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Subject:

Ruff at Jackson Landing

From:

Fred Shaffer

Reply-To:

Fred Shaffer

Date:

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 15:55:24 -0400

Well, this is a real good news/bad news story, but I'll start with the part that everyone will be interested in, which is the bird sighting.  I went to Jackson Landing early this afternoon with the intention of kayaking and searching through the sizable flocks of Bonaparte's Gulls that I had seen on Saturday.  The Bonies were no longer present, but I did see a group of shorebirds on an exposed mudflat just north of the landing.  I scoped through the birds, which consisted of mostly Greater Yellowlegs, smaller numbers of Lesser Yellowlegs, one Pectoral Sandpiper, and one Ruff.  I got good views of the bird through my scope as it foraged on the mudflats.  I got some marginal digiscoped photos of the bird.  I also got a few notes on the bird's plumage, which stood out dramatically from the yellowlegs.  The bill was dark, kind of a dusky gray with a diffuse orange base.  The body was fairly bulky.  The belly was white, but the rest of the plumage was a dark brown.  When viewed through the scope, it appeared dark brown with black markings.  The legs appeared to be a dull, greenish-yellow.  

Here's where I get to the bad (i.e. pathetic) part of the story.  I concluded that my digiscoped photos were poor (at best).  A boat went by the mudflats and the shorebirds didn't flush, so I concluded I could get closer views in my kayak.  I hastily unloaded my boat and launched into the river, approaching the shorebirds probably within 60 or 70 feet.  I got GREAT views of the bird as it foraged, but to my dismay, I noticed that my camera was not longer in my pocket.  I searched the bottom of the kayak without success, than went back to the ramp, hoping that it fell on the dock.  Unfortunately, it had apparently dropped out of my pocket (which I thought I had sealed shut).  It was not on the dock, but in about four inches of water at the dock.  So, although I salvaged the graphic card (and my poor quality photos of the Ruff), the camera was a loss and I was unable to get more photos, even though I could approach the Ruff closely.

Still, I went back out on the river in an attempt to at least get better views of the bird.  The tide was coming in rapidly, and the mudflat was shrinking fast.  After some more good views of the bird, about half of the shorebirds flushed.  Some returned, but the Ruff appeared to have flown off towards Anne Arundel County and Jug Bay.  However, I soon lost the bird behind some marsh vegetation and can't say for sure where it ended up.   There are certainly a lot of good places for this bird to end up, possibly off the observation platform at Jackson Landing, perhaps at the higher ground towards Mt. Calvert, or even the pond at Merkle.  I left at approximately 2:15, assuming the bird had left.

Just heard from Jim Stasz - he has the bird sleeping on the mudflat at Jackson Landing at 3:54 PM!  Good birding,

Fred Shaffer

Crofton, Anne Arundel

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