Date: Tue, 13 Jun 2000 11:05:38 EDT Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Marshall Iliff Subject: Pelicans, pelicans, and more pelicans - a look at the EXPLOSION! MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit MDOsprey, As you are all now well aware, the pelican population in the Bay is now going through the roof. The exact reasons for the explosion, which far exceeded historic totals, is a bit unclear. Presumably some fish stocks are doing well enough to support this whole new link on the food web. In any event, I thought I'd give a little background on their recent history in the Bay to catch us all up. Historically Brown Pelican was a very rare bird in Maryland. Well before DDT caused the terrible population crash, pelicans were virtually unknown from the state. Stewart and Robbins' 1958 Birds of Maryland calls it a "casual visitor" and lists only 8 records, split between the coast and the lower Bay. The farthest afield was one on the Potomac River "5 miles south of Alexandria, Virginia", Prince George's County, on June 13, 1953. The Atlas of Breeding Bird sof Maryland and the District of Columbia gives a good account of records in the ensuing years with two from 1950-56, and only two more from 1956-1979, at the height of the population crash due to DDT. Single sightings in the summers of 1980 and 1981 marked the beginning of the species' regular presence in Maryland. The first Maryland nesting followed quickly with 6 nests in 1987 at a spoil island off South Point, Worcester County, between Assateague Island and the mainland. This colony increased to 26 pairs by 1989. This colony is no longer active, as the island has eroded away, but the birds are still regular along the coast throughout the spring and summer. This was, and still is, the northernmost nesting on the Atlantic Coast. Another colony formed in 1992 at the Shanks-Cheeseman Island area of Smith Island, just south of the Maryland line. I took an early trip to Smith Island in August 1992 hoping for my first pelicans in the Bay (my sister had been out in July and seen several). We were ecstatic to see two there. In the following years more and more were seen on those Smith Island trips and others were seen regularly on the pound nets around Point Lookout. Harry Armistead found his first Dorchester County pelicans in 1996, after 30+ years of birding the county. In 1998 he found 15 birds nesting near Bloodsworth Island on a tiny marshy island: Spring Island. The next year the population grew to 141 nests with up to 600 loafing about. More than that were present this year. This year Harry and I counted over 1000+ in the greater Bloodsworth-Spring Island area on 1 June, and we surely underestimated the total, which still probably was a state high count. As of last year stray pelicans were regular only as far north as Patuxent River Naval Air Station and Tilghman Island. Those that strayed farther afield did so late in the season. Charles County got its first reports in late November and early December. Another flew past North Beach in late November. The farthest flung pelicans may thus be most likely in late November, though a few were seen in late August and September also (see Baltimore and Prince George's reports below). I have trouble guessing how far this expansion will go. Certainly tidewater is one boundary which won't be broached by these birds, but I have no clue whether they will penetrate the Upper Bay or far into the Potomac River. Clearly they stay fairly close to the breeding colonies, but if one is established at the Poplar Islands or Bodkin Island, that will expand their sphere of influence. The major bridges (Bay Bridge and the Rte. 301 bridge over the Potomac) may present a minor barrier to these birds as with gannets, but pelicans seem less likely to be hampered by this than true seabirds. Those seeking this species should take special note of pound nets where the pelicans like to rest AND fish for free meals. Those off Point Lookout, Smith Island, and Dorchester always have multiples, while our farthest flung birds are seen resting on pound nets off Eastern Neck, North Beach, Cove Point, Tilghman Island etc. There is a set of nets off Bay Ridge in Annapolis that I am checking semi-regularly. Below is a county-by-county account of the records, both old and recent. COUNTY BY COUNTY Somerset: Became regular in 1992, steadily increasing ever since. Has not yet nested. Winter records in 1998. Now easy at Deal Island, Fairmont WMA, Crisfield, or any other Bay access point. Saint Mary's: Became regular around 1992, steadily increasing since. Has lingered later and later each fall and returned earlier and earlier in the spring. Dorchester: Hard to find through 1998, at which point they began nesting on Spring Island. Now abundant off Elliott Island, Crocheron, and Hooper's Island. Talbot: A few old records until last year, when they were seen on pound nets off Tilghman Island for most of the late summer. They have already returned to this area as Harry Armistead reports seeing several in the area last weekend. He still has just one record from his yard: a storm-blown bird 7 Sep 1996. Nesting does not seem 'out of the question at Poplar Island, though it won't happen this year. Calvert: Only a couple old records until summer 1997 when Jim had 50+ fly past his house. Remained rare in the North Beach area until this year, when we have a few reports. Reported semi-regularly around Solomons and Cove Point starting last year, and evidently occurring there again per Harvey Mudd's report of 6/12. Anne Arundel: A couple old reports, but the first recent reports were this year as Danny Bystrak has found them sitting on pound nets visible from North Beach [note: these are in Anne Arundel waters] in mid-May. Harvey Mudd's report of 12 June was the second sighting on those nets. Otherwise, there are no other recent records for the county. It has not yet penetrated as far north as Annapolis or the Bay Bridge...yet. Queen Anne's: A couple old records, but like Anne Arundel, seemingly beyond the pelican zone as of last year. This year however, Paul Spitzer had one in late May resting on the Bodkin Islands, near Kent Narrows. This is a budding cormorant colony, and could conceivably even host a nesting bird someday. As with Anne Arundel, Queen Anne's should be watched for pelicans this year. Whoever spots the first one from the Bay Bridge should win some kind of prize. Wicomico: The first Wicomico record was in the fall of 1997. Last year they were regular (up to 10) on pound nets off Bivalve and Nanticoke. Kent: The first Kent County record was in 8/13/98. We just heard of the second seen yesterday off Eastern Neck. Harford, Cecil: Only record is of a bird at Conowingo 12/23/86, before the Bay invasion. Should be looked for in the Bay waters in late summer. Baltimore: Baltimore has a few old records. Gene had a report of a couple Browns (and a White!) that hung out on nets off the Patapsco River mouth last August. Should be added to the Hart-Miller Island list this year. Charles: First records in late November and early December of last year. To be expected this summer from Cobb Island-Smith Point area. Caroline: No records yet, but to be looked for at Choptank. Inland records: Maryland had one previous inland record, of a bird at Liberty Reservoir in October 1981. Last year Dave Mozurkewich had the second, a bird seen flying by at Lake Artemesia, Prince George's, 9/25/99. Presumably we can expect an increase in inland records. D.C. birders should certainly be on the lookout - there are at least two D.C. reports, neither of which was well-documented. So I do encourage birders to keep an eye out, watch those pound nets, and report all your sightings. This has been one of the more fascinating recent events in the Bay and it ain't over yet. Good birding, Marshall Iliff miliff@aol.com Annapolis, MD ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================