Hi Everyone,

A cold, sunny, windy one at the Ocean City Inlet this morning (11 Dec 2009).  Carol Broderick was leaving as I was arriving; we traded news, and she mentioned a few oystercatchers hanging out on the south jetty.  I stayed from about 8:35 to 10:40 am and had some nice birding.  The full list is below, but highlights included at least 10 COMMON EIDERS, 2 HARLEQUIN DUCKS (including a full adult male), and a Leucophaeus gull that got away (may have been a Franklin's Gull, but view was too brief for me to be sure; see below).

Have fun,

Ron Gutberlet
Salisbury, MD
 


Location:     Ocean  City Inlet 
Observation date:     12/11/09, 8:35-10:40 am

Brant (Atlantic)     5
Common Eider     10     9 in sight simultaneously, the 10th bird counted was an immature male that I saw earlier and was not among the nine seen later; I suspect 14 COEI were actually present.  I first saw 5 at the tip of the south jetty and later saw the 9 in two separate groups north of the north jetty.  10 is the most conservative count.

Harlequin Duck     2     at tip of south jetty and later on the inlet side of the south jetty for easy views
Surf Scoter     2
Long-tailed Duck     1
Red-breasted Merganser     2
Red-throated Loon     3
Common Loon     10
Northern Gannet     30     conservative estimate; most gannets were well offshore
Bald Eagle     3     on the beach on north end of Assateague; feeding on something
American Oystercatcher     5     on south jetty
Ruddy Turnstone     18     conservative count; did not carefully count the south jetty birds
Sanderling     20     conservative estimate; did not carefully count the south jetty birds
Purple Sandpiper     20     conservative estimate; did not carefully count the south jetty birds
Bonaparte's Gull     1     flew into the inlet solo
Ring-billed Gull     86
Herring Gull     42
Great Black-backed Gull     6
gull sp.     1     a Leucophaeus gull seen frustratingly briefly flying above the south jetty and then dipping out of sight behind the jetty--maybe it alighted on the water or on a rock out of view; seemed to have a fairly strong hooded look like a Franklin's Gull, but my observation was insufficient to rule out Laughing Gull

Forster's Tern     2
Rock Pigeon     85
European Starling     15
House Sparrow     2

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)