Really lucked out on my way home from work today. Decided to have a quick
diversion from route 15 and I hit the shorebird jackpot near the Creamery
Rd/Keysville Rd intersection (the Dickcissel field), near Emittsburg, Frederick
County. The field had lots of standing water when I arrived at 6:30PM and was
crawling with shorebirds. Unfortunately (?!) the sun came out, which
deteriorated viewing conditions, and caused the birds to move around - about
half the flock left in the 25 minutes or so that I was there. I picked out the
following, all likely underestimates of numbers, and I'm sure I likely missed a
species or two in the frenzy:
 
American Golden Plover 9+
Killdeer 94 (on one count , likely 3 figures)
Semipalmated  Plover 1
Lesser Yellowlegs 14 - didn't see any greater
Pectoral Sandpiper 5
BAIRD'S SANDPIPER 1 - decent views, with a small flocks of semip sands
Semipalmated Sandpiper 15+ - didn't pick out any Leasts, but there could've
been some
 
Horned Lark 30
 
also, pretty sure there was a dowitcher on my initial binocular scan but I
couldn't refind it. Who knows that else might have been there?
 
Most of the birds that left headed off east. Any ploughed fields in the area
would be worth checking this weekend.

Andy Wilson
Frederick



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