Date: Sun, 5 Jan 2003 01:00:40 EST Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Mark Hoffman Subject: Chincoteague CBC/MD Sector Results Comments: cc: bandbird@intercom.net, Chan_Robbins@usgs.gov MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit MARYLAND SECTOR 2002 CHINCOTEAGUE, VIRGINIA, CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT Stockton, MD. Dec. 28, 2002. Times: 0630-1727; owling 0512-0645. Freshwater ponds partially frozen in am, streams, salt marshes, bays and running water open. Observers: 3 in 3 parties. Total party-hours 26.0; 18.2 on foot, 7.8 by car. Total party-miles 66.4; 14.0 on foot, 52.4 by car. Owling party-hours 3.8; party-miles 12.2. All areas in Worcester County, Maryland, including E. A. Vaughn Wildlife Management Area-Central Area (areas south of Scarboro Creek and north of Pikes Creek), E. A. Vaughn Wildlife Management Area-Southern Area (areas south of Pikes Creek and north of George Island Landing Road), George Island Landing, Stockton, Big Mill Pond, Swans Gut, Greenbackville Road and Rabbit Knaw Road. All comments refer to the 12 years (1991-2002) for which complete data is currently available for this sector. Species in caps are new to the cumulative list. New highs are indicated. (X/12) means the species has been recorded on X of the 12 counts. Initials are given for species recorded by a single party. CW = count week. Common Loon CW (4/12); Pied-billed Grebe 1 (9/12, Big Mill Pond, MLH); Horned Grebe 1 (5/12); American Bittern 0 (2/12); Great Blue Heron 59; "southern herons" 0 (sometimes we get a Great Egret [3/12], Tricolored Heron [1/12] or Black-crowned Night-Heron [3/12]); Black Vulture 6; Turkey Vulture 181; Snow Goose 597 (596 white, 1 blue) (very much smaller than normal dawn flight out of Chincoteague Bay inland); Canada Goose 710 (1 "small race", JLS); Brant 55 (new high, prev. high 30, 6/12, MOB); Tundra Swan 9 (MOB); Wood Duck 5 (8/12); Gadwall 0 (5/12); American Wigeon 2 (7/12, MOB); American Black Duck 247; Mallard 32; Northern Shoveler 8 (4/12, MOB); Northern Pintail 0 (3/12); Green-winged Teal 4 (7/12, MLH); Bufflehead 421; Common Goldeneye 3 (5/12, MOB); Hooded Merganser 51; Common Merganser 2 (2/12, one wintered last year at George Island Landing, two females present this year, found 12/27 [JLS, MOB], still present 12/30 [MLH]); Red-breasted Merganser 11 (MOB); Bald Eagle 6; Northern Harrier 9; Sharp-shinned Hawk 10; Cooper's Hawk 1 (MOB); Red-shouldered Hawk 1 (MOB); Red-tailed Hawk 18; American Kestrel 6; Northern Bobwhite 10; Rails 0 (sometimes get Clapper/large rail [sp.] 3/12 or Virginia 7/12); Black-bellied Plover 6 (7/12, in fields adjacent to Payne Road, just south of intersection with Sheephouse Road, about 4 miles from the coastal bays, first year I have had them in my inland territory, thought habitat is similar to the Ironshire Station Road area that has a flock annually, MLH); Killdeer 48; Greater Yellowlegs 11 (12/12); Lesser Yellowlegs 7 (8/12, JLS); Dunlin 34 (10/12. MOB); Long-billed Dowitcher 4 (6/12, JLS); Wilson's Snipe 5 (7/12, MOB); American Woodcock 10; Ring-billed Gull 138; Herring Gull 126; Great Black-backed Gull 8; Rock Dove 8 (MLH); Mourning Dove 151; Barn Owl 1 (2/12, JLS); Eastern Screech-Owl 16; Great Horned Owl 15; Long-eared Owl 1 (2/12, "squeaked in" at night, Vaughn/South, MOB); Short-eared Owl 3 (2 at George Island Landing and 1 at Vaughn/Central, 5/12); Belted Kingfisher 7; Red-bellied Woodpecker 24; Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 5; Downy Woodpecker 15; Hairy Woodpecker 9; Northern Flicker 55; Pileated Woodpecker 9; Eastern Phoebe 10 (12/12, high 13); Blue Jay 77 (new high, prev. high 67); American Crow 168; Fish Crow 6 (new high, prev. high 5, 2/12); Horned Lark 121 (new high, prev. high 55, 10/12); Tree Swallow 0 (recorded in good numbers at OC, 2/12); Carolina Chickadee 62; Tufted Titmouse 23; White-breasted Nuthatch 4 (5/12, MLH); Brown-headed Nuthatch 5 (9/12); Brown Creeper 4; Carolina Wren 62; House Wren 2 (11/12, MLH); Winter Wren 16; Sedge Wren 2 (10/12, JLS); Marsh Wren 0 (5/12); Golden-crowned Kinglet 3 (new low, prev. low 9); Ruby-crowned Kinglet 8; Eastern Bluebird 96; Hermit Thrush 25; American Robin 528; Gray Catbird 18; Northern Mockingbird 26; Brown Thrasher 14; European Starling 1,473; American Pipit 332; Cedar Waxwing 7 (seemed very scare on shore counts); Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler 271; Pine Warbler 0 (9/12, in annual "warbler wars" in MLH's sector around Big Mill Pond score was Pine 0, Myrtle 0, Palm 1, second year in a row Palms have been victorious); Palm Warbler 1 (yellow) (9/12, MLH); Common Yellowthroat 1 (8/12, JLS); Yellow-breasted Chat 0 (2/12); Eastern Towhee 38; Chipping Sparrow CW (7/12); Field Sparrow 39; Vesper Sparrow 0 (4/12); Savannah Sparrow 158; Le Conte's Sparrow 0 (2/12); Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow 1 (6/7 post-split, JLS); Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow 3 (6/7 post-split, JLS); Fox Sparrow 22; Song Sparrow 190; Swamp Sparrow 86; White-throated Sparrow 556; White-crowned Sparrow 2 (2/12); Dark-eyed ("Slate-colored") Junco 77; DARK-EYED ("OREGON") JUNCO 1 (New form, along George Island Landing Road, MOB); Northern Cardinal 83; Red-winged Blackbird 910; Eastern Meadowlark 68; Rusty Blackbird 0 (10/12); Common Grackle 1,942; Boat-tailed Grackle 1 (7/12, MOB); Brown-headed Cowbird 8; Purple Finch 2 (7/12, area around Big Mill Pond, particularly Steel Pond Road usually good for these, this year's birds were coming to a feeder on the north side of Little Mill Road, just east of Holly Swamp Road, MLH); House Finch 41; American Goldfinch 52; House Sparrow 65. TOTAL SPECIES 102 (best 112), plus 3 forms. 10,893 individuals. Cumulative species total (for count days) 145, 0 species added. PARTICIPANTS: Mark L. Hoffman (MLH, compiler-7263 Norris Ave., Sykesville, MD, 21784, Mhoff36120@aol.com), Michael O'Brien, James L. Stasz. General party locations: Hoffman (Big Mill Pond and vicinity-areas south of Rt. 366 and west of Rt. 12, and areas south of 366 and east of Rt. 12); Stasz (Vaughn WMA-Central Area); O'Brien (Vaughn WMA-Southern Area and George Island Landing Road). Commentary: A very cold morning (23 degrees), but the day was rather pleasant nonetheless. Small numbers of lingering warblers (I had many more warblers, 4 species, including 4 yellowthroats, 3 Pines and 18 Palms the next day on the OC count near Newark, the reverse of the normal pattern). Highlight was Michael's junco, which I looked for on 12/30, but could not relocate with certainty. It was along George Island Landing Road, between the west end of the last big field north of the road that is part of the Vaughn WMA, and toward the west, to the next field north of the road. 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 ======================================================================= =========================================================================