2 late atlas details.  On Sat., Oct. 30, 2004, I found a Blue Grosbeak nest
in a small Persimmon at the bend of the driveway at Rigby.  The next day I
found an Orchard Oriole nest in the big Black Walnut by the Blackwater
N.W.R. boathouse.  Obviously unoccupied at these late dates, but both nests
were in good condition and from this year's breeding season.  Adult birds
had been seen in the areas near these nests numerous times in the summer.


"Rigby's Folly", Armistead property on Ferry Neck, Talbot County, MD, near
Bellevue.  Liz & Harry Armistead.  2 beautiful, clear, sunny days but with
a paucity of November passerines such as sparrows, juncos, kinglets,
robins, finches, and waxwings.  Nov. 6-7, 2004.

Sat., Nov. 6, 2004.  Clear, temps. 51-63, cool, winds NW-SW 15.  50
species.

9 Tundra Swans, a few of them migrating through.  1 female Common
Goldeneye.  90 Buffleheads.  3 sharpies & 1 Coop.  4 Bald Eagles.  2
Ospreys, 1 of which was chased by an adult Bald Eagle that dwarfed it, and
caused it to drop its fish, which the eagle failed to retrieve.  Better to
be chased than unchaste.  1 Great Horned Owl at dusk.  2 Hermit Thrushes.
40 waxwings.

Butterflies:  5 Buckeyes, attending the asters that are still in flower.
12 Orange Sulphurs.  3 Cabbage Whites.  Mammals:  5 Gray Squirrels.  5 deer
(3 bucks and 1 doe).  Dragonflies:  2 Green Darners.  There's been a huge
fall of pine needles since last weekend, which blanket the ground in many
places.  Lovely sunset but no green flash although it looked as if it had
the potential.


Sunday, Nov. 7.  Clear, temps. 48-69, warmer, winds S 5-15, excellent
visibility.  53 species.  Did a "sea watch" at Lucy Point 7:30-9:30 A.M. =
25 species seen over the waters of the Choptank River mouth.  The complete
sea watch list:

35 Common & 2 Red-throated loons.  5 Horned Grebes.  3 Double-crested
Cormorants.  1 Great Blue Heron.  80 Mute & 9 Tundra Swans.  325 Canada
Geese.  10 duck species, to wit:  1 Mallard, 11 black ducks, 3 shovelers
(9th property record), 14 Lesser Scaup, 275 Buffleheads, 22 Long-tailed
Ducks, 1 male White-winged & 220 Surf scoters, 198 Ruddy Ducks & 3
Red-breasted Mergansers.  1 adult Bald Eagle.  6 Great Black-backed, 95
Herring, 750 Laughing, 10 Ring-billed & 6 Bonaparte's gulls.  60 Forster's
Terns.

RUDDY DUCK FLIGHT.  I don't believe I've ever seen a FLIGHT of ruddies here
before.  During the sea watch I saw 17 flocks totalling 198 birds.  They
were all heading unerringly straight across the Choptank River going from
north to south without stopping, really buzzing along.  The flocks
consisted of 5, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 9, 9, 10, 10, 10, 11, 13, 15, 18, 25 & 28
birds.

Also of interest but not part of the sea watch:  3 sharpies.  1 adult
Red-shouldered Hawk.  1 Wild Turkey (Olszewski family).  1 Winter Wren.
300 Common Grackles (none yesterday).  2 Savannah Sparrows.  Near calm
conditions made the sea watch rewarding, birds visible for miles through a
32X Leica scope.  Numerous groups of gulls with Forster's Terns mixed were
in moderate feeding frenzies.  At one point 76 boats fishing for Striped
Bass were in sight at one time.  Dana Sindermann of Bellevue says the
striper fishing has been good lately.  The times he's been fishing he and
his companions have limited out pretty easily.  Don't ever say Striped Bass
when you're on the Eastern Shore or people will look at you twice.  Always
say rockfish or rock.

Butterflies:  Same species as yesterday but in smaller numbers plus 1
Monarch.  Mammals:  7 Gray Squirrels.  12 deer (3 bucks & 9 does).  1 Red
Fox (seen by Jimmy Olszewski while he was bow hunting; he squeaked it in
closer).  One of the Olszewskis shot an 8-point buck nearby at Jim Graves'
property and gave us the tenderloin (a.k.a. "back strap"), which we intend
to eat at Christmas.  This weekend I saw 8 areas on the ground where bucks
had been roughing up the dirt with their hoofs.  I think that's a way they
establish during the rutting season scent posts from glands in their legs.
There's a big, digital electric sign in Salisbury:  "Deer mating season.
Use extreme caution."  Especially at dusk and dawn.

Interesting misses this weekend:  Killdeer, Royal Tern, Fish Crow,
thrasher, towhee & goldfinch.  In my opinion this has been a very poor year
for Palm Warblers.

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



"Today, as always, environmentalists face challenges that only seem
hopeless.  Exaggerating these challenges, as they occasionally do, provides
fodder to environmental exploiters, their hirelings, and parasites who,
using a few truths to frame a house of lies, profess that the greens are
making everything up as a funding gimmick. ...  "The environmental movement
is doing fine," said Brock Evans, formerly of the Sierra Club and Audubon
and now president of the Endangered Species Coalition.  "I remember in the
1960s rivers were burning.  There were no laws; there was only hope.  Today
we win most battles.  I don't get scared anymore when I see a Republican
assault on an environmental law.  We've been there before; we saw it in
1995 when Gingrich came out with his Contract on America."  ... There's
fierce fighting ahead. and there won't be time to relax.  But there will be
time to learn from the past and catch our breath.  Enjoy the beginning of
the post-industrial revolution, the age of restoration.  Be part of it."
Ted Williams in 'We're winning', in "Audubon", Nov./Dec. 2004, pp. 36, 39.