Date: Mon, 17 Sep 2001 21:04:31 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding <MDOSPREY@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM> Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding <MDOSPREY@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM> From: Joe & Carol McDaniel <jrmcdaniel@HOME.COM> Subject: Re: Fall Count -- Soldiers Delight 9/15 AM Comments: cc: Debbie Terry <gt5s@EROLS.COM>, rick@blazie.net MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Oops -- I was cutting and pasting and selected the wrong Chickadee. Should have been Carolina. I have seen a couple of Black-Capped (admittedly based on song and apparent size) over the last couple of years. The Red-breasted Nuthatches are in great quantities this year and very early so it may be a good year for the Black-capped chickadees, too. I also realize that I left out 23 Goldfinch in my listing. Joe ----- Original Message ----- From: "rick@blazie.net" <rick@BLAZIE.NET> To: <MDOSPREY@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM> Sent: Monday, September 17, 2001 8:29 AM Subject: Re: [MDOSPREY] Fall Count -- Soldiers Delight 9/15 AM > I am interested in more information on the report of 26 Black-capped > Chickadees from Soldiers Delight in Baltimore County (see below). The > occurence of 26 Black-cappeds would certainly be exceptional. The only > chickadees that breed in Baltimore County are Carolinas and Black-cappeds > only occur in invasion years. There has not been an invasion in at least 10 > years. It would also be, I suspect, the first time ever that Black-cappeds > outnumbered Carolinas (7 reported) in the county because even in the biggest > invasion years they are far less numerous than Carolinas. > In years when Black-cappeds invade they are typically not found before > November in most of Maryland and certainly not in Baltimore County. > September records in this part of the state would be extraordinary. > Separating the two can be extremely difficult. Song is not reliable. > Both species regularly sing two, three, and four note songs. The only > plumage character that is reasonably reliable is the presence of strong > white edgings on the greater coverts of Black-cappeds but in fresh fall > plumage Carolinas can show grey edgings and caution and experience with both > species in this season is important in recognizing the difference. All other > reported plumage differences are subject to considerable overlap and may be > suggestive but are not diagnostic. > Even in invasion years, when measurments by banders can be used to > confirm the presence of Black-cappeds, most observers are compelled to list > some birds as chickadee sp. because field identification is not always > possible. The problem is exacerbated by the presence of hybrids in the > overlap zones. The overlap zone in Maryland is primarily in western > Washington County. The only Black-cappeds that are known to occur east of > there is a very small population at the highest elevations of the Catoctin > Mountains. There is as yet no evidence that hybrids ever migrate or invade. > Hybrids are absolutely not identifiable in the field and certainty requires > genetic comparison. > > > > Eirik A.T. Blom > 4318 Cowan Place > Belcamp, Md 21017 > 410-575-6086 > rick@blazie.net > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Joe & Carol McDaniel" <jrmcdaniel@HOME.COM> > To: <MDOSPREY@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM> > Sent: Saturday, September 15, 2001 1:13 PM > Subject: [MDOSPREY] Fall Count -- Soldiers Delight 9/15 AM > > > > Weather: Started at about 45 at 8 AM and probably 55 to 60 at 10 am. > > Windy/Gusty. Sky clear and sunny. > > > > Duration: Started at 7:50, ended at 10:20AM. Covered about 3 miles of > scrub, > > grass, and mixed deciduous/coniferous forest. > > > > Location: Soldiers Delight, Baltimore County, Eastern Section (closer to > > Owings Mills New Town) > > > > Observers: Joe and Carol McDaniel > > > > Turkey Vulture 1 > > Canada Goose 5 > > Northern Harrier 1 > > Red-Bellied Woodpecker 3 > > Downy Woodpecker 1 > > Northern Flicker 5 > > Eastern Wood-Pewee 1 > > Eastern Phoebe 1 > > Blue Jay 9 > > American Crow 16 > > Carolina Chickadee 7 > > Black-capped Chickadee 26 > > Tufted Titmouse 3 > > Red-breasted Nuthatch 3 > > White-breasted Nuthatch 5 > > House Wren 3 > > American Robin 6 > > Gray Catbird 2 > > Black-throated Blue Warbler 2 > > Pine Warbler 3 > > Eastern Towhee 3 > > Northern Cardinal 1 > > House Finch 2 > > > > Oddly missing -- Eastern Bluebird. Heard a Scarlet Tanager yesterday. > > Black-throated Blue and Harrier were new birds for me in SD. > > > > ======================================================================= > > 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 ======================================================================= =========================================================================