FERRY NECK & DORCHESTER COUNTY, JANUARY 18-24, 2013. Liz & Harry Armistead. The Big Chill arrives.
A somewhat subdued visit. Most of the time I am sick, lack energy. “My weariness amazes me/I’m branded on my feet/I have no one to meet/And the ancient empty streets to dead for dreaming … Let me forget about today until tomorrow” – Bob Dylan, ‘Mr. Tambourine Man.’
JANUARY 18, FRIDAY. Arrive 2:25 P.M. Clear, NW 15 becoming calm, 37-33°F. Ruddy Duck 136, Horned Grebe 1, Mallard 2, Lesser Scaup 16, Bufflehead 30, Tundra Swan 4, Great Blue Heron 1, Sharp-shinned Hawk 1, Bald Eagle 1 adult, and Canada Goose 1090. The geese flush from Deep Neck and settle onto Irish Creek.
Some daffodils are up 6-8”, from 3-4” last time. One Gray Squirrel at the feed. We have oyster stew from a pint packed at Achilles, Virginia, which is across the Bay due W from Cape Charles.
JANUARY 19, SATURDAY. Clear, SW – S 15, 39-48°F. 285 Ring-billed Gulls at rest on Irish Creek. Sit out at Lucy Point 2:45-4:45 but not much to see on the Choptank River mouth; it continues to be bleak: Surf Scoter 24, Lesser Scaup 14, Mallard 2, Tundra Swan 5, Canada Goose 1400, American Black Duck 2 & 235 unID’d distant diving ducks flying from SE to NW (probably scaup or Canvasbacks).
Flush a pair of Wood Ducks from The Pond, the 1st winter record for here. One seen February 27, 1999, I consider an early spring migrant. Woodies not found on the St. Michaels hristmas Bird Count this past December. Six Eastern Bluebirds in Field 1. Black Vulture 6. At the feed (deer corn scattered on the ground) maximum counts of 40 White-throated Sparrows, 6 Northern Cardinals, a Song Sparrow, a Tufted Titmouse, a Red-bellied Woodpecker, and one Gray Squirrel.
There is a lot of moss on the lawn, perhaps because of the so-far mild weather combined with several bouts of considerable rain. There’s 1.7” of water in the rain gauge since the last visit. 2 immature Bald Eagles.
JANUARY 20, SUNDAY. With the Talbot Bird Club to Oakley Street and the Neck District. These are my own estimates below, the ones with the rounded big numbers not very careful ones. They may vary with anything on e-Bird. If so, go with the e-Bird numbers. Clear, 43-48°F., SW 15-20.
24 observers led by George Radcliffe, including Les Coble, Les Roslund, Suzanne Wagner, Cathy Cooper, Paul & Priscilla Thut, Levin Willey, Wayne Bell, Dave Bent, Terry Allen, Liz Armistead, Stephanie Judson et al. 7 A.M. – 1 P.M.
Oakley Street, Cambridge: 1000 Snow Geese (on Talbot County side), American Black Duck X Mallard hybrid 1♂, American Wigeon 12, Canvasback 810, Redhead 1♂, Lesser Scaup 85, Surf Scoter 7, Ruddy Duck 40, Double-crested Cormorant 20, and Northern Flicker 1. Throw out a lot of corn for the ducks.
LeCompte Bay. Private property. George Radcliffe had arranged access. This place is loaded: 1200 Canvasbacks, 1000 or more Canada Geese, 2000 Snow Geese, 1 Horned Grebe, 1 adult Bald Eagle, 275 Ruddy Ducks, and 8 Common Goldeneyes.
Ragged Point Road, which leads to Ragged Island. Bonaparte’s Gull 1, Lesser Scaup 30, Surf 8 and Black 1♂ scoter, Ruddy Ducks 300, Long-tailed Duck 4, Bald Eagle 4. Today’s field trip finds at least 8 Bald Eagles in toto.
We also stop by the promising mixed woodlands on Castle Haven Road, but they, however lovely, are unproductive. Then a delicious brunch and good company, including 2 appealing beagles, at Jackie & George Radcliffe’s house on Lee Creek (a Little Choptank River tributary) next to the Spocott Windmill.
A lot of the Neck District has the charm of looking as if one is going back in time 20, 30, or more years. Near George’s house are large, fallow fields, with meadowlarks and broom sedge. Numbers of Blue Geese fly over from the big flocks of Snows out on the Choptank River. A flock of perhaps 1000 Red-winged Blackbirds goes over. Many of the fields each have hundreds of Canada Geese. The cove on Lee Creek has hundreds more and 50 Ruddy Ducks.
Egypt Road. Liz and I break away from the brunch to spend only an hour or so at the refuge. Red-tailed Hawk 2, Horned Lark 2, European Starling 400, Rock Pigeon 9, and American Kestrel 2.
Blackwater N.W.R. 1:30-2:30 P.M. For the first time in several visits we see no white pelicans, although they are seen before and after our time today. Tundra Swan 90, Gadwall 8, Northern Shoveler 125, Snow Goose 3000 (but few Blue Geese today), Northern Pintail 125, Green-winged Teal 70, Ring-necked Duck 155 (Pool 1), Northern Harrier 1 adult ♂, Sharp-shinned Hawk 1, Red-tailed Hawk 3, Ruddy Duck 1, American Coot 17, Greater Yellowlegs 2, Ring-billed Gull 700, and Belted Kingfisher 1.
Maple Dam Road: American Kestrel 3.
Rigby’s Folly: 85 American Crows in Field 1, 3:15 P.M., the 5th highest count ever for here. 3 Gray Squirrels at the feed at 5:15 P.M. Coming back from a fancy meal at the Tidewater Inn, where we savor the Ravens’ victory, 2 deer at c. 9:30 P.M., 1 in Woods 3, another in Woods 4. In the pre-dawn today we encounter deer 3 times between our property and Royal Oak.
JANUARY 21, MONDAY. 30-44°F., E5- S – light and variable, clear becoming fair, then clouds overspreading the area from the N, then fair and clear again. A cool day. Seven Black Vultures. An adult Bald Eagle. A mid-day walk along the New Hedgerow (forms the boundary between Field 3 [the Clover Field] and Field 4) turns up 15 species: 2♂ Eastern Towhees, an adult Red-tailed Hawk, a Sharp-shinned Hawk, a Northern Flicker, 7 Blue Jays, a Northern Mockingbird, 6 Northern Cardinals, a Turkey Vulture, a Red-bellied Woodpecker, 4 Slate-colored Juncos, 11 White-throated Sparrows, 5 Carolina Chickadees, a European Starling, 5 American Crows, and 2 Red-winged Blackbirds.
JANUARY 22, TUESDAY, 22-26°F., fair becoming clear, NW20, cold. 65 American Crows in Fields 1 & 2. One Gray Squirrel. At the feed scattered on the ground: 52 White-throated Sparrows, 16 American Crows, a Song Sparrow, 2 Red-bellied Woodpeckers, 3 Blue Jays, a Tufted Titmouse, and 3 deer (does). We hang 3 feeders but they are unpatronized so far.
The water tower by the St. Michaels fire company is popular as a roosting place with vultures. 6 Turkey and 1 Black vulture are there today in mid-afternoon.
JANUARY 23, WEDNESDAY. 19-26°F., clear, NW 10-15, low water, half the cove froze last night. Two adult Red-tailed Hawks low over Field 4. 16 American Crows are at the deer corn again. What with the crows, jays, and deer you’d think the dickey birds would be hard put to get their share but they seem to be doing fine. Also at the feed: 50 White-throated Sparrows, 6 cardinals, a Red-bellied Woodpecker, and one Gray Squirrel.
Removed a large oak limb from the S shoulder of the paved road next to Woods 5, securing 3 nice, medium-sized logs from it that should burn nicely. Cleared a few other items from the ditches.
Spend much of this visit reading (Sebastian Junger’s War), resting, napping, or listening to music: Rachmaninoff’s 2nd Symphony, Wagner preludes and overtures, Mahler’s 6th Symphony, Rimsky Korsakov’s Le Coq d’Or, Prokofiev’s Alexander Nevsky, Richard Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos, and other stuff, some of these old favorites, some just trying out, some of the latter I’ll may never listen to again. But a peaceful, restful visit with good food, and fires. Something is in the chimney flu, a bird I think, but by the time of the first fire there’s no sign of it.
JANUARY 24, THURSDAY. Fair, 22°F., NW 10. There’s a dusting of snow from last night. 24 American Crows at the deer corn on the ground. Leave by 11 A.M. Going out the driveway there’s a Sharp-shinned Hawk flying parallel to us clutching a LBJ, almost certainly a White-throated Sparrow. 4 Horned Larks N of Cordova. An adult Tundra Swan at the flooded field, frozen solid, N of routes 481 X 309, the only bird there. 30 Horned Larks just S of Ruthsburg. 2 adult, 2 immature Tundra Swans, a family group, in a field just S of routes 301 X 481. On the way up to the Delaware line we see 7 Red-tailed Hawks, all perched in trees on the W side of Route 301, where they get a little sun.
JANUARY 25, FRIDAY. A Mourning Dove calling in Chestnut Hill, a sign that spring’s coming.
ADDENDUM. On our previous trip to Dorchester County there was an adult ♂ Peregrine Falcon on one of the towers in Cambridge, January 6.
SMITH ISLAND, VIRGINIA, RABBIT. No one has responded with any sightings of the unique Smith I., VA, race of the Eastern Cottontail. Mammalogist Ray Dueser and his crew found one in the summer of 1975, the last sighting he knows of. But, not too far away, he says there is still a small population of EACO on Hog I., seen as recently as last fall, perhaps a different race. ?
Best to all. – Harry Armistead, Philadelphia.
--
|