Date: Sun, 1 Oct 2000 10:41:07 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: "WILLIAM B. SCHREITZ" Subject: Re: Connecticut Warbler in Annapolis 9/28 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hello Stan, Sorry I didn't get your post until now. The first two sightings were further down Bywater Road from the parking area, the second path into the field on the left. I saw the first fly up 4' into the first cherry tree on the right 30' in from the road. The bird was wet, which is how I could easily distinguish it from the two I saw less than 5 minutes later. The two birds were seen from the other side of the tree in the shrubbery at the intersection of the road and the path. I was looking roughly west with the sun nearly at my back. Just a great look. They flew (the two) across the road and I waited 15 minutes or so for them to return. I then went back to the car and circled around in the field on the other side of the road. There was a lot of activity and I just stood there waited about 100' west of where the first sighting (that's roughly 60' from the road). Eventually, a Connecticut sprang up to the west of me and offered a great look. Wade Stevens and I were at Bywater this morning in the same overall area and had two possible Connecticuts and one definite sightings. (What was missing in the possible sightings was a good look at the transition from breast to hood, due largely to obstructed view. Size, eye ring, coloring were all good as well as its low level activity.) Bill WILLIAM B SCHREITZ CABINETMAKER INC 1806 VIRGINIA STREET ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND 21041 cabmkrwbs@erols.com -----Original Message----- From: Stan Arnold To: MDOSPREY@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM Date: Saturday, September 30, 2000 5:58 PM Subject: Re: [MDOSPREY] Connecticut Warbler in Annapolis 9/28 >Multiple Connecticuts! Bill, can you give me very explicit instructions as >to where you saw them (by which hedgerow/tree/bush, etc. etc. etc.). I was >going to be out that way in the morning. Thanks. > >Stan > >-----Original Message----- >From: WILLIAM B. SCHREITZ >To: MDOSPREY@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM >Date: Saturday, September 30, 2000 9:27 AM >Subject: Re: [MDOSPREY] Connecticut Warbler in Annapolis 9/28 > > >>Hello, >> >>Following Marshall suggestion that Bywater Road would make excellent fall >>birding, I went there this morning a little after seven. I got three good >>looks, over a forty minute interval, of a total of three possibly four >>Connecticut Warblers. (It is possible that the last one I saw was one of >>the ones I saw earlier across the road.) There were all within 60' of the >>road , half way down the first field. A life bird for me! And three of >>them, no less! >> >>In addition to the regulars this morning, there were 20+ song sparrows, 3 >>white-throated sparrows, 1 bobolink, 1 winter wren, 3 magnolia warblers, 1 >>Northern parula, and 1 yellow-billed cuckoo. >> >>Bill >> >> >>WILLIAM B SCHREITZ CABINETMAKER INC >>1806 VIRGINIA STREET >>ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND 21041 >>cabmkrwbs@erols.com >>-----Original Message----- >>From: Marshall Iliff >>To: MDOSPREY@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM >>Date: Thursday, September 28, 2000 7:42 PM >>Subject: [MDOSPREY] Connecticut Warbler in Annapolis 9/28 >> >> >>>Hi all, >>> >>>Taking some of Jim's wisdom to heart, I set out this morning on a >>>shop-till-I-drop, no sleep till Brooklyn, search for my Anne Arundel, >year, >>>and yard Connecticut. The areas surrounding my house are mostly overgrown >>>fields reverting to woodland, so the habitat is perfect. That I haven't >>had >>>one here yet was only a product of too much time in school in the falls >and >>>too much time running around to other parts of MD once I got a license. >>>Actually, I have had two "probable" Connecticuts here over the years - the >>>first was listed as my lifer Mourning for a while, and the second one was >>>just too brief a look. Both were at the perfect time of year in perfect >>>habitat, and have always pained me. >>> >>>Starting at about 8:30, I walked every field and hedgerow on our property, >>>and played judicious screech-owl tape at every stop. After tapping out >the >>>possibilities in my true yard, I wandered off property a bit to a favorite >>>stream valley (where I had seen my lifer "Mourning"). No dice. Finally, >I >>>worked my way over to the Bywater Rd. fields, home of the famous Lark >>Sparrow >>>from the winter. Last December, while walking those fields with Gail >>>Mackiernan and Barry Cooper, Gail remarked that they looked like a great >>>place for a Connecticut. On my third stop there I heard and immediately >>>recognized the chip, and was soon enjoying a very confiding (and very >>>aggravated) Connecticut Warbler. It chipping and excitedly hopped around >>for >>>about 3-4 minutes. >>> >>>The habitat was an overgrown open field with no canopy layer. The bird >was >>>in a small island of wild cherry trees (3) with large pokeberries and >>>blackberry bushes beneath them. Other bird sincluded 2 House Wrens, a >>>yellowthroat, and several cardinals. >>> >>>I had a tape recorder along and made a recording of the chip note, which >>the >>>bird gave c. 15x on tape. There is a lot of background noise, so the >>quality >>>of the tape is not great, but learning this chip will be very useful for >>>those hoping to find a Connecticut in MD. To me it does sound similar to >>an >>>empid (Least/Willow) "whit" note, but is not nearly so abrupt. It is far >>>more liquid, with a softer introduction and ending, better verbalized as >>>"quep". It sound slike no other warbler that I am familiar with, and >quite >>>different from yellowthroat, Mourning, and MacGillivray's, all of which >>might >>>be confused with a Connecticut, especially if they are behaving typically >>and >>>skulking in the brush giving only brief views. I don't have any resources >>to >>>put the recording online, but if anyone does I could perhaps send a copy >of >>>the tape. >>> >>>...Y2K is #309 and counting... >>> >>>This was otherwise a pretty dull day for migrants. Approximate numbers >>were >>>3 redstarts, 2 Black-and-whites, 1 Blackpoll, 1 Pine, 8 Magnolia, and 10 >>>yellowthroats. This afternoon, starting about 3:30 p.m., I noticed a >>>significant goose flight overhead, and counted about 15 flocks totaling >250 >>>birds or so. The largest group contained 89. More exciting, the first >>group >>>(45) included one small individual, presumably _hutchinsii_, which was a >>>first for my yard and perhaps the earliest ever for MD. Despite perfect >>sky >>>conditions, I saw NO hawks, even high, except for one kettle of 45 >>>Broad-wingeds that passed low overhead, a high count for my yard. There >>were >>>lots of gulls milling about at the limit of vision though... >>> >>>Best, >>> >>>Marshall Iliff >>>miliff@aol.com >>> >>>======================================================================= >>>To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com >>>with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey >>>======================================================================= >>> >> >>======================================================================= >>To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com >>with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey >>======================================================================= >> > >======================================================================= >To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com >with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey >======================================================================= ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================