This is the first in what I hope will be a series of breeding bird atlas
reports from Worcester County this spring-summer; similar to a number of
posts I did last year.  Problem is, it tough to find the time to write a
summary, after spending several days afield!  I can't promise they will be
timely.

 

For those who are unfamiliar with the atlas project, this is its last year,
and I would encourage you to explore the MOS website for background
information http://www.mdbirds.org/atlas.html or the USGS website that holds
the results thus far (and from 20 years ago) at USGS
<http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bba/index.cfm?fa=explore.ProjectHome&BBA_ID=MDDC20
02>  Web Site.  Even if you have or are contributing, consider adopting a
block a little further from home.  There still are many areas that could use
additional coverage, particularly in the western part of the state (see
http://www.mdbirds.org/atlas/images/2006map.jpg).  It's not too late.
Contact the county coordinator or Walter Ellison (a frequent poster to
MDOsprey).  Atlasing is a great excuse for visiting some new areas, some
place you would not normally bird.  One of the great joys of atlasing for
me, despite years of birding in Worcester County, is that I continually
visit areas new to me, most often on foot.  Visiting "new dirt" as I call
it.  The same was true this past weekend.  Regardless of the birds seen, it
is enjoyable.  To be able to look at an abstract spot on the map, and have
first had knowledge of what is actually there.

 

In addition to atlasing, the other real attraction of going to Worcester
this time of year was the potential for early spring migrants, to better the
"record arrival date" for the second wave of spring arrivals.  For those who
are unfamiliar with this concept, from the time of the Birds of Maryland and
the District of Columbia (Stewart and Robbins 1958), Maryland birders have
tracked the first calendar data on which each species arrived; the early
issues of Maryland Birdlife included tables listing the arrival (and
departure) dates for each migratory species by county.  As a teenager in the
mid-70s, I remember birding hard to collect data for the Anne Arundel County
table and was quite proud when I saw my dates in the published table.  My
data base of some 150,000 Worcester county bird records provides a good
chronology of the arrival patterns of each migrant and was is an exceptional
or average arrival date.  It is too bad the practice is no longer done.  It
is from data like this, that one can assess the claims on MDOsprey or
elsewhere, as to the likelihood of a certain species on a certain date, and
what constitutes a record that would require substantial details to be
believable (we seem to be having a few of these as of late). 

 

I focusing here on "woodland" species, and am also ignoring birds that
winter to some extent in Worcester, like Eastern Phoebe, Pine Warbler and
Tree Swallow, all of which return earlier in March.  The traditional
late-March arrivals (record early date and number of Worcester March records
in parenthesis) are Louisiana Waterthrush (17 March, 22 records),
Yellow-throated Warbler (23 March, 17 records) and Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (26
March, 15 records), and it would appear they can be found annually by 31
March (at least the two warblers), so with my trip on April 1 and 2 they are
all expected in numbers.  Such was indeed the case.   The next group of
arrivals (record date in parentheses) include Whip-poor-will (4 Apr),
Blue-headed Vireo (5 Apr), Black-and-white Warbler (there is a real outlier
record of 18 Mar, the next record is 1 Apr), Prothonatary Warbler (5 Apr),
Ovenbird (5 Apr), and Northern Parula (7 Apr).  For several years my life
quest was to better the record date for gnatcatcher (which was a rather late
28 March), which I finally did in 2003.  My current target (the record date
I think can most easily be bettered is the parula).  Given the number of
possibilities (and reports of both Black-and-white Warbler and Blue-headed
Vireo else where in the state), I entered the weekend full of anticipation.

 

My style of atlasing is also a little different from the norm, in that I
have established a series of "survey points" within each block, for which I
record the time visited and the number of each species recorded.  This makes
upgrading from possible to probable much easier as the season progress.
When you are working on something like 63 blocks, it's a little hard to
remember where you had a singing male waterthrush two weeks ago!  Another
advantage of this method is that it allows one to easily total the number of
individuals recorded for each species, and I'll present those results for
the warblers and gnatcatcher.

 

From an atlas perspective, some species are easier to get at this time of
year, before all the migrants return, or at least the lack of the summer
residents allows you to concentrate on the handful of species within the
safe dates or actively engaged in breeding activity, such as the owls or
resident woodpeckers.  I had several blocks that still need Great Horned
Owl, a Barred Owl upgrade, etc., and prepared a target list for the 10 block
I planned on working over the two-day period.  Overall the Worcester
coverage is quite good, with the "total ticks" (borrowing a phrase from the
county listers here), the number of observed, possible, probable and
confirmed summed together totaling 5,342, already some 435 above the prior
atlas.  Who says we can't turn even atlasing into a competitive sport?
Nonetheless, I am trying to avoid any "easy" misses for each block.

 

I drove down late Friday, staying in Princess Anne, and didn't get to sleep
until 12:30 am.  I slept for 3 hours and was in the field by 5:30.

 

April 1, 2006

 

Dividing Creek/NE

The block includes the northern parts of Pocomoke State Forest, along Old
Furnace Road, Honeywell Road, etc.  Starting at 0530, the first several
stops included singing Hermit Thrushes, always a pleasant sound during
April.  With 80 species, this will be a difficult block to make many
additions.  I was able to upgrade three species, including Red-shouldered
Hawk and Red-bellied Woodpecker.  Louisiana Waterthrushes were in good sound
at their reliable spot at Old Furnace Road at Pusey Branch, a pair of Wood
Ducks was here as well.  I hit 11 survey points, but came up empty on any of
the desired migrants, a pattern which would continue all day.

 

Dividing Creek/CE

Similar forest habitats, but a little farther south, I continue to chalk up
the big three, along Old Beech, Sand and Forest Roads.

 

Salisbury/SW

This is the kind of area I would not normally bird, being much more
developed than the blocks to the south.  Atlasing has been slow here as
well, as with 67 species it is one of only two blocks (that don't have
substantial water area) below 70 species in the county.  Here I focused in
on one of the Chesapeake Forest tracts off McGrath Road to do a little
exploring.  I manage to finally get a Hairy Woodpecker, but the bird seems
to be alone.  Ugh!  It is getting mid-afternoon now and I'm fairly
exhausted, so I take a little nap in the woods, within ear shot of the
Hairy, hoping to see or hear a second bird or some sign of breeding
activity.  Such is not to be and I'll have to be content with an "X", but at
about 1345 in broad daylight a pair of Great Horned Owls starts dueting from
the same woods.  I'm elated, as I needed the owl, and I added two species
bringing the species total to 69.  I upgrade Brown-headed Nuthatch in the
same woods and manage to get back to the car just before a torrential rain
storm.  Life is good!!

 

Salisbury/SE

I'm just driving through this block to do some work in the Wango quad, but
spot three large birds on the wires along Route 12, by the new wetland on
the east side of the road just by the major power line crossing south of the
county line.  Rock Doves! (Sorry, old habits die hard)  This species is
difficult to find in many parts of the county, especially in the heavily
forested areas as in the Dividing Creek or Wango quads.  Just 3 birds on the
wires, so it will go down as an "X", but satisfying nonetheless.  Got to
love the safe dates on this one.

 

Wango/SW

I make three stops here, including the famous Mt. Olive Church Road at
Nassawango Creek crossing, the scene of many an early arrival.  Working
north along Sturges Road I get the first Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warblers of
the day, now greatly outnumbered by Pine Warblers (as is sometimes the case
in late-December in these parts as well!).

 

Wango/SE

There some nice areas here, along Laws Road and Davis Branch Road (a dirt
road I had not discovered until the atlas).  I'm finally able to find some
Brown-headed Nuthatches on Laws Road, stopping near the biggest pines I can
find.  I end the day on Davis Branch Road, hoping to hear a woodcock or
great horned, but by this point the wind is blowing fiercely and I bail once
it gets dark, knowing I've got no chance to get an early goatsucker.

 

The day's totals for the warblers and gnatcatcher were as follows:

 

4/1 Total stops: 39

Pine Warbler (# stops/total individuals): 33/93

Yellow-throated Warbler: 13/20

Louisiana Waterthrush: 3/5

Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler: 3/13

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher: 8/12

 

2 April 2006

 

Dividing Creek/SE

I start at the lovely crossing of Dividing Creek at Fleming Mill Road,
spending 32 minutes here.  A pair of phoebes at the bridge, they are
strangely absent from a number of the small bridges in the area.  A pair of
black ducks in the pools near the road would be a great atlas species, but
they are not likely to linger.  Still no prothos or their ilk.  I do a
number of stops along Whitesburg and Oak Hall Roads, and get three upgrades
but nothing new.  Hear Wild Turkeys at two spots, a species I missed
yesterday.

 

Pocomoke City/NE
This block includes much more ag land and a big chunk of the Pocomoke River,
but access here is more difficult and I'm 7 species below the total from the
prior atlas.  The wetland area by the McMaster Road Cut-off held 11 Wilson's
Snipe and 1 Lesser Yellowlegs, along with 4 Green-winged Teal.  First
migrant kestrel and harrier of the weekend.  I'm able to add one species and
one upgrade.

 

Snow Hill/SW

The block includes the Milburn Landing area.  I walk some of the forest
roads heading south from Nassawango Road down towards the Pocomoke River
floodplain.   This is not an area I had explored before, but the deciduous
forest here is quite open, with good numbers of Yellow-throated Warblers and
gnatcatchers, but nothing new for the block.

 

Heading home, I make three stops, two along the Nassawango, at Red House
Road and Old Furnace Road (both in Snow Hill/CW).  Two Great Blue Herons are
acting suspicious at the Red House Road crossing.  There is no known colony
in this area at present, but the species can set up new colonies.  My final
stop is along Millville Road at Furnace Branch, a very nice spot where I
often begin or end a Worcester trip.  A nice weekend, even though I did not
find any of the targeted species.

 

4/2 Total stops: 23

Pine Warbler (# stops/total individuals): 18/33

Yellow-throated Warbler: 11/19

Louisiana Waterthrush: 8/10

Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler: 1/2

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher: 4/8

 

The two day totals are as follows (number of individuals only):

Pine Warbler: 126

Yellow-throated Warbler: 39

Louisiana Waterthrush: 15

Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler: 15

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher: 20

 

Another nice thing about having the data base is that it is possible to
compare present day results to the records of the past.  In this case there
are two fairly comparable trips, from 1948 and 1950 (though both were to the
north Pocomoke Swamp area, the bird species and habitat is fairly similar).


 

On April 1, 1948 R. E. Stewart and C. S. Robbins visited "the northern
Pocomoke River" and recorded 18 Yellow-throated Warblers (MB 4:20), 25
Louisiana Waterthrush (MB 4:20, cited as a "maximum spring count" in S&R 58)
and 6 Black-and-white Warblers (Robbins, Unpub. notes).  It seems odd that
the later record did not make it into Birdlife or S&R 58, as it is now much
more unusual than the other two, as the second earliest Black-and-white
record for the county.

 

On April 1, 1950, M. B. Meanley, R. E. Stewart and C. G. Webster visited the
"Delaware line to Powellsville" (=north Pocomoke Swamp) and recorded 2
Blue-gray Gnatcatchers (MB 6:41, AN 5:28).  They also recorded 15 Louisiana
Waterthrushes over the two-day period, 1-2 Apr, in the same area, equal to
the total I recorded over the weekend.

 

Certainly definitive conclusion can not be drawn from these comparisions,
but they are the best we have and provide an interesting historical
comparison to present-day observations.

 

Good birding

Mark L Hoffman

Sykesville, MD



www.pbase.com/wcbirding