After peaking with the White-winged Dove, I set out for OC on Saturday.  I found the Choptank frozen on the Talbot side.  

Sailwinds Park 1200-1205

Bufflehead - 3
Greater Scaup - 6
Ring-billed Gull - 120
Herring Gull - 13
Great Black-backed Gull - 9
Fish Crow - 2

Great Marsh Park 1210-1225
Bufflehead - 36
Greater Scaup - 5
Common Goldeneye -1

Oakley Street 1230-35

Canvasback - 250 feeding frenzy
L. Scaup -22
Am. Wigeon 13
Am. Black Duck
Bald Eagle - 3

Maple Dam Rd. was unremarkable

Blackwater, the American White Pelican was visible from Key Wallace at 1:00 pm., but not on the way out roughly 2:15.  The first trail is blocked off due to nesting eagles, so you'll need to get your Brown-headed Nuthatches elsewhere.  Nothing remarkable on the Wildlife Loop except a lot of Snow Geese.  No little ones to be seen.  Likewise for the back road to Vienna.

I got the Inlet about 4:10 p.m.  The wind was terrific, as were the waves.  They were washing over the north jetty, and chasing the Sanderlings and Ruddy Turnstones out onto the beach and parking lot.  I could make out Black and Surf Scoters, but just barely.  No White-winged.  Both loons were in the Inlet.

At Hoopers there were 3000 Brant.

I began Sunday at George Island Landing Rd. in hopes of sparrows.  Ha, no such luck.  But the morning launch of Snow Geese was impressive, I guestimated at 10,00.  Also of note four Tree Swallows, one Northern Harrier female/immature.


Taylor's Landing produced an impressive 65 Tree Swallows on the wire (I have photos), and nothing else remarkable.

Vaughn WMA accessed from Taylor's Landing Road had routine sparrows, mostly Song, several Savannah and Swamp, a few White-throated.  A single Fox Sparrow was singing in the far conifers.

I got to Truitt's Landing AFTER Jeff had seen the Common Teal, but could not find for myself.  Jeff also kicked up two Nelson's Sparrows, but I could not find them.  Also of interest were 8 Greater Yellowlegs.  Nice numbers of waterfowl.  I also heard a lone Brown-headed Nuthatch, and saw/heard a Marsh Wren.  After Jeff left, and King Rail flushed, and I got a glimpse.  Big and dark.  
Scott's Landing yielded nothing.

I then went to Assateague and saw a lot of Myrtle Warblers and routine sparrows.  I could not find the shrike.  In the surf near the check-in station, I found one Red-throated Loon and a Horned Grebe.

Bayside had three Redhead, and the more usual ducks.  Skimmer Island had a lone Black-bellied Plover.

At the inlet I found two Ostrowski brothers on the balcony at the Oceanic.  On the far side of the south jetty I spotted 15 Common Eider, no Kings that I could discern.  I found 31 American Black Ducks in the inlet to be unusual.  There were to American Oystercathers on the flats visible from 4th St.  I returned to the inlet at 4:00 pm and found one lone Bonaparte's Gull.

I began Monday at dawn at Truitt's.  The dawn launch of Snow Geese beggared the previous days.  I had more accurately calculated 19,500 when ten minutes later another wave of similar magnitude appeared, followed a few minutes later by another.  All were at the same altitude, so I rather doubt there were circling out of my sight.  So did I see 60,000 of them?

I estimated at least 50 Green-winged Teal, but they stayed mostly out of sight. I could not locate the Common.  A nuthatch was heard again, and a King Rail glimpsed once more.  A male Northern Harrier was nice.  And a good variety of other waterfowl, none remarkable.

The inlet yielded some close Purple Sandpipers and two oystercatchers.

I ended the day at Chesapeake Farms and found the Golden-crowned Sparrow at 1:35 p.m.

I got some good video of the Canvasback/L. Scaup feeding frenzy, Purple Sandpiper, and middling of the sparrow.  I will be posting them to YouTube and advise when I get around to it.

Kurt Schwarz
HowCo
goawaybird at verizon dot net.