Having just returned from three days on the Eastern Shore there are a few birds worth reporting.  On Saturday I made stops at Beulah Landfill, Salisbury Landfill, then Roaring Point, Nanticoke, and Bivalve on the Nanticoke River, and Deal Island WMA.  On Sunday I was at Ocean City, back to Bivalve and Roaring in better light, West Ocean City, Berlin, Eagles Nest Campground, and Eagles Landing Golf Course.  On Monday I went to Ocean City, Elliott Island Road including Fishing Bay and Savanna Lake, and Blackwater.  The following is a partial list of the birds I saw, sometimes with other people.  Many of these birds have been reported previously.  The numbers are rough estimates; not enough time to count everything.

Red-throated Loon - 2 at Roaring Point 2/20, always at least a half dozen in sight at OC Inlet 2/20-21
Gannet - 1 adult flew by OC Inlet 2/21
Horned Grebe - 1 at Roaring Point 2/20, my only grebe of the weekend
DC Cormorant - 30 at Bivalve 2/19
Great Cormorant - 1 immature at Bivalve 2/19 flew in and landed on the end of the south jetty, 1 immature at OC 2/20-21
Black-crowned Night-Heron - 7 at Deal Island WMA 2/19 the only herons I saw there at sunset
Snow Goose - about 3000 at Blackwater 2/21, not close
Canada Goose - at least 10000 at Blackwater 2/21
Brant - 2 at OC Inlet 2/20
Tundra Swan - 100 at Deal Island WMA 2/19, 100 at Blackwater 2/21
Mute Swan - 4 on Elliott Island Road at the Moorhen Spot 2/21
Gadwall - 40 at WOC Pond 2/20
Eurasian Wigeon - 1 male at Eagles Landing GC 2/20
Shoveler - 40 at WOC Pond 2/20, also at Blackwater 2/21
Pintail - 4 at Deal Island WMA 2/19, 2 at Bivalve & 4 at WOC Pond 2/20, hundreds at Blackwater 2/21
Green-winged Teal - 40 at Deal Island WMA 2/19, 12 at WOC Pond 2/20, 40 on Elliott Island Rd 2/21
Canvasback - 25 at Nanticoke & 50 at Deal Island 2/19, 1650 at WOC Pond 2/20, 100 on Fishing Bay 2/21
Ring-necked Duck - 5 at Berlin WWTP 2/20, 13 at Blackwater 2/21
Greater Scaup - a few when the big scaup flock was flushed by a passing barge at Roaring Point 2/20
Lesser Scaup - 2000 at Roaring Point 2/20
COMMON EIDER - 15 females and immature males at OC Inlet 2/20
HARLEQUIN DUCK - 1 female at OC Inlet 2/20 at my late afternoon visit only
Surf Scoter - 275 at Bivalve & 400 at Roaring Point 2/20, 300 at OC 2/20-21
Black Scoter - 200 at OC 2/20-21
Long-tailed Duck - 4 at Roaring Point 2/20, 3 at OC Inlet 2/21
Goldeneye - 100 at Roaring Point 2/20
Hooded Merganser - 10 at Deal Island WMA 2/19, 3 at WOC Pond 2/20
Common Merganser - 10 at Savanna Lake & 35 at Blackwater 2/21
Ruddy Duck - 4000 on Fishing Bay 2/21
Bald Eagle - always in sight at Blackwater 2/21
Peregrine - 1 on the hacking tower at Deal Island WMA 2/19, 1 on the hacking tower at Elliott on 2/20 seen from Roaring Point, 1 on water tower at OC 2/20-21
Wild Turkey - 12 along US50 at Trappe 2/21
Black-bellied Plover - 60 at Eagles Nest & 3 at Swordfish Basin, OC on 2/20
Oystercatcher - 6 at Eagles Nest & 21 on the flats at OC on 2/20
AVOCET - 2 in non-breeding plumage at Blackwater 2/21 found by Paul Noell.  I believe this is the first February record for the state.
Greater Yellowlegs - 8 at Deal Island WMA 2/19, 5 on Elliott Island Rd at the Moorhen Spot & 1 at Blackwater 2/21
Dunlin - 2 at Deal Island WMA 2/19, 400 at Eagles Nest & 100 at Swordfish Basin, OC 2/20
Bonaparte's Gull - 10 at OC Inlet 2/21
Ring-billed Gull - 2000 at Beulah Landfill & 500 at Salisbury Landfill 2/19
Herring Gull - 1000 at Beulah Landfill & 4000 at Salisbury Landfill 2/19
ICELAND GULL - 1 first-winter flying around off OC Inlet 2/21
Lesser Black-back - 1 adult at Salisbury Landfill 2/19, 1 adult on the flats at Ocean City 2/20
GLAUCOUS GULL - 1 very white first-winter at Salisbury Landfill 2/19 which Sam Dyke was watching when I arrived.
Great Black-back - 200 at Beulah Landfill & 500 at Salisbury Landfill 2/19
Razorbill - 2 at OC Inlet 2/20
Screech Owl - 1 red morph in Wood Duck box at Blackwater 2/21
Great Horned Owl - 1 sitting on old eagle nest at Blackwater 2/21
Short-eared Owl - 1 sunning itself at 4PM at Deal Island WMA 2/19
Fish Crow - about 100 at both landfills 2/19
Brown-headed Nuthatch - 1 heard at Roaring Point 2/20
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 1 at Roaring Point 2/19
Savannah Sparrow - 2 at Ironshire 2/20
Boat-tailed Grackle - 90 at Deal Island WMA 2/19

   Since there were other groups at the shore this weekend I expect there will be more reports.

Bob Ringler
Eldersburg MD