Date:         Tue, 20 Feb 2001 21:37:48 -0500
Reply-To:     Maryland Birds & Birding <MDOSPREY@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM>
Sender:       Maryland Birds & Birding <MDOSPREY@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM>
From:         Mike Callahan <raptorsrule@JUNO.COM>
Subject:      Re: Mergs, phrags & seals
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Hi Harry,

I am curious about your reasons for your recent comments and discussions
on the introduced species in the Bay region.  Are they to get people
thinking about what is wrong with introduction of nonnative wildlife and
plant species, to say it is ok to keep allow them to continue to thrive,
or what?   What is the food value of phrag to wildlife?  Wouldn't native
plants do the same thing for roosting?  Just curious.

Naturally,
Mike Callahan
Laurel
Howard County, MD

On Tue, 20 Feb 2001 20:22:32 -0500 Henry Armistead
<74077.3176@COMPUSERVE.COM> writes:
> Common Mergansers.  Back on Feb. 8 I reported here 415+ at
> Blackwater.
> Looking at the CBC's for S. Dorchester County over the years the
> highs have
> been 166 in 1959, 155 in 1995, 98 in 1997, and 88 in 1960 with but
> 12 this
> past December.  Perhaps these mergs were leftovers from those frozen
> out
> from the Great Lakes or other areas farther north from here during
> the big
> Dec.-Jan. freeze.  415 would be no great shakes on the Susquehanna
> but on
> the lower Shore that's a lotta goosanders.
>
> www.birdsource.org.  Apologies to those who use it already but this
> site
> provides access to the massive Christmas count database (and much
> more).  A
> great resource.  Over 1,500 CBC's from this past season are already
> on it.
> It provides 15-year spreadsheets (you determine which years you
> want) for
> the counts starting at year one.  In this way I was able to quickly
> determine the Common Merg. counts cited above.
>
> Phragmites.  With reference to my previous post ... a few more
> thoughts.
> Back in the late 1960's the passerine banders north of Ocean City
> used to
> occasionally go the phrag beds in West O.C. to net Bobolinks, which
> roosted
> there in these reeds.  Several times they netted some Dickcissels
> that were
> in there with them.  Bobolinks also roost by the 1,000's (sometimes
> tens of
> 1,000's) in the phrag reed beds at Oyster, Virginia, in late summer
> along
> with starlings, red-wings, and grackles (and we all know how much
> THEY need
> a break) plus some kingbirds.  Later in late Sept., Oct., and early
> Nov.
> Tree Swallows roost here.  Often one sees Barn Swallows clustered in
> the
> phrags at various places.  So ... they're good for all this, too.
>
> Harbor Seals.  Nice to hear about the Ocean City one.  This has been
> a good
> winter for seal sightings.  I saw one at Eastern Shore of VA N.W.R.
> on Dec.
> 30.  Others had them on C.B.B.T.  Unfortunately there have been
> quite a few
> strandings of sick animals also.
>
> Best to all.-Harry Armistead, 523 E. Durham St., Philadelphia, PA
> 19119.
> 215-248-4120.
>
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