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Subject:

Talbot and Dorchester Counties--12/30/2009

From:

Ronald Gutberlet

Reply-To:

Ronald Gutberlet

Date:

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 22:01:16 -0500

Hi Everyone,

Jim Brighton and I birded Talbot County today (30 Dec 2009) with the following highlights...

Lesser Black-backed Gull--1 adult with Herring and Ring-billed Gulls on the large frozen pond at the Easton WWTP (viewed from Barker's Landing Rd)

Greater White-fronted Goose--1 with Canada Geese on ice across from the dock at Pickering Creek Audubon Sanctuary (thanks to Les for posting for us earlier today!)

White-crowned Sparrow--34!! at Pickering Creek Audubon Sanctuary; all but one were immatures; one was singing

Red-headed Woodpecker--1 continues at the corner of Bar Neck Rd and Feather Ln on Tilghman Island; many thanks to Vince DeSanctis for the original report on 23 Dec and to Les Roslund for getting the word out.  The bird was quiet but was very close to the edge of Bar Neck Rd.  This appears to be a hatch-year bird, which, although its head is mostly red, retains some brown feathering around the base of the bill.  The secondaries also have black bars.

White-winged Scoter (1) and Black Scoter (5) at Black Walnut Point

It's always fun (and productive) to make the rounds with one of the local experts--I picked up 7 new Talbot County birds today!  And Jim even got one--the Red-headed Woodpecker.

After I dropped Jim off in Easton, I stopped at Blackwater NWR (Dorchester Co) on the way home.  While I didn't relocate the White-crowned Sparrows found recently by Bill Hubick, the late afternoon was perfect for picking small geese out of the many flocks flying over the Visitors Center.  I had nice views of a CACKLING GOOSE that was dwarfed by the Snow Geese it was flying with and also had a ROSS'S GOOSE in another Snow Goose flock.

One more day to find that last bird of 2009--good luck!!

Ron Gutberlet
Salisbury, MD