Hi Everyone,

John Hubbell and I spent all day Sunday (3/15) checking water areas in Kent and Caroline Counties. We were particularly thorough in Caroline, where many species of waterfowl are notoriously difficult. There is a long list of species that are strangely, incredibly--maddeningly--difficult in the county. All three scoters, Long-tailed Duck, Red-throated Loon, and Gadwall are megas in Caroline. Lesser rarities, but still excellent are Common Loon, Horned Grebe, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, and many others. Searching for these seemingly findable birds on rainy days during migration has become a tradition and an addiction among Maryland bird distribution aficionados. Today we found a couple lesser Caroline rarities, as well as a few noteworthy high counts and  personal second- and third-ever sightings. However, the epic waterfowl finds have eluded us for another day. That's OK. Rare bird finding is a long-term commitment and cold, wet days are
 high-interest birding karma investments.

We began the day listening to owls and woodcock in Millington WMA.

Millington WMA--Black Bottom Road, Kent Co.

Wood Duck--2
American Black Duck/Mallard--c. 10 heard
Green-winged Teal--5
American Woodcock--8; peeanting in several areas along Black Bottom Road; one especially close bird made quiet, guttural sounds that we'd never heard before between calls; I scribbled in my notes, "tewucka"
Great Horned Owl--3
Barred Owl--2; One flushed from the center of the road as we approached, another called
Non-avian: Spring Peepers, New Jersey Chorus Frogs, Southern Leopard Frog. 
An American Beaver slapped its tail on the water of a pond as we approached.

Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge, Kent Co.

Canada Goose--c. 2000
Tundra Swan--492; exact count
American Black Duck--4
Greater Scaup--111; on the Bay by the butterfly garden
Bufflehead--92
Common Goldeneye--9
Red-breasted Merganser--2
Wild Turkey--4; heard at least four
Osprey--2
Bald Eagle--3
Northern Harrier--1
Red-tailed Hawk (Eastern)--1
Killdeer--2
Herring Gull (American)--16
Great Black-backed Gull--3
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker--1
Hairy Woodpecker--2
Marsh Wren--1 singing
Brown Thrasher--1; singing near the butterfly garden
European Starling--15; one was doing an especially accurate Eastern Wood-Pewee imitation
Eastern Towhee--6
Fox Sparrow (Red)--1
Song Sparrow--5
Swamp Sparrow--5
White-throated Sparrow--90
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored)--35
Common Grackle--300
Brown-headed Cowbird--1

Rock Hall, Kent Co.

Canvasback--98
Greater/Lesser Scaup--50
Bufflehead--22
Red-breasted Merganser--2
Horned Grebe--1
Double-crested Cormorant--1
Osprey--2
Herring Gull--3
Great Black-backed Gull--6

Great Oak Pond, Kent Co.

Snow Goose--2; lingering on the edge of the pond
Tundra Swan--7
Northern Shoveler--3
Ring-necked Duck--6
Lesser Scaup--2
Greater/Lesser Scaup--3
Ruddy Duck--12

Chestertown WWTP, Kent Co.

Northern Shoveler--96
Ring-necked Duck--6
Lesser Scaup--5
Ruddy Duck--12
Killdeer--24; landed as one large flock
Bonaparte's Gull--1
Ring-billed Gull--1
Horned Lark--2
American Pipit--16
Savannah Sparrow (Eastern)--1

Northern Caroline Co. ponds

Wood Duck--2
Green-winged Teal (American)--23
Northern Harrier--1
Killdeer--1
Eastern Phoebe--1
Eastern Towhee--3
Field Sparrow--8
Savannah Sparrow (Eastern)--3
Song Sparrow--7
Swamp Sparrow--4
Non-avian: New Jersey Chorus Frogs abundant and vocal.

Quarry on Rte 313, Caroline Co.

Snow Goose--2
Ring-necked Duck--10
Belted Kingfisher--1

Ridgely WWTP, Caroline Co.

Ruddy Duck--1
Laughing Gull--1

Tuckahoe State Park, Queen Anne's Co. side

Wood Duck--2
Mallard--5
Northern Shoveler--1; noteworthy bird at Tuckahoe; very tough bird in Caroline, and this bird was perhaps 50' away from the county line; if John and I didn't have a sighting each of the species in Caroline, we would have waited as long as it took for the bird to cross the line ;) 
Green-winged Teal (American)--18
Osprey--1
Bald Eagle--1
American Coot--8
Belted Kingfisher--2
Rusty Blackbird--3; singing

Tuckahoe State Park, Caroline Co. side

Wood Duck--2
Green-winged Teal (American)--18
Osprey--1
Bald Eagle--1
American Coot--8
Belted Kingfisher--2
Tree Swallow--6

Choptank River--Rte 404 Bridge, Caroline Co.

Common Merganser--5
Osprey--2
Killdeer--1
Herring Gull (American)--6
Great Black-backed Gull--2

Denton WWTP, Caroline Co.

Mallard--2
Ring-necked Duck--118
Bufflehead--3
Killdeer--2

Williston Lake and nearby Choptank River, Caroline Co.

Mallard--12
Common Merganser--5

Choptank Marina/Hunting Creek, Caroline Co.

Muscovy Duck (Domestic type)--1; just one well-behaved bird today; no sign of the killer Muscovy that attacked Matt Hafner
Mallard--21
COMMON GOLDENEYE--27; easily the highest count I've heard about in Caroline since I've been birding!
Double-crested Cormorant--9
Osprey--3
Killdeer--2
Herring Gull (American)--29
Great Black-backed Gull--4
Lesser Black-backed Gull--1 first-cycle
Swamp Sparrow--1

Skeleton Creek Road, Caroline Co.

Killdeer--16
Greater Yellowlegs--1

Choptank River--Hog Island Road, Caroline Co.

Mute Swan--2
Wild Turkey--3
Pied-billed Grebe--1
Black Vulture--4
Turkey Vulture--15
Osprey--2
Killdeer--3
Greater Yellowlegs--1
Wilson's Snipe--5
Swamp Sparrow--1

Tanyard Marsh, Caroline Co.

Wood Duck--2
Mallard--9
Green-winged Teal (American)--39
Osprey--1
Killdeer--1
Wilson's Snipe--77; very low tide; we actually counted 54 birds feeding in one area, then after moving down the road, observed a flock of 77 flushing from the marsh that appeared to be a different group. Having not confirmed that there were two groups, we just went with the count of 77 
Laughing Gull--9
Herring Gull (American)--95
Great Black-backed Gull--4

King's Creek, Talbot Co.

Wild Turkey--19; nice flock feeding in a field west of King's Creek

Kingston Landing, Caroline side, viewed from Talbot Co.

American Black Duck--15
Common Merganser--8
Osprey--2
Horned Lark--2; Talbot side

Tuckahoe Creek--Coveys Landing, Caroline side, viewed from Talbot Co.

Very low tide, combined with getting some elevation up Covey's Landing Road, allowed us to view an excellent collection of dabblers on the Caroline side of the marsh. About 250 dabblers were tucked away in a muddy section of marsh, resting and foraging. Northern Pintail was a county bird for me, and this is one of the higher counts I've heard of in the county in recent years. Wood Duck and Common Merganser numbers were noteworthy as well.

Wood Duck--39
American Wigeon--4
American Black Duck--12
Mallard--168
Northern Pintail--14
Green-winged Teal (American)--13
Common Merganser--13
Pied-billed Grebe--1
Osprey--2

The reasons behind the challenge of finding tough waterfowl in Caroline is a really fascinating topic. To summarize recent discussions with John Hubbell and Matt Hafner, as well as my recollection of conversations with Stasz and Co., there are at least two main sister theories. 1) High-flying sea and bay ducks can see the Chesapeake Bay in the distance, and they head toward it. 2) Dabblers have a huge selection of tucked-away marshes along several major rivers, and birders have access to only a fraction of the good habitat. Spotting the large dabbler collection hidden behind the marsh at Covey's Landing seems like especially strong anecdotal evidence for the latter idea. 

Good birding!

Bill

Bill Hubick
Pasadena, Maryland

http://www.billhubick.com