Friday, July 2, 2004.  11 Woodchucks between Wilmington and Odessa,
Delaware, along the shoulders of Rts. 1/13, a record, including 5
youngsters.  That's A LOT of fur.

"Rigby's Folly", Armistead property on Ferry Neck, Talbot County, MD, near
Bellevue.  July 3, Sat.  Liz, Mary & Harry Armistead.  31 species.  Didn't
do much birding.  Fair, 77-91 degrees F., winds NE 10.  Hot 'n' humid.  A
female Northern Bobwhite running across the yard, the first I've SEEN here
in several years.  A Chuck-will's-widow at 8:40 P.M., when dozens of
Fireflies also began their light displays.  3 American Crows walking around
the dock, which I've never seen before.  Exciting was an adult male
PEREGRINE FALCON flying right by us up the middle of the cove just above
eye level at 8:30 P.M.  It was on a trajectory for the Malkus Brige at
Cambridge where one or two have been hanging out.  Only the 7th property
record, the others have all been between September 14 and October 24,
presumably the tundrius race, migrants from the Arctic.

From our dock the fireworks at Oxford can be seen, except for the lower 100
feet or so.  The very tops of the St. Michaels' ones also.  All during
these the Chuck-will's-widow continued calling as did a distant chorus of
Green Tree Frogs, the latter a new and welcome feature of Rigby. ... "the
beautiful, languorous choruses of Green Tree Frogs, with their haunting,
cowbell-like, antiphonal quality" ("Birding", April 1999, p. 146).  These
frogs' calls are certainly redolent of more exotic settings much farther
afield in the Deep South.  To me they are one of the great sounds of
nature.  A moonlit June marsh imbued with these sounds has a certain
enchantment that is very affecting.

Today Jimmy Olszewski gave us a cooler full of venison.  He also mowed the
Olszewski Trails in W2 (cut for the first time since summer 2002) as well
as the trails around the Big Field (F1).

Mary spotted a mouse jumping out of my boat.  Later we discovered a nest
inside the center console compartment.  Cause for concern.  Mice crippled
some of Hitler's tanks in December 1941 as they approached Moscow, by
chewing the wiring.

Sunday, July 4.  Liz saw a Great Horned Owl near the edge of the lawn being
mobbed by both American and Fish crows.  She also saw an adult Bald Eagle
that was divebombed in turn by several Ospreys, running the gauntlet, as it
flew off to the east towards where there is an active nest.  49 Mute Swans.
 The nest at the head of our cove, which held 8 eggs earlier in the year,
is apparently unsuccessful as we have seen no cygnets.

BLOODSWORTH ISLAND, Dorchester County, MD.  But first a Chuck-will's-widow
calling at 5 A.M. and an ad. Bald Eagle at 5:45 A.M. on its favorite roost
tree at Rigby.  We ran into Lynn Davidson at the Cambridge Wawa, where the
elite meet.  Daughter, Mary, and I were in my boat, "the Mudhen", from 8:30
A.M. until 4 P.M., mostly atlassing remote Bloodsworth Island.  Absolutely
nothing surprising out there today, which is the usual case.  Mostly
cloudy, winds SE 15-20+, quite rough, which hampered our efforts, making
landings a little dicey, tide rising most of the day, which helped, temps
in the 70s to mid-80s.  Water temperature 78-80.  26.4 miles by boat (4.7
m.p.g.).  It's 59 miles from Rigby to Crocheron, where we launch.  A couple
of sizeable Snapping and 1 Box turtle on the roads on the way down.
Surprised to have a very good view of a Common Moorhen crossing the road
and walking across the green grass on the west shoulder just north of
Shorter's Wharf on S.W. Road, where I hardly ever even hear them much less
see one.  A Sika Elk near Wingate.  Most of the non-Great Blue
herons/ibises seen today were trading back and forth between their colonies
on Holland Island (and possibly Smith Island) and the mainland marshes.

Bloodsworth includes parts of 4 atlas blocks.  For decades a naval weapons
testing range, it nevertheless has retained great beauty and is a near
wilderness setting.  An admiral once wrote me that "countless rounds of
unexploded ordnance" lie on this island and in its surrounding waters.  A
perfect place for a father and daughter to enjoy an outing.

1.  Northeast Bloodsworth, including Fin Creek, 9:15-10:45 A.M., which can
easily be navigated for 1.2 miles south into the heart of Bloodsworth.  I
also walked around Fin Creek Ridge for about 0.5 miles.  This is where the
big Great Blue Heronry is, mostly on 70 or so poles, each with 2-3 nesting
platforms, most of these erected by the U.S. Navy and others in early
September 2002.  23 species incl.:  29 Black-crowned Night Herons in sight
at once, 6 Willets, 1 ad. male harrier, 3 Barn Swallows, 60 Seaside
Sparrows, a catbird, and confirmed breeding for great blues, Boat-tailed
Grackle, Seaside Sparrow, Osprey, and kingbird (2 ad. w/ 2 yg.), plus
agitated behavior by Song Sparrow and Marsh Wren.  The "Spartina patens"
meadows at the mouth of Fin Creek sometimes have a Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed
Sparrow but none were seen today.

2.  Northwest Bloodsworth at Okahanikan Point.  An Osprey perched on the
open lid of a Sherman Tank 100 yards offshore.  11:15 A.M.-12:15 A.M.  21
species incl.:  22 Brown Pelicans, 20 Seaside Sparrows, 1 ad.
Yellow-crowned Night Heron, 145 Mute Swans (yes), 1 Clapper Rail
(untypically, the only 1 all day), 4 Little Blue Herons, 1 harrier and
confirmed breeding of Osprey, Seaside Sparrow, and Barn Swallow.  The
swallows nest under some structures placed here by the military.  A large
dead Cownose Ray, probably discarded by an angler, was on the point,
swarming with maggots.  It had a very long, whiplike, wire tail with which
I swung it into the water.  El Stinko Grande.  Six or 7 Brown Pelicans were
plunge-diving here, quite successfully, less than 100 feet from our
vantagepoint on the shore.

3.  Southwest Bloodsworth at Race Hog Point and Pone Island.  The large
sandbar here for many years has been greatly diminshed recently.  This is
where George A. and I, exactly 10 years ago, found the first Brown Pelicans
for Dorchester County, 4 immatures.  12:45-1:45 P.M.  19 species incl.:  7
Glossy Ibis, 2 ad. Yellow-crowned Night Herons, 96 Double-crested
Cormorants, 85 pelicans, 1 harrier, 3 Tricolored Herons, 5 oystercatchers,
1 Willet, 5 black ducks, 11 Canada Geese and confirmed breeding for Canada
Goose, Seaside Sparrow, and Barn Swallow.  Cell phone didn't work way out
here.

4.  Southeast Bloodsworth just north of Straits Point at the south end of
Great Cove.  As storm clouds gathered to the west and north we made a very
quick landing here and then beat it back to the launching ramp at Crocheron
just ahead of the, as it turned out, rather light rainfall.  2:30-2:45 P.M.
 8 species incl. 35 pelicans, 90 cormorants, a Royal Tern and confirmed
breeding for Seaside Sparrow.

We did not see any Saltmarsh Skippers today even though there were sizeable
areas of "Distichlis spicata", the saltmarsh spikey grass they favor.
Perhaps they were adversely impacted by Hurricane Isabel.  This year for
the first time ever I found no Carolina Wren on either Bloodsworth or
Holland islands, perhaps another casualty of Isabel.  However, the brief
visits there could have certainly missed them.

1 ad. Bald Eagle at Bishop's Head near the C.B.F.'s Noonan Environmental
Center.  Not too many Diamondback Terrapin today, perhaps 30 all told, but
countless thousands of Fiddler Crabs.

Monday, July 5, at Rigby.  Clear becoming mostly overcast, 76-91 degrees,
winds SW 15, very hot and humid.  Mary spotted a young Red Fox while
jogging.  Most extraordinary was her finding of a long dead, desiccated,
but still easily-recognizeable NORTHERN PARULA, well-camouflaged lying
among the large stones of the little boat launching ramp on the side of the
lawn.  I looked for it there for 10 minutes but had to get her to re-locate
it for me.  Records of parulas at Rigby have all fallen between the dates
of April 17-May 12 in the spring and August 19-October 26 in the fall.
However, the previous Maryland breeding bird atlas shows this species as a
probable breeder in this atlas block, which I find very surprising.  75
Canada Geese a Holland Point.  EARLY MIGRANTS:  1 each of Bank and Tree
swallow.

Butterflies at Rigby this weekend:  Meadow Fritillary, Tiger Swallowtail,
Buckeye, Silver-spotted Skipper (kept alighting on my socks), Hackberry
Butterfly, Cabbage White, Orange Sulphur, Red-spotted Purple,
Pearlcrescent, Eastern-tailed Blue, and Common Wood Nymph.

Miscellaneous, random observation:  This seems to be a very good year for
clover.

Headin' home.  a Northern Harrier and an American Kestrel close to the
intersection of Routes 481 X 304 in Queen Annes County.  Both species
within safe dates for the atlas.

Best to all.-Harry Armistead, 523 E. Durham St., Philadelphia, PA
19119-1225.  215-248-4120.  Please, any off-list replies to: