Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2001 21:45:16 EDT Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Mark Hoffman Subject: Re: Eastern Shore birds 2 Apr 2001 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit WC birders -- It always concerns me with Marshall ventures out on limb regarding the status of this or that in Worcester County. Despite my own dethroning, I still try to look out for the little guy... His latest pronouncement was as follows: > West Ocean City Pond: 1 adult YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON > I did more birding in Worcester County last year than ever before, and failed > to see Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, which is a relatively unusual bird for > Worcester County (I had seen only one previously). Perhaps that bird will > stick around - it was roosting in the willows at the south end of the pond. Nice that Marshall uses solely his own field experience in assessing regional bird distribution and abundance. I'm having a flashback to several recent issues of North American Birds ... :) Actually, the statement requires no correction. YCNHs (see if you folks with mind-blocks on 4-letter codes can figure this one out) are indeed uncommon in Worcester. I could not help but query the data base, and it spit out 46 or so prior records. Most in the OC area, particularly the West OC Pond, or on Assateague (particularly in fall). For those interested in trivia, the "sorted" details follow. More significant re. Marshall's observation is that it shatters the county's existing spring arrival record (sigh, my own, of 4/23). Another one bites the dust. Given the species' habit of returning to breeding areas in late-March, however, it is good to finally get an early April record. Good birding, Mark Hoffman Sykesville, MD Mhoff36100@aol.com P.S. If anyone was wondering, the annual Worcester "better the existing record arrival date" gnatcatcher quest was aborted this year due to the very cold and rainy weather during the last week of March, particularly just prior to the 3/27 target date. I'll have to wait until next year ... ---------Worcester County Records of Yellow-crowned Night Heron------------------- YCNH 04/23/1992 WOCPOND 2 ad. (MLH) (MB 48:86 Unpub. Obs.) 1430:1500. YCNH 04/24/1992 WOCPOND 1 ad. (MLH) (Unpub. Obs.) 1000:1035. YCNH 05/01/1955 WESTOC 2 (Unknown) (AN 11:33) YCNH 05/04/1963 WC 2 (MOS May Count, Davis, E. G., DuMont, P. A., Meade, G. A., Scheider, F. G., et al.) 50 obs., 3 parties. (MB 19:27-34) YCNH 05/04/1957 WC 3 "OC, P. Swamp, S. Point, WC". (MOS May Count, DuMont, P. A., Sutton, H. A., et al.) 7 obs., 1-2 parties. (MB 13:27-34, 44) YCNH 05/05/1956 OC 4 MB "OC, Pocomoke, S. Point, WC". (MOS May Count, DuMont, P. A., Sutton, H. A., ASDC Field Trip) 19 obs., 1-2 parties. AN cites no obs. (MB 12:49-56 AN 12:36) YCNH 05/08/1965 WC 1 "OC area, PSF and Assawomen". (ANS May Count, MOS Convention) (AN 20:220-224) YCNH 05/08/1971 WC 1 "WC, inc. OC, PSWAMP/N, offshore boat, AI". (ANS May Count, MOS Convention) (AN 26:115-124) YCNH 05/09/1964 WC 1 "OC to PSF and Assawomen". (ANS May Count, MOS Convention) (AN 19:251-255) YCNH 05/09/1970 WC 1 "OC, PSWAMP, Assawomen". (ANS May Count, MOS Convention) (AN 25:122-131) YCNH 05/10/1975 OC 1 MLH "along RT. 90 causeway in OC". (MLH, ANS May Count, MOS Convention) AN cites MOS Convention. (AN 30:119-127 Unpub. Obs.) AN "WC inc. OC, AI/NE and I. Grove". YCNH 05/11/1968 WC 1 "OC area and Assawomen". PSWAMP also. (ANS May Count, MOS Convention) (AN 23:158-162) YCNH 05/13/1972 WC 1 "WC, OC, PSWAMP". (ANS May Count, MOS Convention) (AN 27:118-127) YCNH 05/14/1988 WC 1 (MOS May Count) 9 obs., 4 parties, inc. M.& P. O'Brien, Vaughn, Woods. (MB 44:41-55) YCNH 05/??/1935 PRIVER 1 No date, "spring" assume 1935. "camp 7 m. W of Berlin along P. River". "found old nest". ID? (Seibert, H. C., et al.) (Seibert 1935 H&K47 cites w/out details.) S35 "ran across old nest of YCNH and as we were returning saw 1". YCNH 06/??/???? AI 1 No #. ad. Possible breeding sites. (Stewart and Robbins) (Stewart and Robbins 1958) "scatted obs. of ad. during breeding season". YCNH 06/??/198? B/NINEP/SW 1 No #. No date, BBA conducted breeding seasons 1983-87. BBA Code O. (Breeding Bird Atlas) (BBA Robbins and Blom 1996) BBA Block # 2095, BBA Species # 091. YCNH 06/??/1947 MILLSISL 1 pair, at least. No date, "breeding season". "nesting not confirmed." (Stewart and Robbins) (Stewart and Robbins 1958) YCNH 06/??/1946 MILLSISL 1 pair, at least. S&R58 no date, "1946". S&R47 "south end of island". S&R47"at least1 pair nesting". (Stewart and Robbins) (Stewart and Robbins 1958) YCNH 06/??/???? PRIVER 1 No #. ad. Possible breeding sites. (Stewart and Robbins) (Stewart and Robbins 1958) "scatted obs. of ad. during breeding season". YCNH 06/??/???? WESTOC 2 to 5 adults. "in recent years" (before 1958). prob. nesting in vicinity". (Stewart and Robbins) (Stewart and Robbins 1958) "observed repeatedly during breeding season". YCNH 07/08/1951 WESTOC 2 ad. "West OC flats". (Stewart, R. E.) (PCF) YCNH 07/09/1996 VAUGHWMA 3 to 4. (Jenion, S.) (MB 53:88) YCNH 07/13/1946 AI 1 ad. "on AI, 9 m. S of OC". (Robbins, C. S., Stewart, R. E.) S&R47 cites no obs. Infer obs. (Stewart and Robbins 1947) YCNH 07/16/1980 AI/NE 1 imm. MB "AI". (MLH) (MB 36:142 Unpub. Obs.) 0850:1945. YCNH 07/26/1947 OC 1 (Emerson, G., Robbins, C. S., Stewart, R. E.) (MB 3:48) YCNH 07/26/1952 WESTOC 1 (Unknown) (AN 8:37) YCNH 08/07/1957 OC 4 (Unknown) (AN 13:40) YCNH 08/08/1992 WESTOC 1 2nd y. (MLH, O'Brien, M., Walbeck, D., et al.) MB cites MLH. (MB 49:18 Unpub. Obs.) YCNH 08/12/1962 OC 4 (Unknown) (AN 18:34) YCNH 08/12/1994 WOCPOND 1 imm. (MLH, O'Brien, M.) (MB 52:56 FN 49:31 Unpub. Obs.) FN "only report". YCNH 08/13/1980 AI/NE 2 (MLH) (Unpub. Obs.) 0645:1830. YCNH 08/14/1993 WOCPOND 1 imm. (MLH, O'Brien, M., et al.) (Unpub. Obs.) YCNH 08/22/1948 OC 7 S&R58 maximum nonbreeding count. 5 imm., 2 ad. (Low, S. H., Springer, P. F., ASDC Field Trip) (WT 4:23, 37 Stewart and Robbins 1958 ASDC Field Trip Reports.) YCNH 08/23/1980 OC 1 Talbot St., flats, 94th & 120th Sts. (MLH) (Unpub. Obs.) 0730:1000. YCNH 08/26/1972 SOUTHPT 1 (DuMont, P. G.) (MB 28:152) YCNH 08/31/1945 GRTBAYPT 1 imm. "Great Bay Point on Chincoteague Bay". (Stewart, R. E.) (PCF) YCNH 09/04/1992 AI/HUN 1 juv. (MLH) (MB 49:18 Unpub. Obs.) 1548:1700. YCNH 09/04/1948 OC 4 S&R58 maximum nonbreeding counts. (Stewart and Robbins) (Stewart and Robbins 1958) YCNH 09/06/1993 AI/BS 1 imm. (MLH) (MB 51:65 Unpub. Obs.) Observed 09/06-12/1993. 0630:0745. YCNH 09/09/1950 WESTOC 2 (Low, S. H., Robbins, C. S., et al.) (WT 6:71) "only report". YCNH 09/11/1993 AI/BS 1 imm. (MLH, O'Brien, J., O'Brien, M.) (Unpub. Obs.) 0630:0910. YCNH 09/12/1993 AI/BS 1 imm. (MLH, Davidson, L. M., Wierenga, H. L.) (MB 51:65 Unpub. Obs.) Photos. Observed 09/06-12/1993. 0615:1130. YCNH 09/27/1964 OC 3 (Baker, S. S.) (AN 20:39) YCNH 10/01/1980 WC 1 DDT. (Unknown) (MB 37:21) YCNH 10/13/1990 WOCPOND 1 imm. "latest". (O'Brien, M.) (MB 47:7) ---------------------------------- ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================