Hi Everyone, 

After investing 14 1/2 hours crossing the Bay Bridge on Saturday (8/5), I was rewarded with some exciting finds on Kent Island in Queen Anne's Co. The definite highlight was a GULL-BILLED TERN at the main pond at Horsehead Wetlands. It was hawking insects beside the pond for several minutes, its distinctive bill, stocky shape, and large size locking in my original hunch. Hawking insects seems to be a good first clue for identifying this species. I've seen them hawking bugs like this in the desert in Texas and in a wet field in Georgia this year. I took some terribly distant photos (400mm), and will post them if they show more than a white dot. This was a long-awaited state bird for me. 

Horsehead Wetlands (8/5) 
 
GB Heron--5 
Great Egret--3 
Snowy Egret--15 
Little Blue Heron--2 imm. 
Tricolored Heron--1
Green Heron--1 
Glossy Ibis--1 
Killdeer--5 
Greater Yellowlegs--3 
Lesser Yellowlegs--2 
Peep sp.--20 
* GULL-BILLED TERN--1 

Pond on north side of Rte. 18, just east of exit 41 (8/5) 

Black-crowned Night-Heron--1 adult, 4 imm. 
 
****** A brief and worthwhile update from the Evil Empire to the south **********
 
Fort Story, Virginia   (8/6 with Hans Holbrook and Jim Brighton) 

Brown Booby--Found on 8/5 by Matt and Kim Hafner. 6th VA record. See VA listserve for details. This was an ABA bird for me and Hans, and one heck of a state bird for Jim. Other VA highlights included Sandwich Tern, White Ibis, Black Tern, 100s of Brown Pelicans, and Giant Swallowtails. Kudos to Matt and Kim! 

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We spent the rest of the afternoon working our way back, looking at bugs and hoping for interesting post-breeding dispersal waders in southern Maryland. We spent time at Rumbly Point Road and Riley Roberts Road in Somerset Co. 

Rumbly Point Road (8/6 with Hans Holbrook and Jim Brighton) 
 
Northern Harrier--1
Lesser Yellowlegs--3 
Royal Tern--3 
Common Tern--1 
Forster's Tern--1 
Marsh Wren--3 
Seaside Sparrow--5 
Boat-tailed Grackle--1
Eastern Meadowlark--3 

Riley Roberts Road (8/6 with Hans Holbrook and Jim Brighton) 

GB Heron--10 
Great Egret--15 
Snowy Egret--20 
Little Blue Heron--1 imm. 
Tricolored Heron--2 
Green Heron--8 
Black-crowned Night-heron--8 imm. 
Night-heron sp.--5 imm. 
Glossy Ibis--10 
Northern Harrier--2
Clapper Rail--4, including my first nice photos of the species! 
Killdeer--5 
Greater Yellowlegs--5 
Lesser Yellowlegs--2 
Willet--5 
Least Sandpiper - X
Laughing Gull--40
Herring Gull--10
Royal Tern--3 
Forster's Tern--1
Marsh Wren--3; one making repeated trips to a nest 
Seaside Sparrow--3
Song Sparrow--2 
Boat-tailed Grackle--5

I'll probably post photos to my web site tomorrow. In the meantime, feel free to check out some California photos from a couple weeks ago: 

<http://www.billhubick.com/new_set.html> 

Have a great week! 

Bill 

Bill Hubick 
Elkridge, Maryland 
bill_hubick AT yahoo.com 
http://www.billhubick.com/