ocean city birds

Rick Blom (rblom@blazie.com)
Sun, 15 Mar 1998 08:28:10 -0500 

        Bryan Blazie and I spent Thursday and Friday (March 12-13) in the
Ocean City area. Thursday was windy and very cold, with wind chills below
15 most of the day. Friday was warmer but the winds were 15-25 with gusts
to 40. It was almost impossible to see anything on the ocean. Highlights
included:

Red-throated Loon               50+
Common Loon                     25+
Horned Grebe                    15
Pied-billed Grebe               30
Northern Gannet                 20
Double-crested Cormorant        300+
Brant                           100+
Harlequin Duck                  11 [jetty]
Tundra Swan                     2 [West OC pond]
King Eider                      5 [jetty]
Common Eider                    6 [jetty]
Canvasback                      200 [mostly West OC pond]
Lesser Scaup                    20 [West OC pond]
Greater Scaup                   8 [West OC pond]
Ring-necked Duck                3 [West OC pond]
Northern Shoveler               300+ [West OC and other places]
Green-winged Teal               4 [West OC]
American Wigeon                 30 [West OC and other places]
Gadwall                         50 [West OC and other places]
Ruddy Duck                      100+ [West OC and other places]
Surf Scoter                     600+ [flying north]
Black Scoter                    10
Bufflehead                      300+
Red-breasted Merganser          500+
Hooded Merganser                10 [Racetrack pond]
HARRIS' HAWK                    1 [adult - see below]
Black-bellied Plover            20 [see below for shorebird note]
WILLET                          6
Red Knot                        3
Purple Sandpiper                6
Ruddy Trunstone                 20
Dunlin                          4000
Sanderling                      2000
Western Sandpiper               2
Least Sandpiper                 25
American Oystercatcher          50
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL        2 [adults on 4th St. flats]
Bonaparte's Gull                15
Tree Swallow                    8
Brown-headed Nuthatch           8 [at end of road by Race Track Pond]
American Robin                  ++ [everywhere in large flocks]
Cedar Waxwing                   30
Pine Warbler                    + [singing in several places]
Yellow-rumped Warbler           + [numerous everywhere]

        The shorebirds, except Purple Sandpipers and Ruddy Turnstones, were
almost all seen from the camp ground at the end of Eagle's Nest Road behind
the airport. The flats were huge there at low tide. There were several
thousand Herring and Ring-billed Gulls scattered around. Most of RBs were
subadults. The Harrris' Hawk was introduced to us by Bill Waterman, a
falconer who was flying the bird at South Point. It hunts cooperatively
with his black Lab. There was the standard contingent of resident
landbirds, but no migrants evident. Black Ducks and Mallards were
everywhere but we missed Common Goldeneye.

Rick








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Rick Blom
rblom@blazie.com
Bel Air, Maryland