[MDOsprey] Request for Fall bird sightings for North American Birds
Miliff@aol.com
Wed, 22 Dec 1999 19:03:50 EST
December 19, 1999
901 Crystal Spring
Farm Rd.
Annapolis, MD 21403
miliff@aol.com
Dear Friends, Area Birders, and Field Notes Contributors,
This is my standard reminder to send your fall (1 Aug-30 Nov) bird
sightings in to us at North American Birds as soon as possible. This letter
is going out late, for which I apologize. Your contributions are essential
to being able to piece together a meaningful summary of the seasons
sightings. Since this is a fairly long email a quick guide is as follows:
Fall 1999 (talks a bit about what was notable this fall), Personal Highlights
(what I was doing), followed by a standard information section which provides
an introduction to North American Birds (North American Birds: What it is &
History) and its recent changes (North American Birds: Recent Changes).
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, is a section on the reporting network
here (The Local Staff) and how you can help.
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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, VA-BIRDS and MDOsprey, as well as personal email accounts. I
cannot constantly monitor the changing subscription lists on all of these
excellent listservs, and want to ensure that I reach all active birders in
the Region. If you are unfamiliar with North American Birds (formerly 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 retired. The new
Appalachian Regional Editor is:
Robert Leberman
HC64, Box 453
Rector, PA 15677
(724) 593-7521
(no email address)
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The Fall reporting season (1 Aug-30 Nov) for A.B.A.'s North American
Birds (formerly A.B.A. Field Notes) has drawn to a close, so I urge anyone
who has not yet reported their sightings to us, 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.
Please send them no later than EARLY JANUARY. As always, the data are
easiest to process if they come in continuously through the season. Late
reports are always welcomed as well.
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!
The Winter season runs December 1-February 28. 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 dependent on YOUR reports to
write a good column.
Be sure to check out the M.O.S. website (www.mdbirds.org) if you carry an
interest in birding in Maryland and the D.C. area.. In addition to a wealth
of information about the Maryland Ornithological Society (M.O.S.) And its
chapters, the website also carries information on the birding sites in
Maryland, the Maryland/D.C. Records Committee, and even photos of recent
Maryland rarities (including Pacific Loon, Kelp Gull, the possible
Slaty-backed Gull, Arctic Tern, White-faced Ibis, and Fork-tailed
Flycatcher). Recently it has been linked to a new shorebird page that
details the local conditions and recent reports from shorebirding locations
in Maryland. Thanks to Fran Saunders for doing such a great job maintaining
this site!
I would also like to make sure all Field Notes subscribers are aware of
the two excellent email listserv groups covering the Region. MDOsprey
discusses birds and birding in Maryland and is run by listowner Norm
Saunders. Subscribe by contacting him at <osprey@ari.net>. VA-BIRDS is the
Virginia analogue covering birds and birding in Virginia specifically. It
was only recently set up this September but now has a broad subscription base
of birders across Virginia and beyond. To subscribe send a message to
<LISTSERV@LIST.AUDUBON.ORG> and include "Sub VA-BIRD" in the body of the
message. Alternatively check out <www.audubon.org/net/list/>. I encourage
anyone interested in birding in either (or both) or these two Regions to
consider a subscription.
FALL 1999
This season had an excellent selection of rare birds, in part due to
excellent coverage of Virginia's Eastern Shore. A sampling of the rarer
birds in the Region includes the following. For many of these we would like
to publish a photo or two, and encourage anyone who has obtained good photos
to send them along. For some of the rarities below we would also appreciate
a written description.
Pacific Loon, Conowingo Pond/Susquehanna River, November [1st photographed in
MD]
Western Grebe, Assateague I., MD, early Nov [7th for MD]
American White Pelican, Wilson Bridge, August-September
Thick-billed Murre, Ocean City, 7 Nov
Sandhill Crane, Tarbutton Mill Rd., Talbot County, MD, summer-December+
Rufous Hummingbird, Carroll/Baltimore county, MD, late September-November
Rufous Hummingbird, Vienna, VA, mid-October-December+
Rufous Hummingbird, Brandywine, Prince George's county, MD, November-December
Cave Swallow, Eastern Shore of Virginia NWR, VA, several sightings in
November [2nd state record]
Gray Kingbird, Hampton, VA, 19 Sep [we have no details as yet]
Gray Kingbird, Sunset Beach Inn, VA, 29 Oct [we have no details as yet]
Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Kiptopeke SP, VA, mid-September
Gambel's White-crowned Sparrow, Eastern Shore of Virginia NWR, VA, several
sightings in November
Gambel's White-crowned Sparrow, Chino Farms, Queen Anne's County, MD, late
September (banded)
Gambel's White-crowned Sparrow, Dameron, Saint Mary's County, MD, early
October
Le Conte's Sparrow, Eastern Shore of Virginia NWR, early November
Harris's Sparrow, Sykesville, Carroll County, MD, mid November+
Pink-sided Junco, Kiptopeke SP, VA, November
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!
The Swainson's Thrush reports in particular present a special problem.
The species is so rare in the Region after October that I would require an
excellent description and/or a photo to publish any reports as confirmed
records. I encourage those who see Veeries, Swainson's, or Gray-cheeked
thrushes after October 31 to go to great lengths to document them.
There were some notable movements of invasive species which always
provide some of the most interesting grist for the season reports. Northern
Saw-whet Owls staged a massive movement this year with record highs from some
banding stations and near records at others. At the well-manned coastal
stations this flight appeared to be not quite as large as the one in 1995,
though some stations are still catching birds! I encourage those of you
interested in the habits of this secretive owl to make an effort to find them
this winter - rarely will your efforts so likely be rewarded.
Almost all winter finches have been appearing across the northeast since
October, and while the flight has abated in part, all observers should be
alert for the presence of any winter finch throughout the season. Right now,
in December, White-winged Crossbills are popping up in several places, and
Common Redpolls are appearing as well. Of particular interest for this
season will be the details of finch observations at your feeder during the
fall, the range of dates you observed them, and any theories as to why they
disappeared when they did. Pine Siskins were a major player early on but are
essentially absent now. Be ready though, often there is another push of
finches after Christmas.
WINTER 1999-2000
My report of some of the highlights of the Fall of 1999 should make it
obvious that this will be a very interesting winter to be afield. Every
winter finch (including both redpolls, both crossbills, and Pine Grosbeak)
has staged some sort of movement south of its usual range this winter and any
one would be a possibility this winter. Additionally Northern Shrikes are
moving in force (with at least 4 in MD & Va as of this writing), Bohemian
Waxwing turned up in NJ over the past few days, and even mega-rarities like
Black-backed Woodpecker, Boreal Chickadee, or Boreal Owl seem remote
possibilities this season. All have turned up in or close to the Region
previously in such invasion years. Be alert for trees with fruit (old
orchards, ornamental plantings etc.) That might attract the Pine Grosbeaks or
Bohemian Waxwings and check you flocks of Cedar Waxwing thoroughly for the
latter species (note also that some vagrant Bohemians have turned up with
starlings or by themselves). Be alert for conifers with good cone crops.
The crossbills in 1997-1998 were strongly tied to White Pines with
exceptional cone crops. It would be good to check those same productive
stands this year, as well as to check other species of conifers which
crossbills sometimes prefer (Virginia Pines, ornamental Black Pines, spruces,
hemlocks, and even Loblolly Pines (?)). Redpolls may be seen in single
species flocks or among goldfinch or siskin flocks. They are fond of weedy,
seedy fields as well as trees with good seed crops (e.g., Tulip Poplars,
Sweet Gum, Ash) and of course, are especially fond of feeders. If your
feeders are not offering both thistle seed and sunflower, you should make a
run to the store now! I encourage all observers to be alert for the
improbable, to pay extra attention to appropriate habitats, and to spread the
word rapidly if you encounter a stray from the north!
This winter has also been quite mild thus far and, as with recent winter,
we can all reasonably expect healthy doses of late lingerers on our CBCs. I
myself have a field near my home that is currently hosting an Orange-crowned
Warbler, a Yellow-breasted Chat, several each of Gray Catbird and Brown
Thrasher, a Lark Sparrow (!), and had a Baltimore Oriole earlier in the
month. Any observations on how our half-hardy birds last through the winter
will be of great interest. After the inevitable cold snaps come along I will
be interested to hear how the birds weathered it.
Owls also are likely to be a highlight of this winter's season. In
addition to the Northern Saw-whet Owls which are doubtless scattered far and
wide through the Region, there appear to be some Long-eared Owls around, and
Short-eared Owls seem to be having a very good year as well. If you see
likely Short-eared Owl fields (fallow fields with tussocky, short grass) you
might make a mental note to return there at dusk and look for them. Snowy
Owls are also turning up south of their normal range, with one reported at
Chincoteague in November and one already as far south as Florida! Check
those big open spaces (especially on the coast) for them!
Another question I've had a lot of interest in and which observers might
tune into in the next few weeks is the departure of Laughing Gulls from the
Region. The DC Tidal Basin and Brown's Station Landfill (in Upper Marlboro)
have recently hosted large numbers through Christmas (e.g., 1500 at Brown's
Station 24 Dec 1998) but by New Years they have been entirely gone by New
Year's. If everyone could pay extra attention to the Laughers in the next
few weeks it might reveal something about their mass exodus (does it come
with the first really cold snap?).
Finally, we ask that anyone compiling a CBC please Please PLEASE send us
a copy of the final tally. We have not yet had at hand the entire set of CBC
tallies and as you might expect this is an _essential_ data set for the
season. I also implore observers to send their original days lists, since
the section totals will be more meaningful than the totals for the circle.
Thanks to all who are able to send us CBC data.
PERSONAL HIGHLIGHTS
I spent this past season working for Louisiana State University's
Migration Over the Gulf Project (MOGP) which for the past two years has
stationed 5 observers on oil platforms off Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico.
This past fall the project was expanded to include 10 observers on 10
platforms and spanned a broader section of the Gulf, extending from Alabama
waters to south Texas. The season ran 4 Aug-17 Nov this year, which even
still didn't quite bracket the migration in its entirety. On my second day
offshore I had Prothonotary and Yellow Warblers, and a scattered few migrants
(mostly sparrows) were still turning up offshore as we left. As chance would
have it, my platform was the one platform chosen for a year-long study, and
observers are still manning that one as I write. Most incredible was a House
Wren that spent more than a month offshore on my platform from late October
through late November!
Some of my avian highlights were: 104 Pomarine Jaegers in a directed S-N
flight following a front on 16 Nov; a massive overhead flight of what were
apparently _Catharus_ thrushes following a late September front; a warbler
fallout 15 Aug which included 12 species, 1 Swainson's Warbler among them;
one day with an excellent seabird concentration feeding over a tuna school,
including 55 Black Tern, 1 Bridled Tern or Sooty Tern, 2 Audubon's
Shearwaters, 2 Cory's Shearwater, and 7 large shearwaters (either Cory's or
Greater); sightings of single shearwaters, 2 Cory's and a Greater, on three
others dates; 10 Masked Boobies over the course of the season; a Red-breasted
Nuthatch that spent a week in late October on my platform; a couple
impressive landbird flights in the face of advancing storm systems; sightings
of the following interesting offshore species - Yellow-bellied Flycatcher,
Warbling Vireo, Painted Bunting, Mourning Warbler (2), Wilson's Warbler,
Chuck-will's-widow (c. 7), Purple Gallinule (2), Pied-billed Grebe, American
Robin, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Brown Thrasher, Bobolink etc.; a solid month
when Peregrine Falcons were constantly present and constantly provided
amazing air shows and dazzling attacks on wayward passerines; a Lesser
Nighthawk that spent three days on the platform 26-28 Oct - though weak and
with very little fat (I examined it in the hand) it was seen departing
strongly towards shore one evening; a total platform list for the fall of 143
species (!); a Burrowing Owl in late October and a distant flyby _Asio_ owl
(or, possibly, Barn Owl) on a November morning. And, last but far from
least, a Flammulated Owl, Lousiana's third, that flew in at dawn 12 Oct 1999
and spent the day roosting on my platform. I was actually unable to get a
confirmatory look at the bird as it flew in, and it took me more that 2 hours
of constant searching to relocate the tiny owl among the maze of pipes and
rafters.
Platform life was an interesting sub-culture to be sure and the MOGP
observers got a thicker dose of it than most. The platform workers typically
put in 7 days straight, followed by 7 days off. The MOGP men? 28 days on
with 7 days off. Food and living conditions are excellent on most, with an
ample supply of junkfood.
To keep busy there was a minimal weight room, satellite TV, and ample
opportunities to try your luck at fishing. Still, by the end of it all I was
ready to return to the comforts of life onshore - and was glad for its
considerably more diverse avifauna!
I had two week-long breaks over the course of the season. The first was
spent in the Baton Rouge area where the L.S.U. folks were extremely
hospitable and treated me to some good LA birding among other things. On a
mid-October break I joined Brian Gibbons, also of MOGP, for a trip to south
Texas. We had a great few days of birding, highlighted by a successful chase
on the Weslaco Blue Mockingbird, discovery of a Tropical Parula out of range
at Falcon Dam and a few other minor rarities, and some excellent herping
(Plains Blackhead Snake) and butterflying (Malachite, Guava Skipper etc.).
Our trip ended as we witnessed an impressive fallout on the Texas Coast in
Corpus Christi - unfortunately this was to be the best weekend of birding on
the offshore platforms, with one platform netting 75 (!!!) species in a
single day! After the platform stint ended, I fulfilled my addiction to
birding competitions by participating (with Brian Gibbons and Dan Lane) in
the first annual ProBirding Tournament in Corpus Christi. As expected the
competition was great fun and resulted in some great birding. Our team, the
"FLOW Bros" (FLOW is the 4-letter code for Flammulated Owl, which Brian
Gibbons amazingly had offshore 1 day before I did!!), were fortunate to do as
well as we did (we had minimal time for scouting) and managed to win the
Grand Prize. We donated part of that to Magic Ridge, a section of coast near
Indianola, Texas, which the Texas Ornithological Society has been trying to
purchase as a sanctuary.
I returned home to MD for Thanksgiving and was able to sneak in a tiny
amount of birding in the season before December 1, and enjoyed the Pink-sided
Junco at Kiptopeke, along with an Orange-crowned Warbler and a few of the
Pine Siskins that were so much more common a month prior. My early winter
though has been excellent and it is great to be home to the mid-Atlantic!
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NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS: WHAT IT IS
To those not familiar with North American Birds, below is a quick summary
of the magazine and what it includes. North American Birds 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/North American Birds:
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 North American Birds season report, but
the advantage of North American Birds 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, North American
Birds is for you.
NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS: HISTORY
The magazine has undergone a number of changes in its lifetime, with the
most major change occurring in the summer of 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.
Recently Field Notes has changed its name to North American Birds but
continues with the same quality articles and photos. If you let your
subscription slide I urge you to sign back on!
NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS AND RECENT CHANGES
By now those of you that do subscribe to North American Birds 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 North American Reports 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 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 the winter of 1997-1998 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)
pattycraig@mail.ameritel.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 Fountain Head Rd.,
Hagerstown, MD 21742 JANETBILL@prodigy.net)
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