Last week Amanda Spears, Bill and I worked on the Tanyard wetlands IBA. This covers the marshes along the Choptank River (both sides) roughly from just below the Dover Road bridge up river to just below where the Tuckahoe comes in. We put the boat in at Kings Creek boat ramp (Talbot Co). We were out before sunrise and after sunset for a couple days. Our targets were least bitterns, king rails, moorhens and prothonotary warblers. Also added were marsh wrens and least terns. Results are:
 
least bittern      4 singing          needed 5       
king rail           0                      needed  5      (had 1 in Atlas count in this area)
moorhen          0                      needed 5
prothonotary warbler         5      needed  30
marsh wrens       69  which I think is a low count, too many singing at once
 
Other birds found, primary target:
 
black duck       2
bald eagle        1
bobwhite          2
wood thrush     5
 
secondary target:
 
summer tanager     2
white-eyed vireo     5
 
Something that interested me was that all the marsh wrens except 2 were in one marsh on the Choptank River, the Nature Conservancy property (which is now closed off). The other 2 were in Tanyard marsh. The marshes along the river all had areas of cattails, phragmites, broadleaf plants and other grasses. All the least bitterns were in the Conservancy property also. During the Atlas count I did have a least bittern farther up river twice, probably the same one. The king rail was in this area up the river also.
 
Sorry for the late post.
Karen Harris
 
 
Karen Harris
Easton, MD