Hey everyone-
Did some quick (probably twenty minutes at each) stops on the way down to Salisbury on Thursday in attempt to clean up some glaring holes in my county lists. Stayed around Wicomico and Worcester on Friday, then made one quick stop in Caroline on the way home yesterday. Unfortunately, I do not own a scope, and so had to leave many distant shorebirds unidentified:
Location: Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center (Horsehead), Queen Anne's Co. **checked shorebirds pretty carefully here, pretty sure I didnt leave anything without an ID*
Observation date: 8/19/10
Number of species: 12
AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN 1 (easiest county bird ever)
Great Egret 8
Snowy Egret 11
TRICOLORED HERON 1
Turkey Vulture 1
Osprey 1
Bald Eagle 1
Semipalmated Plover 15
Killdeer 22
Semipalmated Sandpiper 18
Western Sandpiper 4
Barn Swallow 3
Location: Tanyard Marsh, Caroline Co.
Observation date:
8/19/10
Number of species: 16
Wood Duck 1
Turkey Vulture 15
Osprey 1
Killdeer 3
Least Sandpiper 12
Herring Gull 2
Forster's Tern 1
Rock Pigeon 6
Mourning Dove 3
American Crow 2
American Robin 1
European Starling 120
Chipping Sparrow 1
Indigo Bunting 1
Red-winged Blackbird 30
House Sparrow 6
Location: Hurlock WWTP, Dorchester Co. **Identified most of shorebirds seen, but a few were too distant for binos**
Observation date: 8/19/10
Number of species: 16
Canada Goose 182
Ruddy Duck 1
Semipalmated Plover 1
Killdeer 8
Willet 1
Lesser Yellowlegs 1
Semipalmated Sandpiper 52
Least Sandpiper 65
White-rumped Sandpiper 1
Pectoral Sandpiper 1
Least Tern 1
Mourning Dove 1
American Crow 4
Purple Martin 1
Bank Swallow 8
Barn Swallow 30
Got to the Nanticoke at 6am on Friday, unfortunately a heavy fog enveloped the entire county until around 7:30am.
Location: Adkins Rd., Wicomico Co. **LOTS of shorebirds in the fields along this road, unfortunately many too far for binoculars. Predominantly Killdeer, but I got the feeling that there was a good variety of species. By using my camera
as a makeshift scope, I was able to pick out the three BBPL. These fields should definitely be checked by anyone around Wicomico**
Observation date: 8/20/10
Number of species: 4
Black-bellied Plover 3
Semipalmated Plover 1
Killdeer 110
Least Sandpiper 8
Location: Little Lane, Wicomico Co.
Observation date: 8/20/10
Number of species: 4
Killdeer 3
Grasshopper Sparrow 1 (flew into my viewfinder as I was trying to scope
fields with the camera)
Indigo Bunting 1
Location: Oakwood
Turf Farm, Hampshire Road, Wicomico Co. **Identified most of the shorebirds seen, although many of them ducked behind a little hump in the field where I think there was a big puddle**
Observation date: 8/20/10
Number of species: 23
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Killdeer 38
Solitary Sandpiper 1
Semipalmated Sandpiper 8
Least Sandpiper 5
Pectoral Sandpiper 2
Ring-billed Gull 8
Herring Gull 12
Mourning Dove 3
Eastern Kingbird 1
American Crow 15
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 4
Purple Martin 12
Bank Swallow 10
Barn Swallow 15
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
1
American Robin 50
Gray Catbird 1
Northern Mockingbird 8
European Starling 160
Common Yellowthroat 1
Chipping Sparrow 11
Northern Cardinal 8
After Hampshire Rd., I drove my Dad and brother into Ocean City, then drove back cross Worcester and Wicomico to work the Nanticoke a little**
Location:
Muddy Hole Road, Wicomico Co. **Very nice spot, though I had to cut my stop short when I realized I was below empty in my gas tank**
Observation date: 8/20/10
Number of species: 9
Downy Woodpecker 2
Eastern Wood-Pewee 3
White-eyed Vireo 2
Tufted Titmouse 3
Brown-headed Nuthatch 7 (very entertaining)
Carolina Wren 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 2
Eastern Bluebird 1
Common Yellowthroat 2
Location: Cedar Hill Marina, Wicomico Co.
Observation date: 8/20/10
Number of
species: 7
Mallard 4
Double-crested Cormorant 2
Great Blue Heron 1
Osprey 8
Laughing Gull 150
Caspian Tern 18
Royal Tern 220 (practically dripping off the jetties)
After Cedar Hill, drove back to Ocean City to pick up the guys, then dropped them off at Assateague while I did a couple Worcester spots.
Location: West Ocean City Pond, Worcester Co.
Observation date: 8/20/10
Number of species: 12
Canada Goose 10
Wood Duck 2
Great Egret 6
Snowy Egret 3
Little Blue Heron 12
Tricolored Heron 3
Black-crowned Night-Heron 1
Glossy Ibis 5
Osprey 2
Greater Yellowlegs 1
Mourning Dove 2
Fish Crow 1
Location: Ocean City--Skimmer Island **Remember, NO SCOPE. There was much more to
see here, it killed me that I could only scrutinize the closest group of shorebirds**
Observation date: 8/20/10
Number of species: 13
Brown Pelican 15
Double-crested Cormorant 30
Great Blue Heron 4
Great Egret 4
Snowy Egret 12
Osprey 1
Semipalmated Plover 5
Willet 8
Ruddy Turnstone 6
RED KNOT 1 (careful photo review of closest shorebird flock confirmed my assumption in the field)
Sanderling 30
Forster's Tern 5
Royal Tern 10
Location: Behind Paul S. Sarbanes Ecological Research Center, Worcester Co.
Observation date: 8/20/10
Number of species: 1
Northern Bobwhite 1
Location: Idylwild WMA, Caroline Co.
Observation date: 8/21/10
Number of species: 20
Black Vulture 2
Mourning Dove 6
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1
Downy Woodpecker 2
Eastern Wood-Pewee 3
Willow Flycatcher 1
Eastern Kingbird 4
Red-eyed Vireo 1
American Crow 3
Carolina Chickadee 2
Tufted Titmouse 8
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1
Northern Mockingbird 6
Worm-eating Warbler 1
Chipping Sparrow 3
Field Sparrow 8
Northern Cardinal 3
Indigo Bunting 2
Baltimore Oriole 2
American Goldfinch 20
Overall, a productive trip for the time constraints I was under. Also, I came away from the shore with my first two county closeouts: American Crow and-unfortunately- European Starling.
Good birding!
Nico Sarbanes
Baltimore
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