For the inaugural post at Mid Atlantic Nature I have chosen to list the exceptional Maryland bird sightings of 2011. Most of this data was gleaned from the ebird database and the MDOsprey listserv.
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
Patterson Park, Baltimore City -- Keith Costley -- June 3 - 9
Photo: Jim Brighton 6/5/11
Barrow's Goldeneye
Elms Environmental Center -- Tyler Bell -- December 18 - ongoing
Photo: Joe Turner 12/22/11
Common Teal
Truitt's Landing -- Mike Burchett -- January 8 - February 20
Fairmont WMA -- Jim Stasz -- February 21
Chesapeake Farms -- DOS Fieldtrip -- March 5 - 21
Photo: Dan Small, Chesapeake Farms 3/21/11
King Eider
Ocean City Inlet -- Dave Czaplak -- January 1
Ocean City Inlet -- Fred Shaffer -- February 12
Manx Shearwater
Pelagic -- See Life Paulagics -- November 19
Photo: Mikey Lutmerding 11/19/11
Leach's Storm-Petrel
Pelagic -- Jim Stasz -- June 9
Pelagic -- See Life Paulagics -- August 14
Photo: Dan Haas 8/14/11
Wood Stork
Pt. Lookout SP -- Marty Cribb -- February 16 -19
Berwyn Heights -- Liz Tymkiw -- May 26
Photo: Joe Turner 2/18/11
Masked Booby
Pelagic -- Mike Fritz -- September 2
Neotropic Cormorant
Violette's Lock -- Dave Czaplak -- May 18
White Ibis
West Ocean City Pond -- Mark Hoffman -- April 2
Port Tobacco -- Rob Ostrowski -- July 24 - August 7
Assateague -- Mike Burchett -- July 26
Beauvue -- Joe Hanfman -- July 28 - 30
Lilypons -- Bill Hubick -- August 7 - 11
Patuxent River Park -- Jeff Shenot -- August 28 - September 5
Edgewood -- Lou Neilson -- September 11
Swan Creek -- Stan Arnold -- September 12
Assateague -- Audrey Whitlock -- September 12
Middletown -- Steve Back -- September 3 - 11
Assateague -- Matt Hafner -- October 10
Photo: Bill Hubick, Lilypons 8/18/11
White-faced Ibis
Truitt's Landing -- Mikey Lutmerding -- July 4 - 23
Assateague -- Ron Gutberlet -- September 1
Photo: Mikey Lutmerding 7/16/11
Swallow-tailed Kite
Kent Island -- Mark Schilling -- April 24
Ft. Smallwood -- Sue Ricciardi -- April 25
Swan Creek -- Stan Arnold -- April 25
Photo: Dan Haas 4/24/11
Purple Gallinule
Hughes Hollow -- Dave Powell -- May 5 -- 22
North Beach -- Marcia Balestri -- June 4 -6
Photo: Dan Haas 5/6/11
European Whimbrel
Assateague -- Jim Stasz -- April 18 - 20
Photo: Mike Burchett 4/20/11
Long-billed Curlew
Swan Creek -- Stan Arnold -- May 23
Photo: Bill Hubick 5/23/11
Hudsonian Godwit
Poplar Island -- Jim Stasz -- August 12 - October 24
Hampshire Rd Turf Farm -- Sam Dyke -- September 6 -7
Kent Island -- Mark Schilling -- September 9
Central Turf Farms, John Brown Rd -- Jim Brighton -- September 9
Murray Turf Farm, Ebeneezer Rd -- Mike Walsh -- September 9
Massey Rd, Kent County -- Jim Stasz -- September 10
Assateague -- Ron Gutberlet -- September 13
Photo: Dan Haas 9/7/11
Red Phalarope
Jug Bay -- Rob Ostrowski -- October 4
Assateague -- Mikey Lutmerding -- October 30
Pelagic -- See Life Paulagics -- November 19
Photo: Rob Ostrowski 10/4/11
Little Gull
Susquehanna River -- Tom Feild -- March 13 - 26
Back River -- Keith Costley -- March 16 - 26
Choptank, Caroline County -- Jim Brighton -- March 23
Photo: Joe Turner, Lapidum 3/17/11
Black-headed Gull
Denton -- Dan Haas -- February 11 - March 5
Paper Mill Flats -- Kye Jenkins -- February 17 - March 5
Susquehanna River -- Warren Strobel -- February 26 - March 18
Back River -- Keith Costley -- March 17 -- April 19
Hunt Valley Mall / Paper Mill Flats -- Russ Ruffing -- November 6 - ongoing
Castaways Campground -- Sam Dyke -- December 12
Photo: Bill Hubick -- Hunt Valley Mall, 12/18/11
Franklin's Gull
Havre de Grace -- Matt Hafner -- August 22
Prince George's Community College -- Jeff Shenot -- September 24
Schoolhouse Pond -- Fred Shaffer -- November 9
Sandy Point SP -- Dan Haas -- December 29
Photo: Jeff Shenot 9/24/11
Thayer's Gull
Salisbury Landfill -- Mikey Lutmerding -- January 17
Photo: Mikey Lutmerding 1/17/11
Roseate Tern
Skimmer Island -- Dan Haas -- June 21 - 22
Photo: Dan Haas 6/21/11
Sooty Tern
Black Walnut Point -- Ron Gutberlet -- August 28
Kent Island -- Kevin Graff -- August 28
North Beach -- Bill Hubick -- August 28
Pelagic -- David LaPluma -- September 2
Bridled Tern
Pelagic -- Mike Fritz -- September 2
Long-tailed Jaeger
North Beach -- Mikey Lutmerding -- August 28
Pomarine Jaeger
Pelagic -- See Life Paulagics -- August 14
Assateague -- Bill Hubick -- October 16
Ocean City Inlet -- Matt Hafner -- November 11
Photo: Bill Hubick 8/14/11
Common Murre
Pelagic -- See Life Paulagics -- February 5
Pelagic -- Mark Hoffman -- February 26
Photo: Joe Turner 2/26/11
White-winged Dove
Monrovia -- Ester Smith -- January 9 - February 8
Castaways Campground -- Debbie Terry -- November 13
Photo: Bill Hubick -- Monrovia, 1/2011
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Cecilton -- Dan Small -- February 28
Newark -- Mark Hoffman -- May 29
Assateague -- Jim Stasz -- August 9
Assateague -- Mike Burchett -- September 11
Photo: Dan Small 2/4/28
Green Violetear
Elkton -- Karen Carpenter -- October 10 -12, 1st MD record
Clarksville -- October 24 - 26
Photo: Joe Turner 10/26/11
Allen's Hummingbird
Sharpsburg -- November
Photo: Joe Turner 11/20/11
Rufous Hummingbird
College Park -- Rick Borchelt -- November 23, 2010 - January 9
Harwood -- November
Sharpsburg -- November
Photo: Joe Turner 11/20/11
Calliope Hummingbird
Easton -- October 26 - December 12
Photo: Dan Haas 11/1/11
Ash-throated Flycatcher
Chino Farms -- Dan Small -- November 9
Chino Farms -- Dan Small -- November 30
Photo: Dan Small 11/9/11
Western Kingbird
Hurlock WWTP -- Levin Willey -- December 25 -- ongoing
Photo: Joe Turner 12/31/11
Bell's Vireo
Assateague -- Rob Ostrowski -- October 8, 1st MD record
Turkey Point -- Matt Hafner -- October 17 - 18
Photo: Mikey Lutmerding October 18
Loggerhead Shrike
Pickering Creek Audubon Sanctuary -- Zach Baer -- December 29, 2010 - January 17
Hagerstown -- Jim Green -- November 25 - ongoing
Photo: Joe Turner 11/27/11
Northern Shrike
Chino Farms -- Dan Small -- October 20, 2010 - April 8 / October 21 -- ongoing
Assateague -- Ron Gutberlet -- November 13, 2010 - February 27
Green Hills Farm -- Jared Fisher -- October 30 - 31
Finzel Swamp -- Mike Ostrowski -- December 24
Photo: Dan Haas 1/3/11
Cave Swallow
Pt. Lookout SP -- Mikey Lutmerding -- November 24 - 25
Photo: Mikey Lutmerding 11/24/11
Townsend's Warbler
Assateague -- Dave Czaplak -- September 17 - 19
Photo: Bill Hubick 9/18/11
Black-throated Gray Warbler
Salisbury -- Sam Dyke --November 20
Audubon's Warbler
Assateague -- Bill Hubick -- December 3 - 4
Photo: Bill Hubick 12/3/11
Lark Sparrow
Westinghouse Ponds -- Dan Haas -- September 5
Assateague -- Ron Gutberlet -- September 13 -- ongoing (Many Lark Sparrows were observed on Assateague this Fall. Ron had the first record in ebird.)
Photo: Joe Turner 12/9/11
Le Conte's Sparrow
Swan Harbor -- Matt Hafner -- November 25 - December 15
Photo: Bill Hubick 11/26/11
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Chesapeake Farms -- Bruce Peterjohn -- December 19, 2010 - February 13, 1st MD record
Photo: Bill Hubick 12/20/10
Black-headed Grosbeak
Denton -- Bill Miller -- December 19 - 25
Photo: Joe Turner 12/21/11
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Calloway -- Patricia Rose -- January 22 - 30
Photo: Joe Turner 1/23/11
White-winged Crossbill
Frostburg -- Matt Tillett -- March 8
Evening Grosbeak
Ellicott City -- Russ Ruffing -- April 26
Photo: Russ Ruffing 4/26/11
Of the 106 sightings, 54 were one day wonders. 30 of the sightings lasted for seven days or longer. I saw 30 of the 106 birds listed. How many of these birds did you see?
Thanks to the photographers who allowed me to use their photos.
Bill Hubick -- www.billhubick.com
Joe Turner -- www.flickr.com/photos/41142725@N07/
Dan Haas -- www.wahzoh.blogspot.com
Mikey Lutmerding -- www.flickr.com/photos/mikeycerw
Dan Small -- www.picasaweb.google.com/small.m.dan
Russ Ruffing -- www.flickr.com/photos/yawncelot/
Rob Ostrowski -- www.flickr.com/photos/35144142@N04/
Mike Burchett
Jeff Shenot
