Eight birders from the Montgomery Bird Club traveled to the Eastern Shore yesterday for a fine day of fall birding in Dorchester County. We started at the Cambridge Waterfront, birded Egypt Rd on our way to Blackwater and finished the day along Elliot Island Rd.
Birding highlights included nice looks at Surf Scoters and Long-tailed Ducks from Great Marsh Pt on a very placid Choptank River and great views of Meadowlarks and American Pipits along Egypt Rd. At Blackwater, there was a nice flock of landbirds in the vicinity of the Marsh Trail, including 7 or 8 Brown-headed Nuthatch, many Golden-crowned Kinglets, and a Pine Warbler. Pool 5c still held a few shorebirds including a Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs and a Black bellied Plover. We enjoyed nice views of the American White Pelican near the bridge off Key Wallace (thanks Kevin Graff for the heads up - a life bird for Diane Ford). After Blackwater, we headed over to Elliot Island Rd to look for Short-eared Owls. What a beautiful place, I had never been there before. We found 2 SEOW's flying low over the marsh north of Pokata Crk. Jim Moore briefly got sight of an American Bittern and we also had a late Osprey and "heard only" Great Horned Owl and Tundra Swans.
Nonbirding highlights included a small herd of Sitka Deer in an open field along Egypt Rd and meeting the nice folks from both YMOS and Baltimore Bird Club who also had trips scheduled at Blackwater yesterday. Also spotted were veteran MBC'ers Jane Farber and Jean Lacerte.
Andy Martin
Gaithersburg
Location: Cambridge Waterfront - Choptank River
Observation date: 11/21/09
Canada Goose 350
Mallard 6
Surf Scoter 13
Long-tailed Duck 4
Bufflehead 5
Common Goldeneye 6
Ruddy Duck 20
Common Loon 13
Pied-billed Grebe 1
Great Blue Heron 1
Turkey Vulture 8
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
Laughing Gull 8
Ring-billed Gull 10
Herring Gull 20
Great Black-backed Gull 20
Rock Pigeon 40
Belted Kingfisher 1
Northern Flicker 1
Blue Jay 2
Fish Crow 1
European Starling 10
Location: Egypt Road
Canada Goose 30
Greater Scaup 1
Double-crested Cormorant 1
Great Blue Heron 3
Black Vulture 19
Turkey Vulture 2
Bald Eagle 5
Northern Harrier 2
Red-tailed Hawk 2
Killdeer 15
Ring-billed Gull 50
Blue Jay 1
Carolina Wren 1
Eastern Bluebird 4
Northern Mockingbird 1
European Starling 41
American Pipit 25
Savannah Sparrow 10
Song Sparrow 6
White-throated Sparrow 1
Dark-eyed Junco 1
Northern Cardinal 11
Red-winged Blackbird 5
Eastern Meadowlark 6
Location: Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge
Canada Goose 600
American Wigeon 3
American Black Duck 10
Mallard 35
Northern Shoveler 4
Northern Pintail 5
Green-winged Teal 4
Ring-necked Duck 20
Ruddy Duck 18
American White Pelican 1
Double-crested Cormorant 10
Great Blue Heron 3
Black Vulture 1
Turkey Vulture 12
Bald Eagle 8
Northern Harrier 4
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
Cooper's Hawk 1
American Coot 30
Black-bellied Plover 1
Killdeer 15
Greater Yellowlegs 5
Lesser Yellowlegs 1
Laughing Gull 1
Ring-billed Gull 50
Herring Gull 10
Mourning Dove 3
Downy Woodpecker 2
Northern Flicker 2
Pileated Woodpecker 1
Tree Swallow 20
Carolina Chickadee 1
Tufted Titmouse 2
Brown-headed Nuthatch 7
Brown Creeper 2
Carolina Wren 1
Winter Wren 2
Golden-crowned Kinglet 12
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1
American Robin 2
European Starling 30
Cedar Waxwing 2
Pine Warbler 1
Savannah Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 2
Swamp Sparrow 2
White-throated Sparrow 1
Red-winged Blackbird 80
American Goldfinch 1
House Sparrow 1
Location: Elliott Island Road
Canada Goose 40
Mute Swan 1
Tundra Swan X
American Black Duck 2
Mallard X
Common Loon 1
American Bittern 1
Great Blue Heron 2
Osprey 1
Northern Harrier 5
Greater Yellowlegs 7
Dunlin 13
Ring-billed Gull 1
Mourning Dove 16
Great Horned Owl 1
Short-eared Owl 2
Belted Kingfisher 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 1
Marsh Wren 1
Eastern Bluebird 2
European Starling 6
Yellow-rumped Warbler 25
Savannah Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 4
Swamp Sparrow 2
Red-winged Blackbird 40
Eastern Meadowlark 8
Common Grackle 1 |