Date: Mon, 25 Aug 2003 11:18:51 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Henry Armistead <74077.3176@COMPUSERVE.COM> Subject: Ferry Neck Aug. 23-24 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. Nothing to brag about this time. Very strange under what seemed like ideal conditions I actually did not see one warbler. Probably scads of them at Tilghman's Island. Maybe today, Monday, is the day for warblers. Most of the weekend spent doing brush-work, chainsawing, mowing, pruning, etc., consequently I am heavily infested with chiggers this Monday. But ... gem of a weekend. Our trails remain uncut since May due to the wetness with weeds shoulder-high in places. Spectacular thunderstorms on the way down Friday night. On the approaches to the new St. Georges Bridge in Delaware more people were pulled over on the shoulders in the torrential than were driving. One of the most cataclysmic donner und blitzen shows I have seen anywhere with considerable cloud-to-cloud lightning but no rain at Rigby, mercifully. Sat., Aug. 23, 2003. Clear, 70-85F., NW 10-20-5. 77 robins and 185 Laughing Gulls (dusk flights of both). 34 Mute Swans (for whatever reason the SAV in our cove, rank most of the year, is now mostly desaparecido). Sea Nettles are still scarce. Saw a Chimney Swift go down the kitchen chimney at 8:10 P.M. Several Hercules-Clubs (Devil's Walking Sticks) are in profuse bloom and covered with scores of bumblybees and other hymenoptera and butterflies, quite a spectacle. Found the remains of a Luna Moth. Lots of Southern Leopard Frogs and Fowler's Toads about but conditions are the driest (but still very wet) they've been in 5-6 weeks. Sunday, Aug. 24. 47 species. 7 A.M. - 4:30 P.M. Clear. 69 - 79 degrees F. winds NW 5-10 m.p.h. 1 ad. and 1 very dark imm. Bald Eagle, 60 Chimney Swifts (ties 4th highest for property), 1 Traill's type Flycatcher, 1 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, 1 White-eyed Vireo still singing, 1 pair of Blue Grosbeaks (quite a bit of singing still; at one point the male chose to ride herd on one of the orioles), 7 Bobolinks, 3 Baltimore Orioles. 3 Gray Squirrels, eating the walnuts already. A mediocre crop of walnuts this year. A fawn and a doe on the driveway in front of the house. The cherries, mulberries, and walnuts are starting to look a little seedy perhaps because of too much rain? One honeysuckle tangle has grown a 7' streamer since 3 weeks ago. Curiously few mosquitos in spite of all the standing, stagnant water. I've become especially fond of Green Herons. They don't hold back. Walk out on the dock and they take off in loping flight looking back at you and screaming like it's the end of the world. Definitely an in-your-face species. Common butterflies of the weekend: Tiger Swallowtail, Pearl Crescent, Question Mark (was able to actually see the ? mark several times), Cabbage White, Red-spotted Purple, Spring Azure, Buckeye, Common Wood Nymph, Monarch, Silver-spotted Skipper, American Lady. George A. recently gave me "Fishes of Chesapeake Bay" by Edward O. Murdy et al (Smithsonian Institution Press, 1997, 324 pages, paperbound, $29.95). This is an excellent book with scores of detailed black-and-white illustrations plus 49 species illustrated in color. It answers many questions. Many thanks to those of you who replied to the request for Black Rail information. 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 ======================================================================= =========================================================================