Hi Everyone,
I spent most of the day birding Somerset Co. today (1/22), spending just the last couple hours in Dorchester Co. I enjoyed tracking down some tricky January birds despite the cold and dreary weather. The best bird of the day was definitely a GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE in goose-deprived Somerset Co. Here are some fairly inclusive highlights:
Fairmount WMA
Clapper Rail--2
Seaside Sparrow--1; winters very locally here
Rumbley Boat Landing
Boat-tailed Grackle--2
Frenchtown
Long-tailed Duck--4
Hooded Merganser--6
Horned Grebe--1
Ford's Wharf Road
Brown-headed Nuthatch--2
Hermit Thrush--1
Brown Thrasher--1
Fairmount East is flooded and no waterfowl were present.
Crisfield
Long-tailed Duck--3
Surf Scoter--1
Red-breasted Merganser--6
Common Loon--6
Killdeer--6
Gull--A large hill of oyster shells was an attraction to gulls on Wellington Road. Nothing unusual today.
Boat-tailed Grackle--7
Vessey Orchard
(Pleasant conversation with owners. Property has been tidied up, unfortunately, to the detriment of weedy/scrubby cover.)
SNOW GOOSE--15, flyovers
Wood Duck--5
Gadwall--13
American Wigeon--10
Horned Lark--2
Expected passerines
Coventry Parish Road
Eastern Phoebe--1
Brown Thrasher--1
2000+ blackbirds including
Rusty Blackbird--2
Bronzed Grackle--1
Mt. Vernon Road
Red-shouldered Hawk--1 adult
Northern Harrier--1 adult male
(Whitehaven Ferry is closed for repairs)
Polks Road west of Allen Road
GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE--1
Canada Goose--2800
Richardson's Goose--1
Snow Goose--2
Blackwater NWR
I arrived late in the afternoon, which was a mixed blessing. Although light was poor on such a gloomy day, some birds were nicely concentrated. In addition to the seven AMERICAN WHITE PELICANs, two species' numbers are worth noting. First, Common Merganser is very regular here in winter, but I knew right away the numbers were higher than I'd previously seen. I got out the scope to click them, as they were arranged nicely for a good count. When I finally finished clicking, I was fairly shocked to see the number was 692, well over double the current eBird high count for Dorchester. I picked out one drake Red-breasted in the mix.
Leaving the Wildlife Loop, I saw an impressive gathering of Canada Geese along Key Wallace Drive. Flocks filled each field from Route 335 to Egypt Road. I was very disappointed that light did not permit working these flocks, as upon some consideration, I feel comfortable saying there were a bare minimum of 15,000 geese along the road. Certainly worth some attention as we anxiously await our first Pink-footed Goose. There were also at least 600 Snow Geese in a tight flock far on the water.
Good birding,
Bill
Bill Hubick
Pasadena, Maryland
http://www.billhubick.com
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