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Subject:

Southern MD; atlas owls (long)

From:

Stan Arnold

Reply-To:

Stan Arnold

Date:

Mon, 20 Feb 2006 22:24:31 -0500

Hi Folks,

Having another long weekend available for birding, Elaine and I headed down
to southern Maryland for the three days, birding in southern PG Co.,
Charles, St. Mary's, and Calvert Co.  Highlights for the trip were REDHEAD
ducks in PG, LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL and ducks in Charles Co., GREAT
CORMORANT and ducks in St. Mary's Co., and BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCH and ROCK
PIGEON (really!) in Calvert Co.  I was surprised by the number of Common
Loons and Red-breasted Mergansers this weekend, as I have found them to be
quite scarce all winter.

ATLAS NOTE:  we had large owls in all four of the above counties, so county
compilers for the atlas may want to take note of the owls mentioned.  I will
be happy to provide additional details, or submit incidental reports if
warranted.

Many thanks to Tyler Bell, Kyle Rambo, Arlene Ripley, and Patty Craig who
were all very helpful in helping us with our targets.

The tally of more noteworthy species:

Sat., 18 Feb

    Wharf Rd., PG Co.:
Canada Goose--250
Tundra Swan--42
Canvasback--1
Ring-necked Duck--6
G. Scaup--24
L. Scaup--200
Bufflehead--3
Common Merganser--17
Ruddy Duck--8
Bald Eagle--1

    Bryan Point Rd. (enroute to Colonial Farm):
Barred Owl--1 heard from Hard Bargain Farm (at a distance to the NW) in
response to my calls
Hairy Woodpecker--2 (the only ones for the trip)
Gray Catbird--1

    Colonial Farm (unusually devoid of waterfowl today):
REDHEAD--pair not far off the fishing pier
Bufflehead--a few dozen
Common Loon--1
Barred Owl--flew into trees near parking area in response to my calls;
mobbed by crows

    Barry's Hill Rd. where it crosses Pomonkey Mill Swamp, Charles Co. (our
first visit to this beautiful habitat):
Common Loon--1 flyover, fairly low; transitioning to breeding plumage
Barred Owl--pair responded to my calls; chatted together for a while
YB Sapsucker--2 (these birds readily respond to Barred Owl calls)
Pileated Woodpecker--1
Winter Wren--2
Swamp Sparrow--3

    Mattawoman Natural Environmental Area, north side of Hwy 224 near Lackey
High School, Charles Co.:
Tundra Swan--6
Common Merganser--23
Hermit Thrush--1
    (the paucity of ducks here was very disappointing)

    Smallwood State Park, Charles Co.:
Ring-necked Duck--pair
Greater Scaup--17
Lesser Scaup--7
scaup, sp--150 too far out to identify
Bufflehead--2
Hooded Merganser--2
Common Merganser--3
Red-breasted Merganser--11
Ruddy Duck--114
Pied-billed Grebe--4

    Friendship Landing Park, Charles Co.:
Lesser Scaup--10
Bufflehead--5
DC Cormorant--1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet--1
Brown Thrasher--1

    Goose Bay, Charles Co.:
Lesser Scaup--10
scaup, sp--200
Common Goldeneye--38
Bufflehead--30
Ruddy Duck--150
Pied-billed Grebe--3

    the end of Brentland Rd., Charles Co.:
Bufflehead--6
Ruddy Duck--675
DC Cormorant--1

    Morgantown, Charles Co. (much better than Cobb Island, today):
scaup, sp--300
Black Scoter--3 (1m 2f)
Surf Scoter--35
scoter, sp--50
Long-tailed Duck--3
Common Goldeneye--10
Bufflehead--15
Horned Grebe--1
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL--1

    Road to Cobb Island, Charles Co.:
ROCK PIGEON--8 flying by, near US 301 (only the second time I've seen them
in this county)
Canvasback--1 (in Neale Sound on N. edge of Cobb Island)

    Cobb Island:
Surf Scoter--3
scoter, sp.--50
Common Goldeneye--2
Bufflehead--25
Osprey platform nest with about a dozen golf clubs sticking up from it--1

    Beauvue Ponds, St. Mary's Co.:
Mute Swan--5
Tundra Swan--31
Gadwall--2
Am. Wigeon--10
Am. Black Duck--4
Mallard--9
Green-winged Teal--2
Ring-necked Duck--145
Redhead--15 (Patty Craig told me there were about 50 a couple weeks ago)
Hooded Merganser--4
Am. Coot--3
E. Medowlark--3

Sunday, 19 Feb:

    Patuxent River Naval Air Station (not open to public):
Tundra Swan--6
Greater Scaup--3
Lesser Scaup--7
Black Scoter--7
Surf Scoter--2
Long-tailed Duck--17
Common Goldeneye--9
Bufflehead--31
Red-breasted Merganser--17
Ruddy Duck--15
Common Loon--4
Horned Grebe--6
N. Harrier--1
Am. Kestrel--1
Brown Creeper--1
Hermit Thrush--1
Am. Tree Sparrow--1
Field Sparrow--1
Savannah Sparrow--1

    Elms Environmental Park:
Red-breasted Merganser--4
GREAT CORMORANT--2 on channel marker in bay
YB Sapsucker--1
Hermit Thrush--1

    Point Lookout State Park:
Black Scoter--dozens
White-winged Scoter--1 male
(no Surf Scoters!)

    St. Jerome Neck Rd.:
Great Horned Owl--1 flew over at dusk about 2/3 the way down road where it
enters some thick pine

Monday, 20 Feb:

    Solomon's, Calvert Co.:
Surf Scoter--25
Long-tailed Duck--5
Bufflehead--75
Common Goldeneye--25
Red-breasted Merganser--4
Common Loon--10
Horned Grebe--2
Am. Coot--6
ROCK PIGEON--15 at Asbury Retirement Center (I have driven through or birded
Calvert Co. nearly 100 times in the past 10 years without ever seeing this
bird.  Many thanks to Arlene Ripley who put me onto this county closeout)

    Calvert Cliff's State Park (currently closed [3-6 months] for road &
parking lot work; we went in the back way next to Camp Conoy Rd.):
Brown Creeper--1
Hermit Thrush--1

    Lloyd Bowen Rd., Calvert Co.
Great Horned Owl--1 (when we got out of the car at the pine stand near the
end of the road, all we heard was a mass of crows; in short time we saw the
cause of their agitation, an owl sitting in the open on a branch of a tree.
The owl had very long tufts, and did not seem very very much larger than the
crows, and I seriously thought it was a Long-eared, until consulting the
field guide.  It was a Great Horned, but it was a runt, and it perched in
one place for nearly ten minutes, while the crows constantly nipped at its
tail feathers.  We were able to watch it in the scope for several minutes
until it flew, with the crows in tow.
BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCH--5 or more; 3 of them were poking around together in a
knot hole
Ruby-crowned Kinglet--1

    American Chestnut Land Trust, Calvert Co.:
Barred Owl--1 responded to my calls at the Beaver Dam along the Swamp Trail
YB Sapsucker--1
WB Nuthatch--3 or more
Brown Creeper--1
Winter Wren--1
GC Kinglet--3 or 4

    North Beach, Calvert Co.:
Black Scoter--100s
Surf Scoter--100s
Long-tailed Duck--5
Common Goldeneye--50
Bufflehead--150
Common Loon--4
Horned Grebe--3

    Rosehaven Park, AA Co.:
Red-breasted Merganser--4

    Guess it's about time to let work interfere with birding again.  Best to
all...

Stan Arnold
Glen Burnie