Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2001 15:17:14 EDT Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Marshall Iliff Subject: Birding ideas for early April MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi all, Gail has pointed out that April is a great time to go gulling, and Matt Hafner's recent report from the Susquehanna River should highlight that and the fact that this is prime time for Eared Grebes. Overall this is a great ti e of year to bird bayside locations, the larger rivers (Potomac, Susquehanna), and inland reservoirs, as a lot of birds are on the move. The Eastern Shore is one of my favorite birding areas and two other things to look for are TEAL and RUFFS, both of which are especially likely on the Eastern Shore. Green-winged and Blue-winged Teal are really on the move right now and this is prime time to look for three rarer species: Common (Eurasian Green-winged), Cinnamon, and Garganey. All three species are easiest to find in spring, in part because they are migrating north with the other teal species and prone to displacement, but also because the males are in good plumage. I expect Cinnamon Teal (at least) is more likely in fall but the males are in eclipse plumage through October and thus very hard to pick out. So check all you teal flocks carefully and you might consider having a "Teal Day" in which you seek out flocks of teal to look over for rarer species. Maryland has about 25 reports of Common Teal, which has not yet been split by the AOU, though the British Committee splits it from Green-winged Teal. Most agree that this split is a near certainty in the near future. Other than a few returning wintering birds, most birds have appeared during this March-April Green-winged Teal peak. I have been looking intensely for these birds over the past 4 years, and have found them 18 Mar 1998 at E.A. Vaughn, 30 Mar 1999 at Blackwater, and 20 Dec 2000 w/ Matt Hafner at E.A. Vaughn. I am certain these are annual in the state and not hard to find if you are attentive to Green-winged Teal flocks. In addition to the presence of the horizontal stripe on the scapulars, be sure to note the LACK of the vertical bar on the chest, as well as the bolder face pattern, stronger flank vermiculations, and different rump pattern, all shown well in The Sibley Guide to Birds. Maryland only has 2-3 Cinnamon Teal reports during this period, but New Jersey is currently hosting one that is inciting some debate on origin. A Cinnamon Teal will most likely be associating with Blue-winged Teal. Maryland has one old Garganey report from early May. At the time it was dismissed as a certain escapee, but now the prevailing opinion is that most Garganeys in the USA are in fact wild birds. Garganey may be more likely a little later in the season (late April to mid-May), and some recent East Coast records have come in June. Still, be attentive to Blue-winged Teal flocks. A male Garganey is pretty obvious! If you should be lucky enough to find either a Cinnamon Teal or a Garganey, be sure to try to assess its likelihood of being a wild bird. Is it banded? Is it wary? What species is it associating with (Blue-winged Teal would be good, farm pond Mallards would be troubling). Also try to note whether the hind toe (halux) is present - often waterfowl collectors clip this off. Only a few areas in the state regularly host large numbers of teal, including Blackwater NWR, Elliot Island, Jug Bay, Tanyard (Rte. 331 crossing of Choptank River) and E.A. Vaughn WMA. Small flocks of teal can drop in anywhere though, and you might check Deal Island WMA, Eastern Neck NWR, Courthouse Point, Point Lookout area, Hughes Hollow, Lilypons etc... A Common Teal in 1996 was with 8 Green-winged Teal at the small marsh in North Beach! ****************************************************************************** ******************** This is also a great time to search for Ruffs among yellowlegs flocks. There are rain puddles all over the Eastern Shore right now and cruising the back roads of Queen Anne's and Caroline counties is a great way to encounter good yellowlegs/ruff habitat. Blackwater, Jug Bay, and Tanyard are all great freshwater marsh areas that have had Ruffs in the past and afford great habitat. At Tanyard yesterday I had over 130 yellowlegs in prime Ruff habitat - this spot should be checked by anyone else headed to the shore. Black-necked Stilts should be arriving back two - Caroline County's first ones were at Tanyard in April 1999. 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 ======================================================================= =========================================================================