Hans Holbrook discovered a beautiful female Red-necked Phalarope
at Pickering Creek Audubon Center around 11:00 today (5/10).  (His report
should be coming soon.) The bird was feeding in the shallow water beside an
island in one of the ponds adjacent to the entrance road to the Center.   At
5:00 when several birders had congregated at the site, the bird was in the
company of several Greater Yellowlegs, a few Solitary Sandpipers and several
Least Sandpipers.  Semipalmated Plovers and Killdeer were also near by.

          The part of the pond favored by the bird was located about halfway
between Sharp Road (entrance to Audubon Lane on the south) and the north end
of Audubon Lane as it reaches the director's residence.  If you reach or
pass the viewing blind as you come up Audubon Lane you have gone too far.

          Lighting should be especially good during the morning hours, but
it was still quite good in late afternoon.  The bird was still at the same
location as of 6:30 p.m.

          This was the first sighting of this species at Pickering Creek in
recent years, and becomes species #210 on the property list.

 

Les Roslund

Talbot County

Easton, MD