Date:         Tue, 18 Apr 2000 16:18:07 -0600
Reply-To:     Maryland Birds & Birding <MDOSPREY@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM>
Sender:       Maryland Birds & Birding <MDOSPREY@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM>
From:         Monint3 <Monint3@USGS.GOV>
Subject:      Smithsonian needs your help finding Swamp Sparrow populatio=
n
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     Deep in the recesses of marshes of the Mid-Atlantic coastal bay
     ecosystem lurks a mysterious bird that has for a long time eluded
     popular and scientific awareness...it's rare, it's in trouble and we
     need your help in finding these populations before these sparrows go
     the way of Dusky Seasides.

     The Coastal Plain Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana nigrescens) is =
an
     interesting, rare, and poorly known subspecies first described in
     1951. While its wintering grounds are unknown, the summer population
     is restricted to a small and apparently distinct breeding range
     extending from southern Maryland to northeastern New Jersey. Most of
     the population appears to be located near the Chesapeake and Delawar=
e
     Bays during the summer months. Unlike the other two more common
     subspecies of Swamp Sparrow, the Coastal Plain variant prefers the
     brackish shrub swamps associated with intertidal estuarine
     environments and arrives on its breeding grounds only after the othe=
r
     subspecies have migrated through. Unfortunately, for the sparrow and
     its admirers, recent spot-checks of historical breeding sites have
     indicated that the subspecies may be undergoing a significant declin=
e
     in numbers or a shift in distribution.

     We are LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS to support a joint project between the
     Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Center
     and the states of  MD, NJ, and DE which will attempt to determine th=
e
     current range and population size of the Coastal Plain Swamp Sparrow.
     Our goal is to enlist volunteers to survey both historical breeding
     sites and a subset of suitable habitat where birds have not been
     previously reported. We would like to begin counting birds (singing
     male SWSPs and other marsh birds) in Maryland, Delaware, and New
     Jersey beginning at the end of May and continuing through mid-July.

     If you are interested in this unique opportunity to participate in a
     large-scale monitoring effort, please contact:

     Jon Beadell
     monint3@usgs.gov
     (301) 497-5559

     As Soon As Possible

     Let's learn about this species before it follows in the tracks of th=
e
     Dusky Seaside Sparrow and other coastal casualties and escapes our
     detection permanently.

     Put a little Melospiza in your life!

               ****The Swamp Sparrow Skunkworks Team****
     Russ Greenberg  (Smithsonian) , Sam Droege (USGS), Jon Beadell
     (Smithsonian)


     Night tells her rosary of stars full soon,
     They drop from out her dark hand to her knees.
     Upon a silhouette of woods, the moon
     Leans on one horn as if beseeching ease
     From all her changes which have stirred the seas.
     Across the ears of Toil, Rest throws her veil.
     I and a marsh bird only make a wail.
          -Francis Ledwidge:  An Evening in England





     ========================
===============
     Jon Beadell

     USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
     12100 Beech Forest
     Laurel, MD 20708-4038

     monint3@usgs.gov

     tel 301-497-5559 fax 301-497-5784
     ========================
===============

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