March 8, 1999 901 Crystal Spring Farm Rd. Annapolis, MD 21403 miliff@aol.com Dear Friends, Area Birders, and Field Notes Contributors, 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. If you bird in the Appalachian Region (i.e. Maryland's western three counties and Virginia west of the Blue Ridge Mountains) please note that your sightings should no longer go to George Hall, who has just retired. The new Appalachian Regional Editor is: Robert Leberman HC64, Box 453 Rector, PA 15677 (724) 593-7521 (no email address) ****************************************************************************** ************** The Winter reporting season (December 1-February 28) for A.B.A. Field Notes has just drawn to a close, so I urge anyone who has not yet reported their Winter 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 March 15 if possible. If you participated 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 always, the data are easiest to process if they come in continuously through the season. Late reports are always welcomed as well. This is the fifth 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! Note that the Spring Season is already upon us as well. Data entry will be MUCH easier if reports are received continuously rather than all at the end. Please take good notes on your sightings 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. As I've said before and will say again, I am entirely dependant on YOUR reports to write a good column. With the approach of spring everyone should be gearing up for the North American Migration Count (NAMC) and International Migratory Bird Day, which takes place on the second Saturday of May (May 8 this year). This nationwide effort heading towards a decade old now and provides a unique glimpse at what is going on with bird migration on a single day. Besides, it is a great excuse to get out in the field for a day of spring migration at its best. Maryland is usually well-covered and has county compilers which should be listed on the M.O.S. website (www.mdbirds.org). Virginia however, can use any and all the help it can get. Even if you can only go out for a few hours, every little bit helps. Contact Jim Stasz at the address below for more information. WINTER 1998-1999 This mild winter had more southern flavor and almost no northern flavor, in stark contrast to last winter where northerly species such as finches were prevalent. Similarly, Red-breasted Nuthatches were extremely scarce this season. Winter finches went almost entirely unreported, and to my knowledge no Evening Grosbeaks, crossbills, or redpolls were found. If you saw any of these species please let us know. There seemed to be a number of White- fronted Geese around - was there any evidence that they were not of the Greenland race _flavirostris_ (i.e. were any pink-billed?). Most Christmas Counts had good numbers of lingering species, including shorebirds, warblers, vireos, and sparrows. Most ducks did not arrive until the first cold snap, coming just after New Years. The Annapolis C.B.C. had almost record low numbers of most _Aythya_ ducks, and then the large flocks arrived just after the count. Laughing Gulls had a remarkable exodus with the Jan 2-3 storm, and all but vanished from Maryland at least. If you saw any after mid-December please let us know! About the only northern species that were in evidence this year were the gulls. White-winged gulls were especially common at a few places, and their presence was well-publicized via the internet. Of course it was the Slaty-backed and Kelp gulls that were the real headliners this season, and the continued presence of a Black-tailed Gull, and the appearance of another, really made this year the year of the gull. The Slaty-backed is of particular interest since there remain some questions as to its identity. Not all characters on the bird were classic for a Slaty-backed, and the identification is currently being debated. If you took any photos, or have any field notes or sketches of the bird, PLEASE send them along either to me or to the Maryland Records Committee Secretary (Phil Davis, 2549 Vale Court, Davidsonville, MD 21035, 301-261-0184, pdavis@oao.com). Eleven of my photos are up on the M.O.S. website (http://www.mdbirds.org/rarebirds.html) so feel free to drop in and have a look. Opinions are welcome! 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: Black-browed Albatross (immature) off Virginia Beach, VA Anhinga at Little Creek, VA Cinnamon Teal at Eastern Neck NWR, Kent County, MD Barrow's Goldeneye at Patuxent Naval Air Station, MD (appeared Feb. 27) Dark morph Red-tailed Hawk at I-64 and 234, central VA Black-tailed Gull at Cheseapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, VA possible Slaty-backed Gull at Conowingo Dam, MD California Gull (2) at Conowingo Dam, MD California Gull at Lake Reddington, Prince George's County, MD Thayer's Gull at Conowingo Dam, MD Thayer's Gull at Lake Reddington, Prince George's County, MD Kelp Gull at Sandgates, Saint Mary's County, MD Clay-colored Sparrow at Berlin, Worcester County, MD 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 After finishing my season at Kiptopeke, I made a brief swing through the Northeast, and of course, incorporated some good birding. After arriving two days too late for the Long-billed Murrelet in Rhode Island, a friend and I resolved to bird the Rhode Island coast and take a trip to Block Island instead. We had a great day with two Black-headed Gull, several Razorbills, a Thick-billed Murre, three species of warblers (Myrtle, Palm, and Orange- crowned), Iceland Gull, and Black-legged Kittiwake being some of the highlights. In the rest of my time in the Northeast I managed to find my first Tufted Duck and my first Dovekie, and also saw Yellow-throated Warbler, two more Orange-crowned Warblers (!), Short-eared Owls, more kittiwakes and more alcids. My Christmas count Season was a good one as well and began with a boat trip off Brielle, NJ. Despite being sick even before the boat went out, I managed to stay alert for another Dovekie, a handful of kittiwakes, and several each of Iceland, Glaucous, and Lesser Black-backed gulls. A day of recuperation and then I joined George Armistead for the Cape May CBC. The four warbler species were the highlight of my day, with Nashville and Orange- crowned being the good ones. After Christmas Jim Stasz and I headed for Cape Charles, which we did December 27. We followed that with Crisfield, Ocean City, and Chincoteague all of which turned out to be nice counts. Orange- crowned Warbler on Cape Charles, Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow and Long-billed Dowitcher in the rain on Crisfield, Eurasian Wigeon, Snow Bunting, Long-eared and Barn owl, Harlequin Ducks and Common Eiders, and Sedge Wrens on Ocean City, and to cap it off, a successful chase of Mark Hoffman's Lincoln's Sparrow the next day after the Chincoteague count. I devoted January to breaking my Maryland "Big January" record of last year (170). The effort amounted to a lot of coastal birding and some great birds, though I ended the month missing Pine Siskin, Purple Finch, or any other winter finch. Quite a contrast from last year when I got both crossbills, Evening Grosbeak, siskin, AND Purple Finch! Lots of late lingerers were around this year though to compensate. The grist of the list came from a January Big Day (Maryland's first) that I did with Jim Stasz and George Jett. We considered our 135 finish excellent and had room for significant improvement. Among highlights of that day were Glossy Ibis, Clay-colored Sparrow, Blue-winged Teal, Tree Swallow, Sedge, House, and Marsh wrens, Short-eared Owls, Western and Least sandpipers, and Lapland Longspur. A trip to Smith Island on the third weekend provided some great January birds including Brown Pelican, Orange-crowned Warblers, Snowy Egret and Little Blue Heron, Seaside Sparrows and Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrows, and Long-billed Dowitcher. Birding Smith Island in winter is really joy, since birds that are common on the mainland are suddenly rare out there. Our best bird was a Downy Woodpecker (the first one for the island), but catbird, thrasher, woodcock, and several others were almost as noteworthy. I finished January with a trip to Western Maryland with Greg Miller and Jim Stasz. In addition to cleaning up Black-capped Chickadee, raven, grouse, and Red-breasted Nuthatch, we lucked into a Northern Goshawk for my last bird, #177. Even better than my January birds were the local rarities out there - Lapland Longspur and Fish Crow were among only a couple records for each in Garrett County! Of course February was the month of the gull in Maryland. First the discovery of a possible Slaty-backed Gull (there are still some questions with the identification) at Conowingo Dam brought crowds to the state. At least two California Gulls, two Thayer's Gulls, a Glaucous Gull, several Iceland Gulls, and a batch of Lesser Black-backed Gulls provided compensation for those that missed the Slaty-backed which was regular only in the morning and evening. I spent almost all week at Conowingo, enjoying the sifting through the thousands of gulls, studying the rarities, and visiting with the birders. In the course of the week I saw some interesting birds and got some photos of the more unusual species. Even more shocking was the identification of a Kelp Gull at Sandgates, Saint Mary's County, MD, and the realization that it was this bird's second winter at the location! With a regular diet of oysters on the half shell provided by the restaurant on whose dock it most liked to sit, the Kelp Gull has been a model of reliability, leaving the dock only for a single day! Only one other Kelp Gull has occurred away from the Gulf Coast, and even on the Gulf coast Kelp Gulls were only discovered 10 years ago. What they are doing in the northern hemisphere is anyone's guess! ****************************************************************************** ************** 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. In the summer of 1997, 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 (from Volume 51 #4 on). The most recent features an article on identifying Nazca Booby (a possible upcoming split from Masked Booby) and the first Yellow-throated Bunting from Attu. Some substantial format changes ave been made, feature articles have returned (see the article by Brinkley et al. on the Hurricanes of 1996 in 51 #4 and the article on the discovery of two A.B.A. area firsts in 51 #5) and color photos have returned to the back section (Pictorial Highlights). Some more changes are in the planning and I have confidence that the magazine will continue to improve. Recently, guest editors have been hired to write the Changing Seasons column (summarizing all the Regional reports) and the "fresh blood" has improved that column and the magazine as a whole. 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 (P.O. Box 84, Lexington Park, MD 20653) gcraig@cssiinc.com Elizabeth Pitney: Wicomico County (7218 Walston Switch Rd., Parsonsburg, MD 21849) Jo Solem: Howard County (10617 Graeloch Rd., Laurel, MD 20723) Odenata@email.msn.com Ethel Engle: Caroline County (20789 Dover Bridge Rd., Preston, MD 21655) Sam Freiberg: Montgomery County (8733 Susanna Lane, Chevy Chase, MD 20815-4713) sammarcy@erols.com Al Haury: Anne Arundel County (852 Redwood Trail, Crownsville, MD 21032) cactuswren@erols.com Janet Shields: Frederick and Washington Counties (13105 Fountsain Head Rd., Hagerstown, MD 21742) In addition, Leslie Burke (n8url@yahoo.com) has offered to help compile sightings from northern Virginia. If you bird in that area you might contacthere and let her know that you can send her your sightings periodically. 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