Hi Everyone,

I spent a very enjoyable day birding the Eastern Shore on Sunday (5/2). Although passage migrants were thin, the breeders have really gotten in! Standing out among highlights were the continuing RUFF found by Ron Gutberlet, many firsts of the year, my first Eastern Kingsnake, and watching an obnoxious drunk fall into the Choptank River. Here are the abridged eBird reports:

Salisbury Airport

Northern Bobwhite--1
White-eyed Vireo--1
Red-eyed Vireo--1
Black-and-white Warbler--1
Ovenbird--3
Chipping Sparrow--1
Grasshopper Sparrow--2
Blue Grosbeak--1
Orchard Oriole--1

Fooks Road

Yellow-billed Cuckoo--2. My first of the year.
Red-eyed Vireo--2
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher--3
Pine Warbler--4
Prairie Warbler--6
Worm-eating Warbler--4
Ovenbird--9
Common Yellowthroat--6
Summer Tanager--1
Scarlet Tanager--1
Eastern Towhee--3
Chipping Sparrow--2
Non-avian: Cope's Gray Treefrog

Twilley's Bridge

Canada Goose--4
Red-shouldered Hawk--1
Laughing Gull--15
Yellow-billed Cuckoo--1
Eastern Wood-Pewee--1. My first of the year; ties my earliest
Acadian Flycatcher--1. My first of the year
Eastern Phoebe--1
Great Crested Flycatcher--3
White-eyed Vireo--4
Yellow-throated Vireo--1
Red-eyed Vireo--8
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher--11
Wood Thrush--12
Northern Parula--1
Yellow-throated Warbler--4
Black-and-white Warbler--3
Prothonotary Warbler--6
Ovenbird--16
Kentucky Warbler--1. My first of the year
Summer Tanager--2
Scarlet Tanager--1
Blue Grosbeak--1
Non-avian: Cope's Gray Treefrog, Green Frog.

Bear Swamp Road

Eastern Kingbird--1
White-eyed Vireo--3
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher--4
Wood Thrush--3
Brown Thrasher--2
Yellow-throated Warbler--3
Prairie Warbler--10
Black-and-white Warbler--1
Ovenbird--7
Common Yellowthroat--1
Yellow-breasted Chat--2. My first of the year.
Eastern Towhee--4
Chipping Sparrow--2
Field Sparrow--1
Blue Grosbeak--1

Colbourne Mill / Sturges Road (Wicomico Co.)

Great Crested Flycatcher--1
White-eyed Vireo--2
Red-eyed Vireo--3
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher--2
Wood Thrush--4
Northern Parula--2
Yellow-throated Warbler--2
Pine Warbler--3
Prairie Warbler--2
Prothonotary Warbler--4
Worm-eating Warbler--8
Ovenbird--6
Louisiana Waterthrush--1
Scarlet Tanager--1
Chipping Sparrow--2
Non-avian: Cope's Gray Treefrog, lupine blooming.

Sturges Road (Worcester Co.)

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher--3
Wood Thrush--6
Yellow-throated Warbler--3
Prairie Warbler--2
Black-and-white Warbler--1
American Redstart--4
Prothonotary Warbler--6
Worm-eating Warbler--4
Ovenbird--8
Louisiana Waterthrush--1
Kentucky Warbler--2
Common Yellowthroat--3
Scarlet Tanager--3
Chipping Sparrow--1
Blue Grosbeak--2

Mt Olive Church Road (Worcester Co.)

Great Crested Flycatcher--2
White-eyed Vireo--3
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher--1
Prairie Warbler--3
Black-and-white Warbler--1
Common Yellowthroat--2
Yellow-breasted Chat--1
Scarlet Tanager--1
Chipping Sparrow--5
Orchard Oriole--Pair

Snow Hill--Timmons Road flooded field

Glossy Ibis--62. Carefully checked for White-faced.
Turkey Vulture--5
Semipalmated Plover--7
Killdeer--1
Greater Yellowlegs--18
Lesser Yellowlegs--125
Semipalmated Sandpiper--4. My first of the year.
Least Sandpiper--55
RUFF--1--** RARE. Continuing intermittently since it was found by Ron Gutberlet on 4/17. Thanks, Ron! Worcester Co. bird #299.
Short-billed Dowitcher--4
Horned Lark--4
Prairie Warbler--1
Common Yellowthroat--2
Grasshopper Sparrow--1
Blue Grosbeak--1
Bobolink--2. My first of the year.

Truitts Landing

American Black Duck--3
Green-winged Teal (American)--66. Counted carefully and checked for Common Teal. 
Great Egret--1
Snowy Egret--15
Turkey Vulture--1
King Rail--1. Slowly kekking, spontaneously, from the western edge of the marsh.
Virginia Rail--1
Black-bellied Plover--24. Nice migrant flock.
Semipalmated Plover--7. Flew by as a flock, calling.
Willet (Eastern)--3
Least Sandpiper--2
Forster's Tern--6
Eastern Kingbird--1
White-eyed Vireo--2
Barn Swallow--2
Brown-headed Nuthatch--1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher--1
Yellow-throated Warbler--2
Pine Warbler--3
Prairie Warbler--1
Prothonotary Warbler--1
Common Yellowthroat--6
Yellow-breasted Chat--1
Saltmarsh Sparrow--1. Heard first! Perched prominently nearby, singing up a (quiet) storm.
Seaside Sparrow--6
Eastern Meadowlark--3

Assateague State Park
* Did a sky watch from the state park parking lot in hopes of snagging a Cliff Swallow for Worcester bird #300. Park crowded in the nice weather. Eastern Box Turtle crossing the road just after the first right turn after the bridge. Also did some raptor/Anhinga/swallow watching from Rum Pointe.

Double-crested Cormorant--21
Great Egret--2
Snowy Egret--4
Black-bellied Plover--1 flyover, calling
Willet (Eastern)--4
Lesser Yellowlegs--1
Least Sandpiper--3
Eastern Kingbird--1
Purple Martin--7. Occupying the martin house at the State Park pkg lot.
Tree Swallow--1
Barn Swallow--30
House Wren--1
Gray Catbird--2
Yellow Warbler--2
Song Sparrow--1
Boat-tailed Grackle--3
Baltimore Oriole--1. Perched at the top of a tree with three cowbirds, just hanging out, for the full visit. Tired migrant?

Milburn Landing State Park

Ruby-throated Hummingbird--1 adult male
Eastern Wood-Pewee--1
Great Crested Flycatcher--2
Eastern Kingbird--1
White-eyed Vireo--1
Yellow-throated Vireo--5
Blue-headed Vireo--1
Red-eyed Vireo--9
White-breasted Nuthatch--1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher--11
Wood Thrush--4
Northern Parula--1
Yellow-throated Warbler--4
Pine Warbler--4
BLACKPOLL WARBLER--1
Black-and-white Warbler--2
Prothonotary Warbler--3
Worm-eating Warbler--3
Ovenbird--13
Summer Tanager--3
Scarlet Tanager--1
Non-avian: Cope's Gray Treefrog

Pocomoke SF--Fleming Mill (Worcester Co.)

Muscovy Duck (Domestic type)--2
Eastern Wood-Pewee--1
Red-eyed Vireo--1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher--4
Pine Warbler--1
Prothonotary Warbler--2
Worm-eating Warbler--2
Ovenbird--4
Chipping Sparrow--1

Pocomoke SF--Fleming Mill (Somerset Co.)

Muscovy Duck (Domestic type)--2
Great Crested Flycatcher--1
Red-eyed Vireo--3
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher--5
Wood Thrush--1
Northern Parula--1
Yellow-throated Warbler--2
Prothonotary Warbler--5
Worm-eating Warbler--1
Ovenbird--2
Summer Tanager--1
Non-avian: First Ebony Jewelwings of the year.

Five Bridges Road (Somerset Co.)

Chimney Swift--1
Great Crested Flycatcher--1
Blue Jay--1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher--1
Prothonotary Warbler--2
Orchard Oriole--1

Petes Hill Road

White-eyed Vireo--1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher--2
Prairie Warbler--2
Worm-eating Warbler--1
Eastern Towhee--1
Chipping Sparrow--2
Indigo Bunting--1

Messick Road Boat Ramp

Osprey--2
Northern Harrier--1 adult male, hunting in the distance
Clapper Rail--1
Semipalmated Plover--5 flew by, calling
Laughing Gull--8. One pair bonding, sharing pieces of my Popeye's biscuit.
Herring Gull--2
Royal Tern--2
Great Crested Flycatcher--1
Eastern Kingbird--1
Purple Martin--3
Tree Swallow--1
BANK SWALLOW--1. County bird. Eastern Shore closeout. John had them here yesterday. Was hoping for NRWS here, at Deal, or at the ponds at Peggy Neck. Still no luck for my MD closeout.
Barn Swallow--30
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher--1
Common Yellowthroat--3

Deal Island--Riley Roberts Rd

Canada Goose--18, six goslings
Mute Swan--5. Nesting
TUNDRA SWAN--1. * Continuing. Previously documented, actively ruling out Trumpeter.
American Black Duck--4
Green-winged Teal (American)--1
Great Egret--1
Snowy Egret--1
Green Heron--1
Turkey Vulture--6
Osprey--3
Bald Eagle--2
Clapper Rail--1
Greater Yellowlegs--3
Willet (Eastern)--8. Hanging out in one flock
Least Sandpiper--12
Laughing Gull--6
Herring Gull--13
Forster's Tern--3
Royal Tern--1
Eastern Kingbird--2
Tree Swallow--1
Barn Swallow--4
House Wren--1
Marsh Wren--4
Yellow Warbler--1
Pine Warbler--2
Common Yellowthroat--4
Eastern Towhee--1
Savannah Sparrow (Eastern)--2
Seaside Sparrow--8
Boat-tailed Grackle--3
Non-avian: Nearby, spotted my life EASTERN KINGSNAKE.

Windy Hill Landing (Talbot Co.)

* Waiting for dusk to try for John's Talbot Whip-poor-will. Obnoxious drunk boaters landed their boat, yelling and cussing, and finally one of them even fell off the boat into the river. After literally five minutes of yelling "Brand new f@#$#@ phone!" the wet drunk said of me, scanning the river 30 yards away with my spotting scope: "And THIS mother-@#$ is still over there taking f@#$@ photos!" His friend: "He's not taking photos of us. He's looking at birds." Wet drunk: "I'm going to go over there and punch him in the FACE!" He didn't follow through, fortunately. Each just drove off in a large pick-up, squealing their tires, and then gunning it down Windy Hill Road. 

Osprey--3
Bald Eagle--2
Laughing Gull--250, dusk commute
Great Crested Flycatcher--1
Eastern Kingbird--1
Purple Martin--15
Barn Swallow--25
Common Yellowthroat--1
Chipping Sparrow--1

Windy Hill Road--North of Bruceville Road

Chuck-will's-widow--1
WHIP-POOR-WILL--1. Found by John the previous night. As Jim B. pointed out recently, a very difficult bird in the county. (Thanks, John!)

Miles Creek--Bruceville Road

SORA--1. Responded immediately to a second or two of playback, then did single note calls until I left. Got a nice recording. County bird.
Non-avian: Green Tree Frogs and Fowler's Toads vocal.

Good birding!

Bill

Bill Hubick
Pasadena, Maryland

http://www.billhubick.com