Worcester and Somerset Counties 8/11 - 8/12

Photos: Palamedes Swallowtail, Willet, Royal Tern, Tern Flock, Abandoned House on Assateague Island.


Last Saturday I was supposed to go out on a pelagic trip out of Lewes, Delaware. Unfortunately the seas were running too high and the leaders decided to cancel the trip. So a group of Maryland birders and myself headed to Assateague Island to see what we could find. We started at the Bayside Campground parking lot. This is one of the premier sites in Maryland to witness Fall bird migration. It was a little early for migrants but we did see a few Yellow Warblers and a Baltimore Oriole. We then loaded into two vehicals and headed to the ORV Zone. Along the beach Sanderlings were by far the most numerous shorebirds. Also seen were Whimbrel, Western Willets, Ruddy Turnstones, Black-bellied Plovers, Semipalmated Plovers, Piping Plovers, and Oystercatchers. At Foxhill Flats on the bay side of the island we added Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers along with both Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs and Short-billed Dowitchers. There was a gull/tern flock that included Sandwich, Royal, and Caspian Terns. A Pintail flew over while we were scoping the shorebirds. While walking out to get better views of the terns I noticed a Salt Marsh Skipper. I was afraid I might have missed this butterfly so getting this photo was a major relief. Back out on the beach I managed photos of Common Tern, Sandwich Tern, and Caspian Tern, all new for the year. Also resting on the beach were many Lesser Black-backed Gulls of various ages. At the state line I photographed a young Brown Pelican sitting on a piling. Add another tick! From Assateague we moved south to check out the pond at E.A. Vaughn (north) WMA. There are usually shorebirds and waders present and if we were going to find a rare wader like a White or White-faced Ibis it would probably be here. When we arrived at the pond it was apparent that the were no unusual waders but Jim Stasz spotted a Long-billed Dowitcher. Another shorebird tick that could have been tricky. We then went to Deal Island WMA in Somerset County. Jim spotted a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron flying over which was a county bird for me. Yellow-crowns are really rare on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. They only nest on the bay islands and are very difficult to find. This was only the second Yellow-crowned Night-Heron I have ever seen on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.
On Sunday Tom Field, Jim Stasz, Ed Boyd, and myself went to Hickory Point in Worcester County to try to photograph Palamedes Swallowtails. Palamedes are rare in Maryland and Hickory Point in August is the best place to find them. While waiting for the swallowtails I photgraphed a beat up Great Blue Skimmer and a Seaside Dragonlet. Ed finally caught a Palamedes and carefully took it out of the net so we could get photographs. From Hickory Point we went to some ponds around Pocomoke City where we observed some really cool dragons and damsels. Since it is getting late in the season for damsels we were delighted to see Southern Sprites and Swamp Spreadwings still flying. Ed caught a Banded Pennent which was another bug I was afraid I might miss since it was getting late in the season. Then came a huge miss. Jim Stasz calls out he just saw a Martha's Pennent fly by. I have never seen a Martha's Pennent and while I know that they are rare breeders in Maryland never thought that they were even possible for the big year. With nets primed we waited for the bug to fly past again so we could capture it for photos. The pennent flew by one more time but too far out for our nets and was never seen again. So I probably missed my Martha's chance but that is OK because it was a great weekend with a lot of major photos taken so there are not any long faces.

Upland Sandpipers 8/2/07

Photo: Upland Sandpiper


Last Wednesday I received a phone call from Norm and Fran Sanders and they told me they had just spotted a small flock of Upland Sandpipers at the Cambridge Airport. This was exciting news. Upland Sandpipers are rare breeders on Delmarva but can be regular during Fall migration in large grassy areas but they can be very difficult to observe because of the inaccessible habitat. I arrived at the airport around 5:00pm and found two Uppies about 200 feet off the road. I tried to get close for better photos but the birds spooked and flew off. I was able to get a few distant flight shots. I drove side roads towards Vienna stopping along the roadside checking the flowering Dogbane for butterflies. I was lucky to find a pair of Clouded Sulphers. Unfortunately they would not sit still so I had to settle for a poor flight shot. Common Checkered Skippers are late season fliers and I found my first of the year nectering on clover. Because of the drought Higgin's Mill Pond just south of Linkwood has some expansive flats that held quite a few species of shorebirds. Right when I was getting out of my car a Bald Eagle swooped down out of a tree and tried to take a Mallard off the pond. The eagle spooked all the shorebirds out of camera range but I was able to get my Pectoral Sandpiper shot for the year.

The Summer months have been great!

Photos: King's Hairstreak, Pickerel Frog, Duckweed Firetail, Hognosed Snake


Hello everyone,

After a slight two month reprieve, the Delmarva Photo Big Year Blog is back up and running full speed. The summer has blown by amazingly fast with many great finds and photos taken. After the discovery of the first Maryland state record of Furtive Forktail in Worcester and Wicomico Counties I thought the state records were over for the year, but I was wrong. Hans Holbrook, Jim Stasz, and myself found Duckweed Firetails in Worcester County a few weeks later. Duckweed Firetails are beautiful bright red damselflies that live in shaded swamps. What is unbelievable is that the area where we found the firetails the most numerous odonates fying were Furtive Forktails and Attenuated Bluets! We also found a population of Atlantic Bluets in the same area as the firetails. Other than one record from last year on Hart-Miller Island (a spill island located in the Chesapeake Bay off of Baltimore), Atlantic Bluets had not been observed in Maryland for over 100 years! We found a pond that holds a very healthy population of Atlantic Bluets.

Damselflies are not the only exciting discoveries of the past couple months. In northern Worcester County, Maryland my friends and I located Marylands only breeding population of King's Hairstreak. King's Hairstreaks are rare over their entire range and haven't been seen in Maryland for years. Finding this rare butterfly was a real highpoint of the year. Also seen on the same day was a striking Striped Hairstreak, another rare butterfly on Delmarva. Between April and August I have photographed ten species of hairstreaks on Delmarva. If I hadn't missed Frosted Elfin I would have swept the hairstreaks. Sleepy Orange's occur regulary on Delmarva during post breeding dispersal. I was able to photograph one in Worcester County. Oranges and Sulphers are very difficult to photograph because they rarely sit still. Most of the time when you see a Sleepy Orange you see a small brilliant orange sulpher fly by which is usually enough for identification. I was lucky enough to have one land and get an exceptable photo.

Reptiles and amphibians have been slow. Unfortunately, I haven't had any great finds. Corn Snakes and Milksnakes have been eluding me but I haven't given up hope. I have tried a couple times for Carpenter Frogs in lower Dorchester and have come up empty. One amphibian highlight was photographing Pickerel Frogs in Caroline County. Supposedly Pickerel Frogs are present in all of the Delmarva counties but I have never seen one on Delmarva until this summer.

Bugs have taken priority over the past couple months but now that migration has started birds are now the priority. Unfortunately by focusing on Odes and Leps over the summer I might have missed a few of the breeders. I am running out of time for Kentucky and Worm-eating Warblers. I am going to need a little luck to get these birds. For the past couple weeks and for most of August I will be concentrating on shorebirds. I have recently photographed both Western Sandpipers and American Avocets at Bombay Hook. Stilt Sandpipers at E.A. Vaughn WMA in Worcester County were a great score and a photograph that I am very relieved to have. I mopped up a few other birds like Indigo Bunting, Chimney Swift, and Cliff Swallow -- all difficult to photograph.

The rest of the year is going to be very exciting so pull up a seat and hang on!

Memorial Day Weekend 5/27/07

Variable Dancer female -- Idylewilde WMA. Orange Bluet -- Marshy Hope River, Caroline County. Stream Cruiser -- Marshy Hope River, Caroline County.


Bill Hubick, Tom Feild, Matt Tillet, Steve Collins, and myself spent the day birding the mid-shore of Maryland. We started the day at Terrapin Park on Kent Island. Terrapin is a great spot for migrants but unfortunately there wasn't much activity until Steve spotted a recently fledged grey phase Screech Owl sitting eye level on a fallen tree along the trail. Getting a Screech Owl photo this easy was a major relief. Hours of spot lighting at night was saved by Steve's good eyes. From Terrapin we headed to Wye Island WMA in Queen Anne County, Maryland. There is a large impoundment covered in cattails with a few mudflats that we were hoping would be holding shorebirds. As soon as we climed up the impoundment we heard the kekking of a King Rail. I was lucky enough to catch a brief glimpse of the bird but couldn't get my camera up in time. King Rails are becoming increasingly rare on Delmarva due to lose of habitat. While waiting for the King Rail to show himself again we saw a Dun Skipper feeding on the dike along with a female Hobomok Skipper. Then a Least Bittern started calling. The bittern and the rail both refused to show so we headed to Pickering Creek Audubon Sanctuary outside of Easton, Maryland. We walked the dikes between the impoundments and observed two American Coots, Common Moorhen, Pied-billed Grebes, and Blue-winged Teal. I saw my first Swarthy Skipper of the year feeding in the grasses along the dike. After Pickering Creek we headed towards Caroline County. Our first stop was along Laurel Grove Road. This area was where I observed the first Eastern Shore record of Arrowhead Spiketail last year. We were interested to see if we could refind the spiketail. The spiketail was a no show but amazingly Steve netted Maryland's third ever Furtive Forktail. We were all speechless. Entomogists have been searching for decades on Delmarva for this damselfly and my friends and myself had seen the bug in three different locations in two weeks! After the excitement of the Furtive Forktail we headed towards the Marshy Hope River north of Federalsburg. Walking into the swamp along the river we found Sparkling Jewelwings, Orange Bluets, Cyrano Darner, Stream Cruiser, and Common Baskettails. The Little Philadelphia section of Idylewilde WMA was right around the corner so we took a long walk amoungst the ponds and swamp. Steve spotted Lilypad Forktails resting on lilypads at one pond and an Attenuated Bluet, both life odes for me. Also seen were Sphagnum Sprites, Variable and Blue-tipped Dancers and Turquoise Bluets. It was an incredible day for dragonflies and damselflies.

Memorial Day Weekend 5/26/07

The Saturday of Memorial Day weekend Colleen and I drove to the Delaware Bay shore to try to photograph Red Knots and other shorebirds along Port Mahon Road. We arrived around 2pm and were fortunate that the tide was high pushing most of the birds close to the road. Semipalmated Sandpipers and Ruddy Turnstones were the most numerous shorebirds. Red Knots, Sanderlings, and Willets were also present. Shorebird migration along Port Mahon Road is an awesome spectacle. There were thousands of birds present and they were not a hundred yards away on a mudflat, they were within twenty feet of the car! Shorebirds congregate along the Delaware Bay during Spring migration to feed on horseshoe crab eggs. It is a massive staging area where the birds gorge on the eggs to prepare themselves for their next push north. This staging ground is one of the best places to observe Red Knots. Red Knots migrate up from Argentina in the Spring and breed in the far north. Unforunately the Red Knot population has plummeted and they have become very threatened. One of the main reasons for their population crash is the over harvesting of Horseshoe Crabs. Thanks to enviromental groups like The American Bird Conservancy both Delaware and New Jersey have passed moratoriums on the harvesting of the crabs. Hopefully the Red Knot population will increase. After Port Mahon we traveled up to Bombay Hook and I ticked Black-bellied Plover off my photo needed list. Bad lighting and extensive mudflats made photography difficult so we headed back home making one more stop along the Tuckahoe River in Talbot County, Maryland where I added Eastern Forktail.

Catching up in May

To be honest keeping a blog up to date is more of a challange than I anticipated. I have fallen way behind in my posts so I will try to catch up on what has been going on in May. The month started with Jim Stasz and I doing an early Dorchester County May count on Taylor's Island. Harry Armistead has been conducting bird counts on the first and second weekend of every May for a very long time. For the past couple years I have been helping out on the count by canvasing Taylor's Island. Taylor's is located right on the Chesapeake Bay and is normally a great trap for migrant birds. But not this year. Jim and I only counted 95 species with only one migrant -- a Parula Warbler. Last year we had almost 120 species of birds. Fortunately I scored some major photos. The best being a Red-headed Woodpecker. Red-headed Woodpeckers are residents on the Eastern Shore but very uncommon and to see one is always exciting. Another exciting find was a Juniper Hairstreak. I have only seem one other Juniper Hairstreak so this was a great find. Unfortunately the pic isn't that great but it is identifiable. The next weekend I took a break from saving the grebe and participated in my third World Series of Birding in Cape May, New Jersey. The Maryland Ornithological Society sponsered our team the MOS Yellowthroats. We participate in the Cape May County only class and try to identify as many birds as possible in a 24 hour period from midnight Friday to midnight Saturday. We won our class this year with 184 species. It is an awesome feeling to stand in front of many of the top birders in the country and receive the trophy. After the hectic five days of the series it was nice to just go back to work and watch TV in the evening, but last weekend it all started again. Jim Stasz, Tom Field, Hans Holbrook, and myself hit the Nassawango and Nanticoke River areas hard in search of birds and bugs. Dragonflies and Damselflies were the stars of the weekend with the best being a male and female Furtive Forktail seen in Worcester and Wicomico Counties. These were the first documented sightings for Maryland constituting a new state record! Harlequin Darners, Cyrano Darners, Eastern Red Damsels, and Spaghnum Sprites were all documented for the big year. Another highlight from the weekend was a Bicknell's Thrush seen at Pusey's Bridge in Worcester County. Bicknell's Thrush are very difficult to identify if you don't hear their song. They are very similar in appearence to Gray-cheeked Thrush and only slight differences in plumage color and size separate the two species. We were able to study the thrush very well. It was a new state bird for me and a big plus for the photo big year. So we are now up to date. Now that things have settled down hopefully I will be a little more punctual with my posts.

Chincoteague, Virginia and Eastern Worcester County, Maryland4/28/07

Photos: Chincoteague Fishing Shack. Common Yellowthroat -- E.A. Vaughn WMA. Black Swallowtail -- E.A. Vaughn WMA.


I decided to head to Chincoteague, Virginia last Saturday with the goal of photographing American Oystercatchers and Whimbrels. In Maryland it is difficult to get close to these two species of shorebirds without some luck but at Chincoteague there are a few oyster beds close to the road where Oystercatchers are regular and Whimbrels are often observed in the marshes close to the road in the refuge. I arrived at the oysterbeds around 7:30 in the morning and to my chagrin they were completely under water. Getting out of my car I did a quick scan along a small beach by the road and about twenty feet away was a single Oystercatcher! I took many photos and finally was able to get a pic of the Oystercatcher with an oyster in its beak. I then headed into the refuge where I drove straight to the marshes where I had seen Whimbrel on previous visits. Once again I was in luck, but the birds were farther away than I had hoped. Still I got one decent photo to use on the website. Whimbrels are the only curlews that are regular migrants along the east coast. They are very skittish birds, so I was glad to get this bird photographed. I took a walk through the low pine woods on one of the refuge trails where I ran into a flock of Myrtle Warblers and Blue-headed Vireos. Blue-headed Vireos are one of the early migrants songbirds on Delmarva. When I was almost back to the parking lot I noticed something move behind a big pine tree. It turned out to be a fat "Delmarva" Fox Squirrel. "Delmarva" Fox Squirrels are an endangered sub-species of Fox Squirrel that live only on the Delmarva Peninsula. Fox Squirrels need clear forests to live and with the destruction of this habitat across most of their range they have become rare. Blue Grosbeaks and Little Blue Herons were also added to the photo list. On the way out of the refuge I photographed a large Red-bellied Turtle basking on a log in the ditch alongside the road. From Chincoteague I traveled up into Maryland and hit E.A. Vaughn WMA in eastern Worcester County. E.A. Vaughn WMA is an area of marshes, pine woods, and mixed woodland that borders on the bay which separates the mainland from the barrier islands. Along a small pond I found a pair of Solitary Sandpipers that were very cooperative for my camera. I also was able to get photos of Common Yellowthroats and White-eyed Vireos. Yellowthroats are pretty little warblers that live in marsh habitats and White-eyed Vireos are commonly found in scrubby areas across Delmarva. A good find was a very fresh Black Swallowtail nectoring on a flowering bush. On the way back home from Worcester County I made a brief stop along the Nassawango where I was able to photograph a female American Redstart. April 28th was the best photo day I have had all year with 14 species added to my photo list.

Warblers, Elfins, and Shorebirds 4/22/07

Flooded Field where the Ruff and many other shore birds were seen -- Covey's landing Road, Talbot County, Maryland. Eastern Fence Lizard -- Old Bradley Road, Wicomico County, Maryland. Brown Elfin -- Old Bradley Road, Wicomico County, Maryland.


After spending Saturday driving around the dry sandy upland areas of Caroline County, I decide to head back towards the swampy lowlands of the Nassawango to try to photograph Yellow-throated Warblers and other bird species that had arrived over the past week. Yellow-throated Warblers are one of the first neo-migrants to arrive on their breeding grounds on Delmarva. They breed in lowland and coastal pine forests and are easiest to locate in the early Spring because their calls are distinctive and are not drowned out by the songs of later migrants. The Nassawango area has one of the largest populations of Yellow-throated Warblers on Maryland's eastern shore. As soon as I arrived on Bear Swamp Rd in Wicomico County I heard the Yellow-throated Warblers calling in the pine trees. By using a screech owl tape I was able to get one bird to come down from the tree top and get a photo. Prairie Warblers unlike Yellow-throateds live in scrubby cut-over areas. They had arrived over the past week and were calling incessently. American Redstarts, White-eyed and Yellow-throated Vireos, Northern Parulas, and Ovenbirds had also migrated into the Nassawango. After the Nassawngo I headed to Old Bradley Rd. Old Bradley is a small sand road that parallels the Nanticoke River. The road is surrounded by sandy pine forest. There are trails where you can walk through the pines towards the river and eventually run into a white cedar/cypress swamp. I have always had good luck on these trails and today was no different. I saw four Brown Elfins! They were a new state butterfly for me and it was only the second time I had ever seen this species. I was super excited and got a couple great photographs. Eastern Fence Lizards are the most common lizard on Delmarva in sandy pine enviroments. These lizards are a mix of browns and grays on top but if you catch one and turn it upside down they have the most beautiful blue , black, and white undersides. The photo I took shows some of the blue underneath the lizards chin. While leaving Old Bradley Matt Hafner called me on my cell and told me that a Ruff had been spotted in a flooded field in northern Talbot County. This was exciting news. Ruffs are very rare in Maryland but annual along the Delaware coast and it was going to be new for my Talbot County bird list. In a field along Covey's Landing Road was a large depression that had filled with water from the rains earlier in the week. The depression was full of shorebirds and gulls. Pectoral and Least Sandpipers, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Wilson's Snipe, and Dunlin were all observed. With the help of my spotting scope I soon located the Ruff at the far end of the depression, approximently 100 yards from my closest vantage point. My lense was not good enough to get a identifiable photograph, so I took a picture through my spotting scope by setting the end of my camera lense to the eyepiece of the spotting scope and used the scope as a lense extension. After about one hundred photos I was finally able to get a shot that I thought was exceptable. Ruffs are awesome birds. During breeding season they can come in many different colors from pure black, buffy brown, and white. They are an old world breeder which annually strays to the east coast of North America.

Caroline County 4/21/07

Turkey Footprint -- Idlewilde WMA. Field Pansy -- the fields are turning white with these pretty little flowers. Eastern Kingsnake -- Idlewilde WMA just plain AWESOME!


Once again I decided to hit lower Caroline County to see what was emerging and check out what migrant birds had arrived in the past week. Line Road was the first stop and I was a little disapointed with the lack of butterflies and dragonflies. Azures and a few Henry's Elfins were seen along the road. Springtime Darner numbers had dropped drastically although the Lancet Clubtail numbers seemed about the same. Surprisingly I was able to get a photograph of a Red-breasted Nuthatch which dropped down from the top of a pine tree to investigate my terrible Screech Owl impersonation. Red-breasted Nuthatches were real slim this winter in the mid-atlantic so I was pretty amazed to stir one up this Spring. With the lack of activity along Line Road I decided to head down to Smithville Lake and see if there were any dragons or damsels flying around the lake edges. There wasn't. In fact I couldn't find anything until a pair of Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterflies landed a few feet away from the car. In my opinion Eastern Tiger Swallowtails are Delmarva's showiest butterfly. It always nice to see their large yellow wings flying by in the early Spring. Heading towards one of my favorite spots in Idlewilde WMA I caught a glimpse of a swallow sitting on a telephone wire. It turned out to be a Northern Rough-winged Swallow. It sat there and allowed me to get a couple great shots. A short time later while flipping an old piece of ply wood near an abandoned chicken house in an area that is now part of Idlewilde WMA I found one of my greatest finds so far this year -- a beautiful Eastern Kingsnake! Kingsnakes are super rare. You just don't see that many of these elusive snakes. I got some great shots, put him back underneath the plywood, and headed for home.

Elfins, Darners, and Clubtails 4/14/07

Photos: Line Road, Caroline County, Maryland. Springtime Darner. Six-spotted Tiger Beetle -- these beautiful beetles were very common along the road. Common Green Darner.


On Saturday Colleen and I spent a few hours walking along Line Road in Caroline County, Maryland. My main targets were Henry's Elfins and Juvenal's Duskywing. We were pleasantly surprised by the amount of insects that were flying. Line Road is a dirt road that is not heavily traveled and I have always had good luck with insects along the roadsides. The first butterfly I spotted was a Henry's Elfin. Elfin's are small mostly brown butterflies that are very habitat specific. I have only seen Henry's Elfins on forested dirt roads on Delmarva. Their main foodplant on Delmarva is American Holly and their fight time is very short from early April to May. While we were walking down the road medium sized dragonflies kept zooming past. I knew they were probably Springtime Darners but I could not get a good look because their flight was so rapid. So I decided to run back to the car and grab my butterfly net and try to catch one. After a couple minutes of running, jumping, and swinging (much to Colleen's amusement), I was finally able to snag one of the dragonflies. I was right in my assumption of the dragons being Springtime Darners. Springtime Darners are one of Delmarva's earliest dragonflies. They also have a short flight time so I was real happy to be able to get a shot of this insect. Spring Azures were very common along the road. These small bright blue butterflies are very common in the spring on Delmarva. The Azure complex is very confusing with many subspecies and possibly full species all lumped under the named Spring Azure. Depending on whose taxonomic status the reader decides to follow, there may be as many as four full species in the complex. The 'Atlantic Holly' Azure is also found on Delmarva but I do not feel that I can safely discern between the species and for now I am sticking with Spring Azure. While taking photos of the azure a Juvenal's Duskywing landed a few feet away. Duskywings are another confusing butterfly family with many species that are extremely variable in their wing patterns. Fortunately on Delmarva we only have a few species and with a little field practice can be separated fairly easily. Juvenal's is the first Duskywing species to fly and can be quite common on Delmarva in wooded areas. While walking back to the car we spooked up a small dark butterfly off the road that landed in the grass along the road side. I was surprised to see that it was another species of Elfin. Eastern Pine Elfins are small brightly patterned brown butterflies. I was elated because I have only seen Eastern Pine Elfins twice on Delmarva. I consider them very uncommon. Colleen and I then took a side trail that led down to a small creek. The trail sides were weedy with waist high grasses. Amazingly hundreds of Springtime Darners would take off from the grasses as we walked past. I have never seen so many individuals of this species in such a small area. Walking back on the path towards tha car a Common Green Darner flew past. Common Green Darners are one of Delmarva's largest dragonflies and one of the prettiest. I was able to catch one in the net and get some really great photos. Driving home I told Colleen that this was just the beginning, that in a month it was going to get really crazy!

The Little Egret that wasn't there 4/7/07

Photos: Great Horned Owl -- Little Creek WMA. Black-crowned Night-Heron -- Bombay Hook NWR. Common Loon eating a crab -- Indian River Inlet. Red-throated Loon -- Indian River Inlet.


So while perusing the rare bird alerts on the 6th I noticed that a Little Egret had been spotted at Bombay Hook NWR outside Dover, Delaware. Little Egrets are super rare in North America. They are an Old World Heron and any sighting on the East Coast is real exciting. I called Bill Hubick and Hans Holbrook and we set up a time to meet and chase the bird early the next morning.
I woke early Saturday morning to almost an inch of snow and it was still coming down. An hour later Bill, Hans, and myself were rolling down the back roads of Delmarva watching the snow covered fields zoom by while wondering if this was really April. Upon reaching Bombay Hook we drove straight to Bear Swamp where the Little Egret had been seen the day before. There were egrets present but we could not pick out anything other than Great Egrets and Snowy Egrets both of which are common warm weather birds on Delmarva. We decided to criuse the wildlife loop of the refuge slowly just to make sure we had not missed the bird. Along this slow cruise I was able to score some new photos of fairly common species like Red-winged Blackbird, Tree Swallow, and Black-crowned Night-Heron. After three hours spent on the refuge we decided that we had looked long enough for the Little Egret and decided to head south. Port Mahon was strangely slow with only a Snowy Egret photographed. We then headed to Little Creek where we had our star bird of the day. While driving back out to the main road, Bill and Hans simultaneously yelled stop. After backing up a couple feet, along side the road sitting on a small limb was a newly fledged Great Horned Owl. It puffed out its feathers and tried to look as mean as possible. It then started bill clacking and soon an adult Owl flew in and landed in the trees behind the young bird. It was spectacular watching the young owl's behavior. Being satisfied with our photos we left the owl and headed towards the ocean inlets. The wind was howling on the coast and it was really cold even though the sun had come out and the morning snow had long ago disapeared. Gannets were diving off shore and both species of loons were active inside the inlets along with Bonaparte's Gulls, Scoters, and Red-breasted Mergansers. Common Loons were almost entirely in breeding plumage while the Red-throateds were still in transition. Eventhough we did not see the Little Egret it was still an awesome day on Delmarva.

Bitterns and Cricket Frogs 4/1/07

Photos: Wild Turkey -- photgraphed in Millington WMA. Spring Beauty -- photgraphed in northern Caroline County. They are usually one of the first woodland wildflowers to bloom in April.


On Sunday Bill Hubick, Tom Field, Mike Parr, and myself birded Kent and Caroline Counties in Maryland. Even with temperatures in the 40's and a steady wind we were able to find some great birds. We started the day at Eastern Neck NWR just south of Rock Hall in Kent County. Eastern Neck has become known as the most northerly location for breeding Brown-headed Nuthatches. There has been at least one pair here for a couple seasons. Bill and Mike had not seen the nuthatches so they were are main target along with Yellow-throated Warblers. Yellow-throated Warblers are also very tricky to locate in Kent County and Eastern Neck is the only spot where they are observed with any regularity. After walking down one of the trails at the refuge we soon hit a flock which held all of our desired species. I was not able to get photographs of the nuthatches or warblers but I did get a pic of a Golden-crowned Kinglet. Golden-crowned Kinglets were moving through in sizable numbers and were observed at most of our stops throughout the day. We then headed towards the bay to search for Northern Gannets. The bay outlook at the butterfly garden didn't produce any Gannets. Northern Gannets come up the Chesapeake Bay in the Spring while migrating north but gannets have a major bridge phobia. On a Spring day you can sit at the Bay Bridge and watch gannets soar right up to the bridge and then turn around. They refuse to fly over the bridge. Because of this behavior Northern Gannets are very rare in the northern bay. One of the best times to observe gannets north of the Bay Bridge is on foggy days, wait for the fog to burn off, and hope a few birds happened to fly over the bridge during the limited visibilty. It wasn't foogy the morning we were there so our gannet search didn't turn up any birds but Mike picked out a Little Gull flying with a Bonaparte's Gull. Little Gulls are regular in very small numbers in Spring and Fall. They are normally viewed in Bonie flocks and it is always special to see one. Our bird was way too far away for any photos. We then headed to Millington WMA in eastern Kent County. Along the way I photographed a Cedar Waxwing. Once in Millington the birding was very slow. The cold temperatures and wind kept most of the birds hunkered down. Bill did find a brave Northern Cricket Frog that allowed all of the group to get great photos. After Millington we headed into northern Caroline County where we hit a few wetland areas. Tom braved one particular marsh and spooked an American Bittern that flew right over Bill and myself allowing us both to get great shots. The bittern was a major score. Because they are so secretive in often impassable habitat I was not expecting to get a bittern shot for the year. We ended the day fruitlessly searching through gull flocks for another Little Gull that would be close enough to photograph.

Nassawango on the last day of March

Photos: Festive Tiger Beetle -- one of the first Tiger Beetles on Delmarva. Falcate Oragnetip -- photographed near the Nassawango River. American Kestrel -- photographed sitting on the fence surrounding the Salisbury airport.


Saturday was my first outing since getting back from Costa Rica and I was excited. It was warm, butterflies were flying, and the first neotropical migrants had finally arrived. My main goal of the day was to photograph a Louisana Waterthrush. The Nassawango area of Worcester/Wicomico Counties in Maryland holds a large population of these birds so that was where I decided to concentrate my search. Colleen and I arrived in the swampy woodlands that surround the Nassawango River in northwest Worcester County and were immediately bombarded by the songs of the waterthrush. As we walked down the dirt road which runs through the middle of the swamp we were scolded by a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher which unfortunately would not come close enough for a photo. Yellow-throated Warblers were also throwing their songs around the forest, but like the gnatcatcher would not come down from their lofty perches to pose for my camera. A single Falcate Orangetip allowed a few photos while feeding alongside the road. Orangetips are one off the earliest flying butterflies on Delmarva. They are really beautiful creatures. Unfortunately their flight season is very short and only lasts until May. The waterthrushes were not very cooperative but I was able to get a decent shot of one bird. Even though I did not get that many shots it was nice to be out in the early Spring watching nature being reborn.

Costa Rica Trip

Photos: Vampire Bats -- seen on the Osa Peninsula. Skippers mating -- seen at Carara. Rosenberg's Treefrog -- seen on the Osa Peninsula. Blue Morpho and Silver-throated Tanager -- seen at La Paz Falls. Green-crowned Brilliant -- seen at La Paz Falls. Boa Constrictor -- seen on the Osa Peninsula. Common Potoo -- seen on the Osa Peninsula.


The last two weeks I spent birding in Costa Rica with friends from Maryland. It was a spectacular trip with over 400 bird species observed or heard. Many mammals, herps, and other wildlife were also seen. We spent most of our time working the Pacific slope with a few forays onto the Caribbean slope. Our first days were spent in the cloud forests of Monteverde. After Monteverde we birded the Pacific lowlands around Carara and the Rio Tarcoles. Volcan Poas and La Paz Falls were our next destination. We hit the Talmanca highlands and ended our trip on the Osa Peninsula. Over the next few weeks I hope to post my photos from the trip on my smugmug site.

Lower Shore Birding 3/3 -3/4/07

Photos: Sunset across the Elliot Island marshes.
The next three photos are of the gull we thought might be a Thayer's Gull but we finally decided it was just a light phase Herring Gull.
Flooded Swamp in the Nassawango area of Wicomico County, Maryland

Last weekend I birded the lower Eastern Shore of Maryland with a brief dip down into Virginia. Unfortunately I don't have enough time to go into details because I am leaving in a few hours for Costa Rica. The Big Year is going to be on hold for a couple weeks as myself and some of my Maryland birding friends go explore the back country of CR!!! A few highlights from last weekend were my first amphibian photos for the year. Saturday was very warm (in the 50's) so the Spring peepers were blasting away in the Nassawango. Under a rock at E.A. Vaughn WMA I caught a dark phase Red-backed Salamander. Also seen that day were five Mourning Cloak butterflies but I was not able to get a photo. Sunday I birded with Bill Hubick, Tom Feild, and Zach Baer. We spent most of our time south of Salisbury in Somerset County with a brief stop at the Wicomico dump where we thought we might have photographed a Thayer's Gull. But after reviewing the photos and asking for input from a few gull experts we decided that it was just a light-phased Herring Gull. Wood Ducks and Gadwall were finally captured as well as a big Turkey flock. But to be honest all I'm really thinking about now is Quetzals and Blue Morphos. Check back in a couple weeks and I post some photos of our trip. Hopefully when I get home the butterflies will be flying and the Yellow-throated Warblers will be singing!

February '07 -- A Summary

Photos: Purple Dead Nettle blooming near Cambridge
Thick-billed Murre in Ocean City

February was a great month that held many special moments. The Delmarva Peninsula finally experienced hard winter weather and our only substantial snowfall. The month started with a great day of birding which resulted in photos of the Northern Shrike at Prime Hook NWR and Eurasian Collared-Doves in Selbyville, Delaware. Other rare birds followed through out the month like Lapland Longspur in Talbot County and Red-necked Grebes in Ocean City. But the most special bird was the Thick-billed Murre that I saw in Ocean City. This was a life bird for me and to observe this bird at such an intimate level will be remembered for a long time. Mammal photos were finally taken this month. I will argue that mammals are going to be my toughest group to photograph because most species are rarely seen and only for brief moments. The Marsh Rice Rat that I photographed in Wicomico County was awesome as was the Gray Fox in Kent County, Maryland and the Harbor Seal in Ocean City. All three of these animals were unexpected and to secure their photos for the Big Year was a major score. The last day of February I noticed a blooming Purple Dead Nettle which reminded me that Spring is coming.