Del. and O.C. trip (long)
Geoff Graff (ggraff@erols.com)
Fri, 01 Jan 1999 23:37:43 -0500
Hi guys,
Went to coastal Del. and O.C. on Dec. 31st and O.C. on Dec. 26th and
28th.
Dec. 26th (didn't stay at O.C. long because of bitter cold and rough
winds)
Dec. 26th
West Ocean City Harbor - 2 Double-crested Cormorant, 31 Ring-billed
Gull, 68 Herring Gull, 14 Great Black-backed Gull, 1 Belted Kingfisher,
1 Yellow-rumped Warbler, and 18 "Slate-colored" Juncos.
Old Bridge Rd. north of O.C. Harbor - 29 Song Sparrow, 1 White-throated
Sparrow, and 22 European Starling.
W.O.C. Pond - 7 Tundra Swan, 55 Canada Geese (54 at field nearby), 287
Mallard, 88 Am. Black Duck, 19 N. Shoveler (10.9), 3 Ring-necked Duck
(all male), 10 Canvasback (6.4), 52 Ring-billed Gull, 51 Herring Gull,
and 1 Common Flicker.
O.C. Inlet - 7 Common Loon, 6 Red-throated Loon, 2 Double-crested
Cormorant, 94 Black Scoter, 16 White-winged Scoter, 7 Harlequin Duck
(5.2), 11 Common Eider (6.5 including 2 immature males), 27 Common
Merganser, 43 Purple Sandpiper, 16 Ruddy Turnstone, 218 Ring-billed
Gull, 198 Herring Gull, 57 Great Black-backed Gull, 163 Rock Dove, and
484 European Starling.
4th St. Flat - 8 Common Loon, 1 Red-throated Loon, 15 Double-crested
Cormorant, 38 Atlantic Brant, 14 Am. Black Duck (west side of island
near Hooper's), 18 Common Merganser, 4 Red-breasted Merganser, 1 Am.
Oystercatcher, 2 Sanderling, 3 Ruddy Turnstone, 28 Ring-billed Gull, 32
Herring Gull, 19 Great Black-backed Gull, 2 Forster's Tern and 1 Turkey
Vulture
Dec. 28th - (spent only 3 hrs. because of rain)
Ocean City Inlet - 6 Common Loon, 3 Red-throated Loon, 4 Double-crested
Cormorant, 12 Black Scoter, 5 Surf Scoter, 4 White-winged Scoter, 5
Harlequin Duck (4.1), 6 Common Eider (3.3), 8 Common Merganser, 24
Purple Sandpiper, 11 Ruddy Turnstone, 113 Ring-billed Gull, 100 Herring
Gull, 41 Great Black-backed Gull, 1 1st winter LITTLE GULL* (out in the
ocean with several Bonaparte's Gulls), 34 Bonaparte's Gull, 300 Rock
Dove, and 234 European Starling. Also 11 "Slate-colored" Junco, 6 Song
Sparrow, 13 White-throated Sparrow, 8 House Sparrow and 3 House Finch in
or around young pines near O.C. Coast Guard Station.
Dec. 31st - (thousands of Bonaparte's Gulls has invading coastal Del.
and O.C. including nearly thousands folowing ship near Cape Henlopen, a
total of 925 Bonaparte's Gull, 308 Herring Gull, 273 Great Black-backed
Gull, 97 Ring-billed Gull, 1 light phase ad. Parasitic Jaeger, 179 N.
Gannet and 1000+ gulls sp. following ship east of Cape Henlopen like a
stream of Broad-winged Hawks)
Dec. 31st
Cape Henlopen State Park - 3 Common Loon, 2 Red-throated Loon, 179 N.
Gannet, 5 Double-crested Cormorant, 1 Bufflehead (female near
lighthouse), 8 Black Scoter, 8 Surf Scoter, 3 White-winged Scoter, 28
Red-breasted Merganser, 11 Sanderling, 7 Ruddy Turnstone, 5
Black-bellied Plover, 925 Bonaparte's Gull, 135 Ring-billed Gull, 356
Herring Gull, 304 Great Black-backed Gull, 1 1st winter GLAUCOUS GULL
(seen at end of point on bayside with several gulls), 1 light phase
Parasitic Jaeger, 2 C. Flicker, 47 Cedar Waxwing, 7 Am. Robin, 184 Snow
Bunting, 4 N. Mockingbird, 3 Blue Jay, 109 "Slate-colored" Junco, 8 Song
Sparrow, 13 White-throated Sparrow, 1 Fox Sparrow (under feeder with
Song and WT)
Gordon Pond Wildlife Area - 12 Common Loon, 3 Great Blue Heron, 9 Tundra
Swan, 1 Mute Swan, 516 Canada Geese, 2,457 Snow Geese (15,000+ seen in
flight along Rt. 1 north of Lewes), 186 Mallard, 80 Am. Black Duck, 24
N. Shoveler, 30 N. Pintail, 4 Gadwall, 8 Ring-necked Duck, 22 Lesser
Scaup, 11 Bufflehead, 45 Hooded Merganser, 5 Common Merganser, 5 Surf
Scoter (2.3 at surf) , 1 Black-bellied Plover (beach), 9 Sanderling
(beach), 2 Western Sandpiper (beach), 11 Ring-billed Gull (3 at beach),
23 Herring Gull (8 at beach), 10 Great Black-backed Gull (1 at beach), 4
Forster's Tern, 30 "Slate-colored" Junco, 21 Song Sparrow, 28
White-throated Sparrow, and 5 Swamp Sparrow
Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk - 2 Common Loon, 382 Ring-billed Gull, 37
Herring Gull, 2 Great Black-backed Gull, 42 Forster's Tern (resting on
sandbar), and 22 Sanderling
Silver Lake - 498 Canada Geese, 428 Mallard, 499 Am. Black Duck, 387
Canvasback, 117 Am. Coot, 23 Ring-billed Gull, and 6 Herring Gull
Tower Rd. (bay) - 2 Common Loon, 3 Bufflehead (females), 13 Black Scoter
(flyby - N), 5 Ring-billed Gull, and 3 "Slate-colored Junco
Tower Rd. (ocean) - 2 Common Loon, 3 Oldsquaw (1.2), 1 Red-breasted
Merganser (female), 4 Herring Gull, and 2 Great Black-backed Gull
Key Box Rd. (ocean) - 1 Common Loon, 2 Horned Grebe, 6 N. Gannet, 3
Black Scoter (flyby -S), 7 Herring Gull, 1 Great Black-backed Gull, and
6 "Slate-colored" Junco
unknown road (ocean) south of Key Box Rd. - 2 Common Loon, 1
Red-throated Loon, 3 Oldsquaw (2.1), 1 Herring Gull, and 3 Forster's
Tern
Savages Ditch Rd. (bay) - 50 Atlantic Brant, 75 Bufflehead, 6 C.
Goldeneye, 16 Ring-necked Duck, 1 N. Harrier, 52 Herring Gull, and 5
Ring-billed Gull
Burton's Island near North Shore Marina at Indian River Inlet - 3
Tricolored Heron, 23 Bufflehead, 19 Hooded Merganser, 8 C. Goldeneye, 18
Lesser Scaup, 16 Herring Gull, 15 Ring-billed Gull, 3 N. Mockingbird, 11
"Slate-colored" Junco, 6 House Finch and 1 Am. Goldfinch
Indian River Inlet (including South Shore Marina, the marshes, and
sandbar during low tide just inside inlet) - 9 Common Loon, 2
Red-throated Loon, 5 N. Gannet, 4 Double-crested Cormorant, 1 Great
Cormorant (flyby - S), 6 Black Scoter, 8 Oldsquaw (3.5), 6 Sanderling, 1
Dunlin, 3 Purple Sandpiper, 3 Ruddy Turnstone, 308 Bonaparte's Gull, 83
Ring-billed Gull, 149 Herring Gull, 56 Great Black-backed Gull, 6
Forster's Tern, 1 N. Harrier, 8 Swamp Sparrow, 7 Seaside Sparrow, 4
"Salt-marsh" Sharp-tailed Sparrow, and 13 Rock Dove
Bethany Beach Boardwalk - 3 Common Loon, 17 Black Scoter (flyby - S), 5
Surf Scoter (flyby - S), 16 Ring-billed Gull, 18 Herring Gull, and 3
Great Black-backed Gull
Fenwick Island Bathhouse (ocean) - 4 Common Loon, 6 Black Scoter, 2
Oldsquaw, 4 Sanderling, 8 Ring-billed Gull, 7 Herring Gull, 1 Great
Black-backed Gull, 1 Cooper's Hawk (flew over Rt 1 at baydside pine
trees), and 6 "Slate-colored" Junco
O.C. Inlet - 12 Common Loon, 7 Red-throated Loon, 8 N. Gannet, 26 Black
Scoter, 20 Surf Scoter, 11 White-winged Scoter, 6 C. Eider, 5 Harlequin
Duck, 14 Common Merganser, 3 Red-breasted Merganser, 48 Purple
Sandpiper, 29 Ruddy Turnstone, 309 Ring-billed Gull, 422 Herring Gull,
168 Great Black-backed Gull, 41 Bonaparte's Gull, 4 Forster's Tern, 306
Rock Dove, and 453 Starling, also 8 juncos, 5 song sparrow, 4 wt
sparrow, 10 house sparrow and 4 house finch near Coast Guard Station
W.O.C Pond (80% ice) - 2 Great Blue Heron, 12 Tundra Swan, 22 Canada
Geese, 572 Mallard, 129 Am. Black Duck, 38 Grean-winged Teal, 1 N.
Pintail, 2 Gadwall, 28 Ring-billed Gull, 23 Herring Gull, and 1 Belted
Kingfisher
4th St. Flat - 8 Common Loon, 4 Red-throated Loon, 16 Double-crested
Cormorant, 33 Atlantic Brant, 21 Am. Black Duck (west side of island
near Hooper's), 22 Common Merganser, 7 Red-breasted Merganser, 4 Am.
Oystercatcher, 7 Ruddy Turnstone, 3 Sanderling, 36 Ring-billed Gull, 40
Herring Gull, 11 Great Black-backed Gull, and 4 Forster's Tern
32nd and 52nd St. has some Horned Grebe, RT and C. Loon, C. and RB
Merganser.
Kevin Graff
Baltimore, MD
ggraff@erols.com
Note: Leanne, you can use this report for BBC BirdLine Sighting
including couple rare gulls.