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Subject:

Fort Smallwood Park--Surf Scoters, RB Mergansers

From:

Bill Hubick

Reply-To:

Bill Hubick

Date:

Tue, 8 Mar 2011 16:40:53 -0800

Hi Everyone, 

I spent the late afternoon scoping the Bay from Fort Smallwood Park, joined for some of the watch by defender of peace and justice Matt Grey. The conditions were exquisite, easily among the best I have ever enjoyed from the park. Heat shimmer was non-existent and I was pleased by the ease with which I could ID birds at maximum zoom. Highlights were nine SURF SCOTERS, seven RED-BREASTED MERGANSERs, and 12 HORNED GREBEs. Both ducks were my highest counts for the park. (Scoters are very scarce in this part of the county.) Also had my first local OSPREY perched on a distant marker.

Here's the full eBird list:

Canada Goose--3
Gadwall--6. Three pairs working the edge of the pond
Mallard--4
Green-winged Teal (American)--2. Pair working the back edge of the pond
Canvasback--1. Northbound flyby female
Greater Scaup--78
Lesser Scaup--1. Cove just SE of the park
Greater/Lesser Scaup--20
SURF SCOTER--9.Eight drakes and one hen in one flock southeast of the hawk watch. Outstanding scope views in the great afternoon light. 8x my previous high count here, which was one summer drake on 6/25/2007.
Long-tailed Duck--6. Distant, but well seen thanks to today's outstanding visibility
Bufflehead--17
Common Goldeneye--21
RED-BREASTED MERGANSER--7. Six drakes and one hen far to the southeast. Beats my personal high count of four on 3/27/2009.
HORNED GREBE--12. Many singles spotted, as well as a roosting group of six.
grebe sp.--3. Distant flybys
Double-crested Cormorant--74
Great Blue Heron--1
Osprey--1. Perched on a distant marker. My first-of-season in the county.
Killdeer--2
Ring-billed Gull--16
Herring Gull (American)--47
Great Black-backed Gull--14
Mourning Dove--2
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted)--1
Carolina Chickadee--1
Tufted Titmouse--1
Carolina Wren--1
Eastern Bluebird--1
American Robin--3
European Starling--5
Eastern Towhee--1
Song Sparrow--1
White-throated Sparrow--4
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored)--1
Northern Cardinal--3
Red-winged Blackbird--15
Common Grackle--150
Brown-headed Cowbird--1
House Finch--2

Good birding,

Bill

Bill Hubick
Pasadena, Maryland

http://www.billhubick.com

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