Seen any good birds this season? Let us know!
Miliff@aol.com
Fri, 4 Dec 1998 18:29:15 EST
December 3, 1998
901 Crystal Spring Farm Rd.
Annapolis, MD 21403
miliff@aol.com
Dear Friends, Area Birders, and Field Notes Contributors,
Happy Holidays to all! First, I would like to apologize for the inevitable
cross-postings which will occur. This mailing has been sent to Valley Birds,
The Richmond Area Listserv, and MDOsprey, as well as personal email accounts.
I cannot constantly monitor the changing subscription lists on all three of
these excellent listservs, and want to ensure that I reach all active birders
in the Region. If you are unfamiliar with Field Notes, please read on -
information on who we are and what the magazine includes is below. If not,
please read on as well - we NEED your reports! Plus, there is some
information on the bird movements of the season and my own personal
highlights. I hope everyone will read the section: "The Local Staff". It
details exactly what we hope for in our reports and how you can help.
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The Fall reporting season (August 1-November 30) for A.B.A. Field Notes has
just drawn to a close, so I urge anyone who has not yet reported their Fall
sightings to Field Notes, the Voice of the Naturalist, or email groups such as
Valley Birds, the Richmond area Listserv, or MDOsprey to please send in your
sightings for inclusion in my next Season Report for A.B.A. Field Notes. The
deadline is pretty tight so I would appreciate getting all reports by December
15 if possible. As always, the data are easiest to process if they come in
continuously through the season. Late reports (from summer 1997, or even
later) are always welcomed as well.
This is the fourth mailing that I have sent out almost entirely by email.
Email obviously has the opportunity to vastly improve the efficiency and speed
with which I communicate with observers in the Region, and will also save much
time, paper, and expenditure on the mailings. I ask anyone who wishes NOT to
receive this mailing in the future on email, to respond. Also, if you read
this mailing on one of the above mentioned listservs, or somewhere else, and
did not receive a personal copy in your e-mailbox, please let me know so I can
update my address list. I apologize again for any cross-postings. If you
received this letter via "snail mail" and have an email address that I may use
in the future, please drop me a note and say so!
Also the Winter Season is already upon us. Data entry will be MUCH easier
if reports are received continuously rather than all at the end. Please take
good notes on your and let us know of them. Photocopied field cards are OK,
computerized sightings are ideal, but even a quick note or email will suffice
as long as we get the information. If you participate in CBCs this season,
please send us your sightings from those as well. We get almost all the CBC
totals at the end of the season now, but for individual sightings we rarely
have the necessary information (i.e. which part of the circle had the
Nashville Warbler etc...). As I've said before and will say again, I am
entirely dependant on YOUR reports to write a good column.
FALL 1998
The Fall of 1998 saw some interesting events. Any comments on the effects of
Hurricane Bonnie in the Region would be most appreciated. Some lucky
observers got to witness some pelagic species deposited to the mouth of the
Bay (seen from the bridge-tunnel) by this storm, but local movements are of as
much interest. If you were out seeking storm-blown birds and didn't find any,
let us know! There was a small movement of Wood Storks - did other southern
species (White Ibis, Tricolored Heron) mirror their movement? Something
pushed Cinnamon Teal to the East as well - in addition to the three or more
found in our Region, several other East Coast areas found some as well.
Always of interest during migration seasons is any information on which days
saw good movements. In the Cape Charles area, Sept 8-9 saw the best movement
of neotropical landbirds, and November 12 saw an incredible Tundra Swan flight
(2931 counted in daylight hours, plus a massive noctunal movement). Were
these phenomena more widespread?
Rarities are of particular interest for the Field Notes column, and I
welcome any documentation that can be provided (perhaps a copy of what you
sent to the Maryland or Virginia Records Committees?). Photos are of special
interest, and a high percentage of quality photos are likely to make it into
print. The Middle Atlantic Coast column is usually lacking in good
photographic material (few of my own photos are worth publishing!) so any
pictures you can send would be FANTASTIC. Among some of the notable rarities
reported for which documentation and photos would be particularly welcome are:
pelagic species pushed in by Hurricane Bonnie, late August
Magnificent Frigatebird at Chincoteague, late September
Wood Storks at Point Lookout S.P., MD, and Gibson Island, MD
Cinnamon Teal at Accotink Bay, VA, Mason Neck NWR, VA, and Eastern Neck NWR,
MD (and possibly West Ocean City, MD
Curlew Sandpiper at Chincoteague, VA, late September-early October
Franklin's Gulls involved in the mini-invasion November 14
Green Violet-Ear in Charlottesville during the last week of October
Rufous Hummingbirds in D.C. during November
Kirtland's Warbler at Curle's Neck Farm, VA, late September
Harris's Sparrow at University of Maryland Central Farm, Howard County, MD,
Oct. 25-26
Many of you may have already sent your documentation on to us, and if so, many
sincere thanks! If not, whatever you can provide (even if only the date you
saw the bird(s) - the range of dates here may not be complete or accurate).
There may be rarities I've omitted or not yet heard about, so please send info
on those as well!
PERSONAL HIGHLIGHTS
As many of you already know, I have spent the season as the official hawk
counter at Kiptopeke State Park, in the Cape Charles area of Virginia. The
hawk flight was generally slow (ending at a four year low of 25,294), but a
record count of Swainson's Hawks, some other neat birds in the area, and a
couple phenomenal days made the season unforgettable. Equally exciting for me
was the opportunity to socialize with many of you that I hadn't met previously
or hadn't talked much with before.
Merlins made for the most memorable day at the watch. The Merlin flight had
been slowly picking up over the course of the month, though the past couple
days had recorded less than 20. The masses arrived September 18. Several
fanatics (including Bob Rineer, Ned Brinkley, Jack Dozier, Jerry Walker and
others) joined me on the platform early and enjoyed the decent flight which
was already under way. Merlins did not start off with a bang - just three
passed the platform between 8:00 and 9:00, followed by six the next hour. But
the flight continued to accelerate. Six gave way to nine and nine to
eighteen. Between 12:00 and 1:00 a whopping 57 Merlins passed us, by which
point we realized we were in the middle of an extraordinary flight. The
record for the location was 245 (a great count in itself) set in 1997.
Merlins at Kiptopeke are commonest in the late afternoon (often getting best
at 4:00 p.m.), so we started counting down to the record figuring the best was
yet to come. It was. The next three hours saw 66, 37 and 59 Merlins, all
passing at top speed at or below treetop height. At 4:00 it really got
exciting. We had just crossed the record (4:00 total was 255) and, as there
seemed to be no stopping the dark little falcons, we started to think in
hundreds. The oral countdown to 300 commenced, and with 91 Merlins in that
one hour, we were already thinking about 400 by 30 minutes later. The 400th
Merlin of the day passed (with another volley of cheers) between 5:00 and 6:00
along with another 90 (second consecutive hour with 91 Merlins!), but after
6:00 the flight had slowed and the 25 additional Merlins added up to give a
total of 462 for the day! Cape May holds the record still, having had a day
with more than 550, but maybe we'll get it next year (?). To add to the
spectacle, the next day saw another incredible Merlin flight, with 389 counted
(and another hour with 91 Merlins!). Merlins are undoubtedly one of the most
enjoyable raptors to watch at Kiptopeke since they always streak by so low and
so fast, and respond so aggressively to other raptors (and to the hawk
trapper's lures). I highly recommend a visit to Kiptopeke next September 20
(the flight always seems to peak very close to then) to witness the spectacle.
Vying with the September 18 for the best day, was October 22, when 16 species
of raptor (and vulture) moved passed Kiptopeke immediately behind a frontal
rain band. Bob Anderson, Tom Harten and others helped me count the deluge of
birds following the rain, including the day's highlights: one dark morph
Swainson's Hawk, one light morph Rough-legged Hawk (even rarer there than
Swainson's it was the first since November 1995), and the season's first two
Golden Eagles. All within an hour that had every other possible raptor except
Northern Goshawk!
A tremendous fallout Sept. 8-9 deposited warblers (mostly redstarts
and Black-and-whites) by the thousands at the tip of the Delmarva peninsula,
and Jamie Cameron (the hawk trapper at Kiptopeke this year) and I had the
opportunity to witness the full magnitude of the spectacle on Fisherman Island
at the southernmost tip. Along with 150 Northern Waterthrushes, and the 3000+
American Redstarts and Black-and-white Warblers, were 3 shockingly late
Louisiana Waterthrushes and two Connecticut Warblers giving a one-day total of
26 species of warblers. Some of the good birds showed in the area of the
state park included a couple Yellow-headed Blackbirds, a Brewer's Blackbird,
at least four Clay-colored Sparrows, a White-fronted Goose, two Lapland
Longspurs, a Snow Bunting, a Black-legged Kittiwake, a Le Conte's Sparrow, a
trio of late birds Nov. 9 (Great Crested Flycatcher, Bobolink, and Indigo
Bunting), and, by Jamie only, Virginia's first Cave Swallow at Fisherman
Island Nov. 1. I was fanatical about several lists during the season, partly
to keep my mind occupied on the slow days with no hawks. To demonstrate the
unrealized birding potential of the Cape Charles area, consider the 272 that
Jamie and I had in the two peninsula counties, the 181 we found on Fisherman
Island, the 241 in Kiptopeke State Park alone, or the 200 that I saw from the
hawkwatch platform (others had an additional four)! It was a great season and
I am already anxious to return again, be it as staff or visitor. I encourage
others to explore the area as well - it is the Cape May of our Region yet sees
relatively little visitation from the Region's birders.
Finally, a quick bit of propaganda. Kiptopeke Environmental Station Research
and Education Laboratory (K.E.ST.R.E.L.) was my employer for the fall.
K.E.ST.R.E.L. hired four staff members this year, myself as hawk counter,
Jamie Cameron as hawk trapper, Brian Johnson as songbird bander, and Andy
Davis as education coordinator. K.E.ST.R.E.L. is charged with monitoring the
bird and insect migration on the peninsula and promoting research and
education. It is struggling to grow so that it might take on more research
projects to do more work studying this important concentration area, but can
only do so with our support. If you have been to this area and enjoyed it, or
even if you haven't but would to, consider a K.E.ST.R.E.L. membership (write
them at P.O. Box 111, Franktown, VA 23354).
And...mark your calenders. The 1999 North American Migration Count will
occur May 8, 1999. Contact Jim Stasz at the address below for more
information.
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A.B.A. FIELD NOTES: WHAT IT IS
To those not familiar with Field Notes, below is a quick summary of the
magazine and what it includes. A.B.A. Field Notes is published quarterly
(Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter) and is meant to summarize the significant
observations of field birders throughout the United States and Canada. The
two countries (as well as the West Indies) are divided into 26 Regions, each
of which has one-several Regional Editors. The Regional Editors collect
information from birders in their Region and, at the end of each reporting
season, compile the sightings into a Season Report. The deadline is 1 ½
months after the end of the season, so reports are asked for two weeks from
the end of the season, but email reports can be received up to a month after
the end of the season. The reporting seasons are:
Spring: March 1-May 31
Summer: June 1 - July 31
Fall: August 1-November 30
Winter: December 1-February 28(29)
The Season Reports always include information on rarities, early and late
migration dates, high counts etc... but also usually include significant other
news relating to birds in the Region. For anyone interested in birds and
birding in the U.S.A. and Canada the magazine is invaluable - no other
publication summarizes birding news from across the country so completely.
Recently, feature articles have returned to Field Notes: recent articles have
featured the first U.S.A. records for Stygian Owl (in TX) and Chinese Pond-
Heron (in AK), and the hurricanes of 1996 and the birds associated with them.
Pictorial Highlights have returned, and in addition to the black-and-white
photos shown throughout the magazine, feature from 15-25 full color photos of
(usually) rarities from around the country. Each issue also features a
Changing Season column, which is a summary of all the Season Reports from
different Regions, and attempts to identify some of the more noticeable trends
of the season (i.e. Winter Finches were scarce south of Canada, Rufous
Hummingbirds were found in unusual numbers on the East Coast, and most fall
migrants lingered unusually late). Recently, different expert authors from
around the country have been chosen to write the Changing Seasons column -
depending on what trends need special highlighting and where the individual's
expertise lies. Many state publications (Maryland Birdlife for example)
publish similar summaries for their states and Regions, which are typically
more detailed than the A.B.A. Field Notes season report, but the advantage of
Field Notes is that it assimilates national trends. If you want to track the
spread of Eurasian Collared- Doves across the U.S., find out how the
Attwater's Prairie-Chickens and Whooping Cranes are faring in Texas, or what
rarities the latest trip to Attu turned up, Field Notes is for you.
FIELD NOTES: HISTORY
The magazine has undergone a number of changes in its lifetime, with the most
major change occurring last summer (1997). In the early years of its
existence, Audubon Field Notes was a small publication which included only the
Season Reports. Eventually, the magazine was beefed up with color photos and
feature articles (on everything from identification, to conservation, to out
of range records) and assumed the new name, American Birds. In the early
1990's National Audubon fell on hard times, and the magazine was cut back to a
bare minimum with only the Season Reports and Changing Season columns
persisting. Last summer, it was agreed that Field Notes would be turned over
to the American Birding Association (A.B.A.). Recently revived sections and a
new management promise continued improvement in the quality of the
publication. The first few issues look drastically better than ever. If you
let your subscription slide I urge you to sign back on!
A.B.A. FIELD NOTES AND RECENT CHANGES
By now those of you that do subscribe to Field Notes should have received
your first several issues that A.B.A. has put out (Volume 51 #4 on). The most
recent features the Arizona Nutting's Flycatcher on the cover, along with an
additional full-page spread showing the more exceptional rarities of last
winter (the Nutting's Flycatcher, Brown Shrike in NS, and Slate-throated
Redstart in TX). Some substantial format changes ave been made, feature
articles have returned (see the article by Brinkley et al. on the Hurricanes
of 1996 in #4 and the article on the discovery of two A.B.A. area firsts in
#5) and color photos have returned to the back section (Pictorial Highlights).
Some more changes are in the planning (such as revision of the maps) and I
have confidence that the magazine will continue to improve. Delivery of
issues, erratic at best under National Audubon, has showed marked improvement
and should be timely from here on out. Subscription has more than doubled
since A.B.A. took over and is still growing. If anyone would like information
on how to subscribe please contact the American Birding Association at
(800/850-2473). Subscription is $20 per year.
THE LOCAL STAFF
Starting in the fall of 1995, I have been the Middle Atlantic Coast Regional
Editor. During that time I have had enormous assistance from Jim Stasz of
North Beach, MD. His guidance and local knowledge has been invaluable over
the past several years. Most importantly, he has helped by computerizing the
reports so that their value may extend beyond the skeleton produced in the
Field Notes report. ALL sightings of ALL species reported to us are included
(yes, every starling and every House Sparrow). We now have three years' worth
of Field Notes reports in the working database, which is available to any
interested parties. Recently we were able to provide a complete summary of
all crossbill sightings to Julie Simard of McGill University, PQ, who is
looking in depth at last winter's invasion. Reports should continue to go to
Jim at P.O. Box 71, North Beach, MD 20714 jlstasz@aol.com.
The Middle Atlantic Coast Region includes all of Maryland and Virginia east
of the mountains. Essentially, in Maryland I cover all reports from Frederick
County east, and in Virginia I cover all areas east of the Blue Ridge
Mountains. The majority of reports I receive are from Maryland birders
(calling all Virginians!), and a huge volume of reports also comes from the
Voice of the Naturalist, Virginia Birdline, and Baltimore Birdline (which each
send me ALL their reports), as well as from monitoring such email discussion
groups as Valley Birds, the Richmond Area Listserv, and MDOsprey. Individual
reports are most valuable though, so I urge anyone willing to send me a
separate report for each season, even if you regularly call your sightings
into the Voice or Virginia Birdline. A large number of sub-regional editors
help with the assimilation and computerization of the data. If you actively
bird any of their regions, I ask that you submit reports directly to them
rather than to me. If you are willing to serve as a sub-regional editor for
any of the uncovered counties or Regions of Maryland (or any part of
Virginia), please let me know promptly. It would be a GREAT help! Currently,
the sub-regional editors are:
Patty Craig: Saint Mary's County s (P.O. Box 84, Lexington Park, MD 20653)
Elizabeth Pitney: Wicomico County (7218 Walston Switch Rd., Parsonsburg, MD
21849)
Jo Solem: Howard County (10617 Graeloch Rd., Laurel, MD 20723)
George M. Jett: Charles County (9505 Bland Street, Waldorf MD 20603)
JETT.GEORGE@epamail.epa.gov
Ethel Engle: Caroline County (20789 Dover Bridge Rd., Preston, MD 21655)
Sam Freiberg: Montgomery County (8733 Susanna Lane, Chevy Chase, MD
20815-4713)
Al Haury: Anne Arundel County (852 Redwood Trail, Crownsville, MD 21032)
cactuswren@erols.com
Sincerely,
Marshall Iliff
Mid-Atlantic Coast Regional Editor
A.B.A. Field Notes
901 Crystal Spring Farm Rd.
Annapolis, MD 21403
miliff@aol.com
(410) 269-1589
Please send reports to:
Jim Stasz
Secretary, A.B.A. Field Notes
P.O. Box 71
North Beach, MD 20714
jlstasz@aol.com