I made a run up to the Canning House Road pond after work yesterday,  
arriving around 6:15 and staying until 7:15, when it began raining hard and  
getting very dark. A few, mostly Harford County, birders were already there. As  
far as I know, no one saw any of the exceptional rarities, although the  
collection was still excellent and there was some turnover during my stay. My  
shorebird list was "only" 13 species, still a great number in Harford 
County.  Dave Webb pulled a Cliff Swallow out of the swallow flock. For anyone  
considering an attempt today, I'd say go for it. Some of the real goodies are 
 probably still in the area. Many thanks to Dave Larkin and Peter Lev for 
finding  this treasure trove and getting the word out!
 
Shorebirds that I saw were:
 
Black-bellied Plover - 7
Semipalmated Plover - 15+
Killdeer - 2
Greater Yellowlegs - 4
Lesser Yellowlegs - 15
Solitary Sandpiper - 1
Sanderling - 1
Semipalmated Sandpiper - 2
Least Sandpiper - 40
Pectoral Sandpiper - 1
Dunlin - 4
Short-billed Dowitcher - 2
Wilson's Snipe - 1
 
Joel Martin
Catonsville, MD
 
 
In a message dated 5/12/2010 3:41:08 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
 writes:

Dave  Larkin and I birded two spots in the Perryman area of Harford  County
today-the impoundment in Perryman Park and a seasonal pond in a farm  field
on Canning House Rd (off Perryman Rd).   Dave pulled the  LITTLE STINT out 
of
a large group of peeps on Canning House Rd. after I  left to go to work.  He
is a British birder and knows his European  birds.



Dave had a completely amazing 19 species for the day; my  list was a still
terrific 15 species.  Here is Dave's list, with  numbers and locations:



pp= Perryman  Park

chr= Canning house  Road





Spotted Sandpiper     9             pp

Killdeer                     3
pp &  chr

Black-bellied Plover         8                   pp & chr

Dunlin    6
pp

Semipalmated  Plover       21       pp &  chr

Least Sandpiper           166             pp & chr

Solitary  Sandpiper               3      pp

Greater Yellowlegs         3                 chr

Lesser  Yellowlegs              20      chr

Ruff              3
chr

Red  Knot                     2             chr

Long-billed Dowitcher      1        chr

American Golden Plover  2      chr

Wilson's Snipe         1         chr

Sanderling                 1        chr

Short-billed Dowitcher       3                       chr

Pectoral Sandpiper       5               pp & chr

Little  Stint              1
chr

Semipalmated Sandpiper      16                       pp & chr     



Among the great birds I saw on  this trip were 2 Ruffs (1 female with orange
legs, 1 male with dark legs),  1 Long-billed Dowitcher in breeding plumage, 
1
American Golden Plover, and  1 rare-in-Harford-County Sanderling (without a
scope I thought this very  light-plumaged bird was a Sanderling or a Piping
Plover; with scope, Dave  later confirmed Sanderling).  I saw one bird in 
the
air that was  probably a Red Knot-Dave had a longer, better look.  Birds 
were
coming  and going, so I can't predict what's there this PM.



Dave's one  word comment on the day:  Unbelievable.



If you decide to  chase these birds:  Perryman Park is a public place, with 
a
parking  lot that can handle about a dozen cars.  But the best birds were  
at
Canning House Road, and that's a narrow country road with private  property
on either side.  To park on Canning House Road you have to  pull onto the
dirt shoulder at least a little ways.  Do not walk into  the planted field,
and PLEASE be courteous and neighborly.  We want  birders to continue to be
welcome in the Perryman area.  



Peter Lev

Towson,  MD