Date: Mon, 28 Oct 2002 10:46:27 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Henry Armistead <74077.3176@COMPUSERVE.COM> Subject: Oct. 26-27 Talbot & Dorchester 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. Oct. 26-27, 2002, Harry & Liz Armistead, Carl & Carroll Sheppard. [Here's a boating book that didn't make it into the list of References in my article 'Boating and birding on the Eastern Shore' in "the Maryland Yellowthroat", Nov./Dec. 2002, pp. 1, 6-8: White, Ed. & Matthew White. "Exploring flatwater: eastern Maryland and Delaware: a paddler's guide; the 63 best scenic waterways". Flatwater, Inc. 2001. 156pp. paperback. $14.95. Has maps, also includes 8 western shore trips, and a few glaring misspellings.] Oct. 26, Sat. Cloudy, cool and damp in the A.M., somewhat broken clouds becoming mostly fair and warmer in the afternoon with light or no winds. 16 Common Loons, 2 Horned Grebes, 3 American Black Ducks, 43 Surf Scoters, 2 Red-breasted Mergansers, 1 imm. & 2 ad. Bald Eagles, 235 Laughing Gulls (mostly hawking insects). Also: 1 Red Fox, 4 Gray Squirrels, 87 Orange Sulphurs, 24 Buckeyes, 4 Cabbage Whites, 3 Cloudless Sulphurs, 1 unidentified anglewing. Went fishing 3 times and caught a total of 12 Striped Bass (all throw backs) and 4 Bluefish (each 2-3 lbs.). 1st fishing trip was in the Choptank River mouth & Broad Creek (great views of the scoters), 2nd was at Benoni Point (where there were 65 Forster's Terns & an imm. Bald Eagle), 3rd was at dusk in the Tred Avon River mouth, where there was a Bonaparte's Gull and the best fishing. Oct. 27, Sun., Blackwater N.W.R. 21 folks on my bird walk incl. the Sheppards, Levin Willey, Katherine & Peter Paul, Andrew Bullen, Chuck Mock & Ms. Saint (Claire Pratt) Seifert of Oxford, MD (who by chance had been to the Pribilofs this summer where George A. had guided her around). Tidal waters high (too high). Clear, warmish, w/o much wind. 26 Double-crested Cormorant (incl. a nice, high-flying circling flock), 3 Snowy Egrets, 1,400 Snow & Blue Geese, 4 shovelers, 16 Bald Eagles, 1 ad. female Cooper's Hawk, 35 Lesser & 15 Greater Yellowlegs, 12 Dunlin, 40 Forster's Terns, 5 Horned Larks, 1 phoebe, 275 cowbirds, 1 Brown Creeper & 2 Palm Warblers. Also: 1 Snapping Turtle (on the dike with an attendant Turkey Vulture standing next to it with with spread wings; I picked up the c. 8 lb. snapper and showed it to all), 1 Red-bellied Turtle, 1 Fox & 1 Gray Squirrel, 1 Water Snake, 7 Cloudless Sulphurs and 1 unidentified lady (butterfly, that is). Not much back at Rigby this afternoon save a Brown Creeper on the poplar tree right next to the house. As usual the Sheppards treated us as if we were the guests, proffering various wines and champagnes bought locally at Town and Country, Carl disassembling and repairing the downstairs "loo", rehanging and sanding the bottom of the problematic back porch door, leaving behind for our use a big, adjustable wrench and fine fish-cleaning knife and otherwise indulging himself by fixing various things in the house and on the boat, all of which he considers as a recreation. The fresh Bluefish Saturday night was terrific. Not an unusual bird all weekend but delightful to be on the water so much, which continues to be startlingly clear with an excellent growth of submerged aquatic vegetation persisting into the autumn. No Monarchs all weekend. Foliage and other autumn plant changes seem to be late this year. 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 ======================================================================= =========================================================================