Date: Sat, 23 Aug 2003 21:09:55 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: David Mozurkewich Subject: Point Lookout, Sat Aug 23, 2003 In-Reply-To: <001701c36995$9a4bac40$6eeffea9@u5r8w9> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII One of the most important skills one has to acquire in an attempt to become a decent birder is the ability to be in the right place at the right time. I am a failure at this, but I keep trying. Thinking that a cold front passing through during the night is always a good thing, I decided to kickoff fall warbler watching with my annual pilgrimage to Southern Maryland. This time of year, I believe it is important to get out early. The migrant warblers land between dawn and shortly after sunrise. Particularly when it's warm, the insects are active, the birds have plenty to eat and are soon quietly out of sight, sleeping contentedly with full stomachs. This is all conjecture on my part, but it seems reasonable; colder days later in the season, the birds seem to be more active and active longer. So I was out early, but not as early as I planned. Also, it was warmer and more humid than I had hoped. Either the cold front was not as strong as predicted or it hadn't yet passed. But I don't understand these things so I drove the 70-odd miles miles to Point Lookout arriving about a half hour after sunrise, perhaps 45 minutes late. Nevertheless, I was hopeful. The thicket just north of the lighthouse seems like the right place to start. So I did. It was completely dead (not counting Morning Doves, Carolina Wrens and Eastern Kingbirds). Of course, the expected gulls, terns, cormorants and pelicans were putting on a nice show just offshore, but I was after migrant songbirds. So I walked north past the ponds and spent THREE hours scouring the woods. At some spots I stood and waited for something to happen. At others, I pished or whistled my poor imitation of a Screech Owl. Total migrant warbler count -- Black and White (female) 1. Fortunately, Point Lookout can be a nice place to hang out even when there are few migrant warblers. And this morning, there were plenty of hummingbirds to keep me amused, a flock of waxwings, swifts and swallows overhead (though not in large numbers). There was even a flyby flock of shorebirds that contained a brightly-colored, large, long-billed bird I called a SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER. Although these birds stage in the triple digits within sight of PG county (in that not-to-be-named land across the Potomac), this is my very first record for the western shore. Although I was after migrant songbirds, when birding, you should always make the most of what's there. Returning to the point, I found two flocks of Brown-headed Nuthatches. Those little gems are always fun for those of us who live just outside their range -- I hope they take me up on the offer I extended to them to come visit me some day. And finally, almost within sight of my car, in the trees between the picnic area and the ponds, I found the warbler flock. I don't know how I missed them on the way north, but there they were. The highlight was a brightly colored CAPE MAY WARBLER, decidedly early, at least by my calendar. He was accompanied by more usual suspects, Redstart, Chestnut-sided, Blue-winged, and another female Black-and-white, several resident Pine Warblers and an Orchard Oriole (honorary warbler). Perhaps I should learn to sleep in. Dave David Mozurkewich Seabrook, PG MD USA mozurk @ bellAtlantic . net ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================