Hi all,

Jo Anna and I headed to the Eastern Shore yesterday (7 February 2010), the
road conditions over there were much better than here, and there were lots
of birds along the cleared roadsides.  Our first stop was to sort through a
flock of HORNED LARKs along Route 50 near the Easton airport, Jo Anna
quickly picked out a single LAPLAND LONGSPUR.  We continued on to Ocean City
where the large flock (48) of COMMON EIDERs were actively feeding right
along the North jetty, there was also a single HARLEQUIN DUCK among the
mixed (all 3 species) scoter flock.  Along the roadsides we located 3
WISLON'S SNIPE (Rum Point Golfcourse), 2 AMERICAN WOODCOCKs (Egypt Road),
and about 10 FOX SPARROWs (singles in most of the sparrow flocks) among the
hordes of commoner species.

Today (8 February 2010) I did some gulling around Schoolhouse and Depot
Ponds, the BLACK-HEADED GULL that Fred found on Friday was seen today at
Depot Pond.  At Schoolhouse Pond, there were 5 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLs (2
adult, 3 first-cycle) and 2 pale first-cycle HERRING GULLs with large bills
and really blocky heads that possibly are some sort of Nelson's x Herring
backcross among all usual suspects there.

Good Birding!
Mikey Lutmerding
Croom, MD