Date: Mon, 23 Sep 2002 11:28:56 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Henry Armistead <74077.3176@COMPUSERVE.COM> Subject: Dorchester County Sept. 21-22 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline Before we get started, if anyone is considering going to Kiptopeke State Park, VA (Cape Charles area) soon, the Eastern Shore of Virginia Birding Festival is going to be Friday through Sunday, October 4-6. This can be good or bad depending on one's persuasions. 8th Dorchester County, MD, fall bird count, September 21, 2002. 5 A.M. - 7:45 P.M. 148 mi. by car. 4 by foot. 69 - 90F. clear. SW 10-20 mph. full moon. 98 species (106-133; numbers in parentheses here and below show the range of the 7 previous counts, all held on the 3rd Sat. of September). Eared Grebe 1 (at Hurlock; one also seen in 2000). Snow Goose 2 (unhealthy, over-summering birds at Hurlock). Mute Swan 420 (7-285 with higher numbers each successive year). Northern Shoveler 86 (mostly at Hurlock; 3-129). Green-winged Teal 1,975 (most were just east of the 335 bridge over the Blackwater River, where there is a nice new pullout with room for 12 or more cars; 130-675). Ruddy Duck 13 (0-15; at Hurlock). Osprey 4 (4-11; curiously scarce at this time of year). Bald Eagle 23 (21-35). American Kestrel 3 (5-22; 88th species of the day). Clapper Rail 5 (4-8). Common Moorhen 2 (at the "Moorhen spot", Elliott I. Rd.; 0-18). Pectoral Sandpiper 11 (mostly at Hurlock; 1-31). Bonaparte's Gull 1 (at Hurlock; new to the cumulative list; well-seen at very close range; cume list now at 178). Royal Tern 44 (7-40). Forster's Tern 158 (65-210). Mourning Dove 118 (12-45). Eastern Screech-Owl 6 (2-7). Whip-poor-will 1 (last species of the day, calling repeatedly at the same stop where 2 Great Horned Owls were calling also, Elliott I. Rd.; 2 whips were calling at this spot in 1998). Horned Lark 3 (juveniles; 0-6). Brown-headed Nuthatch 16 (all on Hooper's Island; 0-11)). Marsh Wren 1 (call notes and then sang twice). all of 4 species of warblers. Red-winged Blackbird 24 (55-875). Singletons (one of each, selected to show the fickleness of this time of year): Tricolored Heron (0-31). Black Vulture (1-14). Virginia Rail (3-13). Semipalmated Sandpiper (0-36). Ruby-throated Hummingbird (0-3). Pileated Woodpecker (0-2). Eastern Towhee (0-4). Chipping Sparrow (0-10). Seaside Sparrow (1-7; as in winter can sometimes be attracted into view by spishing). Blue Grosbeak (0-2). Boat-tailed Grackle (0-18). Common Grackle (0-500; 86th species of the day). Brown-headed Cowbird (2-145). Interesting misses: Laura Dern. Wood Duck (1-61). Sharp-shinned Hawk (8-36). flycatchers of any species (2-4 species in other years). Song Sparrow (0-2). Eastern Meadowlark (0-6). Archaeopteryx. Hepatic-phase, alternate-pelaged, second-year female Vermiculated Wampus-Cat. A very hot, buggy day preceded by several days of adverse winds with very high tides, very low water in the impoundments, and not a cloud in the sky, all of which worked to the disadvantage of getting a good count, in spite of starting earlier and driving and walking farther than ever before. Or ... maybe I'm just loosing it. One of my more frustrating, disappointing days afield. Route: Hooper's I. in the A.M. Blackwater N.W.R. in late A.M.-early P.M. Hurlock Wastewater Treatment Plant (land of the sky-blue waters) in mid-afternoon. Elliott Island Road the rest of the day. Also: a Mud Turtle, 16 Cloudless (Giant) Sulphurs, 8 Monarchs, lots of dead roadkill snakes, 1 Delmarva Fox Squirrel at Hooper's I. (Swan Harbor Rd.) & 2 at Blackwater N.W.R. (plus a roadkill one I donated to the refuge Visitor Center). On MDOSPREY there has previously been some discussion as to what turtle species frequent Hurlock; today I found a large, dead Red-bellied Turtle here, its shell a good foot long. Sept. 22, Sun. Blackwater N.W.R., 8 A.M. - Noon. Shirley Bailey, Liz A. and myself plus 13 others for the birdwalk. This congenial group was happy when we induced a screech-owl to call and to see 3 Brown-headed Nuthatches. Not much but interesting to see 9 kestrels along Egypt Rd. (where I saw none yesterday) and 22 bluebirds (yesterday's count all over the county only found 12). Only about half the Green-winged Teal seen yesterday still present. Found another roadkill Fox Squirrel at exactly the same spot as yesterday (Key Wallace Drive X entrance driveway to the new refuge HQ); I wish they would consider speed bumps and a few speed limit signs instead of none). George A. and I found 3 roadkill Fox Squirrels in one day in this area a few years ago. "Rigby's Folly", Armistead property on Ferry Neck, Talbot County, MD, near Bellevue. 1 Caspian Tern, 1 American Black Duck. Took a refreshing swim in the cove after getting all grimy and hot from chainsawing. Not a Sea Nettle in sight and the water so clear, clean, cool and deep in the high tide. Liz spent most of the weekend relaxing at Rigby as well as going over materials for 2 conferences she'll attend in late September, one in Washington, D.C and one in Philadelphia at Centennial Hall. Today, Sept. 23, at our Philadelphia place a Gray Squirrel, from its perch in a lilac bush, scolded a house cat, then came down and charged it, at which point the cat retreated some. Squirrel returns to bush, scolds some more, then charges the full-sized cat again and the cat runs away. Never seen THAT before. I've known several cats that would catch and eat squirrels with some regularity. What's next today, man bites dog? Bloodsworth Island postscript. Kyle Rambo sent me a message recently saying the crew of 38 people (plus numerous others who lent support on shore) over the 4 days Sept. 9-12 successfully completed their project of building and erecting 49 Great Blue Heron nesting poles and repaired 26 or so older ones already in place. There are now 75 poles, each with a capacity for 4 GBH nests. I think the folks at Patuxent Naval Air Station, assisted by various others as well, did a great job. Kyle says they also came in under budget. Furthermore, they accomplished this even though they could not boat to the island one of these days due to high winds. Best to all.-Harry Armistead, 523 E. Durham St., Philadelphia, PA 19119-1225. 215-248-4120. 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