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Subject:

Worcester Highlights, 7/31

From:

Bill Hubick

Reply-To:

Bill Hubick

Date:

Sun, 1 Aug 2010 07:25:18 -0700

Hi Everyone,

I spent Saturday birding Worcester Co. with John Hubbell, Rob Ostrowski, and Dan Small. We met up with others for most of the rest of the day: Jim Stasz, Mikey Lutmerding, Mike Burchett, Betsy Bangert, Scott Housten, and Jessica Morgan (one brief Jim Brighton sighting). We did dawn at Bayside on Assateague, went on a morning Poor Man's Pelagic on the Judith M out of Bahia Marina, and then spent the rest of the day working from Truitt's back to Ocean City and Assateague. Here are just some of the highlights:

Bayside

PROTHONOTARY WARBLER--1. My first on Assateague.
Yellow-throated Warbler--2
Yellow Warbler--5
American Redstart--4
Black-and-white Warbler--1
Orchard Oriole--11
(Our car missed most of the heron flight with 130+ Glossy Ibis, but saw many at the Causeway on our way in.)

Assateague Causeway 

Lots of wader/shorebird activity right now.

Poor Man's Pelagic

Mostly stayed close to shore for croaker fishing, getting out to 5 miles only very briefly. Six WILSON'S STORM-PETRELs.

Skimmer Island (two visits)

Semipalmated Plover--16
Short-billed Dowitcher--61
Eastern Willet--2. One obvious adult Eastern, another that Stasz felt confident about but that I didn't see well enough to call.
SANDWICH TERN--11 including juveniles
Black Skimmer--2
Juveniles of many species: Herring Gull (including several downy chicks), Laughing Gull, Royal Tern, Sandwich, Least Tern, Black-crowned Night-Heron, etc.

Truitt's Landing

WHITE IBIS--Continuing immature bird found by Jim Stasz (#300 in Worcester for Mikey; congrats!)
Glossy Ibis--98 highest in sight simultaneously, probably many more.
Stilt Sandpiper--3
White-rumped Sandpiper--1
Western Sandpiper--2
GULL-BILLED TERN--1 adult
Juvenile Least Sandpiper (3) and Lesser Yellowlegs (2)
Our group missed Tom and Geraldine's Wilson's Phalaropes despite a several hour vigil.

West OC Pond

Great wader/shorebird activity. All expected waders, many shorebirds including Stilt Sandpipers.

Assateague Sea Watch (last hour and a half of daylight)

WILSON'S STORM-PETREL--I think our final count was 36, all southbound
BLACK TERN--3, southbound

Good birding,

Bill

Bill Hubick
Pasadena, Maryland

http://www.billhubick.com