I had a great day birding on Saturday.  I spent the morning and early afternoon in Blackwater NWR and along Elliott Island Road.  In mid-afternoon I went to the coast to finish the day at Ocean City and Assateague.  The weather was great and I was able to get most of the birds I was hoping for.  Highlights in Dorchester County included:

White Pelican:  Blackwater NWR, where Key Wallace Drive goes across the large expanse of open water (east of the driving tour)
Seaside Sparrows:  I saw several of these birds up close along Elliot Island Road.
Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow:  I got great views of one close bird.  Both the Seaside and the Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrows were in the marsh along the road well south of the boat launch.
Common Moorhen:  One bird at its usual spot on the west side of Elliott Island Road where the road first comes out of the pine woods and opens up to the marsh.
Northern Bobwhite:  Heard and/or seen at both Blackwater and along Bestpitch Road.
King Rail:  Heard at Blackwater very close to the road, calling repeatedly.
The area around the visitors center was also very active with Orchard Orioles, Blue Grosbeaks, Chipping Sparrows, Bald Eagles, Catbirds, and Tree Swallows (among others).

Highlights in Ocean City/Assateague included:

Red Knots - I saw several of these birds among the hundreds of shorebirds on Skimmer Island
1st summer Glaucous Gull - seen well on Skimmer Island as previously reported.  A very bleached, pale gull.
Skimmer Island also had lots of Dunlin, Short-billed Dowitchers, gulls, American Oystercatchers, Royal Terns, Common Terns, a few Forsters Terns, a group of Black-crowned Night Herons (various ages), hordes of cormorants, and a couple Brown Pelicans.
Tri-colored Heron - this bird was in the marsh as I crossed over the bridge onto Assateague Island.  Also present were both egrets, 2 Little Blue Herons, many Willets, and Boat-tailed Grackles.
Piping Plover - I saw two of these birds in Assateague State Park.  One was visible from a distance within the protected nesting area (closed off to the public) in one of the protective "cages" for nesting birds.  The other flew right in front of me as I walked down the main part of the beach.  Also active on the beach was the colony of Least Terns, as well as Turnstones, Willets, and Sanderlings.  2 Black-bellied Plovers also flew by.

Fred Shaffer
Patuxent MOS