I stopped by North Beach for a half-hour on Tuesday evening, along with Jon Ranson.  The water levels were high and there were no signs of either the Red Knot or Buff Breasted Sandpiper.  There was a profusion of ducks - all of which seemed to be MALLARD or Mallard crosses of some kind.  A couple of ducks were smaller, possibly the size of teals, but the fading light didn't offer much of a look and I was too busy looking for shorebirds to pay much attention.  Identifiable shorebirds were few - LESSER YELLOWLEGS, one SPOTTED SANDPIPER and two SEMI PALMATED PLOVERS (Thanks to Marsha and her wonderful scope for the latter!).  Others flew overhead, but could not ID them.   Also one lone OSPREY flew overhead. 

A nice consolation prize, however, was the PEREGRINE FALCON that Jon spotted on the water tower.   Marsha's scope allowed excellent views, too.  It also made me realize that I'm birding at a serious disadvantage - my scope was never good, and now has a cracked lens and broken leg - yet somehow I think it's still adequate.  I'll start saving my pennies and perhaps, many years from now, I can get a decent scope!  What a difference it could make to actually be able to SEE a bird, rather than shadows and forms!

Before going to the marsh, we stopped in at the southernmost part of Herrington Harbor in Rose Haven, and found a solitary SEMI PALMATED SANDPIPER there - not a bad bird for AA County.  

Oh - near sunset the PEREGRINE took a leisurely fly around the marsh.  I was just enjoying the show while he flew. Only later realized it probably had a wing- or maybe two - in AA County!  However, since I wasn't paying attention while it flew,  I just could not confirm if it crossed that much-discussed and very important invisible line.  I tried to get one of the three birders at the marsh to swim out and shoo it off it's perch, in the direction of AA County, but for some reason I don't think anyone took me seriously, and the bird stayed firmly in Calvert. 

We also spotted a PEREGRINE FALCON flying across the beach at North Beach shortly afterward - our last stop for the evening and our last bird, as the light was almost entirely gone at that time. 

Joanne

Joanne Howl, DVM

West River, MD