SATURDAY, December 10, 2005.

Middletown, Delaware.  Noonish.  Dozens of Snow (Blue) Geese, several
thousand Snow (White) Geese (but no Seven-dwarfs Geese) over the Wawa with
an adult Bald Eagle riding herd on them.  So many geese, so little time.

Rigby's Folly, Armistead property on Ferry Neck, Talbot County, MD, near
Bellevue.  2:45-5:45 P.M. only.  29 species.   

WEATHER.  Sky:  fair-clear.  Wind:  S 20.  Temperature in degrees F.: 
40-37.  Tide:  very low.  Precipitation:  0.  Ground condition:  remnants
of  1-2" of snow and frozen sleet, lots of standing water, ditches full;
most ditches and field water frozen.  Judging from the bare areas next to
the big Red Cedars the snow came right out of the north.  Visibility: 
Good.

Mute Swan 109.  Northern Harrier 1 ad. male.  Sharp-shinned Hawk 1.  Great
Horned Owl. 1.  Northern Flicker 11, feeding in the Big Field.  American
Pipit 28 (2nd highest, hung out in the fields north of the driveway all
weekend; highest were 55 I saw on December 19, 1954; often I go an entire
year without seeing any; the next highest totals were 21 on both Jan. 1,
1955, and Nov. 14, 1982).  European Starling 195.  House Finch 35.  Some
Wild Turkey tracks in the leftover snow.  

Also:  10 deer seen on Holland Point plus a group of 9 at Rigby that
included 4 bucks, 1 with 6 points; several of these latter deer were
frollicking and frisking around, perhaps because of the mixed company right
after the rutting season (beats smoking in the dark afterwards?).  1 Gray
Squirrel.  In the house I discovered that, although garlic may repel
vampires, it is not a turn-off to mice.  

Venus setting c. 7:15 P.M. was so bright I thought it was a low, close
aircraft.  I can now believe the stories in World War II of troops
sometimes trying to shoot down Venus because they thought it was an
incoming plane.  The Moon bright enough to cast shadows as early as 5:15
P.M.  Got outfitted for Arkansas with expensive chest waders and other gear
from The Shore Sportsman out on Route 50.  My attendant there was packing
an automatic handgun on his right hip.  Guns don't kill people, people kill
people (with guns).


SUNDAY, December 11.  7:15 A.M. - 4:15 P.M.  A gem of a day, rather warm
and with light or no wind.  Sunny.  55 species.  Took an afternoon nap in
the sun at Lucy Point.  My record December total is 57 species on both Dec.
6, 1998, and Dec. 6, 2001, both days when I went all out.  I didn't today. 
If I had started an hour earlier and gone an hour later than I did, and had
my hearing aids on, I am sure I could have broken 60.

WEATHER.  Sky:  clear to fair to overcast (briefly) becoming clear again. 
Wind:  South 5-10 becoming mostly calm in the afternoon.  Temperature in
degrees F.:  37-48.  Tide: low seemingly all day long.  Precipitation:  0. 
Visibility:  About as good as it ever gets.  Pound nets 7 miles distant
were so distinct though my 32X scope that one would have been able to
recognize a flock of flying pelicans if there had been some around the
stakes.

Common Loon 1.  Horned Grebe 2.  Northern Gannet 1.  Bald Eagle 2 adults. 
Cooper's Hawk 1.  Killdeer 3.  Forster's Tern 1 (except for 1 on Dec. 20,
1998, the latest ever).  Bonaparte's Gull 1.  Pileated Woodpecker 2.  Gray
Catbird 1.  Cedar Waxwing 40 (some bathing, in water of c. 35 degrees, and
drinking, in a ditch).  American Pipit 28 (same flock as yesterday; usually
they do not hang around here like that).  Yellow-rumped Warbler 35.  Rusty
Blackbird 2 (in the top of a Sweet Gum perched next to 6 bluebirds). 
Purple Finch 3.      

WATERFOWL.  16 species including 11 divers:  109 Mute Swans.  170 Tundra
Swans, including 3 flocks migrating on this calm, warm, almost wind-free
day.  2,100 Canada Geese, every one of which I looked over for Hutchins
Geese; when they were considered a subspecies I used to see them
frequently, now hardly ever.  55 Mallards.  2 male Gadwalls (only the 4th
property record, these were feeding next to the shore with CGs).  9 Lesser
and 2 Greater scaup (so often they're too far to identify as to species;
nice and close today).  3 Redheads.  3 Canvasbacks, too (I know what you're
thinking).  75 Buffleheads.  12 Common Goldeneye.  165 Surf and 1 male
Black scoter ("Sea Prothonotary").  18 Ruddy Ducks.  6 Red-breasted
Mergansers.  10 Long-tailed Ducks (a pale reflection of the hundreds,
sometimes thousands, that used to be here).  

Many waterbirds seen as a result of rather intense and prolonged scoping
from Lucy Point in the ideal, dead calm conditions.  Considering these very
favorable circumstances, many of these birds were in really low numbers,
such as only the 1 loon, the 2 grebes.

Also:  6 deer at Rigby plus 13 seen on Holland Point, including with the
latter an impressive 8-point buck, in company with another small buck.  2
Gray Squirrels. 

On the road.  A monstruous Cadillac Escalade with jive hubcaps.  They
remain stationary as the tires roll.  Never seen that before.  Made me look
twice (and that of course was the point of having them).
 

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 ....)