Anna Urciolo and I had a nice day birding Harford and Cecil counties 
Saturday.  Highlights were the continuing LITTLE GULLS at Port 
Deposit/Lapidum and a SHORT-EARED OWL at Swan Harbor Farm Park (which 
caretaker John Gallo informed us was a first for the Park -- and there 
are only two other eBird records for the county).

For those trying for the gulls, our experience was that the Lapidum area 
was virtually devoid of gulls first thing in the morning.  We then drove 
to Conowingo Dam, where there were also few gulls.  But as we headed to 
Port Deposit from the dam, we started seeing tight flocks of Bonaparte's 
Gulls heading up river.  We parked at Port Deposit, and then spotted two 
Little Gulls nicely showing the all-dark underwings moving up river with 
one of the Bonaparte's flocks around 10 AM.  We checked back at the Port 
Deposit late in the afternoon but did not see the Little Gulls again, 
though we did have a male RED-BREASTED MERGANSER.  We did not see any 
Black-headed Gulls.

At Swan Harbor Farm Park we flushed a SHORT-EARED OWL near the Wooden 
Blind in the cornfield around 6:30 PM.  We had great views of it in 
flight and saw it perform its wing clapping display once.  It then 
perched near the line of trees to the north, offering great scope 
views.  I also believe I heard its barking call twice.  We also had a 
WILSON'S SNIPE, two REDHEADS, and GREEN-WINGED TEAL.

In Cecil County, we had a nice collection of waterfowl at Bethel Managed 
Hunting Area, including:

Northern Shoveler (10)
Gadwall
Horned Grebe (3)
Green-winged Teal
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Ruddy Duck
Pied-Billed Grebe
American Coot

Good birding!
Jim Moore
Rockville, Maryland
PLEASE REPORT YOUR BIRD SIGHTINGS to http://ebird.org/

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