76th DORCHESTER COUNTY, MD, MAY BIRD COUNT, Saturday, May 14, 2005. Our
grateful thanks to Glen Carowan for granting access to restricted areas of
Blackwater refuge and to Neil & Kate Birchmeier for letting us scope the
northern Hooper's Island sand bars from their lovely dock.
HIGH WATER everywhere we went (tidal and fresh), somewhat strong winds & a
cool night hampered our efforts. There was a most minimal flight or influx
of passerine migrants. At night next to nothing was heard flying over.
NO NEW species for the cumulative list.
WEATHER. Temps went from 55 down to c. 50 around sunrise then recovered to
the mid to high 70s in late morning and afternoon before going down to a
still warm 72 after 9 P.M. A mostly warm, pleasant day but with much haze
from 10 A.M. on. Winds started easterly 5-10 m.p.h. then were SW most of
the rest of the day from 3 A.M. on at 15-20 m.p.h., mercifully falling to
10 or less at dusk. Overcast at night becoming clear or fair the rest of
the day. A nearly quarter moon set well before sunup. Much lightning
("electric storm") after 9 P.M. with some sporadic rain, sometimes heavy
for a few minutes at a time after we quit.
PRELIMINARY TOTALS
1. SOUTHERN DORCHESTER PARTY (Elliott Island Road, Blackwater National
Wildlife Refuge, Egypt & Old Field roads, Cambridge, Moneystump Swamp,
Hooper's Island, Bestpitch Ferry. Midnight - 9:15 P.M. Phew!! 218 miles
by car, 2 by foot. 144 species, c. 4,704 individuals. Lynn Davidson, Hal
Wierenga & myself. Night list: 19 species (In my report from last week's
75th May count here I neglected to mention that the night list then was 17;
neither is very good).
HIGHLIGHTS: 1 Brown Pelican (declining as a breeder and presence in
Dorchester & Somerset counties, but increasing as such in the central Bay
just south of Smith I., MD, but in Virginia at South Point Marsh). 1
Little Blue & 1 Tricolored heron (both are scarce here in May). 4 Cattle
Egrets (declining as breeders in the entire central Chesapeake Bay). 25
Wood Ducks including an adorable brood of 11 ducklings in Moneystump
Swamp). 1 Blue-winged Teal (declining here as a breeder). 3 Gadwalls
(including a pair at Gadwall Bend, Elliott I. Rd.; declining in the central
Chesapeake as a breeder). 1 male Canvasback (in Fishing Bay in company
with 16 Ruddy Ducks).
40 Bald Eagles. Only 1 harrier, unbelievable. 2 Peregrine Falcons
(multiple sightings at the Malkus Bridge, seen at close range from
Cambridge, a pair). All of 4 bobwhite. 1 Black, 6 Clapper & 25 Virginia
rails. 4 Common Moorhens. 16 shorebird species including 24 Black-bellied
& 45 Semipalmated plovers, 2 oystercatchers, 5 Black-necked Stilts, 15
turnstones, 1 White-rumped Sandpiper (Blackwater) & 1 woodcock (Savanna
Lake; the next-to-last species of the day).
30 Royal, 165 Common, 70 Forster's & 4 Least terns. 12
Chuck-will's-widows. 1 Whip-poor-will (last species of the day). 4
Red-headed Woodpeckers (2 on the Blackwater spur road, 2 at Moneystump
Swamp). 7 Brown-headed Nuthatches. 1 Magnolia, 2 Black-throated Blue, 3
Yellow-throated, 5 Blackpoll & 8 Worm-eating warblers. 12 Summer & 2
Scarlet tanagers (the Scarlet is the scarce tanager here). 2 Savannah, 4
Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed & 4 Swamp sparrows. 1 Rose-breasted Grosbeak. 20
House Sparrows (mentioned only because several of them were already active
at the Cambridge Wawa convenience store at 4 A.M.).
OF GREATEST INTEREST:
Black Rail. A total surprise. 1 Cheneyesque bird (the location will
remain undisclosed) flushed from a very grassy road shoulder when we
stopped. Well seen at very close range if but for a couple of seconds but
only by Hal. It sprung from the grassy shoulder then disappeared after
only a few feet into dense Juncus roemerianus. We hung around a few
minutes but it did not vocalize. For the past few years this species has
been close to non-existant (or at least unseen and unheard) north of North
Carolina.
Common Terns. It has been years since there has been a big Common Tern
colony in this county. After only seeing 1 on May 8 I was surprised to see
a big aggregation of them today. Almost every tern we saw from Swan Harbor
Road was a Common Tern. They'd fly right over the dock there carrying fish
and doing displays. Perhaps there will be a big colony this year on the
sandbars offshore from there. For the past few years the only way to
usually get this species on the May count has been to look for them farther
south on Hooper's Island from the high Narrows Ferry Bridge and then
there'd only be 1-3 birds. Big doins this year with perhaps 165 Commons.
Red Crossbill. 1 flew over the parking lot where the loo is on the
so-called spur road of Wildlife Drive at Blackwater. Hal and I heard it
call clearly just above treetop level perhaps 6 times, a call note we are
both very familiar is. Lynn was not there for this. Once before on the
May count many years ago I had a small flock on the 2nd weekend in May just
west of Bestpitch and the Transquaking River and once, unbelievably, a
small flock in Ewell at Smith Island, MD, on Memorial Day Weekend many
years ago.
The Trumpeter Swan resident just s. of Shorter's Marsh was not counted. It
was nice, however, to hear it calling and see it at close range. You go,
bird!
MAMMALS. Not a lot. 10 Sika Elk, 4 White-tailed Deer, 0 Nutria, 0 bunny
wabbit, 1 possum, 1 coon, 3 Red Fox kits, 3 Gray & 1 Fox squirrel. Bob
said there was a Woodchuck at its burrow on the side of one of the dikes at
Hurlock.
AMPHIBIANS. Another subdued presence this weekend. A few Carpenter, Bull,
Green, Cricket & Southern Leopard frogs. 2 Fowler's Toads. At 9 P.M. what
might be called an awakening batrachian reactor of Green Tree Frogs stirred
to life, increasing in intensity, and heading towards critical mass.
Impressive.
2. NORTHEAST DORCHESTER PARTY, Bob Ringler and Jared Sparks. 6 A.M. - 8
P.M. 119 miles by car, 0.5 miles on foot. 103 species, 10,636
individuals, mas o menos. This area lacks extensive marsh or open water
areas. Breaking 100 here is an achievement.
HIGHLIGHTS: 2 Glossy Ibis. 6 Snow Geese (Hurlock Wastewater Treatment
Plant). 7 Ruddy Ducks (Hurlock WW.T.P.). 3 adult Bald Eagles. All of 2
bobwhite. 1 Virginia Rail. 3 Semipalmated Plovers. 3 Solitary, 8 Spotted,
4 Semipalmated & 60 Least Sandpipers. 16 Lesser Yellowlegs. 3 Dunlin.
9,000 Laughing Gulls (the hog farm, landfill, and sewage ponds attract
large numbers, q.e.d.). 3 Forster's, 3 Least & 3 Royal Terns (the latter
way up the Choptank River near to Choptank, Caroline County).
3 Acadian Flycatchers. 23 Red-eyed & 2 Yellow-throated Vireos. 27 Horned
Larks. 7 Cliff Swallows, including an active nest under a bridge. 19 Wood
Thrushes. 3 Yellow-throated, 18 Prairie, 5 Blackpoll & 1 Kentucky warbler.
24 Ovenbirds. 2 Louisiana Waterthrushes. 7 Yellow-breasted Chats. 11
Summer & 8 Scarlet tanagers. 14 Field, 8 Grasshopper & 1 Vesper sparrow.
18 Blue Grosbeaks 26 Indigo Buntings. 35 Orchard Orioles.
DISASTER?? OR JUST SOME DECLINE? Totals of the combined 2 parties of
interest: flicker 3 (3,0/1) [3 by south party, 0 by northeast party/1 on
May 8]. kingbird 9 (5,4/14). quail 6 (4,2/0). thrasher 1 (1,0/3).
meadowlark 10 (8,2/2). bluebird 18 (15,3/14). Considering the 2 parties
combined for > 250 miles and 29 hours of daytime effort, some of these
totals are abysmal and abyssal. I am especially concerned about the
Northern Bobwhite. For > 20 years I conducted 3 breeding bird survey
routes in southern Dorchester County. Back then one would often record
quail on 30 or more of the 50 stops of each one ... every year. Their
numbers now I'd definitely consider a DISASTER.
SPECIES UNDETECTED by both parties (none of these misses is very
surprising): grebes, bitterns, accipiters, Red-shouldered & Broad-winged
hawks, kestrel, King Rail, Sora, dowitchers, snipe, Caspian Tern, Barn &
Barred owls, any thrushes other than Wood, Sedge Wren, various warblers
including Black-throated Green, Blue-winged, and numerous what I call
"spruce-northern-montane" species, Baltimore Oriole, White-throated Sparrow
and Bobolink.
"Rigby's Folly", Armistead property on Ferry Neck, Talbot County, MD, near
Bellevue. Friday, May 13, seen or heard by Bob or Liz: Great & Snowy
egrets, Chuck-will's-widow, Great Horned Owl plus 18 deer in Field 4,
including 2 partial albinos. Sunday, May 16: 36 Diamondback Terrapin,
nose count of turtles basking on the water's surface at the mouth of our
cove. 1 Muskrat. 2 Gray Squirrels. 3 Least Sandpipers.
Best to all.-Harry (Henry T.) Armistead, 523 E. Durham St., Philadelphia,
PA 19119-1225. 215-248-4120. Please, any off-list replies to:
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