I had a conference in Ocean City on Monday morning.  When asked what
part of the conference I'd like to participate in, I chose the Sunday
afternoon set-up and work the first day.

I set my alarm for 2AM on Sunday morning and left Annapolis with my
headlights pointed towards Elliott Island Road.  I was looking forward
to a night in the marsh, and my expectations were more than met.  Here
are a sampling of birds seen / heard:

Location:     Elliott Island Road
Observation date:     5/18/08 (4AM-10AM)
Number of species:     87

American Black Duck
Wild Turkey
LEAST BITTERN
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Little Blue Heron
Green Heron
GLOSSY IBIS
Northern Harrier
Red-tailed Hawk
CLAPPER RAIL
KING RAIL  (lifer)
Virginia Rail
Black-bellied Plover
Semipalmated Plover (a field FULL of them just before getting back
onto 50, by my est. there were well over 250.)
Killdeer
BLACK-NECKED STILT (on the side of the road, very nice observing)
Willet
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Dunlin
Short-billed Dowitcher
Caspian Tern
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
BARN OWL     1 (It's screams in the night, while I'm all alone out on
the marsh is a memory I won't soon forget.)
Great Horned Owl
CHUCK-WILL'S-WIDOW  (FOY)
Chimney Swift
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Eastern Kingbird
Red-eyed Vireo
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Brown-headed Nuthatch
Marsh Wren  (MANY)
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler  (MANY)
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Pine Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Worm-eating Warbler
Ovenbird
Common Yellowthroat
Summer Tanager  (singing, a very nice up-close encounter)
Eastern Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow
SALTMARSH SHARP-TAILED SPARROW     1
Seaside Sparrow  (MANY)
Blue Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Eastern Meadowlark   (procreating)
Boat-tailed Grackle
Orchard Oriole

While in Ocean City, I visited Skimmer Island on both the 18th in the
afternoon (Sunday) and the 19th, just before heading home to
Annapolis.  I saw the following...

Peregrine Falcon
Ruddy Duck
Cattle Egret
Dunlin
Least Tern
Caspian Tern
Common Tern
Forster's Tern
Common Loon
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Black-bellied Plover
Semipalmated Plover
American Oystercatcher
Willet
Ruddy Turnstone
RED KNOT (on the 19th, a stunning healthy-looking bird!)
Sanderling
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Dunlin
Short-billed Dowitcher

On the way home, I dropped by Tanyard Marsh near Easton.  I was
looking for some Black Terns.  They weren't around at the time, but I
was thrilled to find two RUDDY TURNSTONES hanging out with several
Dunlin.

The afternoon at Sandy Point State Park, I observed my FOY Warbling
Vireo, along with a singing SWAINSON'S THRUSH. There were also a few
Yellow Warbler, a beautiful MAGNOLIA WARBLER, and one wonderful
up-close view of a BLACKPOLL WARBLER.

Good Birding,

Dan Haas
West Annapolis, MD

http://wahzoh.blogspot.com/