[MDOsprey] lower eastern shore
MH1920@aol.com
Sat, 3 Jul 1999 23:40:29 EDT
Jim Stasz and I went birding on the eastern shore Thursday and Friday. On
Thursday we birded the Easton Wastewater Treatment plant where there were
lots of Bank Swallows and a Bobolink. At the Tanyard marshes a Moorhen and
Least Bittern called. A quick stop at Hurlock Sewage plant yielded Solitary
and Spotted Sandpipers, Tundra Swan, Snow Goose, Ruddy Ducks, many Least
Terns, and a Lesser Scaup. Elliot Island produced Barn Owl, Virginia Rail,
and Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow. At West OC pond there were Glossy Ibis,
Least Terns, Little Blue Herons, and Cattle Egrets. Skimmer Island produced
2 Sandwich Terns and numerous Common and Royal Terns as well as Skimmers.
Piping Plovers were on Assateague Island as expected. E.A. Vaughn WMA
produced Pied-billed Grebes and 4 Savannah Sparrows! We then travelled to
Truitt's Landing in hopes of staying late to listen for Black Rail. The wind
was just too much though we did get looks at an adult King Rail with a chick.
We also had another Solitary Sandpiper, a Semipalmated Sandpiper and a few
Leasts. We thought we had a fairly accurate count of the Ibis there at 12,
all Glossy. But to our surprise, near dusk, over 50 Ibis flew out from the
marsh. There were over 70 total and about 50 were positively ID'd as Glossy.
After staying the night at Irish Grove, we headed over to Deal in the
morning where we saw a Virginia Rail, 2 moorhens, 2 Gadwall, and a Sedge
Wren.
We then did a little woodland birding in Pocomoke State Forest where we saw
Summer Tanagers and Yellow-throated Vireo. Another trip to E.A. Vaughn
produced a Gull-billed Tern and a female Hooded Merganser. We then went back
to Truitt's for another attempt at Black Rail in the evening. At night we
had 5 Virginia Rails, atleast 3 Chuck-will's-widows, a Barn Owl, and 3 Black
Rails. The Virginia and Black Rails were lifers for me. We ended the 2 days
with 127 species, not bad considering our lack of woodland species.
Matt Hafner
Bel Air, MD