Went out this afternoon to see if I could find the wounded black back and give him some help.  I located it easily at a pool on the beach next to the bathhouse.  However, it spotted me about the same time and was in no mood to be caught.  There is fishing line and a heavy sinker attached to it.  Presumably there is a hook in the bird's mouth.  He seemed a bit thin and very annoyed by the debris, but was strong and elusive.  We (my kids and I) tried to surround him and he went for a swim in the pool.  So we walked away, hoping he'd come out of the pool and we could corral it somewhere.  When we returned, the Greater Black Back was nowhere to be seen.  Presumably he can fly, so it will be very hard to help him.  

I will not be able to go out again for the next few days, but if anyone wants to catch the thing, it appears from a distance that it should be possible to help this guy out.  I'll be happy to give it a try.  

We didn't stay there very long and didn't look very far, so not a lot of birds to report - mostly Gulls, cormorant, no falcon. 

I did see a black-headed gull flying over land - it caught my eye first of all because it was small and the wings were thin, so I wasn't sure if it was a tern or gull.  It is possibly the Sabine's, but also possible that it was a laughing gull.  It just moved too fast and I didn't see upper wing or tail - just an impression of a small, thin winged gull with a black head.  

FWIW, I saw no other black-headed laughing gulls, although there were a few juveniles.  

Joanne

Joanne Howl, DVM

West River, MD










-----Original Message-----
From: Dan Haas <>
To: 
Sent: Wed, Aug 18, 2010 5:42 pm
Subject: Re: [MDOSPREY] Sandy Point State Park: Sabines gull


So I just had to go and at least LOOK this afternoon, as improbable
more like impossible) that this bird might still be around SPSP.
No luck.  And I could've used the BLACK TERNS as coveted County Birds
oo, but it was not to be.  The weather was too nice.
Here are the quick highlights:
ERNS: Common 1, Forsters 5, Least 4, Caspian 11, Royal 1
ULLS: The regular 4, but one Greater Black Backed Gull is dying a
low death with fishing line tangled all around it's bill and blood on
t's chest.
ALCONS: One on the bridge.
GRETS: Only that I missed the Sabine's Gull.  Oh, and one flyover SNOWY.
ANDPIPERS: Two Westerns and one Semi on the beach pond.
OWITCHERS: Two SB Dows flew over headed North, calling.
WALLOWS: One PUMA, one NRW and several Barn.
IRDERS: Surprisingly, none.  Perhaps the winds pushed them inland to
he border of Howard and Montgomery Counties?
One the way home, the first field on the left on Whitehall Road, just
outh of 50, held:
 CATTLE EGRET
 Chipping Sparrow
Pleasant Plains Turf Farm:
9 Killdeer
 Semi Plover
 Semi Sand
 Least Sand
 Solitary Sand
Good Birding,
Dan Haas
est Annapolis, MD

On Wed, Aug 18, 2010 at 1:37 PM, stanley arnold <> wrote:
 Hi Folks,

 Hoping to get an hour or two of birding in this morning before a
 mid-morning doctor's appointment, I set out for Sandy Point (AA Co.)
 early, arriving about ten minutes past six.  The weather was
 miserable.  The wind, it was a blowin'.  The rain, it was a blowin'
 too.  I drove through some fairly heavy rain enroute, which seemed to
 lighten up upon my arrival at the park, giving me enough time to get
 out to one of the bath houses before getting soaked.  Wind and heavy
 rain followed, but I stayed dry under the eave of the building scoping
 the usual flock of gulls and the part of the bay that was not
 obstructed by trees.  All the usual stuff:  the big four gulls,
 Caspian Tern, Royal Tern, Common Tern, Forster's Tern.  I did have one
 good find, however, when three BLACK TERNs came wafting by, one of
 them in almost full breeding plumage.

 I scanned for about an hour, but then it was time for me to go.  I
 debated whether to drive to the parking area out at the point (the
 small craft launch area), but thought what the heck, I'll see if
 there's anything on the beach.  Good I came out here, because there
 were a lot more gulls sitting on the beach, with a few more terns.
 While sitting in the car with the windows partially lowered I sifted
 through these larids, bringing my Great Black-backed Gull count up to
 640.  As I looked out over the water I noticed a tern flying by, so
 put my binoculars on it.  It had long slender wings and a FULL BLACK
 HOOD.  I was momentarily befuddled--a tern with a black hood?--but
 when I caught a glimpse of the upper mantle I saw white triangular
 patches, and then I knew I was looking at a SABINE'S GULL.  I jumped
 out of the car, heart thumping, and got my scope set up in the rain,
 and watched the bird fly away to the north.  It had a pure white tail.
  I saw the bird mostly from the side or from the rear, and did not
 have enough time to get off any digiscopes.  The rain began to fall
 heavily as the bird disappeared behind a tree near where I stood, and
 I realized it was well past the time for me to go.

 Phil, I know you'll want a full report.   It will be forthcoming.

 BTW, Elaine had our first fall warbler in the yard today--a colorful
 NORTHERN PARULA.

 Stan Arnold
 Ferndale (AA Co.)