Date: Sun, 13 May 2001 07:53:36 EDT Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Gail Mackiernan Subject: May Count @ Rock Creek DC Hi all -- Barry and I did the May Count at Rock Creek Park, DC, this year (missing Sligo Park for first time in a decade). It was, unfortunately, pretty mediocre although a nice variety was seen/heard, some strange misses and one intriguing bird seen: We only recorded 59 species (!) which is very low for this area and low compared to all my May Count data from a similar habitat. The weather was deteriorating as the morning wore on -- wind coming around to North and getting both hot and breezy -- so it shut down quickly as well. No raptors, not even any of the usual Rock Doves flying around from the nearby neighborhood nor any sign of diurnal migration (swifts, jays, etc.) This seems to have slowed down rather abruptly this spring. 4 We recorded 15 species of warbler, two contributed by other birders: Yellow- rumped (21 -- at last they are leaving!), Ovenbird (9), Parula (4), Blackpoll (4), Black-throated Blue (4), Redstart (5), Black-and-White (2), Wormeating (1), Magnolia (5), Black-throated Green (2), Northern Waterthrush (1), Kentucky (1), Chestnut-sided (2), Yellowthroat (3), Canada (1). Vireos included lots of Red-eyed (27), Yellow-throated (1-- at nest). Wood Thrush (11) Veery (1), Gray-cheeked/Bicknell's (1) (more on this later). Wood-Pewee (2), Acadian Flyactcher (2), Great Crested Flycatcher (3), Eastern Kingbird (2). Scalet tanager (9), Cedar Waxwing (150 -- down quite a bit since Wednesday), White-throated Sparrow (1 -- last of the crew?), Indigo Bunting (4), Eastern Bluebird (2 - breeding). NO Orioles, Cuckoos or Grosbeaks. As to the Gray-cheeked Thrush -- it showed certain characteristics of Bicknell's as related in the recent article by Alvaro Jaramillo in Birding -- most particularly, a very short wing point which did not reach to the end of the undertail coverts, and which appeared shorter than the tertial extension, lower mandible orange-yellow and extending well to the tip, that is from below the bill looked orange with a small black tip, warm tones to back, wings and tail (in sun), strong malar stripe and a flat uniform cheek (not with faint streaking). BUT (and it is a large but...) it did not call and Jaramillo's article emphasizes the difficulty of separating these two species except in the hand (and even then characteristics seem to overlap) and by song or call. So who knows...? We are taking a rest today and will hit the woods again on Monday! Hope everyone had a good May Count! Cheers, Gail Mackiernan and Barry Cooper Colesville, MD ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================