Date: Sat, 4 Jan 2003 01:24:28 EST Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Mark Hoffman Subject: Crisfield CBC/Worcester Sector Results MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit WORCESTER COUNTY SECTOR 2002 CRISFIELD, MARYLAND, CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT Hickory Point, Worcester County, MD. Dec. 30, 2002. Times: 0648-1718; owling 0600-0648. Freshwater open, Pocomoke River open. Observers: 1 in 1 party. Total party-hours 10.5; 7.0 on foot, 3.5 by car. Total party-miles 14.1; 5.0 on foot, 9.1 by car. Owling party-hours 0.8; party-miles 1.4. All areas in Worcester County, Maryland, including Hickory Point Road and Swamp, adjacent Pocomoke River, and Pocomoke River from Cedar Hall Wharf Road Boat Ramp and adjacent land. All comments refer to the 9 years (1993-2002, except 1995) for which complete data is currently available for this sector. Species in caps are new to the cumulative list (none this year). New highs are indicated. (X/9) means the species has been recorded on X of the 9 counts. All species recorded during 9-year period listed. Pied-billed Grebe 0 (2/9); Double-crested Cormorant 0 (1/9); Great Blue Heron 4 (new high, prev. high 2) (7/9); Black Vulture 0 (5/9); Turkey Vulture 56 (8/9); Snow Goose 321 (320 white, 1 blue) (new high, prev. high 2) (2/9); Canada Goose 430 (9/9); Tundra Swan 5 (3/9); Wood Duck 0 (4/9); American Wigeon 0 (1/9); American Black Duck 4 (8/9); Mallard 33 (9/9); Northern Pintail 0 (1/9); Green-winged Teal 0 (4/9); Bufflehead 0 (1/9); Hooded Merganser 0 (3/9); Red-breasted Merganser 10 (new high, prev. 1) (3/9, Cedar Hall Wharf); Ruddy Duck 0 (1/9); Bald Eagle 9 (1 ad., 4 imm., 4 unk.) (9/9); Northern Harrier 2 (8/9); Sharp-shinned Hawk 3 (new high, prev. high 2) (5/9); Cooper's Hawk 0 (3/9); Red-shouldered Hawk 1 (5/9); Red-tailed Hawk 5 (ties high) (6/9); American Kestrel 0 (4/9); large rail (sp.) 0 (1/9); Virginia Rail 0 (2/9); Killdeer 1 (7/9); Greater Yellowlegs 0 (1/9); Wilson's Snipe 0 (4/9); American Woodcock 0 (3/9); Ring-billed Gull 112 (9/9); Herring Gull 7 (9/9); Great Black-backed Gull 1 (7/9); Mourning Dove 50 (7/9); Eastern Screech-Owl 4 (9/9); Great Horned Owl 9 (7/9); Barred Owl 0 (4/9); Belted Kingfisher 0 (7/9); Red-bellied Woodpecker 6 (9/9); Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 2 (7/9); Downy Woodpecker 12 (9/9); Hairy Woodpecker 6 (8/9); Northern Flicker 33 (9/9); Pileated Woodpecker 1 (9/9); Eastern Phoebe 0 (3/7); Blue-headed Vireo 1 (4/9, last found in '97, first calling, in response to screech-owl tape, along Hickory Point Swamp/pine forest ecotone, then moved into pine forest, with mixed passerine flock, see notes at end); Blue Jay 9 (new high, prev. high 7, scarce in swamp) (5/9); American Crow 20 (9/9); Fish Crow 4 (7/9); Horned Lark 0 (2/9); Carolina Chickadee 66 (9/9); Tufted Titmouse 14 (9/9); Red-breasted Nuthatch 0 (3/9); White-breasted Nuthatch 6 (new high, prev. high 4) (3/9); Brown-headed Nuthatch 13 (new high, prev. high 7) (4/9); Brown Creeper 1 (7/9); Carolina Wren 17 (9/9); Marsh Wren 0 (1/9); Winter Wren 8 (9/9); Golden-crowned Kinglet 2 (would be new low, except for 1 on abbreviated '94 count, when I left early to chase LEOW on Assateague for state big year) (9/9); Ruby-crowned Kinglet 4 (8/9); Eastern Bluebird 24 (9/9); Hermit Thrush 34 (9/9); American Robin 317 (9/9); Gray Catbird 11 (new high, prev. high 7) (8/9); Northern Mockingbird 4 (6/9); Brown Thrasher 11 (8/9); European Starling 15 (8/9); American Pipit 0 (4/9); Cedar Waxwing 12 (7/9); Yellow-rumped Warbler 205 (9/9); Pine Warbler 1 (in young pines in forest, not with mixed bluebird flock, 4/9); Palm Warbler 0 (1/9); Eastern Towhee 2 (6/9); Chipping Sparrow 10 (6/9); Field Sparrow 0 (4/9); Vesper Sparrow 0 (1/9); Savannah Sparrow 7 (5/9); Fox Sparrow 13 (8/9); Song Sparrow 12 (9/9); Lincoln's Sparrow 0 (1/9); Swamp Sparrow 14 (9/9); White-throated Sparrow 29 (new low, prev. low 54) (9/9); Dark-eyed Junco 49 (9/9); Northern Cardinal 25 (9/9); Red-winged Blackbird 486 (9/9); Eastern Meadowlark 0 (3/9); Rusty Blackbird 1 (5/9); Common Grackle 300 (8/9); Brown-headed Cowbird 0 (3/9); Purple Finch 0 (1/9); House Finch 5 (new high, prev. high 3) (3/9); American Goldfinch 16 (9/9); House Sparrow 0 (2/9).. TOTAL SPECIES 63 (best 70, in 1999 and 2000). 2,995 individuals. Cumulative species total 95, 0 species added. PARTICIPANTS: Mark L. Hoffman (MLH, compiler-7263 Norris Ave., Sykesville, MD, 21784, Mhoff36100@aol.com). Commentary: The highlight at Hickory Point this year was "return" of the Blue-headed Vireo, having not seen one here on the CBC since 1997 (prior records were 1 in 1993, 3 in 1996, and 1 in 1997). Despite all these records, this species has not been recorded here later in the season (and was specifically looked for on several occasions, at least in 1998, by Iliff et al.). To encourage others to search, I will give some hints on how to look for this species. For starters, the Hickory Point area is accessed from the intersection of Routes 13 and 113 in Pocomoke City, by taking the Pocomoke Beltway southeast, to Route 371 (Cedar Hall Road). Turn south, and in several miles Hickory Point Road goes off to the west. After about a mile, the true swamp starts on the north side of the road. This is part of Pocomoke State Forest, but when wet (as now) very difficult to access. The roadside birding is good, however. A particularly birdy spot is were there are woods on both sides of the road (after a run of 3 houses on the south side of the road) and a small bald cypress tree growing very close to the south shoulder of the road (don't pull off the road too much or you will get stuck, the shoulder is very soft, keep two wheels on the pavement). Gray Catbirds and Brown Thrasher explode from the thickets here at dawn. A short distance on, the road cross a wooden bridge, and then a gated driveway goes off to the left. The road turns to dirt and continues about 1/3 a mile to a parking area. Note that there is also a small artificial pond in the field south of the road, just before getting to the parking lot, you'll have to stand on the roof of your car to check the ducks. From the parking area, what I consider three "trails". Park in the lot at the dead end, then walk down the main road. After a fairly short while, there is an area of dumped appliances, etc., and just after that a trail/old road goes off to the north (right). This is the "North Trail". This trail/old road seems to end at the "cul-de-sac" after maybe 1/2 mile or so and has young pines on the west (left) and swamp on the east (right). The vireo I had this year was right at the cul-de-sac, then moved into the pine forest to the west. You can continue north from here, but the old road becomes a trail. Toward its end, it gets wet and you have to zig to the west a little, but eventually you come to the Pocomoke River. It helps to have an aerial photo of the area (as available at "Merlin Online", the state GIS info web-site). You have to retrace your steps to get back to the main trail. Don't wander off into the woods too much without a compass, as this area can be disorienting. A little further down the main trail, a trail goes off to the left. This has younger pine on the right and older pine on the left. Eventually it becomes swamp on the right and the trail ends after maybe 3/4 mile. I have seen vireos along this stretch 3 times. Twice in the first part with young pine/old pine and once at the very end in the swamp. Again you have to retrace your steps to the main trail. Continue down the main trail/road, this ends after maybe 1 mile. This goes through and area that was cutover in the late-1970s and is now maturing pine. I have seen vireos twice along this stretch. This is all young pine, but the swamp comes pretty close in several places. One of the birds in '96 was at the interface of the pine and swamp (I had wandered off the trail). The vireo in '97 was maybe 1/2-3/4 mile from the start of the young pines. It was first right along the trail, but I followed the mixed flock for maybe 20 minutes, and they gradually hit the swamp edge and fed in that area. Thus, of the 6 BHVIs I have seen in winter, 1 was swamp, 2 old pine/young pine, and 3 swamp/young pine. Bottom line is both habitats seem to be ok. All these birds have been in mixed feeding flocks with CACH as the core species. TUTI, GCKI, RCKI, RBNU (if present), DOWO, WBNU, MYWA, and BRCR are other flock members, at times. I use a screech-owl tape to bring these flocks in, once I hear a chickadee or some other flock member. The flocks, once located, can be followed through the woods (unless they're in the swamp). The vireos have shown some interest in the owl tape (but much less than a chickadee, for example). This year's bird scolded first, looked me over, and went back to its business. I think it helps to do this area early in the day (though not a dawn), as it takes some time for the sunlight to penetrate the forest. The mixed flocks, however, seem much more active, and when I have birded the road early and hit the trails in the late-morning, I have a hard time finding mixed flocks. Good birding, Mark L. Hoffman Sykesville, MD Mhoff36100@aol.com ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================