Date: 6/11/12 1:28 pm
From: Leo Weigant <hawkowl...>
Subject: Re: [mdbirding] Night Birding -Elliott Island Rd


This thread of descriptions has evoked my own memories of ANS trips down
to Elliott Island with Hal Wiernga and prompted a couple of observations
(readily subject to editing by Hal's better memory)
1.) - - that the Black Rails did not usually call until
considerably later
than people have mentioned these days . . .11:30 or even
midnight,
2.) that another possible cause for the rails' decline was a well-
intentioned effort to establish barn owls in boxes out in the
marsh
several years ago which did not take account of how a black rail
in the reeds looked little different -- to an owl -- than
mice, voles, etc.,
and that the rail population seemed to have been affected soon
after.
3.) that the whip-poor-wills' calling was usually north of the
marshes - -
in the woods near, and west of, the intersection of Henry's
Crossing Rd.
and Elliott Island Rd.

Leo Weigant

On Jun 11, 2012, at 4:02 PM, <birdingcouple...> wrote:

> Hi all _ I was out on E I Road last night until 10pm. Beautiful
> sunset, fireflies over the marsh, lots of Va Rails and a distant
> Common Gallinule, but did not have Black Rail calling.
>
> Good Birding!
> Warren Strobel
> Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
> From: "Gail B. Mackiernan %<3Ckatahdinss...>%3E"
> <katahdinss...>
> Sender: <mdbirding...>
> Date: Mon, 11 Jun 2012 15:17:39 +0000 (UTC)
> Cc: <mdbirding...>
> Subject: Re: [mdbirding] Night Birding -Elliott Island Rd
>
> Since you didn't mention them, assume no sound of Black Rails? Does
> anyone know if they are there this year? Numbers have of course
> precipitously declined since the "olden days" -- e.g. 1980s and
> earlier -- and they seem to be barely hanging on now in what was
> once a stronghold. I have heard from a number of sources that
> burning of marshes in both Maryland and, especially, on their
> wintering grounds has been a major contributor to this decline,
> which is not limited to Maryland. Marsh burning is very destructive
> to the fragile soils of this habitat and contributes to incursion
> of invasive plants and loss of land to open water, as well as being
> harmful to native animals. (My marine biologist hat speaking).
>
> Back in the 1980s and even early 90s it was not at all unusual to
> drive the Elliot Island Road after dark and hear perhaps 10-15
> calling. Folks would sometimes tape them out but of course that is
> totally out of line today. One could also hear and often see
> Henslow's Sparrows at Savanna Lake (at the very start of the road)
> but they too are a thing of the past. In about 1985 Jay Sheppard
> and I went with Arnold Small to the Delaware Bay and stopped on the
> way back so Arnold could hear (and see in the fading light) a
> singing male at Savanna Lake, a species he had not seen in 20+ years.
>
> We are fortunate that this species has a toehold still in some of
> the western MD sites, and I echo Bill Hubick's thoughts on
> sensitive species...
>
> Gail Mackiernan
> Colesville, MD
>
> From: "Lin Just" <ljustrn...>
> To: <mdbirding...>
> Sent: Monday, June 11, 2012 11:00:01 AM
> Subject: [mdbirding] Night Birding -Elliott Island Rd
>
> Sorry this is late, have been trying to catch up on sleep between
> birding and working! Sat. night, my husband Jim and I decided to
> go on our yearly trek to Elliott Island Rd. for some night
> birding. We started off at Blackwater NWR where best birds were
> RED HEADED WOODPECKERS at the beginning of the wildlife drive,
> SUMMER TANAGER, off Little Egypt Rd. by the Kiosk and GRASSHOPPER
> SPARROWS in the fields off Little Egypt Rd. Shorebirds included
> WHITE RUMPED SANPIPERS (5), SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS(9), GREATER and
> LESSER YELLOWLEGS and SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER. Elliott Island Rd.,
> was fascinating as always. It's such a surreal place, one that I
> can't believe still exists in this, unfortunately, ever developing
> world. Highlights were a total of 16 (at least), VIRGINIA RAILS, a
> LEAST BITTERN in flight, PRAIRIE WARBLER, seen well. The sounds of
> the MARSH WRENS and SEASIDE SPARROWS filled the air. As the night
> fell, we were able to hear 3 CHUCK-WILLS-WIDOWS on Kraft Neck Rd.,
> despite the deafening sounds of the frogs -( by the way, anyone
> know the name of those odd sounding frogs)? I remember it being
> much easier in years past to find the chucks as well as the whips-
> although I haven't heard whips here in several years. We did locate
> 4 WHIPS and 2 CHUCKS off North Tara Rd. south of Federalsburg
> (thanks to the postings on E-bird!) I listed all my bird sightings
> on e-bird, As always, have fun birding!
>
> Lin Just
> Colora, Md
> (also at <crazy4wildbirds...>)
>
>
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