DOWNY WOODPECKER at Smith Island!!!!!
Miliff@aol.com
Tue, 19 Jan 1999 10:37:51 EST
Hello all,
Chasers, start your engines. Smith Island's first Downy Woodpecker was found
Saturday and while it may hang around through the winter, I wouldn't tarry if
you are oping to add this one to your Smith Island list!
Jim Stasz and I had a great weekend, eve without the Downy Woodpecker though.
At 7:00 Saturday morning (Jan 15) we were at Tanyard (the marsh where Rte. 331
crosses the Choptank River). An adult White-fronted Goose (apparently
Greenland race) was immediately obvious in the flock of 150 Canada Geese that
may roost there. A large number of gulls were rosting there as well, but we
found nothing interesting among them. Just as we were leaving, the geese were
startled by something (I assure you it was not me or Jim running out in the
frozen marsh trying to scare them) and flew off into Talbot County. So we
ticked White-front for two counties! Further along, at Choptank, we founda
male Redhead among 60 Canvasback. Then across from the Hurlock Sewage Ponds a
flock of Snow Geese was so close to the road that we took two minutes to find
our Ross's Goose for the year. One white adult came through for us. We
meandered a little more before making it to Crisfield at 12:30 where Captain
Laird piloting the Jason took us out to Smith Island.
For those who've never been Smith Island is a joy to visit. It lies in the
center of the Bay (almost) 14 mi from Crisfiels. The entire island (which is
actualy a set of island crisscrossed by dikes and guts) is saltmarsh and
mudflats, except for three towns: Ewell, Rhodes Point, and Tylerton. Ewell
and Rhodes Point are connected by 1.5 mi of road that runs through the marsh,
but Tylerton requires I boat trip. In 7 visits I have never been there.
There are scattered trees in Ewel and Rhodes Point, and some good scrub up in
Ewell, but for the most part the landbird habitat is minimal. The only
regular resident landbirds are: Boat-tailed Grackle, House Sparrow, House
Finch, Rock Dove, European Starling, N. Cardinal, Carolina Wren, a single N.
Mockingbird pair, Fish Crow, Red-winged Blackbird, and Seaside Sparrow. Song,
Swamp, White-throated (very few), Saltmarsh and Nelson's Sharp-tailed, and
Savannah sparrows, Myrtle Warblers, and one or two Blue Jays and Slate-colored
Juncos are winter residents there. That's it. So you can imagine our joy
when this year we had Downy Woodpecker (1), American Robin (5), Gray Catbird
(2), Brown Thrasher (1), and Hermit Thrush (1). In summer Smith Island is
great for all the herons (best spot in the state for YC Night-Heron), can be
quite good for shorebirds, and can produce good number of Brown Pelicans.
Maryland's only two Roseate Spoonbills are from Smith Island, and Sandwich
Tern and Red Crossbill have been found as well (despite the fact that birders
almost NEVER go there). To my knowledge, January 1997 was the first visit by
birders in the winter (Jim Stasz, Ryan Lesh, and I went out) and Jim and I
followed it up with a trip this year. Among other surprises, we found herons
(Snowy Egret and Litle Blue Heron specifically) that do not regularly winter
in Maryland and good numbers of Seaside Sparrow (try finding one onshore in MD
in winter), and Purple Sandpipers on the jetties there (Somerset County's only
records). Here is our list from Jan 15-16 (Jan 17 we left the island at 7:30
and saw nothing of interest). This time we brought a canoe and were able to
explore the usually inaccessible north part (Martin N.W.R.). We stayed at a
house owned by my old high school soccer coach, and lodging otherwise would
have been hard to come by but if anyone is interested in getting out to the
island, drop me an email and I can give more specifics.
Red-throated Loon - 1
Common Loon - 8
Horned Grebe - 32
Northern Gannet - 1 ad. (my first of year, none at Ocean City in three
visits!)
BROWN PELICAN - 1 ad. Jan. 15, 1 imm. Jan. 16
American Bittern - 1 (had one January 1997 too)
Great Blue Heron - 6
SNOWY EGRET - 2 ad. (photos, seventh January record in MD and 2nd year in a
row on Smith in January)
LITTLE BLUE HERON - 1 ad., 1 imm. (photos, only sixth January record in MDand
2nd year in a row on Smith in January)
Tricolored Heron - 3
Black-crowned Night-Heron - 25
Turkey Vulture -1 (our first on Smith, possibly the first ever)
Tundra Swan - 620
Mute Swan - 6
Canada Gose -350
Gadwall - 19
Am. Wigeon - 35
Am. Black Duck - 20
Mallard - 30
Northern Pintail - 5
Green-winged Teal -6
Canvasback -2 (our first from the island)
Redhead - 100 (mixed in with the 35 wigeon, a good count, but note that the
largest flock in the mid-Atlantic is 20 mi away in Pocomoke Sound, our first
from the island)
Surf Scoter - 100+
White-winged Scoter - 10 seen on boat trip over
Oldsquaw - 40 (600 on boat trip over)
Bufflehead - 200
Com. Goldeneye - 1 female (our first from the island)
Hooded Merganser -10
Red-breasted Merganser - 8
Bald Eagle - 2 ad.
Buteo sp. - 1 (found by Jim as it was heading out across the Bay, proportions
suggested Rough-legged)
Northern Harrier - 12
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1 ad.
Peregrine Falcon - 2
Clapper Rail - 35+
Black-bellied Plover -4
Greater Yellowlegs - 22
Sanderling -25
PURPLE SANDPIPER - 25 (highest count in the Bay?)
DOWITCHER SP. - 1 (a good January bird, our first from the island)
Common Snipe - 8
Bonaparte's Gull - 2 (our first from the island)
Herring Gull - 1100
Great Black-backed Gull - 10
Ring-billed Gull - 8
Rock Dove -15
Barn Owl -2
Belted Kingfisher - 4
DOWNY WOODPECKER - 1 (first island record)
Blue Jay - 1
Fish Crow -20
Carolina Wren - 12
Marsh Wren - 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet -2
Hermit Thrush - 1 (our first from the island)
American Robin - 5 (our first from the island)
Gray Catbird - 2
Northern Mockingbird -1
Brown Thrasher - 1 (our first from the island?)
E. Starling - 60
Cedar Waxwing - 61
ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER - 1 (at base of lookout tower on Martin NWR, in cedars
and Marsh Elders, certainly the first island record and a Somerset County bird
and year bird for myself)
Myrtle Warbler - 275 give or take
Savannah Sparrow - 1
Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow - 3 (apparent _alterus_)
Seaside Sparrow - 16 (with more walking in the marshes last year we had 25)
Song Sparrow -60
Swamp Sparrow - 15
White-throated Sparrow - 12
Slate-colored Junco -2
Northern Cardinal -3
Red-winged Blackbird- 20
Brown-headed Cowbird - 14
Boat-tailed Grackle - 400
House Finch -6
House Sparrow - 40
Some surprises were: zero Dunlin, sero Meadowlarks, zero Great Egrets (second
year we've missed Great Egret), zero cormorants (few fish?), only one Savannah
Sparrow. We were hoping for a YC Night-Heron as MD has no January records -
maybe next year.
Our return trip on the boat was uneventful. We swung by Jenkin's Creek in
Crisfield and were pleased to find 29 Greater Yellowlegs and 15 LONG-BILLED
DOWITCHERS. Crisfield, Ocean City AND Chincoteague (MD Sector) all had LB
Dowitchers this year, though they are usually missed. Interesting. From
there we worked north not finding much. At Mark Hoffman's Newark sparrow spot
(of Patey Woods Rd.) we refound his Lincoln's Sparrow, much to the delight of
my January 1999 list. A nice Rchardson's Goose (Branta canadensis
hutchinsii) was feeding with 600+ Canada Geese outside Berlin. The Inlet had
nothing surprising, nor did Assateague. Highlight of the day was the
incredbile sky on the way back - the low, ominous cloud layer (which had
dumped on us and almost blown us off the road on the way throuh Salisbury),
was bathed in an intense golden light. The sky then went through various
shades of rose, pink, and violet, with ripples of light and shadow extending
almost to the horizon. Just at the horizon was the edge of the front where
the sky was a soft azure. The nice double rainbow only added to the beauty of
the scene.
All in all a great weekend at one of my favorite places!
Good birding,
Marshall Iliff
miliff@aol.com