On Sunday, April 5, I made a swing through the central Eastern Shore,
spending most of the time in Caroline County but a little in Talbot and Queen
Anne's as well. Besides the beautiful weather and the exploration of some locales
that were new to me, the highlights were a near sweep of the expected puddle
ducks in Caroline (missed Shoveler), impressive numbers of Ruddy Ducks at the
CBEC, some new spring arrivals, and about 30 new county ticks. A few of the
highlights are below.
TANYARD MARSH (Caroline):
Green-winged Teal - 40-50
Osprey - 2
Bald Eagle - 2
Greater Yellowlegs - 4
Lesser Yellowlegs - ~30
Wilson's Snipe - 150+ with several large flocks moving about
Laughing Gull - ~200
Herring Gull - ~30
Great Black-backed Gull - 2
Forster's tern - 3
POPLAR NECK ROAD (Caroline)
Gadwall - 3, in a wide roadside ditch just east of the bend where the
pavement ends; I mention it because Bill Hubick ranked it a mega bird in Caroline.
American Kestrel - 1
Chipping Sparrow - 1
CHOPTANK (the town, Caroline)
American Black Duck - 3
Osprey - 2
Barn Swallow - 2
KINGS CREEK (Talbot)
Wood Duck - 2
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 1
COVEYS LANDING (Tuckahoe Creek, Talbot & Caroline). As mentioned by Bill and
others, getting a few extra feet of elevation reveals hidden birds on the
Caroline side.
Wood Duck - 3; 1 swam across to Caroline side
American Wigeon - 3
American Black Duck - 8
Mallard - 11
Blue-winged Teal - 3; saw them on the Caroline side when they had clearly
just swam across from Talbot, but I missed the double-tick.
Northern Pintail - 3
Green-winged Teal - 1
Pied-billed Grebe - 1, both counties
Bald Eagle - 1 on nest, Talbot
Belted Kingfisher - 1
TUCKAHOE STATE PARK (mostly Caroline side)
Blue-winged Teal - 1
American Coot - 6, Queen Anne's side
Eastern Phoebe - 2
Tree Swallow - 3
Brown Creeper - 1
Winter Wren - 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 1
Hermit Thrush - 1
Brown Thrasher - 1
Pine Warbler - 2
CHESAPEAKE BAY ENVIRONMENTAL CENTER (Queen Anne's)
Northern Shoveler - 2 drakes on Lake Knapp
Green-winged Teal - 13
Canvasback - ~50
scaup sp. - ~200
Ruddy Duck - 2,000, a conservative estimate; several huge concentrated flocks
Northern Rough-winged Swallow - 1
Brown-headed Nuthatch - 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler - ~25
Yellow-throated Warbler - 1
Pine Warbler - 2
MATAPEAKE PIER (Queen Anne's)
Long-tailed Duck - 1 drake coming into breeding plumage
Northern Gannet - 3 in QA, 2 in Anne Arundel County
Joel Martin
Catonsville, MD
(mailto:[log in to unmask])
**************A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. See yours in just 2 easy
steps!
(http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100126575x1221621488x1201450096/aol?redir=http:%2F%2Fwww.freecreditreport.com%2Fpm%2Fdefault.aspx%3Fsc%3D668072%26hmpgID
%3D62%26bcd%3DAprilfooterNO62) |