Date: 5/22/13 7:16 am
From: Harry Armistead <harryarmistead...>
Subject: [MDBirding] Ferry Neck & Dorchester County, May 17-20, 2013
FERRY NECK & DORCHESTER COUNTY, MAY 17-20, 2013. George, Harry & Liz Armistead.

MAY 17, FRIDAY. A Bald Eagle at mile 113, Route 301. At the routes 481 X 309 wetland: 8 Semipalmated Plovers, 4 Least Sandpipers, and a Green Heron.

Arrive at our place at 2:10 P.M Clear, calm, 78-80°F. 0.70” in the rain gauge since last time. Out at Lucy Point: 23 Surf Scoters, 7 Common Loons, a Least Tern, and 24 Diamondback Terrapin. Along the Lucy Point trail a Gay Squirrel and a small Red Fox kit. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the Black Locust blossoms this luxuriant.

George arrives at 7 P.M. and finds 35 species between then and darkness incl. 2 Least Terns, a Chuck-will’s-widow, a Blue Grosbeak, 2 hummingbirds, and 2 Green Herons. The first chorus of Green Tree Frogs, somewhere off to the E. George sees an adult Red Fox and a kit on the driveway next to Field 4.

MAY 18, SATURDAY. 2 Common Loons, 2 Bald Eagles, 8 Surf Scoters, a Least Tern, 3 crested flycatchers, and a black duck plus 4 Gray Squirrels, and a Muskrat pushing a Black Cherry cutting to its lodge. A Brown Thrasher carrying nesting material as well as a ♀ bluebird, a pair of blues attending the new bird house high up on a Loblolly Pine in the lawn. Seven Chimney Swifts. Raccoons empty our SquirrelBuster feeder each night by shaking it.

<0.1” rain today. Overcast, in the low 60s all day long, SE15+ diminishing to c. 10 m.p.h. Light rain at noon.

George puts in a full day, 7:47 A.M. – 4:16 P.M, in southern Dorchester County finding 111 species and visiting Vienna, the Pig Farm, Blackwater N.W.R., Hip Roof Rd., Hooper’s I., Drawbridge, Decoursey Bridge & Golden Hill roads and Gum Swamp, Middletown Branch and Egypt roads. He sees a Woodchuck near Vienna, a Fox Squirrel somewhere else.

Some of his highlights. Hoopers Island: Lesser Scaup 1, Black Scoter 1♀, Common Loon 4, Horned Grebe 1, oystercatcher 2, green-winged teal 1 (a cripple), and Brown Pelican 6. Egypt Road: bobwhite 4 (1, a ♂, photographed at close range). Blackwater: white pelican 1. Decoursey Bridge Road: Glossy Ibis 1, Red-shouldered Hawk 1. Middletown Branch Road: Blackpoll Warbler 2. Gum Swamp: King Rail 1, close view for several minutes. Drawbridge Road: Bonaparte Gull 1 in a ploughed field with some of the blackbellies, Barred Owl 1. Some of his day grand totals: Clapper Rail 10, Black-bellied Plover 179, Grasshopper Sparrow 14, Summer Tanager 11, Blue Grosbeak 15, and Indigo Bunting 41.

MAY 19, SUNDAY. A birdwalk at Blackwater N.W.R. with 9 participants: Harry & Liz Armistead, Diane Cole, Cathy Cooper, Caro Czerkies, Pam Maxcy, Marianna McKim Steve Riemer, and Levin Wlley. 7:30 A.M. – 1 P.M. Some of the birds lsted below are seen before or after the official birdwalk. 62-72°F., overcast, winds NE10 becoming calm, partly sunny at the end. Water in impoundments is lowering, in tidal areas somewhat low. 75 species:

Canada goose 25, MUTE SWAN 5 (in the distance on the S side of Backwater R. as seen from Pool 3, Larry), mallard 40 (incl. a ♀ with 8 downy ducklings), American white pelican 1, double-crested cormorant 8, great blue heron 10, great egret 7, black vulture 3, (1 disabled on the S side of Key Wallace Drive), turkey vulture 20, osprey 14, bald eagle 20, red-tailed hawk 1, king rail 1 Virginia rail 12 (very vocal, repeated good views of 2 from the new observation platform), black-bellied plover 2, semipalmated plover 16, killdeer 4, greater yellowlegs 1, spotted sandpiper & least tern (both seen by Levin before the walk at Sewards; I forget how many), semipalmated sandpiper 4, least sandpiper 2, unID’d peep 80, dunlin 9, laughing gull 125, herring gull 3 & great black-backed gull 1 (both species in Cambridge), Forster’s tern 3,

rock pigeon 8 (Cambridge), mourning dove 8, yellow-billed cuckoo 1, ruby-throated hummingbird 1, red-headed woodpecker 3 (1 at a nest cavity), red-bellied woodpecker 1, northern flicker 2, pileated woodpecker 1, eastern wood-pewee 2, great crested flycatcher 12, eastern kingbird 8, red-eyed vireo 1, blue jay 2, American crow 8, fish crow 3, purple martin 40, tree swallow 15, barn swallow 40, Carolina chickadee 3, tufted titmouse 3, brown-headed nuthatch 3, Carolina wren 6, marsh wren 1, eastern bluebird 10, wood thrush 1, American robin 20, gray catbird 1, northern mockingbird 5, brown thrasher 1, European starling 25, northern parula 1, myrtle warbler 1, pine warbler 8, American redstart 1, ovenbird 1, common yellowthroat 10, summer tanager 3, chipping sparrow 8, northern cardinal 8, blue grosbeak 3 (Egypt Road), indigo bunting 1, red-winged blackbird 65, eastern meadowlark 2, common grackle 55, brown-headed cowbird 10, orchard oriole 8, American goldfinch 2, house sparrow 8.

Right in the area of the blind we have confirmed breeding of robin, chickadee, barn swallow & flicker.

NON-AVAN TAXA: Bullfrog 3, Cricket Frog 4, Cope’s Gray Tree Frog 1, Black Swallowtail 4, Fox Squirrel 3, Gray Squirrel 1, Eastern Cottontail 7, Muskrat 2, Painted Turtle 1, Snapping Turtle 2 (1 laying eggs, another I catch and show to the participants).

In the afternoon back to our place by 1:45. Fair, calm, 74-78°F. At Lucy Point 4:30-5:30: a ♂ Black Scoter, 19 Surf Scoters, 46 Diamondback Terrapin, a Cow-nosed Ray, 6
Laughing Gulls, and zero loons. The scoters all are seen to be capable of strong flight From the dock: 9 terrapin, 8 Cow-nosed Rays.

A pair of adult Herring Gulls is hunting in the cove, one with a Hogchoker that it swallows whole, another with a Blue Crab. An Osprey chases a Great Blue Heron, the heron emitting major squawks. Also from the dock: 2 black ducks, 2 Mallards & 3 Least Terns. In the yard: seven Gray Squirrels, 2 cottontails, and 2 Muskrats. A Green Frog continues its life confined to the goose pit in Field 1, SAT scores so low it does not take advantage of the escape board I placed there for it.

ROGUE TITMOUSE UPDATE. Not satisfied with combating most of the windows in the house, it attacks George’s car, a red Suzuki, and, last time, the Verizon truck. It hits our TrailBlazer outside mirrors so often they become fouled and need to be cleaned daily.

MAY 20, MONDAY. Clear, rapidly becoming overcast, 66°F. at start, SW5+. Gray Squirrel 7 (incl. 2 young), Eastern Cottontail 2. Two Green Tree Frogs calling halfheartedly near the base of the dock. The injured ♂ Common Goldeneye, seen every day this visit, preening on our shoreline near the dock. When it rises up out of the water and flaps its wings it is easy to see they are useless. Cattle Egret 1, Snowy Egret 1, Brown Thrasher 2, Northern Watersnake 1. A Great Egret at Frog Hollow, unusual for there. Leave by 9:45 A.M.

A d.o.r. Snapping Turtle near the junction of routes 301 X 481. In the routes 481 X 301 wetland only a single Painted Turtle.

MAY 11 ADDENDA. In the Neck District Carol & Lee McCollough saw an adult Great Horned Owl with 2 young.

HAPPY NEW YEAR. May 21. In the mail is the 1st unsolicited 2014 calendar, from an organization I don’t even belong to, EarthJustice. It’s a nice calendar. Normally I receive 6 or 7 such calendars annually from various not-for-profit organizations.

Best to all. – Harry Armistead, Philadelphia.

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