The alternate plumaged STILT SANDPIPER was still present this morning at Chesapeake Farms between 10:00 and 10:30. There was very little water left in the pond and shorebird numbers were way down from yesterday. No dowitchers at all, which saved me the trouble of identifying them to subspecies. In addition to the STSA there was 1 GREATER YELLOWLEGS, about 60 LEAST SANDPIPER, about 10 SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER, and one molting adult WESTERN SANDPIPER. I studied the Western for a long time before coming to an ID, but when it stood next to a Semipalmated it was obviously taller and more massive, with a much bigger head and heavier bill. There was still a lot of rufous in the scapulars and I could even make out some of the remaining streaks on the sides.

On the auto tour I found 1 LESSER YELLOWLEGS, 1 SOLITARY and 1 SPOTTED SANDPIPER plus a few more LEAST and about 20 KILLDEER. As Walter described, there was an excellent showing of swallows over a field near the beginning of the tour, including PURPLE MARTIN, BANK, BARN, and 1 NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED. A single YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT was still singing.

I had started the morning at Meadow Park in Elkton where the resident SANDHILL CRANE was foraging under the pines as advertised around 8:15. The marshy pond across the road held one each of GREAT EGRET, LITTLE BLUE HERON and GREEN HERON. At Elk River Park another CHAT was singing but little else of note was seen or heard.

It was good to get out of the house, embrace the heat and see some really good birds.

Joel Martin
Catonsville, MD






-----Original Message-----
From: Nancy Martin <>
To: 
Sent: Sat, Jul 17, 2010 4:19 pm
Subject: [MDOSPREY] Chesapeake Farms 17 July '10: Stilt Sandpiper


Hi All, 
 
We decided to get down to Chesapeake Farms today to look for Ron Gutberlet's Yellow-crowned Night-Heron and also to look for shorebirds. No luck on the former, but better luck with the latter. We had 42 species on our quick 1 hour check around the auto tour (see appended e-bird listing below). Most of the shorebirds were at the HQ pond across MD-20 from the main tour road and off Ricaud's Branch Road. Best shorebird was an alternate plumage STILT SANDPIPER at the HQ pond. Also present there were 110 Least Sandpipers, 12 Lesser Yellowlegs, 25 Short-billed Dowitchers (8 *hendersoni*), and 8 Semipalmated Sandpipers. On each of the first two ponds on the main auto tour were a Spotted Sandpiper and Solitary Sandpiper. We also had decent numbers of staging swallows including 49 Bank Swallows. The stretch of woods past the two big drained ponds on the route held a DELMARVA FOX SQUIRREL, a very nice mammalian bonus for heading out in the heat and humidity. 
 
Good birding, 
 
Walter Ellison & Nancy Martin 
 
23460 Clarissa Rd 
Chestertown, MD 21620 
 
"A person who is looking for something doesn't travel very fast" - E. B. White (in "Stuart Little") 
 
Location: Chesapeake Farms 
Observation date: 7/17/10 
 
Number of species: 42 
 
Mallard 2 
Great Blue Heron 2 
Black Vulture 1 
Turkey Vulture 24 
Killdeer 17 
Spotted Sandpiper 1 
Solitary Sandpiper 1 
Lesser Yellowlegs 14 
Semipalmated Sandpiper 8 
Least Sandpiper 117 
Stilt Sandpiper 1 
Short-billed Dowitcher (Atlantic) 17 
Short-billed Dowitcher (Prairie) 8 
Downy Woodpecker 2 
Eastern Wood-Pewee 2 
Eastern Kingbird 2 
Red-eyed Vireo 2 
Purple Martin 20 
Tree Swallow 1 
Bank Swallow 49 
Barn Swallow 26 
Carolina Chickadee 2 
Tufted Titmouse 1 
Carolina Wren 2 
Eastern Bluebird 2 
American Robin 2 
Gray Catbird 2 
Northern Mockingbird 6 
Brown Thrasher 2 
European Starling 13 
Cedar Waxwing 2 
Common Yellowthroat 5 
Eastern Towhee 3 
Grasshopper Sparrow 3 
Northern Cardinal 4 
Blue Grosbeak 1 
Indigo Bunting 8 
Red-winged Blackbird 15 
Eastern Meadowlark 1 
Common Grackle 3 
Orchard Oriole 1 
House Sparrow 2