On Saturday, Bill Hubick, Mikey Lutmerding and I birded Point Lookout State
Park and other miscellaneous birding destinations in the southern part of
the state.

Passerine migration was surprisingly imperceptible at the Point. Luckily,
other birds were moving to keep us entertained, most notably shorebirds. In
the hour or two we spent scanning the bay, we saw three Sanderlings, three
Semipalmated Sandpipers, a Semipalmated Plover, three Lesser Yellowlegs, and
a Pectoral Sandpiper, most heading south with purpose. We were also happy to
see (hear first actually) a WESTERN WILLET. But maybe the most entertaining
migrant was a Belted Kingfisher flying south, a hundred feet up in the air.
Finding common birds migrating - birds we don't usually think of first when
we hear the word "migration" - can actually be more exciting than the birds
we ONLY see during migration, and Point Lookout is a great place to see it
happen.

Afterward, we visited St. George's Island further up the Potomac. We didn't
find anything too unusual but the island should clearly be included amongst
the most underbirded places in the state. It has a lot of potential for
holding migrants that are moving up the Potomac, especially in the Spring, I
would think. There is a small gravel circle on the east side of  Piney Point
Rd where you can park to get out and walk the road. Most of the habitat is
marsh, but there are some pine stands to check as well. While walking the
road, we had an out-of place and dispersing Acadian Flycatcher in
a waterbush, spotted by Mikey, and two Red-headed Woodpeckers, one of which
was confirmed breeding. If instead of driving all the way down Piney Point
Rd, you turn down Lighthouse Rd, you'll find perhaps an even better area to
bird. Lighthouse Rd runs through a beautiful housing community reminiscent
of Cape Cod and ends at the Piney Point Lighthouse, where there is a museum
and park. A walk around the grounds in migration could be excellent, but
there's also some beach access that makes a visit in winter just as
worthwhile.

After exploring St. George's Island, we headed north to see if the White
Ibises at Beauvue Ponds and Port Tobacco were still there. Despite a
stubborn effort, we couldn't find the Beauvue White Ibises, but, thankfully,
did find the two in Port Tobacco. We stopped at the Port Tobacco Marina to
check for Fred Fallon's Godwits and Willet, but by that point, the tide had
covered all the shorebird habitat.

Rob Ostrowski
Crofton, MD


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