Date: Mon, 15 Apr 2002 09:23:06 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Henry Armistead <74077.3176@COMPUSERVE.COM> Subject: Ferry Neck April 13-14 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline "Rigby's Folly", Armistead property on Ferry Neck, Talbot County, MD, near Bellevue. Apr. 12, 2002, Fri., 9:30 P.M. Big chorus of Fowler's Toads, Spring Peepers and S. Leopard Frogs on our arrival. Before that peepers and chorus frogs calling at the intersection of 329 & 33 east of Royal Oak, a favored froggie locale. April 13, Sat. Overcast, 61-73 degrees, wind SW-S-SE & 5-10-5 mph variously. warmish. pretty day. 53 species. 2 gannets. 1 ad. Bald Eagle carrying an eel. 2 ad. breeding plumage Bonaparte's Gulls. 1 Slate-colored Junco. Caught (bare hands!) a 6-foot Black Rat Snake next to the back porch (record here is 6' 2.5"). Several Spring Azures in the woods. Numerous Winter Jellyfish around the dock. 8 deer (does), 5 Gray Squirrels. Lots of Green Frogs seen at a small pond. Truly tremendous chorus of toads after sunset. Apr. 14, Sun. Clear becoming fair, 63-82 degrees, wind SW 5-calm-15 mph variously. Nice, warm spring day. 48 species. 30 Horned Grebes (way offshore). 7 adult gannets (plunge-diving). 1 Great Egret. 2035 Surf Scoters (muchos skunkheados but in the past there have been mid or early April estimates such as 2560 on April 13, 1990; 2250 on April 15, 1990; 1710 on April 3, 1999). 170 Buffleheads. 6 active Osprey nests in sight from our shoreline, fun to watch adults descending into little wooded areas to snatch sticks for nesting material; the several birds I saw with fish this weekend had really small catches). 2 ad. Bald Eagles, one of which descended into our big field to gather sorghum stalks, then headed off toward the nest. Also today: A River Otter cruising along in the middle of Irish Creek a quarter of a mile from shore, only about the 8th time I've seen otters here. A Mourning Cloak. Numerous Sea Walnuts plus Winter Jellyfish around the dock. Saw the 6 foot rat snake again plus a 2.5 foot water snake swimming in the cove (missing a couple of inches of its tail). As with the previous weekend the total absence of diving birds (except a few loons), esp. scaup and grebes, from Irish Creek is puzzling and disturbing. All of the diving birds today were well offshore and only visible due to the glassy conditions (e.g., yesterday when it has hazy out in the Choptank and not so calm I saw but 11 Surf Scoters and 35 Buffleheads vs. 2035 and 170 respectively today with the 32X scope). Only one Red-breasted Merganser this weekend, also a little unsettling. Loblolly Pine pollen all over the place, coating everything in the house. This weekend George A. saw a female King Eider on Sat. at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, discovered by Ned Brinkley earlier in the day. On Sun. he was in the southern Pocomoke Swamp, MD, and saw a Prothonotary Warbler. Singing Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Black-and-white and Yellow-throated Warblers were also present. He and Ned found a baby Red-bellied Turtle at Chincoteague on Sun. (size of 50 cent piece) and saw Piping Plovers displaying there. Best to all.-Harry Armistead, 523 E. Durham St., Philadelphia, PA 19119-1225. 215-248-4120. Please, any off-list replies to: harryarmistead@hotmail.com ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================