[MDOsprey] Birding Hurricane Floyd (Part 2 of 4) - where to go

Miliff@aol.com
Wed, 15 Sep 1999 16:16:58 EDT


Hello all, 

    As many of you are realizing, the most recent models (Weather Channel 
1:00 EDT) predict  Hurricane Floyd to make landfall in the Carolinas this 
evening (Wed, Sep. 15) and to pass overland to the Chesapeake, with the 
center of the storm passing sometime tomorrow afternoon.  It looks like the 
center could pass right over, west, or east of the Chesapeake Bay, but the 
latter is looking most likely now.  Either of the former two tracks are ideal 
for depositing tubenoses and terns (especially Sooty Tern) in the Chesapeake 
Bay region, and the latter will almost certainly be productive also.  
Conventional wisdom is that the stronger (and more dangerous) Northeast 
quadrant is best for finding vagrant seabirds, and this has proven true in 
most cases.  However, there are many notable exceptions (e.g., White-tailed 
Tropicbird in Staunton, VA, Oct 15, 1954 following Hurricane Hazel - this was 
well west of the storm's track) and anywhere in the state could be 
productive.   

    With the large subscribership to MD Osprey these days communication 
within the MD Birding Community has reached new heights and we have the 
potential for a coordinated attack on local areas.  If you can get out at 
all, during a lunch break, before or after work, or, ideally, all day, your 
observations will be of great interest.  Please take note of ALL species 
seen, and any observations on behavior of the birds in the storm.  Ned 
Brinkley and others noted some very interesting movements of humminbirds and 
Chimney Swifts and other passerines within Hurricane Fran in September 1996.  
Remember also that noting the movements of common seabirds (Laughing Gulls, 
Common Terns, Brown Pelicans) is also of interest.  If you use a 
microcassette recorder at work this might be the best way to record some of 
this data, since the wind and rain and urge to find that Herald Petrel will 
prevent most of us from taking notes during the storm!  

    Below I provide some ideas for strategy and areas of coverage and hope 
you will all chime in to report where and when you might be able to check 
certain areas.    

    First I want to say that anytime almost from now on can be productive for 
storm-transported birds.  Dave Czaplak sent a post a while back about the 
Sooty Terns he saw in the early afternoon Sep. 6, 1996, as the eye of Fran 
was still in southern VA.  There are other examples of birds moving far ahead 
of the storm front, and especially, of coastal birds being moved close to 
shore or fleeing northward with the strong E winds.  Ocean City could use 
some coverage today, if possible.  During passage will be the best single 
time to be afield, obviously, and anywhere across MD could be productive, 
especially bodies of water.  Points within or east of the eye (or dissipated 
eye) are typically best.  After the storm's passage your strategy should 
change.  Most species will depart the area very soon after the storm's 
passage.  Inland lakes and reservoirs are not likely to be very productive.  
For example, in the large fallout at Kerr Res during the passage of Hurricane 
Fran in Sep 1996, only a few Cory's Shearwaters remained the next day, while 
the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel had a notable southward movement of Black- 
capped Petrels, Cory's Shearwaters, Sooty Terns, Bridled Terns, and other 
species.  By all means though, if you live inland and cannot make it to the 
Bay or the coast, get out to those lakes anyway!

    Note that most pelagic birds seem at least somewhat RELUCTANT TO CROSS 
BRIDGES once over the water.  In NC they seem to have been concentrated in 
the sounds near bridges which they were not seen to cross.  At the 
Bridge-Tunnel birds were flying through the breaks rather than over the 
spans.  Birds moving south and encountering a bridge (i.e. Wilson Bridge, 
Rte. 301 bridge, Bay Bridge) may bottleneck there.  The Leach's Storm- 
Petrels in Assawoman Bay during Bertha July 1996 may have done this to some 
degree.    
 
    I also want to say, about dead birds, please be sure to save (or at least 
note) anything you find, even common species.  Get the specimens into a 
freezer as soon as you can, and perhaps save them in a cooler until then.  It 
will be interesting to note the physical condition of the dead birds found 
(were they starving?  — probably not in a fast moving storm like this).  Of 
course any vagrant or rarity specimen should be photographed AND preserved.  
Systematic searches of the beaches of Assateague (anyone with a 4-wheel drive 
vehicle want to drive Assateague on Saturday or Sunday? Great Egret?), Ocean 
City, of the Bay, lakes, and reservoirs could produce some of the most 
interesting and valuable information.  Besides, some of the birds may be 
moribund but still breathing, right?  Really, though this would be very 
valuable.  After Fran in 1996 one observer walked some 50 mi of shoreline 
along the Great Lakes and found 20+ specimens of Sooty Tern and Black-capped 
Petrel.  After Dennis (just weeks ago) Cory's Shearwater and Manx Shearwaters 
were found on the beach at Chincoteague, and Audubon's and Cory's Shearwaters 
were found on the Outer Banks.  Cory's Shearwater specimens are of particular 
interest since museum examination may be able to determine which of three 
subspecies it is: one (borealis) is common, one (diomedea) is a vagrant known 
from NY, and one (edwardsii) is unknown in North America and a likely split!

TIMING: As I have said before and will say below several times, you may want 
to plan your location differently depending on where the storm heads.  My 
plan of attack might be this: Pick a good spot (many listed below) and stay 
there for the entirety of the storm's passage, perhaps saving the last few 
hours of the day, depending on luck so far, to check other locations (i.e. if 
I spent all day at Violette's Lock, I might save time for a run to Black 
hills Res. and Triadelphia).  After the storm's passage (i.e. this weekend 
for you workaholics) I would do one of three things: 1) Get on the Point 
Lookout to Smith I. ferry!!!! which should be fascinating 2) camp out at 
Point Lookout, along the Potomac, along the Susquehanna, at Ocean City or 
somewhere else I thought birds might be moving or 3) check some lakes that 
haven't been covered for the slim chance at something staying around (might 
be a good time to go to Western MD.  Once I think moving birds have died down 
(perhaps Sunday) I would try looking for dead ones, especially on Assateague.

The following site guides are arranged from West to East.  Thus, the most 
productive areas (given the storm's predicted track) are at the end.  Home 
for most of us will be in the middle.  Keep in mind that wind direction may 
strongly influence your decision to go to the Eastern or Western Shore of the 
Bay, as it may shift seabirds from one side to the other.  If you are 
planning on going to Sandy Point but the wind is westerly, consider Terrapin 
Pt. Park or Blackwalnut Point instead.

WESTERN MD: Best strategy I think would be to decide to do a seawatch at 
either Deep Creek Lake or Rocky Gap.  Both have good shelters which will be 
ideal for sheltering you from the elements.  Deep Creek Lake is very large 
with many branches, so it will be impossible to cover it all.  You will be 
best served to bird the area right around the Rte. 219 bridge and along the 
south shore just west of there, as this is the widest portion and most easily 
accessed.  You may also want to consider a seawatch at Jennings Randolph Lake 
in the extreme south, but the easiest access there is from West Virginia, and 
it has never been that appealing for birds in general (ocean birds may go 
after different features than migrant ducks and loons though!).  Drop in at 
Broadford Reservoir, Piney Run Reservoir, and Little Meadows Lake also, but I 
think you are best off STAYING at one location rather than dashing from one 
to the next.  Storm-blown birds in these situations often do no stay long.  
At Deep Creek you can cruise the roads along the shore and scan though, and 
this is probably the best plan.  Broadford Res. is close enough for a quick 
look though.  Remember that there are NO records for Laughing Gull, Great 
Black-backed Gull, Royal or Sandwich terns, Brown Pelican, Black Skimmer, or 
even a number of other common coastal species in Western MD.  

CENTRAL MD: Again, check those lakes.  Piney Run in Carroll County, Liberty 
and Loch Raven Reservoirs in Baltimore County, and Triadelphia and Black 
Hills Reservoirs, and even Centennial Park are all good places to park your 
car and watch.  If Broadford Dam is still closed that may knock Triadelphia 
Res. out of the running.  Again, I would recommend staying at one location 
for a good while, as storm waifs may only stay briefly.  Any of these lakes 
could very likely have Sooty Terns, as well as Royal, Sandwich, and others.  
I doubt tubenoses would set down on the smaller ones (like Centennial Lake) 
but who knows!  Sabine's Gull seems like a great chance on lakes of any size.

POTOMAC RIVER ABOVE DC: Inland, this is undoubtedly the best place to be, at 
least up through Washington County.  Seneca, Violette's Lock, and several 
other access points are the place to go in Montgomery County and are all 
areas with an incredible track record for attracting those birds that don't 
want to be inalnd and are lookingn for a body of water/a route back to the 
coast (consider the records of White Pelican (2), Great Cormorant, both 
phalaropes (several), Arctic Tern, Black-legged Kittiwake, and Pomarine 
Jaeger, all from this section).  The river also has the potential for a 
flight line setting up as displaced birds move back towards the coast.  Above 
Montgomery County the access points are Noland's Ferry & Point of Rocks 
(Frederick County), Sandy Hook, Dam #5 Rd. and Four Locks Rd. (Washington 
County), and Oldtown/Spring Gap (Allegany County).  Several of these spots do 
NOT have shelter, so take that into consideration. At some point though the 
river gets too small, I expect, and by the time you get up to Hancock your 
time would be better spent at Big Pool (just east of Hancock) or Rocky Gap 
SP.  The Potomac will certainly be THE inland place to be after the storm's 
passage as displaced birds may be moving down the river.  

POTOMAC RIVER IN AND BELOW DC: This section should be fantastic, and has a 
good track record (Roseate Tern, Sooty Tern, Bridled Tern, Cory's Shearwater, 
and possible Black-capped Petrel during Fran 1996).  Try any area with a good 
view of the river such as Haines Pt., the pelican viewing areas covered 
recently, Fort Washington, Potomac Heights/Indian Head,  Marshall Hall, Gov 
Harry Nice (Rte. 301) bridge, or Cobb Island.  Far better, cross state lines 
and bird from the Virginia shore which provides better views.  Belle Haven, 
fort hunt Park, Mason Neck area, and especially Colonial Beach (s. of Rte. 
301) all give great views!  Again, I expect the birds to be moving from 
N-S/W-E in search of the ocean, but this may depend based on wind conditions. 
 Birds are likely to be roosting only around the Wilson Bridge I think.

SAINT MARY'S COUNTY & POINT LOOKOUT: I am sure Patty Craig ad her team will 
cover this one well but I note that it would be tragic not to have AT LEAST 
TWO observers at the point itself, all day long, one scanning each side of 
the peninsula.  This has the potential to reveal a lot about where and how 
the birds are moving.  Walkie talkies (headsets available for $30 in 
Wal-Mart) might be a good idea here...  It certainly is one of the best 
places to be, given the confluence of the Bay and the Potomac, both potential 
flight line places.  Also, it is the only easy access to the wide, ocean-like 
section of the Lower Bay. Finally, the tern flocks that are regular here 
should be attractive to rarities: Sooty Tern, Bridled Tern, Arctic Tern, 
Sabine's Gull... But if you find yourself in a crowd here and have already 
seen the Black-capped Petrels, Sooty Terns, and White-tailed Tropicbirds :-) 
consider a hop north to St. George Island or even just to Cornfield Harbor.  
It would be interesting to compare notes with those at the tip.  Looks like 
Kyle will have the Base (Patuxent River Naval Air Station) covered.

***POINT LOOKOUT TO SMITH ISLAND FERRY: As soon as it's safe we should make 
sure there are some birders aboard, if it is still running (I think it runs 
weekends through the end of September).  It costs $20 but passes through the 
"great unknown" of the Central Bay.  This is undoubtedly where the 
concentration of oceanic birds will occur and if Thursday or Friday was good 
and you couldn't get out, be sure to be on that boat.  The more eyes the 
better.  When on Smith Island try to walk the shoreline for carcasses and 
check the roosting flock on the sandbar to the north (if it's not too 
flooded) for rarities or White Pelicans.

WESTERN SHORE: The good spots here are clear: Cove Point (no shelter), 
Governor's Run (should be good shelter), North Beach (Chesapeake Ave. At 
north end of town has good access where you can park a car, though finding a 
dry window to look through will be impossible in east winds and rain), Sandy 
Point (great shelter), Bay Ridge (no shelter, but maybe you can pull off), 
Hillsmere Beach in Annapolis (provides view of mouth of South River — if you 
see birds moving upriver stop by my house and see if you can see them from my 
yard!).  Hopefully Gene will be out at Hart-Miller by Saturday or Sunday, I 
am sure Rick Blom will do what can be done in "coastal" Harford, but the 
flats at Havre de Grace will be worth several checks.   

SUSQUEHANNA RIVER: The same phenomenon discussed for the Potomac should be 
going on on the Susquehanna.  Conojehola Flats in Lancaster County upriver 
have been a gold mine for Pennsylvania birders, as have other sections of the 
river during fallouts of seabirds.  Try to get to the access points above 
Conowingo Dam Check a map, go to the Cecil County side, look for the small 
road leading down to the river shore and railroad tracks - this is where the 
Pacific Loon was seen in 1997.  I'll be surprised if there aren't some neat 
downriver movements going on.  Conowingo Dam may bottleneck the birds 
somewhat too, but I expect less from the rocky, island strewn section 
downriver if only because viewing is more difficult and some birds may be 
lost on the far side.

TURKEY POINT: Along with the Susquehanna, probably the best spot for Cecil 
birders.

EASTERN SHORE: A number of great bayside spots to check. Jim Stasz will be at 
Hooper's Island, so try to cover somewhere new (unless you are hoping for 
some of his "rare bird aura").  Blackwalnut Point, Talbot, is an obvious 
choice, but Jan Reese may be there.  Eastern Neck NWR has some good viewing 
locations. A good choice is Terrapin Point Park in Queen Anne's County (take 
first exit after Bay Bridge, go North, make your first left into industrial 
park.  Then make first right, then first left, and look for the park in 200 m 
on your left.  Unfortunately it is a 1/4 mi walk to the beach and the small 
shelter will only protect from rain in non-windy conditions.  Better would be 
to pull into the marina on the southeast side of the Bay Bridge in your car 
and scan from the car.  Kent Point does not have a good view.  Some locations 
along the Choptank River west of the Rte. 50 Bridge will give a great view of 
the Choptank River (where Harry Armistead had Sooty Tern and Brown Pelican 
during Fran).  In Wicomico County go to Bivalve and the trailer park at 
Nanticoke, in the extreme south.  In Somerset County, Chance at Deal Island 
has a bay view, and the end of Rumbly Point Rd. would be worth a check but 
the marsh may be flooded.  If you want Caroline County first records (i.e. 
everything remotely oceanic except phalaropes and Black Skimmer ) go to 
Choptank and sit, watching for a flight down the Choptank River. 

THE COAST: I am hoping Mark Hoffman is already down there... Ocean City Inlet 
is the obvious place to scan the ocean, given the chance of parking your car 
such that wind and rain doesn't slow you down.  Some of the shelters on the 
beach at Assateague Island might be good too, ditto Mark's 83rd street 
location in OC if the Inlet is closed.  Be sure to take an hour or so to 
check the flats on Skimmer Island, flocks roosting elsewhere on the Bay side 
etc.  Also DO NOT IGNORE the bayside locations (Assawoman, Sinepuxent, and 
Chincoteague Bays).  The backside of barrier islands have had great results 
in NC where tubenoses were trapped for two weeks after Bonnie 1998!  The 
Leach's Storm-Petrels that Jim and I saw in Bertha 1996 were feeding around 
Skimmer I. And also farther n. along Assawoman Bay in Ocean City.  For a 
while one was right off one of the docks and flying into the wind - I was 
able to get some interesting photos.  Check especially areas around bridges 
(Rte. 50, Rte 611 to Assateague, and Rte. 90 in Ocean City ) where birds may 
bottleneck (depending on which way birds are moving).  A location I have been 
thinking about for a while is Public Landing, east of Snow Hill where there 
is an excellent shelter.

I am not sure to what extent birds will be moving down the coast itself, but 
some VA birders have had good luck at places like Ft. Story and Back Bay 
during Bertha, Fran, and Dennis.  Finally, as I said before, I hope someone 
will walk or drive the beaches after the storm for carcasses.  Save those 
Cory's Shearwater specimens, you may have a new North American record!

Hope this helps give y'all some ideas.  Wish I was there to help out!

Best,

Marshall Iliff
miliff@aol.com