Date: Wed, 5 Jun 2002 17:19:45 EDT Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Marshall Iliff Subject: Garrett County 19-22 May 2002 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit MDOspreyers, I spent Sunday, 19 May, through Wednesday, 22 May, birding Garrett County Maryland. I was mostly scouting for a 22 May run at the MD Big Day record (summary report to follow soon) but also did some exploratory birding. The weather was intermittently rainy and cold Cold COLD!!! the entire time, with snow, sleet, and ice all observed for the week. On Monday morning there was about 0.5" of snow out towards Cranesville Swamp. Birding highlights included: **MIGRANTS** * 4 BLACK TERNS at Deep Creek Lake 19 May, with three still there 20 May, two still there 21-22 May * 2 second-year BONAPARTE'S GULLS on Deep Creek Lake 19 May. * 6 _Sterna_ sp., probably Common (or Arctic) on Deep Creek Lake 21 May, seen very briefly * one adult LITTLE-BLUE HERON at Broadford Reservoir 19 May. This is a super rare bird for Garrett County. * An excellent migrant pocket at Broadford Reservoir had one Tennessee and one Bay-breasted 19 May, along with 40+ Myrtles, 3 Blackburnians, 3 Magnolias, 6 Blackpolls, 2 Black-throated Greens, and 2 Yellows. One 21 May the same birds were still present with perhaps 8 Blackpolls, 1 Northern Parula, 2 Northern Waterthrushes, 2 Bay-breasteds, and 2 Tennessees. On 22 May, with the help of my Big Day team the same migrant area produced the above plus one Nashville, one YELLOw-BELLIED FLYCATCHER, one Lincoln's Sparrow, 5 (!) Bay-breasteds, and several others, through Myrtles had dropped off to 10 and Blackpolls to 4. Note that all the listed warblers (except Yellow) do NOT breed at Broadford Reservoir though they breed nearby. I did not get the impression that the Yellows were breeders. The birds were clearly concentrated in warm, low, wet areas along the lake where bug activity was presumably higher and where the warblers were clearly concentrating in the cold weather. The cold and north winds and rain clearly kept the migrants grounded in the area. * 7 late White-crowned Sparrows were at an area on Backbone Mt. 19-21 May and 2 were at Rocky Gap SP, Allegany County, 21-22 May, at least. * A PIED-BILLED GREBE on a Herrington Rd. pond 19-22 May (with the odd bison sculptures etc.), an AMERICAN COOT at McHenry 19-22 May, 5 RUDDY DUCKS at Meadow Lake (3 on 22 May) and 2 at Peat Moss Rd. lake 20 May were presumed to be nonbreeders. Double-crested Cormorants were in several locations. I had Least and Solitary Sandpipers on several dates, and on 19 May I had 1 DUNLIN and 12 SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS at Cranesville Swamp in an open field! ** BREEDERS** (or possible breeders) **** * I had no fewer than THREE singing SEDGE WRENS. One was singing at the Cranesville Rd. intersection in Lake Ford 20-22 May, one was off Blue Ribbon Road singing from a dry patch of tall grass in a low area below the airport 21 May, and another was at the Mosser Rd. crossing of Cherry Creek 22 May. * A singing WARBLING VIREO at Broadford Reservoir, at the gate you reach by going in the south entrance (closest to the dam), was hanging out in the shrubbery along the lakeshore. Go in the south entrance and go straight until you reach the gate (usually or always? locked) halfway to the ballfield. The vireo sings from the trees along the lakeshore from the building to the large patch of trees on the lakeshore to the north. This may have been part of the migrant fallout but was * I heard calling VIRGINIA RAILS at three locations: the bridge at Finzel (three birds, two close, one distant), the Accident-Bittinger Rd. portion of Cherry Creek glades, and the Mosser Rd. crossing of Cherry Creek. * A RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH remained at a small yard (with a few pines and spruces, possible breeding habitat) in the Pleasant Valley south of Oakland from 20-22 May. This would be a most unusual breeding area. * Off Cheeks Lane, a favorite area of mine near Swallow Falls, I found a Brown Creeper nest (photographed 5 June) and had a pair of RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES. I don't believe an active Red-breasted Nuthatch nest has ever been found in Maryland. * MYRTLE WARBLERS are uncommon but widespread breeders in Garrett, thoguh breeding eveidence in the county has only been obtained once. I predict a major change in the upcoming atlas. I had birds at the following sites: Roth Rock Rd. summit, Youghigheny Mountain Resort entrance (pair for 3rd straight yr) off Cranesville Rd., yards at Lake Ford off Cranesville Rd., northermost stream crossing off Snaggy Mt. Road... A couple other location I can't remember... * A female NORTHERN HARRIER hunting the fields at Aaron Run Rd. 19 May would be an unusual Garrett breeder. Another female was seen from Mason School Road in the Pleasant Valley, over towards the Blue Ribbon Rd. airport. on 20 May. * Of the regulars, 3 Upland Sandpipers, one Saw-whet Owl, numerous Henslow's Sparrows, and 3+ Mourning Warblers at their usual locations. Brown Creepers were at 4 locations, Golden-crowned Kinglets at 3 locations, and Pine Siskins at just 2 locations (Swallow Falls and Deep Creek Lake). Red-headed Woodpeckers were more common than ever in the Pleasant Valley, and I had them at at least 6 locations, the most unusual being Mayhew Inn Rd. 22 May. * A female HOODED MERGANSER at the same Herrington Rd. pond 20 May and two females at Broadford Res 22 May were not in appropriate breeding habitat but could be breeding nearby. * In Allegany County, a new HENSLOW'S SPARROW location is just below the dump site off Burning Mines Road. At least three birds were present along with 2 VESPER SPARROWS and several Grasshopper and Savannah Sparrows. In addtion the dump site is attractive to crows and seems reliable for Common Raven. When I was there I also had one FISH CROW surprsingly far west. Reach this site by taking exit 34 south from I-68, the going left on MD-55, immediately right then immediately left to go up Burning Mines Road. This intersection is marked Vale Summit in the Delorme (67 B4). ****************************************************************************** ******************* I still have yet to find a Nashville Warbler on territory in Garrett County, despite much looking. Just one American Kestrel. Strikingly scarce were Eastern Wood-Pewees and Acadian Flycatchers (too cold? both are in position here 5 Jun), Golden-winged Warbler (one location only, one other location 5 Jun), Canada Warbler, and Magnolia Warbler (I am accustomed to having this as one of the most common breeding warblers). Maple Glade and Snaggy Mountain Roads were nearly silent most of the times I drove them. My time in Garrett this year put me ahead of Jim Stasz in a county list for the first time ever (223 vs. 221) as I added Black Tern, Virginia Rail, Warbling Vireo, and Little Blue Heron, while on 22 May Jim and I both got Yellow-bellied Flycatcher and he caught up a bit with the continuing Black Terns. I don't expect to hold my lead long as I move to California within the next two weeks! I have undoubtedly forgotten a few notables, but hopefully not too many. For those of yhou visiting Garrett you may want to check up on some of these birds (especially the Sedge Wrens) for Atlas purposes. Best, Marshall Iliff *********************** 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 ======================================================================= =========================================================================