[MDOsprey] Maryland/DC CBC Rarities (longish)
Phil Davis (PDavis@ix.netcom.com)
Wed, 15 Dec 1999 00:21:17 -0500
Maryland / DC CBC Compilers and Participants -
As the Christmas Count season is all but upon us ... here's a reminder
about winter rarities ...
Many possible CBC rarities include MD/DC Records Committee (MD/DCRC)
"reviewable species". The full MD/DCRC Review List can be found at:
http://www.MDBirds.org/mddcrc/rcreview.html
and a documentation checklist can be found at:
http://www.MDBirds.org/mddcrc/rcguide.html
If you find any "reviewable species", here are a few tips ...
Take written notes on what you see, preferably before you consult a field
guide.
Take notes on the entire bird ... not just field marks that may be unique
to that species
Sketches are great!
Before you submit your final notes, be sure to discuss how you eliminated
similar species
Count compilers may require notes for additional species, but a formal
submission to the committee for MD/DCRC "reviewable" species would be
greatly appreciated.
So, look out for the following ... (Marshall Iliff, Bob Ringler, Rick
Blom, Jim Stasz, others ... feel free to amplify, augment or correct
...). The Review List summary, below, is unofficial,
Category 3. Reviewable anywhere in MD or DC:
Western Grebe - Look closely in the ocean, bays and the large reservoirs.
Tufted Duck - Look where scaup are found ... look over the flocks carefully
Barrow's Goldeneye - Look wherever Common Goldeneyes are found (especially
in the lower bay)
Gyrfalcon - Look in the "tundra-like" open habitat in the western piedmont
Short-billed Gull (Mew and Common) - any gull hangouts
California Gull - ditto, especially reservoirs and dumps
Yellow-legged Gull - ditto, especially reservoirs and dumps
Common Murre - off the coast
Thick-billed Murre - ditto
Black Guillemot - ditto, plus the bay
Rufous/Allen's/Broad-billed/Calliope Hummingbird - check out any hummers
(leave those feeders up !!!)
Ash-throated Flycatcher - any Myarchius flycatcher is unusual in December
... it probably isn't a Great-crested at this time of the year
Northern Shrike - any winter shrike is likely to be a Northern
Boreal Chickadee - it's been decades since they moved down , but it's possible
Mountain Bluebird - we are overdue for one
Townsend's Solitaire -
Varied Thrush -
Bohemian Waxwing - checkout all Cedar Waxwing flocks for larger birds with
rusty undertail coverts. Our only record was a "single", however.
Spotted Towhee - The western form of the Eastern Towhee (Rufous-sided) is
now a separate species. They have been found on CBCs before.
Le Conte's Sparrow - Check grassy fields
Harris's Sparrow - it is a good year for them ... our largest sparrow
Painted Bunting - tend to be found at feeders
Bullock's Oriole - Check any oriole. Most eastern records are females ...
care is needed to eliminate Baltimore.
Pine Grosbeak -
Hoary Redpoll - Look for a white rump and smaller more conical bill than a
Common Redpoll
Category 4. Forms or subspecies not known to regularly occur in MD or DC:
Bewick's Swan - the yellow pattern on the bill is larger than Tundra Swan
... make a sketch of the yellow area
Common Teal - check all Green-winged Teal ... look for a vertical white bar
on the side, vs. horizontal
Audubon's Warbler - Check out "Myrtle" Yellow-rumped Warblers for yellow
throats
Gambel's Sparrow - Look closely at the lores of White-crowned Sparrows
Oregon Juno -
Pink-sided Junco - Look for dark lores on these birds
Category 5A: If seen in places other than coastal Worcester County or over
the ocean:
Black-legged Kittiwake - Around large bodies of water
Dovekie - In the ocean
Razorbill - ditto
Atlantic Puffin - ditto
Category 5B: If seen along the Potomac River north of Charles County, or
inland away from the major tidal tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay:
King Eider
Common Eider
Harlequin Duck
any Jaeger
Boat-tailed Grackle
Category 5C. If seen west of the coastal plain, except along the
Susquehanna River:
Great Cormorant - look for a chest and belly brown/white pattern that is
"reversed" from DC Cormorant on immatures
Category 5D. If seen west of the Washington/Frederick County line:
Laughing Gull
Thayer's Gull
Iceland Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Glaucous Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Brewer's Blackbird
Category 5E. If seen in restricted ranges:
Ross's Goose - Reviewable anywhere on the western shore
Franklin's Gull - Reviewable anywhere other than in and north of Anne
Arundel or Prince George's Counties ... and east of the fall line
Carolina Chickadee - reviewable west of Washington County
Brown-headed Nuthatch - Reviewable on the Eastern Shore north of Queen
Anne's County ... or on the Western Shore, except in Saint Mary's County or
in the Solomons area of Calvert County
If you see any rarities, please write them up and let me know. Good
birding ... and good luck !!!
Phil Davis
2549 Vale Court
Davidsonville, MD 21035
================================================
Phil Davis, Secretary
MD/DC Records Committee
home: PDavis@ix.netcom.com Davidsonville, Maryland USA
work: PDavis@OAO.com Greenbelt, Maryland USA
MD/DCRC Web site: http://www.MDBirds.org
================================================