Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2004 19:26:26 -0800 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Kevin Graff Subject: Re: Offlist: massive scoters flocks in NJ In-Reply-To: <006c01c40b01$cb215a50$6401a8c0@HERKY> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii To George, Jim and others, I didn't put in exactly numbers for Black Scoters since nobody cares. For years I looks at MDOSprey list and everyone use estimate for any large flocks of birds. Many years ago I learned how to work on actual count of birds in large flocks except if not moving around a lot. Many people thinks I'm crazy for counting any large flocks. I don't know how I did it. Just ask some birders from Baltimore Bird Club, maybe they can tell you how I did it. I wish I can explain how I did the math well, but I have no education in school except for math, which make it difficult for my english on MDOsprey post. Many Baltimore Bird Club birders helps me to get through interview with MPT staffs in 2001 about my experience on hawkwatching and with my sharp eyes for distance birds. Ask Pete Webb, Elliot Kirschbaum.... maybe they can help you out about my experience on actual counting. Both Pete and Elliot had witness me doing many actual count on our local Baltimore Bird Club trips since I join BBC in 1995. I have been a birdwatcher for over 16 years (since Dec 25, 1987). So here are the real actual count numbers below if anyone like it, remember it took me some time and patient when surf scoters move around back and forth during staging. Took me two hours to work on actual numbers by small, large rafts in flight and in water. Many Black Scoters seen up close along shore while surf prefers farther out. Most of 155,422 scoters seen from Sunset Beach near Cape May Point at end of Sunset BLVD. There are 3000 others scoters at Cape May Point SP and South Cape May Meadow, mostly in water whicj make it easier for me to count. If anyone not working this week might want to check it out before those flocks dispere. Some birders at same place where i was doing the counting told me that on some days the numbers woukd go up to 185,000 scoters and Michael O' Brien reports seeing over 200,000 some times last week. So hurry if you want to see this amazing flock before it'll be gone. This is the same flocks that Ned Brinkley and others from VA witness at CBBT this past month. 113,422 Surf Scoter 41,977 Black Scoter 23 White-winged Scoter 155,422 Kevin Graff Jarrettsville & Ocean City, MD ocean_city2001@yahoo.com __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - More reliable, more storage, less spam http://mail.yahoo.com ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================