On Friday 3/20/09 Joe Byrnes, Jeff Culler, and I birded in Queen Anne's, Caroline and Talbot Counties. The shortened lists of notable sightings are below. O ur most surprising and difficult sightings were 5 Short-billed Dowitchers at Tanyard Marsh in Caroline County. The early date in the Yellow Book is March 26th. After studying the birds we determined they were Short-billed Dowitchers for the following reasons: 

1. While preening the tail feathers showed as much white as dark bands. The dark bands were not in a broken zig-zag pattern. 

2. Rusty color on the throat and down to the breast. 

3. Whitish belly 

4. Posture. While at rest the birds back was more horizontial as compared to the ground. I would expect a Long-billed to be at more of an angle. 

5. I did have a concern with the back of the neck angle which appeared steeper than typical. 

Any comments would be appreciated. We did get some pictures but I haven't reviewed them yet. 





Location:     Pemberton Manor 
Northern Shoveler     1 
Green-winged Teal (American)     28 
Ring-necked Duck     18 
Northern Harrier     1 
American Kestrel     2 
Wilson's Snipe     4 
Horned Lark     4 
Eastern Meadowlark     2 
Rusty Blackbird     12 






Location:     Tuckahoe State Park (Caroline Co) 
Cackling Goose     1 
Wood Duck     5 
Sharp-shinned Hawk     1 
Tree Swallow     4 
Pine Warbler     2 






Location:     Ridgely WWTP 
Horned Lark     2 





Location:     Denton WWTP 
Ring-necked Duck     18 
Osprey     1 
Pileated Woodpecker     1 
Tree Swallow     2 




Location:     Hunting Creek 
Common Goldeneye     20 
Red-breasted Merganser     2 
Double-crested Cormorant     25 
Osprey     6 
Bald Eagle     2 
Northern Harrier     1 
Cooper's Hawk     1 
American Kestrel     1 
White-crowned Sparrow     1 (feeder on Main St) 




Location:     Tanyard Marsh 
Muscovy Duck (Domestic type)     3 
Green-winged Teal     75 
Northern Harrier     1 
Greater Yellowlegs     14 
Short-billed Dowitcher     5 
Wilson's Snipe     60 
Laughing Gull     40 





Location:     Easton WWTP 
American Wigeon     4 
Northern Shoveler     28 
Green-winged Teal     32 
Ruddy Duck     4 
American Kestrel     2 
Laughing Gull     45 






Location:     Pickering Creek Audubon Center 
Northern Pintail     2 
Green-winged Teal     13 
Osprey     2 
Sharp-shinned Hawk     1 
Greater Yellowlegs     1 
Brown Creeper     1 
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)     1 





Joe Hanfman 

Columbia, MD