Hi Everybody,

It's a bit predictable letting safe dates dictate atlas posts early in the season, but they *do* form clear benchmarks. As of the first of April six more bird species entered their safe dates.

These include Brown-headed Nuthatch whose safe dates began on 20 March, and Ruffed Grouse, Eastern Screech-Owl, Common Raven, Northern Mockingbird and European Starling. By 10 April Belted Kingfisher and Horned Lark join the ranks of the atlas safe. Folks should listen for Ruffed Grouse drumming to add them to blocks within their Maryland breeding range. Raven nestlings should have begun to hatch and the parents will be increasing the trips back and forth to nests. Many raven nests will be on ledges, but a few pairs might be found nesting in tall conifers; especially white pine. Anybody who looks into Wood Duck nest boxes to maintain them, or knows a friend who occasionally checks them, should consider the possibility of finding not only Wood Duck nests, but perhaps Hooded Merganser and screech-owl nests as well.

It is hard to avoid confusing safe dates with nesting dates sometimes. My rule of thumb is to refer back to my mental note - "safe dates represent migration (and dispersal) dates". I just went through my Yellow Book to figure out those birds that have egg dates by early April. It turned out there were 35 (see listing below) of which 26 have yet to enter their safe dates. A notable exception to the rule, because the bird is essentially resident with limited dispersal, is Ruffed Grouse whose safe dates antedate its early egg date.

Early Nesters - to 1 April (first egg date):

Great Blue Heron  (28 Feb)
Black Vulture (14 Mar)
Mute Swan (8 Mar)
Canada Goose (31 Mar)
Wood Duck (1 Mar)
American Black Duck (4 Mar)
Mallard (12 Mar)
Hooded Merganser (14 Mar)
Osprey (27 March)
Bald Eagle (5 Feb)
Red-shouldered Hawk (4 Mar)
Red-tailed Hawk (8 Mar)
American Kestrel (23 Mar)
Peregrine Falcon (12 February)
Killdeer (8 Mar)
American Woodcock (25 Feb)
Rock Dove (2 Jan)
Mourning Dove (12 Feb)
Barn Owl (18 Mar)
Eastern Screech-Owl (8 Mar)
Great Horned Owl (27 Jan)
Barred Owl (10 Mar)
Eastern Phoebe (25 Mar)
American Crow (13 Mar)
Fish Crow (30 Mar)
Common Raven (23 Feb)
Horned Lark (3 Mar)
Carolina Wren (21 Mar)
Eastern Bluebird (12 Mar)
American Robin (26 Mar)
Northern Mockingbird (30 Mar)
European Starling (25 Mar)
Common Grackle (27 Mar)
House Finch (1 Apr)
House Sparrow (29 Mar)

Nancy and I have already seen confirmations for some of these species - Killdeer, starling, grackle. Keep your eyes open, and keep looking for stick nests along woodlot edges, Great Horned Owls will be fledging in about two weeks, and many red-tails and red-shoulders are sitting on eggs.

Good Atlasing, 
 
Walter Ellison
MD-DC Atlas Coordinator - MOS
23460 Clarissa Road
Chestertown, MD 21620
phone: 410-778-9568
e-mail: 

"A person who is looking for something doesn't travel very fast" - E. B. White (in "Stuart Little")

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