Hi Everyone,
As posted by Hans Holbrook yesterday (thanks, Hans!), several of us had our long-awaited first WHITE IBIS in the morning flight at Bayside. Here are some additional details and the rest of the day's highlights.
Rob Ostrowski and I met up at 4:00 a.m. on Friday (9/25) to make it to Bayside with enough time to listen for a few night migrants. We arrived to find Dave Powell already there, and soon after dawn we were joined by Mike Walsh. There was no audible night flight due to strong, gusty winds, but soon day was dawning and the gull, heron, and cormorant flight began. Things were pretty slow, and TRICOLORED HERONs (34) were the most common wader in the morning flight. An EASTERN KINGBIRD became a new late date for us, and we spotted a few warblers such as a NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH and our first YELLOW PALM of the season.
Suddenly, at about 7:25, I heard Dave yell and point from across the parking lot. I got on a bird flying away that must be a Cattle Egret or maybe a... oh!...WHITE IBIS! We began yelling and trying to get Mike and Rob on the bird, but somehow it vanishes to the south without providing good looks. It was a bit distressing, but thankfully we didn't have to sweat it for too long. I looked up at around 7:40 and saw another ibis inbound from the northwest. Before I even raised my binoculars, I could see its dark upperparts and light underparts. 'LOOK UP! JUVENILE WHITE IBIS!' We get a big thumbs-up from Rob in the distance, and we all watch the bird as it flies east. As it glides down, Mike notes via scope that it is joined by a second ibis, which he verifies is another juvenile White Ibis. We decide that they will probably hang out for a few minutes and finish sorting through a few warblers before heading toward the Bayside marshes.
Here are the full lists for Bayside and the campground, followed by the abridged lists for the rest of the day. In case the suspense is killing you, we were able to track down one of the juveniles at the Life of the Marsh Trail. It was tossing back mummichogs amidst a swarm of Laughing Gulls and other waders. Unfortunately, the birds were not seen in the morning flight or the Bayside marshes this morning (9/26), when I repeated the process with Jim Brighton and John Hubbell.
Here's a photo of one of the juvenile White Ibis. More tomorrow.
http://www.billhubick.com/images2/white_ibis_juvenile_ai_md_20090925_01.jpg
Assateague I. NS--Bayside
Brown Pelican--128, includes 90 scoped by Rob while scanning for the White Ibis
Double-crested Cormorant--27
Great Egret--18; heron flight started at 6:42 a.m.
Snowy Egret--14
Little Blue Heron--19
Tricolored Heron--34
WHITE IBIS--3; ** Rare. One adult and two juveniles
Turkey Vulture--2
Osprey--1
Merlin--1
SORA--1; full song from the small marsh just north of the Bayside parking lot; we were standing beside the canoe rental building; my first on Assateague
Killdeer--2
Laughing Gull--110
Herring Gull (American)--17
Great Black-backed Gull--1
Caspian Tern--6
Royal Tern--5
Mourning Dove--2
Belted Kingfisher--1 female
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted)--9
EASTERN KINGBIRD--1; personal late date, but seen again on 9/26
Red-eyed Vireo--1
Tree Swallow--1
Carolina Wren--4
Gray Catbird--4
European Starling--45
Cedar Waxwing--33; many juveniles
PALM WARBLER (YELLOW)--1; our first Yellow Palm of the season
Blackpoll Warbler--1
American Redstart--5
Northern Waterthrush--1
warbler sp.--14
Northern Cardinal--3
Blue Grosbeak--1 female
Indigo Bunting--1 female
Bobolink--1
blackbird sp.--25
Assateague Island NS--Bayside Campground
Brown Pelican--8
Double-crested Cormorant--10
Little Blue Heron--2
Tricolored Heron--1
Herring Gull (American)--2
Caspian Tern--1
Royal Tern--5
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted)--5
EASTERN KINGBIRD--1
White-eyed Vireo--1
Carolina Wren--3
House Wren--1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher--1
Gray Catbird--9
Brown Thrasher--4
European Starling--12
Cedar Waxwing--3
Northern Parula--1
Magnolia Warbler--1
American Redstart--2
Common Yellowthroat--1
YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT--1; a nice spot by Rob
Eastern Towhee--2
Northern Cardinal--8
DICKCISSEL--1; picked out by Dave; seen well and photographed; my first seen actually perched on Assateague
Red-winged Blackbird--1
Assateague I. NS--Life of the Marsh
Blue-winged Teal--1
Double-crested Cormorant--137
Great Blue Heron--54
Great Egret--10
Snowy Egret--5
Little Blue Heron--4
Cattle Egret--2
* WHITE IBIS--1 juvenile
Clapper Rail--1 seen well foraging along the marsh edge
Least Sandpiper--1
Laughing Gull--85
Caspian Tern--1
Royal Tern--2
Red-eyed Vireo--3
Brown Thrasher--1
Cedar Waxwing--10
American Redstart--1
Eastern Towhee--3
WHITE-THROATED SPARROW--1
Boat-tailed Grackle--2
Assateague I. NS--Life of the Forest
Wood Duck--1
American Black Duck--1
Little Blue Heron--1
YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER--1
Northern Flicker--6
Eastern Wood-Pewee--1
BLUE-HEADED VIREO--2
Red-eyed Vireo--3
Tree Swallow--4
Ruby-crowned Kinglet--1
BROWN CREEPER--1
WINTER WREN--2
Northern Parula--2
Pine Warbler--7
Black-and-white Warbler--2
American Redstart--2
Northern Waterthrush--1
DARK-EYED JUNCO (Slate-colored)--1
Rose-breasted Grosbeak--2
Bobolink--1
Baltimore Oriole--2
Assateague State Park
Osprey--1
Peregrine Falcon--1
Killdeer--1
Red-eyed Vireo--1
Tree Swallow--72
RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH--1
BROWN CREEPER--1
House Wren--2
GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET--1
Northern Parula--1
Yellow Warbler--1
Magnolia Warbler--1
Black-throated Green Warbler--1
American Redstart--2
Common Yellowthroat--1
Field Sparrow--3
Assateague Island NS--Bayside Campground
Black Vulture--1
Greater Yellowlegs--1
Dowitcher sp.--1, distant and in basic plumage on the point with the terns and cormorants
Caspian Tern--4
Royal Tern--15
Tree Swallow--40
Northern Parula--1
American Redstart--3
Common Yellowthroat--2
Chipping Sparrow--1
Bobolink--3
Baltimore Oriole--1
Ocean City--Skimmer Island
* Very high tide and with strong, gusty winds
Brown Pelican--14
Double-crested Cormorant--27
Little Blue Heron--1
Ring-billed Gull--1
Herring Gull--6
Great Black-backed Gull--1
Caspian Tern--1
Forster's Tern--4
Murray Sod Farm, Tull Road, Worcester Co.
Canada Goose--100
Semipalmated Plover--10
Killdeer--5
Late afternoon - Assateague Island NS--Bayside
* In the late afternoon we encountered an impressive mass of egrets and herons flying to roost. It was such a tight mass that we first thought they were distant gulls before lifting binoculars. Rob counted to 250 by 10s and then came up with these estimates based on impression and proportions from the morning flight.
Brown Pelican--4
Great Blue Heron--5
Great Egret--90
Snowy Egret--70
Little Blue Heron--40
Tricolored Heron--50
Caspian Tern--1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)--1
Blackpoll Warbler--1
American Redstart--1
Assateague Island National Seashore
* We ended the birding day with a 30-minute sea watch in ridiculous 30 mph ENE winds. Afterward, we retreated to Plaza Tapatia to celebrate and try to figure out what the crazy weather was going to do the next morning.
Sanderling--14
Laughing Gull--100
Ring-billed Gull--2
Herring Gull--20
Lesser Black-backed Gull--2
I'll post more photos tomorrow, but here's another favorite - juvenile Cedar Waxwings taking a break from flying around in the wind.
http://www.billhubick.com/images2/cedar_waxwings_juveniles_ai_md_20090926.jpg
Good birding!
Bill
Bill Hubick
Pasadena, Maryland
http://www.billhubick.com |