Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2004 13:55:14 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Walter Ellison Subject: Woodcocks and other breeding bird news MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hi Everybody, The woodcocks have been calling in the small meadow near our house for = the last three weeks. This fact has reminded me that one of the most = common questions I receive regards how to record woodcocks for the atlas = when their safe dates don't commence until 15 April after they have = almost stopped giving dusk performances. After consulting the Birds of = North America account and my breeding bird atlas library I found clear = statements that woodcock do indeed display during migration so it is not = really appropriate to use the "C" code for a single displaying woodcock = heard on only a single or a few adjacent evenings. For displaying = woodcock prior to safe dates I suggest the following strategy - count = woodcock as "T" if they display regularly at a site for a week or more, = ten days is about right. Even if a series of males might possibly be = migrants, I am hard pressed to imagine such a series of displaying birds = were not attended by local females during such a time span. You could = also spend some extra time watching/listening to displaying woodcock to = see if you detect a female or observe territorial behavior or hear the = aggressive "cackle" calls by displaying territorial males. I would not = expect migrants to show much territorial aggression. Keep in mind that = woodcock should also display for up to a month beyond safe dates, = although they may limit a lot of their display to pre-dawn late in the = courtship season; admittedly a less convenient time for atlas surveying = than evening. Unlike woodcocks, several other birds are now in their atlas safe dates. = These include the handful of "winter safe" species such as the large = owls (Barred & Great Horned), pigeon (only year round safe bird), and = House Sparrow (since 1 Feb). On the first of March Carolina Chickadee, = Tufted Titmouse, and Carolina Wren all joined the ranks of the "safe". = These species will soon be joined on 15 March by all of the resident = (non-migratory) woodpecker species and cardinal. Keep an eye on = chickadees and titmice around stubs in the woods and forest-edge nest = boxes. Woodpeckers will also be excavating nest holes (only "N" in atlas = terminology), keep an eye on such holes to hear the noisy youngsters in = May and early June. Carolina Wrens are also starting to sneak around in = sheds and brush piles. Also a number of "pre-safe" birds are already = displaying or nesting - we saw a female Bald Eagle on her nest on a = weekend field trip. Happy Atlasing, =20 Walter Ellison MD-DC Atlas Coordinator - MOS 23460 Clarissa Road Chestertown, MD 21620 phone: 410-778-9568 e-mail: rossgull@crosslink.net "A person who is looking for something doesn't travel very fast" - E. B. = White (in "Stuart Little") =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D =========================================================================