Date: 9/20/12 1:47 pm
From: Harry Armistead <harryarmistead...>
Subject: [MDBirding] 17th Dorchester County fall bird count, in full, September 15, 2012.



17th DORCHESTER COUNTY FALL BIRD COUNT, in full, September 15, 2012.

KEY: Canada Goose 240 (8: 1-75): signifies that a total of 240 were seen by 8 parties whose totals, low to high, ranged from 1 to 75. Mute Swan 1: means just one was seen & in such cases a one is “understood” to mean that just one party found it/them. Snowy Egret 107 (3: 3-100): is the same key as for Canada Goose but one can deduce, by subtracting 103 from 107 that the 3rd party - the one not involved with the respective low and high counts of 3 and 100 - found 4.

For weather and some other general commentary please see under the earlier posting for the party of George Armistead and myself. A meager flight of neotropicals and passerines. Poor day for hawks. Not many shorebirds or waterfowl around. September 16 would have been the better day for most of these.

DRAMATIS PERSONAE: 1. Dave Palmer – north of Route 50.
2. Jim Brighton – north of route 50 also but in an area mutually exclusive of area 1.
3. Miles Anderson, Wayne Bell (compiler), Daniel Irons, Jonathan Irons, George Radcliffe, Paul Spitzer, Alex Wiebe – Taylor’s Island & environs.
4. Colin & Stephanie McAllister – Neck District. George Radcliffe and Jackie Radcliffe also covered some of this area.
5. Steve Ford – County S of Route 50 SW of Vienna.
6. Levin & Diane Willey – Area around Linkwood, Linkwood W.M.A., and adjacent area S of Route 50.
7. Diane Cole – Extreme S county, Bishops’ Head, Crapo, Wingate & environs.
8. Matt Whitbeck – restricted areas of Blackwater N.W.R.
9. George & Harry Armistead (compiler) – Hooper’s Island, central Blackwater N.W.R & Elliott Island Road. Peter Kaestner was at Swan Harbor Road briefly and added several raptor individuals.

WATERFOWL: Canada Goose 240 (8: 1-75). Mute Swan 1. Wood Duck 117 (3: 6-92). American Wigeon 1. American Black Duck 34 (2: 8-26). Mallard 465 (8: 1-322). Blue-winged Teal 33 (2: 3-30). Green-winged Teal 60 (1). unID’d teal 230 (1). Ruddy Duck 2 (1).

THE PRIMITIVES: Wild Turkey 7 (1). Pied-billed Grebe 5 (1). American White Pelican 1. Brown Pelican 11 (2: 2-9). Double-crested Cormorant 343 (6: 2-225). Great Blue Heron 77 (8: 2-40). Great Egret 112 (6: 1-97). Snowy Egret 107 (3: 3-100). Little Blue Heron 1 immature. Tricolored Heron 11 (1). Black-crowned Night Heron 10 (1).

RAPTORS (12 species). Black Vulture 76 (7: 2-43). Turkey Vulture 399 (9: 2-105). Osprey 37 (7: 1-12). Bald Eagle 182 (9: 1-92). Northern Harrier 15 (3: 1-12). Sharp-shinned Hawk 10 (2: 1-9). Cooper’s Hawk 6 (3: 1-3). Red-shouldered Hawk 4 (3: 1-2). SWAINSON’S HAWK 1 (GLA,HTA; Meekins Neck & Swan Harbor roads; many photographs secured). Red-tailed Hawk 10 (5: 1-4). American Kestrel 28 (5: 2-10). Merlin 2 (1-1).

RALLIDS: Clapper Rail 18 (2: 7-11). King Rail 2 (1). Virginia Rail 3 (2: 1-2). Sora 1. Common Gallinule 1.

SHOREBIRDS (13 species): Black-bellied Plover 9 (1). American Golden Plover 3 (1). Semipalmated Plover 41 (2: 1-40). Killdeer 12 (3: 2-8). Greater Yellowlegs 34 (2: 1-33). Lesser Yellowlegs 35 (1). Solitary Sandpiper 2 (2: 1-1). Spotted Sandpiper 1. Sanderling 13 (1). Semipalmated Sandpiper 16 (1). Least Sandpiper 35 (1). unID’d peep 226 (2: 1-225). Pectoral Sandpiper 18 (1). Stilt Sandpiper 7 (1).

LARIDS: Laughing Gull 1,101 (8: 11-625). Ring-billed Gull 131 (7: 5-41). Herring Gull 113 (4: 4-95). Great Black-backed Gull 89 (5: 1-80). unID’d gull 4 (1). Caspian Tern 39 (2: 1-38). Royal Tern 92 (4: 1-65). Common Tern 4 (2: 1-3). Forster’s Tern 175 (4: 3-110).

TWIXT-WATER-AND-LAND BIRDS: Rock Pigeon 30 (3: 6-14). Mourning Dove 163 (9: 2-48). Yellow-billed Cuckoo 2 (1). Eastern Screech-Owl 15 (5: 1-6). Great Horned Owl 10 (6: 1-3). Barred Owl 8 (1). Chimney Swift 4 (3: 1-2). Ruby-throated Hummingbird 27 (6: 1-7). Belted Kingfisher 18 (7: 1-8).

WOODPECKERS (6 species). Red-headed Woodpecker 8 (4: 1-5). Red-bellied Woodpecker 19 (7: 1-7). Downy Woodpecker 33 (8: 2-12). Hairy Woodpecker 6 (2: 2-4). Northern Flicker 35 (7: 1-18). Pileated woodpecker 6 (5: 1-2).

FLYCATCHERS (6 species). OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER 1 (SMcA,CMcA). Eastern Wood-Pewee 27 (8: 2-6). Traill’s Flycatcher 3 (2: 1-2). unID’d empidonax 5 (2: 1-4). Eastern Phoebe 1. Great Crested Flycatcher 11 (6: 1-3). Eastern Kingbird 1.

White-eyed Vireo 23 (6: 1-13). Red-eyed Vireo 14 (6: 1-5). Blue Jay 76 (8: 2-18). American Crow 125 (5: 7-38). Fish Crow 3 (2: 1-2). unID’d crow 111 (4: 12-41). Horned Lark 6 (2: 1-5). Tree Swallow 154 (5: 2-112). Barn Swallow 6 (2: 2-4).

LI’L SPRITES: Carolina Chickadee 192 (9: 3-45). Tufted Titmouse 88 (8: 6-19). Red-breasted Nuthatch 41 (6: 1-11). White-breasted Nuthatch 2 (1). Brown-headed Nuthatch 87 (3: 4-53). Carolina Wren 78 (8: 1-16). House Wren 13 (4: 2-4). Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 22 (5: 2-6).

THRUSH TYPES + 2 OTHERS: Eastern Bluebird 103 (7: 3-34). Veery 4 (3: 1-2). Swainson’s Thrush 1. American Robin 12 (3: 1-7; often scarce this time of year). Gray Catbird 15 (7: 1-3). Northern Mockingbird 96 (8: 4-27). Brown Thrasher 2 (1). European Starling 799 (8: 15-240). Cedar Waxwing 41 (6: 2-13).

WARBLERS (21 SPECIES): Nashville Warbler 1. Northern Parula 11 (5: 1-5). Yellow Warbler 1. Chestnut-sided Warbler 4 (3: 1-2). Magnolia Warbler 25 (8: 1-9). Cape May Warbler 1. Black-throated Blue Warbler 2 (2: 1-1). Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler 1. Black-throated Green Warbler 1. Blackburnian Warbler 1. Pine Warbler 85 (7: 1-16). Prairie Warbler 2 (1). Palm Warbler 6 (4: 1-2). Bay-breasted Warbler 1. Blackpoll Warbler 5 (3: 1-2). Black-and-white Warbler 26 (8: 1-9). American Redstart 51 (8: 2-13). Ovenbird 5 (2: 1-4). Common Yellowthroat 21 (7: 2-5). Wilson’s Warbler 1. Canada Warbler 1. unID’d warbler 10 (1).

FINCH (sorta) TYPES. Summer Tanager 7 (6: 1-2). Scarlet Tanager 2 (2: 1-1). Eastern Towhee 9 (7: 1-2). Chipping Sparrow 68 (7: 1-18). CLAY-COLORED SPARROW 1 (JB, at Vienna, Chapel of Ease Road). Savannah Sparrow 9 (2: 1-8). Grasshopper Sparrow 3 (2: 1-2). Seaside Sparrow 4 (2: 1-3). White-throated Sparrow 1. Northern Cardinal 115 (8: 1-34). Blue Grosbeak 22 (7: 2-6). Indigo Bunting 27 (5: 2-12).

BLACKBIRDS: Bobolink 591 (4: 9-270). Red-winged Blackbird 2,278 (7: 1-1,500). Common Grackle 1,309 (4: 30-400). Boat-tailed Grackle 1♂. Brown-headed Cowbird 102 (6: 1-70).

END GAMERS: House Finch 10 (5: 1-3). American Goldfinch 468 (8: 2-375; big concentration at Vienna, JB). House Sparrow 82 (6: 6-22).

AMONG THE MISSING. Especially at this time of year there are plenty of missed species that would not have been surprising if someone had seen ‘em, to wit: Gadwall, shoveler, pintail, bobwhite, Cattle Egret, Green Heron, Broad-winged Hawk, Peregrine Falcon, Western Sandpiper, Short-billed Dowitcher, Least Flycatcher, Blue-headed Vireo, rough-winged swallow, Bank Swallow, Marsh Wren (!!!), Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Wood Thrush, Northern Waterthrush, Field Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Eastern Meadowlark (missed for the 2nd straight year), Baltimore Oriole, and Purple Finch.

BIRDS WITH the BIGGEST NUMBERS: Red-winged Blackbird 2,278. Common Grackle 1,309. Laughing Gull 1,101. European Starling 799. Bobolink 591. American Goldfinch 468. Mallard 465. Turkey Vulture 399. Double-crested Cormorant 343. peep unID’d 226. Carolina Chickadee 192. Bald Eagle 182. Mourning Dove 163. Tree Swallow 154.

EFFORT: 5 A.M. – 9 P.M. Miles by foot 21. Miles by car 561. Hours on foot 52. Hours by car 32. Miles owling 63. Hours owling 9. Nineteen observers in 9 areas, in 9-11 parties.

MISTAKES: Please let me know if you see any, no matter how miniscule. Thank you.

INSECTS. Jim Brighton, in addition to identifying 55 kinds of plants, submitted this remarkable list of insects, shown here in its entirety:

Odonata -- 4 species

Fine-lined Emerald -- 3 (an Eastern Shore specialty)
Great Blue Skimmer -- 8
Common Pondhawk -- 16
Eastern Amberwing -- 7

Butterflies -- 20 species

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail -- 4
Spicebush Swallowtail -- 1
Black Swallowtail -- 1
Cabbage White -- 36
Orange Sulphur -- 48
Cloudless Sulphur -- 2
Sleepy Orange -- 1
Little Yellow -- 1
Gray Hairstreak -- 8
Eastern Tailed-blue -- 26
Pearl Crescent -- 72
Red-spotted Purple -- 3
Painted Lady -- 16
Common Buckeye -- 3
Monarch -- 7
Common Wood-nymph -- 1
Silver-spotted Skipper -- 3
Common Sootywing -- 2
Common Checkered-Skipper -- 6
Sachem -- 2
Least Skipper -- 14

Other various insects:
Locust Borer (Megacyllene robiniae) -- 1 (Often viewed on goldenrod in
the Fall.)
Carolina Grasshopper -- 1 (A very surprising total, often abundant.)
Megachile xylocopoides -- 1 (Probably a new county record. An all
black bumblebee that has in the past couple years colonized Maryland
from the south. Nectars of tickseed sunflowers.)

Steve Ford also did some approximate bug numbers: Red Admiral 1, Orange Sulphur 20+, Cloudless Sulphur 100+, Painted Lady 100+, Monarch 10, Red-spotted Purple 5, Tiger Swallowtail 1, Viceroy 1, Buckeye 20+, Pearl Crescent 5, and Silver-spotted Skipper 2 plus other unID’d skippers.

My GRATEFUL THANKS to all the participants, who all sent their neat, complete reports to me only a few days after the fact. A compiler’s dream come true.

Best to all. – Harry Armistead, Philadelphia.

--