Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2000 16:18:07 -0600 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Monint3 Subject: Smithsonian needs your help finding Swamp Sparrow populatio= n Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit 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 ======================== =============== ========================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ========================================================================= ===========================================================================