Maryland's first January Big Day

Miliff@aol.com
Mon, 11 Jan 1999 12:02:23 EST 

Hello All,

         Jim Stasz, George Jett, and I just completed Maryland's first January
Big Day.  Our benchmark was Mark Hoffman's 121 that he set on Worcester County
ALONE back in 1994.  However, a successful winter Big Day in Maryland hinges
entirely on good luck in Worcester and the best strategy may be to stay in
Worcester all day, leaving only to watch the dusk flight at Deal Island.
However, with 10 hours of daylight, one cannot bird Worcester as throughly as
you need to, and the challenge to maximize birding and minimize driving is
always causing problems.  With only 1.2 scouting days (a full day Monday Jan.
4 by Iliff, and an evening at Deal Island Jan. 9 by Iliff and Stasz), we
considered our 135 finish very respectable.  Only 4 birds were unshared
(Glossy Ibis, Marsh Wren, Golden-crowed Kinglet, and Eastern Towhee).  Our
calculations showed that 140 would have been a spectacular day, so at 135 we
were only a windy morning and west wind and bad light at the Inlet shy of a
spectacular day.  The below summary is in three pieces: first, an outline of
the day including our intended strategy; second, the species list with
locations and rough numbers; third, list of misses.  On the species list the
species in ALL CAPS are those which were bonus birds for the day and we do not
expect to get on our next attempt.  On the misses list, the ones in ALL CAPS
are the ones we expect to get next time around and were sorry to miss this
year.  The species list is _roughly_ in taxonomic order, though because of the
way I composed it, it includes bits and pieces of new and old taxonomy...
           I'd like to thank a number of parties for help with our strategy.
First and foremost, Ocean City Christmas Counters laid the groundwork for our
Big Day.  Second, Charlie Vaughn was a great help, giving a place to park an
extra car, permission to enter Vessey's Orchard, and a shot at two nuthatches.
The Maryland Ornithological Society provided luxurious, HEATED, accomodations
at Irish Grove.  And finally, Mark Hoffman (who could not join due to family
obligations), provided much help with strategic recommendations, not to
mention finding the Clay-colored Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Lapland
Longspur and other good birds for us.

The Route:  

We started at 4:30 a.m. and drove from Irish Grove to Rehobeth, whee a boat
landing allows one to listen across the Pocomoke to whateve might be making
noise in Hickory Pt. Swamp.  In the high wind, nothing was, so we headed up to
Dividing Creek where we hoped to get Barred Owl.  From there we zoomed back
down to Irish Grove, poking around in the high wind until dawn and not hearing
anything.  We opened the day at the end of "rail trail" at Irish Grove for
Sedge Wren and whatever else we could get.  Got the wren by 7:00, zoomed out
to the end hoping for Marsh Wren and sparrows, but got nothing in the high
wind.  Two Lesser Yellowlegs at the end of the road were good to get.  From
there we raced to Vessey's Orchard (private property near Pocomoke City) to
check for Vesper Sparow - Redhead and Cooper's Hawk were bonuses.  From there
we headed to Hickory Point Swamp where we hoped to clean up on the entire
compliment of woodland birds.  By 9:15 we had all woodpeckers except
sapsucker, all three mimids, Fox Sparrow, both kinglets, creeper, pipit,
Brown-headed Nuthatch, bobwhite, and most common birds.  We were in good
shape.  We rolled to Cedar Hall Wharf hoping for Wood Duck or Common
Merganser, and got sapsucker.  From there we headed to Wagram Creek where the
Wood Ducks were just over the state line.  Then up to Pocomoke Sewage Ponds
for a few extra landbirds and a first try at ducks.  Least Sandpipers there
were exellent.  Then across southern Worcester hoping for good geese, out
George's Island Landing hoping for shorebirds, up to E. A. Vaughn WMA where we
checked the pond (Still hoping for shorebirds).  By then we had changed from
being ahead of schedule to behind schedule, and hurried up to Newark area.
Checked the turkey area, Mark's Pine Warbler stakeout, Mark's Newark sparrow
field (Lincoln's  Sparrow stakeout, Jim may have seen the Lincoln's but was
not positive), Ironshire Station Rd. and the Evans Rd. Sparrow location (where
Clay-colored Sparrow has been, directions on Voice of Naturalist).  It was
12:45 when we left there (45 minute behind our hoped-for schedule).  Then on
to Eagle's Nest campground (scope for Eurasian Wigeon and shorebirds), West
Ocean City marina (scope back side of Skimmer Island/Fourth Street Flats),
West Ocean City Pond, Ocean City Inlet.  We included a scoping from the other
side of Skimmer Island since we still needed Brant and got a good bonus -
Lesser Black-backed Gull. We raced on to Ocean Pines Pond, which amazingly
turned out to be our Great Cormorant location (I had one there last Monday
too!) and then headed for Showell Ponds and Blue-winged Teal.  A 30 minute
drive to Chalrie Vaughn's house in Salisbury where a huge flock of very fat
birds around his feeder included White-breasted but not Red-breasted Nuthatch.
Then we closed at Deal Island at dusk, picking up our last ten or so birds.
An attempt to spotlight Mute Swans at the Bay Bridge was not successful.

The List (should add up to 135, I double checked but didn't count):

Common Loon (Eagle's Nest Campground, Ocean City Inlet)
Red-throated Loon (Ocean City Inlet)
Pied-billed Grebe (Pocomoke City, Deal Island)
Horned Grebe (Eagle's Nest Campground, Ocean City Inlet, Skimmer Island)
Great Cormorant (Eagle's Nest Campground (3 imm.), amazingly none in Ocean
City!)
Doble-crested Cormorant (Ocean City Inlet (3), Deal Island (28 - on tower in
channel s. of Peregrine hack tower)
Great Blue Heron - 43 (new high)
Great Egret (Deal Island (1))
Tricolored Heron (Skimmer Island (2), Deal Island (8))
Black-crowned Night-Heron (Deal Island (50))
GLOSSY IBIS (Deal Island (1) Iliff and Stasz only)
Black Vulture (many locations)
Turkey Vulture (many locations)
Tundra Swan (many locations) 
Snow Goose & Blue Goose (Aydelotte Rd. (5000), Eagle's Nest Campground (1),
Eagle's Nest Campground (1))
Brant (Skimmer Island (30) - we almost missed this one, having had none at
Eagle's Nest, Ocean City Inlet, and the other side of Fourth Street, these
were on the east side of the north island - we almost skipped scoping from
Ocean City) 
Canada Goose  (many locations, includes one _hutchinsii_ at West Ocean City
Pond)
Gadwall (OP (35))
EURASIAN WIGEON (2(!) - one still on Assateague as seen from Eagle's Nest
Campground, another still at Eagle's Nest Campground)
American Wigeon (Pocomoke City (1), Eagle's Nest Campground (75), Eagle's Nest
Campground (75), Deal Island (150))  
Am. Black Duck  (many locations)
Mallard (many locations)
BLUE-WINGED TEAL (Showell Sewage Ponds (1 male, 1 female))
N. Pintail (E.A. Vaughn (2), West Ocean City Pond (10+))
N. Shoveler (Pocomoke Sewage Ponds (40), West Ocean City Pond (50))
Green-winged Teal (Wagram Creek (2), E. A. Vaughn (40 - could only ID one as
"American" GWT))
REDHEAD (amazingly, a lone male on a small pond at Vessey's Orchard)
Canvasback (West Ocean City Pond (10), Eagle's Nest Campground (150))
Lesser Scaup (Pocomoke Sewage Ponds (2) - could have missed this one easily)
Ring-necked Duck (Pocomoke Sewage Ponds (30), West Ocean City Pond (5?),
Eagle's Nest Campground (30))
Common Eider (Ocean City Inlet (3 ad. males, 1 imm. male, also a brief look at
what was probably another female)
Harlequin Duck (Ocean City Inlet (at least 5, but not counted carefully in the
bad light))
Surf Scoter (Ocean City Inlet (15))
Black Scoter (Ocean City Inlet (4))
Oldsquaw (Ocean City Inlet (2))
Bufflehead  (many locations)
Common Goldeneye (Eagle's Nest Campground (2 males), Skimmer Island (1
female))
Hooded Merganser (Irish Grove (1), George's Island Landing (3), Deal Island
(10))
Red-breasted Merganser (all coastal locations)
Ruddy Duck (Pocomoke Sewage Ponds (75), West Ocean City Pond (+), Eagle's Nest
Campground (30))
Bald Eagle (many locations)
N. Harrier (many locations)
Sharp-shinned Hawk (2 - one near Irish Grove and one on Aydelotte Rd.)
Cooper's Hawk (2 - one ad. at Vessey's Orchard and one ad. in Berlin)
Red-tailed Hawk (many locations)
Red-shouldered Hawk (3 - Hickory Point area and Ironshire area)
Am. Kestrel (many locations)
Peregrine Falcon (Deal Island (1 on hack tower))
NORTHERN BOBWHITE (Hickory Point (2))
Virginia Rail (Irish Grove (2), Deal Island (15))
large rail sp. (Irish Grove (1 in fresher part was probably King), Deal Island
(1 in saltmarsh probably Clapper))
American Coot (Pocomoke Sewage Ponds (25), Eagle's Nest Campground (25), Deal
Island (600))
Black-bellied Plover (Eagle's Nest Campground (75, Skimmer Island (1))
Killdeer (many locations)
American Oystercatcher (only Ocean City Inlet (10))
Greater Yellowlegs (George's Island Landing (5))
LESSER YELLOWLEGS (Irish Grove (2), George's Island Landing (5 - also 5
yellowlegs sp. there, we were in a hurry...)
Ruddy Turnstone (Ocean City Inlet (25)
Sanderling (Eagle's Nest Campground (100)
Dunlin (Irish Grove (15), George's Island Landing (2), Eagle's Nest Campground
(1000))
WESTERN SANDPIPER (Eagle's Nest Campground (2+)
LEAST SANDPIPER (Pocomoke Sewage Ponds (2))
Purple Sandpiper (Ocean City Inlet (50))
Cm. Snipe (Irish Grove (1), Aydelotte Rd. (1), Showell Ponds (1), Deal Island
(6))
Am. Woodcock (amazingly, one flushed by day from a birdy roadside backyard in
Oriole, on way in to Deal Island)
Bonaparte's Gull (Ocean City Inlet (130 - good chance for Little Gull...)
Ring-billed Gull (many locations)
Herring Gull (many locations)
G. Black-backed Gull (many locations)
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL (Skimmer Island (1 ad. found when we made
(successful) last ditch effort for Brant)
FORSTER'S TERN (Ocean City Inlet (2))
Rock Dove (many locations)
Mourning Dove (many locations)
E. Screech-Owl (Rehobeth (1), Hickory Point at 9:00 a.m. (2))
Great Horned Owl (Dividing Creek (1), Irish Grove (1), Deal Island (1))
Barred Owl (Dividing Creek - 1)
Short-eared Owl (Deal Island (7, including one gorgeous one vocal one that was
silhouetted against a crimson sky at dusk)
Belted Kingfisher (several locations - perhaps 7 for day)
Red-bellied Woodpecker (several locations)
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Cedar Hall Wharf (1), Charlie Vaughn's feeder (1))
Downy Woodpecker (several locations)
Hairy Woodpecker (Hickory Point (1))
Northern Flicker (several locations)
Pileated Woodpecker (Hickory Point (1))
Eastern Phoebe (near Wagram Creek (1), Newak (1))
Horned Lark (Newark (3), Ironshire Station Rd. (75))
Blue Jay (several locations)
Am. Crow (several locations)
Fish Crow (several locations, including Deal Island (4000+))
TREE SWALLOW (Deal Island (150) - none there the day before, a complete
surprise!)
Carolina Chickadee (several locations)
Tufted Titmouse (several locations)
Brown-headed Nuthatch (Hickory Point (1)
White-breasted Nuthatch (Charlie Vaughn's feeder (1))
Brown Creeper (Hickory Point (1))
Carolina Wren (several locations)
Winter Wren (Hickory Point (3), Charlie Vaughn's feeder (1))
House Wren (Newark sparrow field (1), Evan's Rd. Sparrow spot (3))
Sedge Wren (Irish Grove (1))
Marsh Wren (Deal Island (2) - Iliff and Stasz only)
Golden-cr. Kinglet (Pocomoke City (1) Iliff only)
Ruby-cr. Kinglet (Hickory Point (1))
Eastern Bluebird (several locations)
Hermit Thrush (Hickory Point (5))
Am. Robin (several locations, including 40 in yard in Oriole)
Gray Catbird (Hickory Point (4))
N. Mockingbird (several locations)
Brown Thrasher (Hickory Point (1))
Am. Pipit (several locations, apparently quite a few have moved into the area
recently)
Cedar Waxwing (birdy yard in Oriole, on way to Deal Is. (40) - very nearly
missed this one!)
E. Starling (everywhere)
Yellow-rumped Warbler (everywhere) 
N. Cardinal (several locations)
Eastern Towhee (Deal Island (1 male) Iliff only - very close to a miss, we got
this one in a ditch effort at 4:30)
Field Sparrow (Pocomoke Sewage Ponds (5))
Savannah Sparrow (several locations)
Chipping Sparrow (Hickory Point (50), Pocomoke Sewage Ponds (25))
CLAY-COLORED SPARROW (Evan's Rd. Sparrow spot (1) - found fairly easily,
feeding on far west side of thicket on west side of rd. with White-crowns, as
it was when I saw it last Monday)
VESPER SPARROW (Vessey's Orchard (2) - specifically chased, had been there on
Crisfield CBC)
Fox Sparrow (Hickory Point (3), near Big Millpond (3))
Song Sparrow (many locations)
Swamp Sparrow  (many locations)
White-throated Sparrow  (many locations)
White-crowned Sparrow (Evans Rd sparrow spot (20+))
Dark-eyed Junco (many locations)
LAPLAND LONGSPUR (after thinking we missed them when we saw none among Horned
Larks at Ironshire Station Rd., we were ecstatic to have at least two fly over
calling at the Evans Rd. Sparrow spot)
Red-winged Blackbird (many locations)
E. Meadowlark (Irish Grove (1), E. A. Vaughn (20), Deal Island (10))
Boat-tailed Grackle (Deal Island (2 females))
Common Grackle (many locations)
Rusty Blackbird (Hickory Point (1))
Brown-headed Cowbird (E. A.Vaughn (20))
House Finch (West Ocean City Pond (1), Oriole (2) - could have missed...)
Am. Goldfinch (Pocomoke Sewage Ponds (1), near Big Millpond (25)
House Sparrow (many locations)

The Misses: 

NORTHERN GANNET (west wind hurt), AMERICAN BITTERN (usually easy at dusk at
Deal Island...), Little Blue Heron (a least 6 had been on Ocean City area),
Mute Swan (only chance was at night on way back), Ross's Goose (we skipped the
only big Snow goose flock), WOOD DUCK (most frustrating bird of day, two at
Wagram Creek were less than one stone's throw into VA and flew off into VA,
stakeout at Showell did not come through), Greater Scaup (extremely tough on
Lower Eastern Shore), WHITE-WINGED SCOTER (none at Inlet), King Eider (none
this year), Common Merganser (extremely diffcult on Lower Eastern Shore east
of Dorchester), Merlin (I had one last Monday...), WILD TURKEY (we arrived at
the best area too late in the day (11:30 am), another large rail sp. (we
probably had one of each, but erred on the side of caution), Sora (didn't try
at the two stakeouts), Willet (I had one last Monday), Red Knot (none a Inlet
this year), dowitcher sp. (All lower Eastern Shore CBCs (except Salisbury) got
this one...), Laughing Gull (seem to leave astern Shore even before Western
Shore, and they are 1 week gone on Western Shore) , Little Gull (no luck),
white-winged gull sp. (Landfills closed Sundays), Barn Owl (no luck), Long-
eared Owl (no luck), N. Saw-whet Owl (no luck), Red-headed Woodpecker (would
need t scout this one out, we passed several promising woodlots), RED-BREASTED
NUTHATCH (one at Chalie's feeder was uninterested yesterday, almost no others
around this year), PINE WARBLER (our one stakeout was difficult with 25 mph
wind, should be able to stakeout many backups), PALM WARBLER (Mark's one at
Pocomoke Sewage Ponds did not appear for us, should be able to stakeout
backups), COMMON YELLOWTHROAT (no luck finding our own, we had no known
locations), SALTMARSH SHARP-TAILED SPARROW (Irish Grove was too windy in the
morning), Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow (ditto), Seaside Sparrow (ditto),
Lincoln's Sparrow (tried all three of Mark's locations, all but one was
extremely windy), Snow Bunting (no luck scoping from Ocean City), Purple Finch
(none this year), Pine Siskin (ditto)

Good birding,

Marshall Iliff
miliff@aol.com
Annapolis, MD