Over 30 Crossbills, mainly white-winged crossbills (a few red), at a really nice spot: the North Tract of Patuxent Research Refuge. They were in pines along Wildlife Loop just past the last parking spot for Pine Trail. Unique and quiet area. Lots of fun.  Also MANY red-breasted nuthatches--at least 15. And a few golden-crowned kinglets and brown creepers. I'll try to keep words to a minimum so that text doesn't keep people from seeing the great photos from Ruth's input. Tim

Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge

Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge is on the Atlantic Flyway on the Eastern Shore, and has about 25,000 acres of tidal marshes, marsh meadows, Loblolly Pine stands, and mixed evergreen and deciduos forests.  This time of year it is also home to thousands of Snow and Canada Geese, Tundra Swans, and ducks.  Bald  Eagles and their nests can be spotted from numerous stopping points.  The day we visited this incredible area the weather was sunny and in the low 50's.  We spotted about 36 species along Wildlife Drive and some of the walking trails.

This is at the beginning of Wildlife Drive.  Many Shovelers and Mallards were spotted here.

Across the road we noticed a Great Blue Heron.

Here we are walking along the Marsh Trail.  Off in the distance  was a Common Loon and many Bald Eagles nests.  A few Golden-crowned Kinglets danced among the branches.

View from the observation deck where we found more Bald Eagles and nests.  As we were driving out, we heard  Brown-headed Nuthatches squeaking in the pines above us and saw three of them.

 

Some Lycopodium off the Woods Trail.  A Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was found here.

Many small nests like this were hanging over the water.

Tundra Swans - what sweet music they make!

Waves and waves of  Snow Geese passed over us before sundown.  We then drove down to Hooper's Island and finished off our day with a delicious dinner at Old Salty's.  Thanks everyone for a fun day!

North Point State Park - Beginner Bird Walk

North Point State Park is on the Chesapeake Bay and used to be not only an amusement park between 1906 and 1947, but the sight of skirmishes between the locals and British during the war of 1812!   When Bethlehem Steel bought the land in the 1940's, the recreational park was demolished, and then in 1987 the Maryland DNR purchased it and protected it.

This is an interesting park of 1320 acres with varied habitat and miles of shoreline on the Bay.  Since this was a bird walk for beginners, we were concentrating on seeing and identifying both dabbling and diving ducks.  We enjoyed walking along the Black Marsh Trail and then the jetty to spot not only ducks but some other nice winter visitors.   Please enjoy the pictures from our field trip and join us next time!

One of the tidal marshes along Black Marsh Trail.

 One of the best birds spotted today were the White-winged Crossbills which perched very close to us before they flew down to take a drink.  These Crossbill photos are by Fred Brundick.

Other birds noted along the trail were Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Gadwall, Pied-billed Grebe, Red-shouldered Hawk, Belted Kingfisher, Hairy Woodpecker, and Hooded Merganser.  The ducks and Mergansers were very skittish.



We then headed to the jetty where we added Bald Eagle, Buffleheads, Lesser Scaup, and Long-tailed Ducks to our list.

 A few lighthouses could be seen from the end of the jetty. 

Conowingo Dam

Unlike past years, the weather today was perfect for Eagle watching at Conowingo Dam.  Over 170 adult and immature Bald Eagles were spotted.  They were either soaring directly over our heads, or perched on the distant rocks and towers.





 



Black Vultures were numerous and will rip the windshield wipers off your car when you're not looking! 

Watching Bald Eagles here  is popular with both birders and photographers.

 

We headed over the the marina in Havre de Grace and walked on the Promenade. 

We noticed this Song Sparrow during our walk along with Golden-Crowned Kinglets, Brown Creeper, Mockingbird, Mallards, Canada Geese, Great Black-backed Gull, Double Crested Cormorant, and Ring-billed Gulls.

The Concord Lighthouse was our turnaround point.  We then drove into Havre de Grace and had a hearty lunch at MacGregor's Restaurant.  Thanks everyone for a fun day!



Bombay Hook NWR

Bombay Hook NWR lies along the western shore of Delaware Bay, and has about 16,000 acres of tidal salt marsh, cordgrass meadows, rivers and creeks, upland woods, and freshwater pond impoundments.  Chesapeake Audubon members enjoyed a sunny day there Saturday on a field trip led by Kye Jenkins, and noted about 51 species.

Ducks spotted include Mallard, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Black Duck, Green-winged Teal, Bufflehead, Ruddy Ducks, along with a Red-breasted Merganser, Coots, Pied-billed Grebes.

Hundreds of Avocets were present as well as one Black-necked Stilt.  Canada Geese and Tundra Swans were plentiful, as well as a few Snow Geese. 

Stopped along one of the impoundments.

Shovelers and Avocets flying right!

There were many more female Pintails than male.

Bald Eagles and Harriers were hunting over the marshes scaring up the ducks.  Red-tailed Hawks, Turkey Vultures, Great Blue Herons, Greater Yellowlegs, Marbled Godwits, Dunlins, Forster's Terns, and clouds of Grackles and Red-winged Blackbirds were also seen.

28th Annual Chili Dinner

Our 28th annual Chili Dinner featured a lecture by Dave Brinker on the "Future of Maryland's Marshbirds".   Sea level rise in the next 100 years will challenge the survival of these species, and Dave explained the research done on distribution and abundance of 10 species of marsh breeding birds in Maryland.

CAS Program Chair Kevin McCahill (left), and Master Chili Chef John Love.
 John drove all the way from New Mexico to cook for our members!

CAS information board with photos by Hugh Simmons

 

Members had a chance to support the preservation of Teshekpuk Lake in Alaska



John Love serving up his famous chili



Our annual Spaghetti Dinner is in the spring.  Please join us!

Irvine Nature Center

A gorgeous day for birding, and 16 of us set out birding Irvine Nature Center on a Chesapeake Audubon field trip. One of the best highlights happened at the beginning--a Merlin looking to be chowing down on a bird at the top of a distant tree. The variety of birds was, I think, a little less than what it has been of late, but still a nice bunch of birds, some, the expected, in great numbers. 8 sparrow species, including a few Fox Sparrows. We enjoyed the music of a huge thick collection of Goldfinch we ran into at the end. One bush afforded us very long and very close studies of both kinglets (and their crowns) and yellow-rumped.

Some of the birds:

Black Vulture  6
Cooper's Hawk  1
Bald Eagle  1
Red-shouldered Hawk  1
Killdeer  1
Eastern Screech-Owl  1
Hairy Woodpecker  1
Merlin  1
Blue-headed Vireo  2
Red-breasted Nuthatch  1
Brown Creeper  1
Winter Wren  2
Golden-crowned Kinglet  12
Ruby-crowned Kinglet  40    
Cedar Waxwing  22
Black-throated Blue Warbler  1
Palm Warbler  15
Yellow-rumped Warbler  15
Fox Sparrow  3
White-crowned Sparrow  8    
Purple Finch  12   
Pine Siskin  18