Joel,

Thanks for your posting on the sparrows in Elliott Island marshes. These marshes are part of perhaps our best Important Bird Area in Maryland, Blackwater-Fishing Bay Marshes IBA. Not many people report numbers of birds from the saltmarshes and both of the sharp-tailed sparrow species are conservation priorities in Maryland. Would it be possible for you to provide totals of each sharp-tail species that you saw yesterday? We need this kind of data on our IBAs. I would think any of the saltmarsh area you visited in the Elliott Isladn area would be within this IBA.

Thanks a lot!

Dave 

David Curson, PhD
Director of Bird Conservation,
Audubon MD-DC,
2437 Eastern Avenue,
Baltimore  MD  21224
Tel: (410) 558 2473
E-mail: 





-----Original Message-----
From: Maryland Birds & Birding [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On
Behalf Of Joel Martin
Sent: Tuesday, November 22, 2005 11:10 PM
To: 
Subject: [MDOSPREY] Sharp-tailed Sparrows in Dorchester, 11/21


With a free day yesterday I spent the morning, before the heavy rain, 
puttering around the Elliott Island marshes in a small johnboat and on foot. I 
encountered amazing concentrations of both Sharp-tailed Sparrows and Seaside 
Sparrows. In one spot, near the edge of a tidal pond, one could turn 360 degrees and 
see the tall Spartina grass festooned with sparrows as if they had been hung 
as ornaments. They seemed as curious about me as I was about them; with each 
step I took, more would pop up, perching with that spread-legged, 
grass-straddling thing that they do. Spishing was unnecessary, but a single squeak or spish 
would bring birds incredibly close, sometimes too close to focus. I would 
estimate that within a 50-foot circle there were at least 20 SALTMARSH 
SHARP-TAILED, 3 NELSON'S SHARP-TAILED, 8 SEASIDE and 2 SWAMP. Two of the Nelson's seemed 
to be of the James Bay form: small bill, pale and bright overall with bright 
white braces on the back, and a solid ochre breastband with fine but distinct 
streaks. There was also at least one of the maritime form, dark and dingy, 
without the white braces and with limited dull orange on the face, and a longer 
bill. It was a treat to have the two Sharp-tailed species perched side by side 
like plates in a field guide, where the plumage differences were striking. I 
have to thank Jim Stasz for once giving me a field ID primer on separating these 
birds.

Other spots in the marsh had lower densities, but still high numbers, in 
pretty much the same ratios. No Le Conte's were seen but I bet they were out 
there. MARSH WRENS were also present and conspicuous wherever there were sparrows. 
Whether this was a fallout of migrants or simply birds of the wintering 
population that were behaving more conspicuously because of the calm, overcast, 
pre-storm conditions, it was quite a memorable experience.

Joel Martin
Catonsville, MD