Hi Everyone,

I enjoyed a very full Saturday (5/22) of birding in Cecil and Kent Counties with John Hubbell, Tom Feild, Jim Brighton, Ed Carlson, and Zach Baer, who is visiting from school in California. Our first of several car drops was at 3:00 a.m. and we were listening for Whips in Millington amidst the Copes Gray Treefrogs and Northern Cricket Frogs just after 4:00 a.m. Although historically present, we've spent many hours of night-listening trying for Whips around Millington, and Saturday was just part of our long-term investment. The vocal Yellow-breasted Chats' mimicry seemed to include Whip-poor-will's single "whip" notes like I got to hear down in Florida in February. At least the chats have heard some Whip-poor-wills, hopefully after completing migration.

We did dawn at Elk Forest WMA, where we soon landed our target species for the early morning - Wild Turkey. At least two birds were calling at dawn, and then we heard a third at another location on Elk Forest Road. 

We spent the bulk of the morning enjoying Fair Hill NRMA in the northeastern corner of the county. Technically on the Piedmont, we thoroughly enjoyed watching BOBOLINKs displaying and listening to singing VEERY, both of which nest here. We had good counts of BLACKPOLLs and REDSTARTs, as well as three female BAY-BREASTED WARBLERs. The first of four singing VEERY was my county closeout, and it was followed almost immediately by my long-awaited 5,000th Maryland county bird - a singing Kentucky Warbler.

After a long, relaxed hike through Fair Hill, we did some birding along the Susquehanna, mainly working Octoraro Creek (Moore Road). Although some birds were present, including a singing BLACK-THROATED BLUE, the late hour and high traffic made the birding less enjoyable. We tried our luck further north at Pilot Town and Bald Friar Roads, but these were slow as well.

In the afternoon we worked south to Kent County, where we visited shorebird habitat, most of which featured nice collections. We had SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERs at two locations, several DUNLIN, and many SEMI-SANDs. The absolute highlight, however, came when Tom Feild spotted a beautiful BLACK-NECKED STILT at Chesapeake Farms. A county bird for all, there must be few records of the species - none terribly recent that I know of - in the county. I know it stuck around long enough for Dan Small to get there, so hopefully others got to enjoy it as well. 

All of that, and we still made it back to the western shore in time for microbrews and BBQ. Quite a day...

Here are the abridged eBird lists:

Elk Forest WMA

Wood Duck--3
WILD TURKEY--2. Tough (or at least very local) county bird! Stasz just got his county closeout here a few weeks ago.
Eastern Wood-Pewee--3
Acadian Flycatcher--1
Great Crested Flycatcher--3
Eastern Kingbird--1
Red-eyed Vireo--1
Tree Swallow--4
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher--1
Wood Thrush--7
Gray Catbird--1
Ovenbird--2
Scarlet Tanager--1
Indigo Bunting--13
Baltimore Oriole--1

Elk Forest Road--Scrubby area

Wild Turkey--1
Double-crested Cormorant--3
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted)--1
Barn Swallow--2
Gray Catbird--1
Common Yellowthroat--1
Yellow-breasted Chat--1
Blue Grosbeak--1
Indigo Bunting--2
Orchard Oriole--1

Fair Hill NRMA--South area

Bald Eagle--2
Red-tailed Hawk (Eastern)--1
Chimney Swift--3. Tom's county closeout
Ruby-throated Hummingbird--3
Pileated Woodpecker--2
Eastern Wood-Pewee--8
Acadian Flycatcher--5
Eastern Phoebe--4
Great Crested Flycatcher--2
Eastern Kingbird--1
White-eyed Vireo--1
Yellow-throated Vireo--3
Warbling Vireo--1
Red-eyed Vireo--25
Northern Rough-winged Swallow--6
Barn Swallow--1
House Wren--1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher--6
Veery--4
Wood Thrush--29
Gray Catbird--42
Cedar Waxwing--15
Northern Parula--5
Yellow Warbler--3
Magnolia Warbler--3
Bay-breasted Warbler--3
Blackpoll Warbler--29
American Redstart--15
Ovenbird--27
Northern Waterthrush--1
Kentucky Warbler--2
Common Yellowthroat--12
Scarlet Tanager--5
Eastern Towhee--8
Song Sparrow--2
Indigo Bunting--14
Bobolink--2
Eastern Meadowlark--3
Orchard Oriole--4
Baltimore Oriole--4

Octoraro Creek at Moore Road

Great Blue Heron--4
Bald Eagle--16
Belted Kingfisher--1
Hairy Woodpecker--1
Eastern Wood-Pewee--3
Acadian Flycatcher--3
Eastern Phoebe--2
Great Crested Flycatcher--2
Warbling Vireo--1
Red-eyed Vireo--4
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher--2
Wood Thrush--7
Northern Parula--4
Black-throated Blue Warbler--1
Ovenbird--2
Louisiana Waterthrush--1
Yellow-breasted Chat--1. Power line cut just before Moore Road
Chipping Sparrow--1
Indigo Bunting--1
Orchard Oriole--1

Elkton Marsh (quiet in the heat of the afternoon)

Double-crested Cormorant--1
Great Blue Heron--2
Bald Eagle--1
Red-tailed Hawk (Eastern)--2
Least Tern--2
Eastern Kingbird--1
Tree Swallow--2
Barn Swallow--4
Indigo Bunting--1
Orchard Oriole--1

Bethel WMA

Great Blue Heron--3
Little Blue Heron--4. Two adults and two immatures.
Green Heron--3
Glossy Ibis--2
Osprey--1
Killdeer--1
Downy Woodpecker--1. Tom spotted an active nest
Great Crested Flycatcher--1
Eastern Kingbird--2
White-eyed Vireo--1
Tree Swallow--2
Gray Catbird--1
Blackpoll Warbler--3
Northern Waterthrush--1
Indigo Bunting--1
Baltimore Oriole--1

Route 298--East of Turners Creek Road

Northern Harrier--1. Hunting over an open field, getting mobbed by two Red-winged Blackbirds.

Route 298--a flooded field

Mallard--7
Blue-winged Teal--1. Unexpected adult male roosting on the edge of the puddle.
Semipalmated Plover--33
Spotted Sandpiper--1
Semipalmated Sandpiper--72
Least Sandpiper--3
Dunlin--1
Short-billed Dowitcher (Atlantic)--1

Great Oak Pond

Mallard--3
RING-NECKED DUCK--1. Adult male seeming to be in good health. This is a popular pond for summering/lingering waterfowl.
Semipalmated Plover--1
Semipalmated Sandpiper--4
Least Sandpiper--1
Yellow-breasted Chat--1
Indigo Bunting--3
Non-avian: Large number of turtle sunning on the banks. Among them were a number of RED-EARED TURTLEs. A county herp for all of us (of COURSE I keep herp county lists. who doesn't?), and my first on the Eastern Shore. Harris (1975) noted no counties with records on the Eastern Shore. Certainly a species (introduced) whose range is expanding in the state.

Chesapeake Farms

Mallard--15
BLACK-NECKED STILT--1. * Rare. Few records for the county. Well seen at close range and documented via photos. Awesome bird!
Semipalmated Sandpiper--30
Dunlin--1
Horned Lark--1
Eastern Meadowlark--1

St. Paul's Millpond

Walked around the cemetery hoping for alleged Warbling Vireos nesting in the large trees. I say 'alleged' only because I haven't had them, but Hafner, Baer, and others have had them nesting in the large trees near the millpond. :)

Langford Road (Kent)

Spotted Sandpiper--1
Lesser Yellowlegs--1
Semipalmated Sandpiper--12
Least Sandpiper--1
Short-billed Dowitcher (Atlantic)--14
Eastern Meadowlark--1

Chestertown WWTP

Mallard--9
Turkey Vulture--5
Killdeer--1
Spotted Sandpiper--1
Semipalmated Sandpiper--3
Least Sandpiper--1
Purple Martin--8
Bank Swallow--1

Good birding!

Bill

Bill Hubick
Pasadena, Maryland

http://www.billhubick.com