Hi Everyone,
A group of ten of us found our way to Point Lookout SP this morning, birding the point at dawn, and then taking a cruise to Smith Island. It was me, Rob and Mike Ostrowski, Jim Stasz, Ed Boyd, Matt Tillett, Mike Burchett, Betsy Bangert, Leslie Starr, and Joe Turner. The island immediately became one of my favorite places to bird in the state.
Although passerine flight was limited at dawn at the point, there was a lot of activity between expected gulls, terns, pelicans, and cormorants. As Rob, Mike, and I wandered north, we found our first small flocks of migrants. Among the many YELLOW WARBLERs and PINE WARBLERs, Rob picked out our first of three BLUE-WINGED WARBLERs. Soon afterward we had a close study of a WILLOW FLYCATCHER, my first migrant empid of the season. Joining Stasz and Ed, we continued to work the woodlands, finding the other two BLUE-WINGED WARBLERs, many AMERICAN REDSTARTS, two BLACK-AND-WHITEs, and an unexpected BLACK-THROATED GREEN. Just north of the fort, we spotted a juvenile RED-HEADED WOODPECKER, followed by an adult and a second juvenile. They were active and vocal, seeming to be a family group. Jim and Ed started the day with a flyby juvenile Yellow-crowned Night-Heron near the point.
Walking back to the south, we cut over to the pond in the Phragmites and found a juvenile WESTERN WILLET, two Semipalmated Plovers, and two Least Sandpipers. I find juveniles of the two (sub)species more challenging than adults, mostly because juvenile Westerns have a bill shape much closer to Easterns (to my eyes) than adult Westerns. Although I haven't uploaded the photos, it looked just like this bird I photographed on Assateague on 8/1 of last year:
http://www.billhubick.com/images2/willet_western_juv_ai_md_20090801_03.jpg
At 10:00 a.m. we boarded the boat to Smith Island and were enjoying ourselves before we were even underway. Diamondback Terrapins surfaced regularly in the water beside the boat, and large schools of baitfish attempted to evade the attendant blues, needlefish, and Laughing Gulls.
We were a little disappointed to not spot any Wilson's Storm-Petrels on the ride to the island, but it was a lovely day to be on the smooth water. No one felt even remotely green. The target ship near the county line was simply begging to host a roosting pelagic mega-rarity.
After arriving at Smith Island and immediately falling in love with the place, we placed ourselves under the guidance of Sen~or Stasz, who is more than familiar with the island. We were barely off the dock when we began asking why we don't visit more often, declaring now as the time for a Smith Island birding renaissance. Within 100 yards of the dock, I excitedly called attention to a flying juvenile YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON. By the time it landed, Stasz had his eyebrows raised and was pointing to another one about 15 feet away. We had no fewer than twelve on our walk, many of them feeding in the open marsh or perched conspicuously in dead snags.
Other Smith Island highlights:
American Oystercatcher--11
Semi-plover--6
HOODED WARBLER--1 female
WORM-EATING WARBLER--2
Prairie Warbler--1
American Redstart--4
Yellow--2
Ovenbird--1
Black-and-white--1
Expected but enjoyable were good numbers of herons, Glossy Ibis, pelicans, Boat-tailed Grackles, Seaside Sparrows, and so on.
Non-avian: Sleepy Orange (1), American Snouts (20+), Fiery Skippers (50+).
I'm already looking forward to my next visit. Where better to enjoy migration than a sleepy, picturesque island where nearly everything is a migrant.
Smith Island info:
http://www.smithislandcruises.com/point-lookout-cruises
Good birding,
Bill
Bill Hubick
Pasadena, Maryland
http://www.billhubick.com |