
Northern Mockingbird 1
Location: Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge
Observation date: 1/9/09
Notes: After Cambridge we visited the refuge. Sunny,
windy, cold. The eastern portion of the refuge was closed.
Saw a couple of nice Snow Goose liftoffs.
Number of species: 33
Snow Goose 10000 approx, incl. blue form. collars
seen: PE48, 92AR, 24AE, 26AR, ??AR, 36AJ, 66AA, 55AX, PE79,
MM70, 67AA, RE61
Canada Goose 5000 approx
Tundra Swan 5
Mallard 20 approx, both sexes
Northern Pintail 50 approx, both sexes
Hooded Merganser 3
Red-breasted Merganser 1
American White Pelican 15 +/- 1 (huddled in a group)
Great Blue Heron 4
Turkey Vulture 5 at least
Bald Eagle 7
Northern Harrier 4 both sexes
Killdeer 25 approx
Ring-billed Gull 5 approx
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Downy Woodpecker 2
Pileated Woodpecker 1
American Crow 3
Carolina Chickadee 3
Tufted Titmouse 3
Carolina Wren 2 heard only
Golden-crowned Kinglet 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 2
Eastern Bluebird 4 both sexes
Hermit Thrush 1
American Robin 15 approx
Northern Mockingbird 3
European Starling 200 approx
Song Sparrow 2
White-throated Sparrow 1
Red-winged Blackbird 1000 approx
Common Grackle 2
American Goldfinch 5 at least
Location: Blackwater NWR--Tubman Rd. Trail
Observation date: 1/9/09
Notes: Checked out the new trail, looking specifically
for Brown-headed Nuthatch, and got one just as we were
leaving! We didn't do the whole loop, but instead a portion
in each direction. Distance approximate.
Number of species: 18
Turkey Vulture 3
Bald Eagle 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1 heard only
Downy Woodpecker 2
Hairy Woodpecker 1 ID from voice
Northern Flicker 1
Carolina Chickadee 4
Tufted Titmouse 2
Brown-headed Nuthatch 1
Brown Creeper 1
Carolina Wren 5
Golden-crowned Kinglet 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 2
Eastern Bluebird 6
Hermit Thrush 1
Song Sparrow 2 at least
Swamp Sparrow 3 at least
White-throated Sparrow 1
(Oh and we had a BARRED OWL by the side of Rte 50 in Anne
Arundel county on the drive up...)
D
--
Derek C. Richardson, Laurel, PG County, MD
http://www.astro.umd.edu/~dcr/Archives/Photos/birds.html |