Hi Everybody: I will try and make this as short and interesting as possible. Having had to work over the weekend and most of Monday I headed out super early in an attempt to add a Black-necked Stilt to my county listing endeavors. I started in Queen Annes County (John Brown Road - had 2 Semipalmated Sandpipers) and then on to Dorchester County (Egypt Road - one Greater Yellowlegs only, and Blackwater NWR - best bird was an adult Red-headed Woodpecker); it was an extremely foggy morning until 9 AM or so. 

I then headed to Hurlock Sewage Ponds, then a whirlwind through Caroline County looking for shorebirds (Line, Kibler & Skeleton Creek Roads, and then checked Tanyard). I think I had one Killdeer somewhere along the way but don't hold me to it. After this I went to CBEC and then foolishly drove all the way up to Couthouse Point MHA in Cecil County hoping for any remnants leftover from John Hubbell's weekend shorebirds. On the way up I decided I would be happy if I added a Least Sandpiper - struck out on that also. The pond was full of water and I had one Killd At the end of the evening I had no new county birds and had a clean slate on Caroline and Cecil shorebirds. I laughingly chalked it up to the dog days of August.  

I was already planning on going to Washington County  on Wed. for a 1/2 day to look for grassland and shorebirds. Too bad that nobody relocated the Yellow-headed blackbird  today. I will swing by there also and let you know if I have any success.

Below is a summary of the only 2 areas in which I had any birds of note today.

Hurlock Sewage Ponds in Dorchester County

Least Sandpiper    18
Lesser Yellowlegs    2
Spotted Sandpiper    12
Solitary Sandpiper    2
Tree Swallows    2800 (a conservative estimate - I picked through them looking for a NRW but did not see any).
Bank Swallow    at least 55
   (overwhelming majority of the swallows were sitting on telephone wires)

I also saw a breeding plumage Ruddy Duck (minus the blue bill) and heard at least one N. Bobwhite calling

CBEC in Queen Annes County (the Black-necked Stilts were NOT there).  I was here about 4:30 and with the sun behind me it made for some great viewing from inside the East Blind)

Killdeer    12
Semipalmated Plover    1
Least Sandpiper    8+
Pectoral Sandpiper    7
Greater Yellowlegs    3
Lesser Yellowlegs    37
Spotted Sandpiper    1
Solitary Sandpiper    2
Stilt Sandpiper    2
Short-billed Dowitcher    7
Least Sandpiper