Hi Everyone,
I joined Jim Stasz, Dan Small, and Rob Ostrowski for an excellent day on the Eastern Shore yesterday (10/30). Although not quite a fallout, it was an outstanding day of migration with enough activity to keep things exciting all day. Flights of American Robins, Myrtle Warblers, Common Loons, and Double-crested Cormorants kept us busy counting. Best birds of the morning were a flyby WESTERN KINGBIRD (Stasz only), LINCOLN'S SPARROW, SHORT-EARED OWL (Dan only), and VESPER SPARROW. I was excited to pick up a Worcester county bird (Lincoln's Sparrow), which is as good as a state bird. Both Vesper and Lincoln's were new species for the island for me. Two county birds in Wicomico also put me back within striking distance of Ron Gutberlet in that county. :)
Here's the full list from Bayside and highlights from elsewhere.
Assateague I. NS--Bayside
Brant (Atlantic)--11
Canada Goose--10
Wood Duck--53. Really moving this morning.
American Black Duck--6
Northern Pintail--2
Green-winged Teal (American)--3
Surf Scoter--1
Bufflehead--6
Hooded Merganser--2
Red-breasted Merganser--4
Red-throated Loon--1
Common Loon--49
Horned Grebe--5. First of season for some of us.
Double-crested Cormorant--695
Great Cormorant--1
Great Blue Heron--1
Bald Eagle--1
Northern Harrier--1
Sharp-shinned Hawk--1
Cooper's Hawk--2
Greater Yellowlegs--1
Dunlin--26
Laughing Gull--55
Ring-billed Gull--1
Herring Gull (American)--22
Forster's Tern--3
Royal Tern--6
Red-bellied Woodpecker--2
Downy Woodpecker--1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted)--6
Eastern Phoebe--1
Blue-headed Vireo--1 (solitarius)
Fish Crow--40
Red-breasted Nuthatch--2
Carolina Wren--4
Winter Wren--1
Golden-crowned Kinglet--14
Ruby-crowned Kinglet--7
Hermit Thrush--1
American Robin--1385. Careful count by Stasz, only counting birds as they made the jump to the mainland
Northern Mockingbird--2
Brown Thrasher--1
European Starling--3
American Pipit--3
Cedar Waxwing--17
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)--390
Eastern Towhee--1
Song Sparrow--4
White-throated Sparrow--68
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored)--38
Northern Cardinal--2
Red-winged Blackbird--182
Eastern Meadowlark--1
RUSTY BLACKBIRD--1. Good bird here on the island.
Common Grackle--1
Boat-tailed Grackle--2
Purple Finch--3
House Finch--7
Pine Siskin--6
American Goldfinch--5
Bayside Campground - Rob has the full numbers
(We shared note-taking responsibilities, and Rob's in the field today.)
Best bird was Blackpoll Warbler (1)
Also Blue-headed Vireo (solitarius)
Assateague I. NS--Maintenance Yard
Double-crested Cormorant--72
Northern Harrier--2
Sharp-shinned Hawk--1
Eastern Phoebe--1
Red-breasted Nuthatch--3
Ruby-crowned Kinglet--2
Hermit Thrush--4
Brown Thrasher--1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)--74
Chipping Sparrow--2
Field Sparrow--3
Song Sparrow--5
LINCOLN'S SPARROW--1. Found by Dan Small. Tough in the county, seemingly rare on the island.
Swamp Sparrow--2
White-throated Sparrow--8
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored)--4
Boat-tailed Grackle--1
Assateague SP
Wood Duck--1
Double-crested Cormorant--595
Great Egret--1
Black Vulture--1
Turkey Vulture--4
Bald Eagle--1
Northern Harrier--1
Cooper's Hawk--1
Killdeer--3
Herring Gull (American)--18
Great Black-backed Gull--7
Royal Tern--1
Mourning Dove--1
SHORT-EARED OWL--Dan came across it near the dunes, flushed behind a dune and not refound
Red-bellied Woodpecker--3. Migrants.
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted)--5
Eastern Phoebe--4
WESTERN KINGBIRD--1 flyby. Stasz only.
Tree Swallow--2
Red-breasted Nuthatch--5
Golden-crowned Kinglet--2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet--4
Hermit Thrush--3
American Robin--18
Gray Catbird--4
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)--600
Chipping Sparrow--3
VESPER SPARROW--1
Savannah Sparrow (Eastern)--3
Song Sparrow--26
Swamp Sparrow--2
White-throated Sparrow--31
White-crowned Sparrow (Eastern)--1
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored)--38
Boat-tailed Grackle--4
Brown-headed Cowbird--4
Schumacker Pond, Wicomico Co.
American Black Duck--2. Rob's county closeout.
American Wigeon--2
Northern Shoveler--1 hen
Ring-necked Ducks, Ruddy Ducks
Bufflehead--2
American Coot--40 even. Great count of this tough-in-county species.
Osprey--1
Salisbury Landfill
Expected gulls and numbers
American Coot--5
Nutters Neck WMA, Wicomico Co.
Blue-headed Vireo--1 (solitarius)
Rob's closeout Ruby-crowned Kinglet and Gray Catbird
LINCOLN'S SPARROW--Stasz only
VESPER SPARROW--1
White-crowned Sparrow--2
Large flock of American Goldfinches and Pine Siskins
Hurlock WWTP in the evening
Ruddy Duck--1600+ (Rob's got the exact numbers for some of these sites)
Northern Shovelers, Ring-necked Ducks, Lesser Scaup, Green-winged Teal, and American Coots
Tundra Swan--8 flew in at dusk. First of season. New October species for me.
MD COMP LIST UPDATED:
New species: Clay-colored Sparrow (Haas), Cave Swallow (Stasz; two flybys on 10/29, South Point), Franklin's Gull (Hubick), Say's Phoebe (Culler/Hanfman), Western Kingbird (Stasz).
Download here (Excel/PDF): http://www.billhubick.com/documents.php
While there, consider checking out "Maryland's Next 10 Species." Now is the best time of year to consider many of our possible first state records. It's the best time of the birding year!
Some new photos:
http://www.billhubick.com/photos/updates/20101031.php
Happy Halloween!
Bill
Bill Hubick
Pasadena, Maryland
http://www.billhubick.com |