Naturally, the day after I was at Spizzle Creek last week, White Ibises showed up. While not as rare and exciting as they used to be (they're breeding at the rookery in Ocean City), it is still a cool bird for the county. This morning was the first chance I had to get back there and I drove directly to Spizzle Creek instead of working my way south, sacrificing quality for quantity.
I took the left fork first and did not see any ibises, white or glossy. On the right fork, which overlooks a much larger marsh, I saw lots of white forms--one had a red beak, but before I could get my scope on it, it disappeared into a channel. Ibises aren't all that large, compared to Great Egrets or Great Blue Herons, and if they stand in a foot of water, their bodies can easily be hidden by reeds and spartina grass. I walked up to the blind and stood on the "porch." Scanning around, I found Tricolored Herons, Little Blue Herons, Snowy Egrets, the aforementioned "Greats," and suddenly, a very nice White Ibis standing up in the marsh. I was able to get some so-so photos.
The reports I had seen indicated there were multiple ibises (one report even speculated about breeding) so I thought that perhaps I had seen two--the cooperative one and the one that ducked down. Then, while still standing by the blind, I saw three more (?) ibises feeding in a pool. Three? Four? Five? I put down three. I only need one.
From there I when up to the Johnnie Allen Cove Trail which looks south into the same marsh. Again, the ibises played peekaboo with me and the one (or possibly two) that I saw did not afford photo opportunities.
The rest of the bayside trails (and one peek at the ocean) turned up only what I'd expect and, aside from Yellow-rumps, no warblers.
Now the moan and groan department. Steve & I crossed on the roadway, he going south, me going north and he texted me that he had found Rusty Blackbirds at Reed's Road. I read his message as I was starting out there, but not only did I have no luck finding them, I was embarrassed to find out that there is a stream off the trail that I never noticed, despite being there dozens of times. Then, when I got home, I saw that someone had gone to Spizzle Creek right after I left and turned up a Sora walking in the marsh. Nice photo. I had walked up those trails twice with nary a Sora. According to Steve, it's the first sighting of one there in almost 60 years! Much gnashing of teeth.
35 species
Brant 100
Mute Swan 1
American Black Duck 15 Flyover flock
Northern Pintail 4 Continuing brown headed ducks with white stripe up long thin necks
Lesser Scaup 1 Hen
Bufflehead 40
Red-breasted Merganser 8
Mourning Dove 4
American Oystercatcher 2
Greater Yellowlegs 1
Herring Gull 100
Great Black-backed Gull 2
Forster's Tern 2
Common Loon 1
Double-crested Cormorant 8
Little Blue Heron 2
Tricolored Heron 3
Snowy Egret 3
Great Egret 10
Great Blue Heron 1
White Ibis 3
Osprey 8
Northern Flicker 1
American Crow 2
Tree Swallow 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet 1 Entrance trail
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1
Northern Mockingbird 1
American Robin 1
House Finch 1
Song Sparrow 3
Eastern Towhee 1
Red-winged Blackbird 10
Boat-tailed Grackle 2
Northern Cardinal 1
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