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Subject:

Ferry Neck & Blackwater N.W.R., Nov. 26-27

From:

Henry Armistead

Reply-To:

Henry Armistead

Date:

Mon, 28 Nov 2005 10:01:24 -0500

Rigby's Folly, Armistead property on Ferry Neck, Talbot County, MD, near
Bellevue.  Saturday, November 26, 2005.  8-11 A.M.; 3-5:30 P.M. only, rest
of time spent preparing and taking "the Mudhen" to Gootee's for winter
storage.  45 species.

WEATHER.  Sky:  Partly clear becoming clear.  Wind:  SSE 10-15-10. 
Temperature in degrees F.:  30-46.  Tide:  Low-high-low.  Precipitation: 
0.  General:  Most ground surface water frozen.  Ground condition:  Dry. 
Visibility:  Excellent.  Some salty ice at the head of the cove where it is
very shallow and not much sun ever penetrates.

Common Loon 5.  Northern Gannet 1 (only the 3rd fall record).  Mute Swan
80.  Canada Goose 1,100.  Wood Duck 2 males.  Common Goldeneye 24. 
Bufflehead 115.  Red-breasted Merganser 3.  Bald Eagle 4.  Forster's 2 &
Royal 2, terns (the latter the latest ever by 5 days and most surprising
considering the very cold weather earlier this week; these 2 birds were
flying due south, unerringly, just before sunset).  Great Horned Owl 1. 
Carolina Chickadee 12 (ties 7th highest; all of them by Liz).  American
Robin 75.  American Pipit 1.  Red-winged Blackbird & Common Grackle combo
550.  

Missed:  Horned Grebe, Laughing Gull.

John Swaine harvested the soy beans yesterday between c. 10 A.M. & 2 P.M. 
The resulting bare fields, a delight to walk over, are rather gratifyingly
grassy.   A Gray Squirrel was doing its own harvest of the few remaining
bean stalks on the NW edge of Field 1.  Some of the neighbors a bit jumpy
as a result of fairly intense hunting both at Rigby and on the Meholics'
property but a visit by the game warden assured, I was told, those
concerned that the Olszewskis' blinds are all legal and in fact exceed the
minimal required distances.  I get a little jumpy myself when I hear shots
and am not certain exactly where they are coming from.  The Olszewskis
killed at least one deer that I am aware of and also gave us a big slug of
deer sausage.  They happened upon a Red Fox that had killed an Eastern
Cottontail; the fox left and they took the fresh kill for their own. 
Jimmy, Tommy & Bruce were hunting today, with rifled slugs.      

Items of interest elsewhere today between 11 A.M. & 3 P.M.  A group of at
least 70 American Pipits at Blackwater N.W.R. (near the confluence of Key
Wallace Drive and Egypt Road).  A group of 30 Fish Crows at Golden Hill,
Dorchester County.  An adult male Merlin attacking and capturing a
medium-sized passerine c. 1 mile north of Trappe.  A splendid 6-point Buck
along Egypt Road with tines 6-7 inches long, running scared.  A Cabbage
White, I forget where.  Jenny (Gootee) Whitten, who deals with anglers all
the time, says the local Bay fishing this year was about the worst on
record.  

Sunday, November 27.  WEATHER.  Sky:  Clear becoming mostly overcast then
completely overcast with complex, rather beautiful, cloud formations - a
rough, rather furrowed ceiling with all manner of shades of gray.  Wind: 
Calm or light and variable almost all day.  Temperature in degrees F.: 
43-60.  Tide:  Very low in most areas.  Precipitation:  0.  Visibility: 
Excellent.
  
Blackwater N.W.R.  7:30-Noon.  9 of us on the bird walk including Liz,
Levin Willey, Kate Murphy & Arnold Simon.  50 species.  Tidal waters
extremely low- nice and muddy.  Pretty morning and quite calm.  

Very rough estimates for the waterfowl.  Snow Goose 650.  Mallard 800. 
American Black Duck 10.  Mallard X American Black Duck hybrid 1 male (some
greenish sheen on the crown and sides of the head).  Northern Pintail 850. 
Green-winged Teal 200.  Bald Eagle 30 (19 in sight from one point; 17 from
another point).  Red-tailed Hawk 6.  American Coot 1.  Killdeer 12. 
Greater 2 & Lesser 3, yellowlegs.  Dunlin 275.  swallow sp. 2 (distant;
probably Trees but in this crazy fall, who knows?).  Brown-headed Nuthatch
3.  Eastern Bluebird 35.  Cedar Waxwing 90 (most of these pigging out on
the abundant berries adjacent to the recently-reopened Visitor Center). 
American Pipit 30.  Eastern Meadowlark 35 (most of these around the dikes
of Pools 3A, 3B & 3C).  Brown-headed Cowbird 475.  Savannah Sparrow 15. 
Chipping Sparrow 6.  

Also:  1 Fox Squirrel.  Missed:  Forster's Tern, Double-crested Cormorant,
Great Egret, Northern Harrier (!).  On the way back to Rigby I saw 2
perched Cooper's Hawks (1 each at 2 places), their distinctive, long-tailed
silhouettes and big heads showing up well in trees with scant foliage). 
Very vertical orientation when perched.        

Rigby's Folly, off and on 1-5 P.M. with Liz, Kate & Arnold.  Common Loon 4.
 Mallard 30.  Surf Scoter 70.  Black Scoter 1 female.  Black Vulture 2. 
Bald Eagle 2.  Eastern Bluebird 12.  Red-winged Blackbird 115 at dusk.  Not
seen:  Horned Grebe, Laughing Gull, Double-crested Cormorant (in fact, none
all weekend), gannet, Forster's Tern.   5 deer at Holland Point. 

"Happiness is a fresh [or warm] gut pile."  A rather gross bumper sticker
favored by some deer hunters.  However, true also for some raptors.  The
one in our field attracted several each of Black and Turkey vultures plus a
Red-tailed Hawk.  Hunters partially render their deer soon after killing so
the meat will not spoil, leaving the viscera behind.  Bon appetit to all
concerned.     

Best to all.-Harry Armistead, 523 E. Durham St., Philadelphia, PA
19119-1225.  215-248-4120.  Please, any off-list replies to: 
harryarmistead at hotmail dot com  (never, please, to 74077.3176 ....)