Greetings,
The Martin/Ellison team found 118 species through the central part of
the county on Saturday's May Count (8 May). That total will undoubtedly
rise with contributions from teams at Eastern Neck, Quaker Neck and east
county.
Our best bird was a BLACK-NECKED STILT at Great Oak Pond, feeding in the
shallow west corner of the pond. Also at the pond were a single TUNDRA
SWAN and a drake Blue-winged Teal. The past several days of rain have
produced good conditions for migrating shorebirds in area fields as
well. We found 240 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS in the field on the east side
of Fish Hatchery Road, about 1/2 mile south of Handy Point Road.
Scanning with the scope revealed additional shorebirds: 9 Semipalmated
Plovers, 3 RUDDY TURNSTONES, 15 Dunlin, 10 Short-billed Dowitchers, 95
Least Sandpipers and 5 Lesser Yellowlegs. In our experience, this field
has often attracted similar collections of migrating shorebirds in May.
The team of Joe Rogers and Meg Parry also found shorebirds in a field on
Bayshore Road, SSE of its intersection with Fairlee Landing Road. They
estimated 175 Black-bellied Plovers, along with 6 Killdeer, 5 Dunlin,
and 5 Least Sandpipers there.
Overall, it was a middling day for migrants, with 14 species of warblers
featuring good numbers of parula, blackpoll, chestnut-sided, and
redstart; Gray-cheeked Thrushes at Great Oak Landing and Libby's Nature
Trail on Lover's Lane, Chestertown; the first big influx of returning
pewees, Acadian Flycatchers, Blue Grosbeaks and Indigo Buntings; and
many flocks of Cedar Waxwings.
Good birding,
Walter Ellison & Nancy Martin
23460 Clarissa Rd
Chestertown, MD 21620
410-778-9568
Observing Nature is like unwrapping a big pile of presents every time
you take a walk. |