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Subject:

Ferry Neck, June 4-5

From:

Henry Armistead

Reply-To:

Henry Armistead

Date:

Tue, 6 Jun 2006 09:37:00 -0400

Rigby's Folly, Armistead property on Ferry Neck, Talbot County, MD, 25124
West Ferry Neck Road near Royal Oak but nearer still to Bellevue.  Liz &
Harry Armistead. 

SUNDAY, JUNE 4, 2006.  Spent most of today and Monday landscaping, mowing
brushy areas, clearing vegetation on the sides of trails, opening up the
yard, etc.  Except for landscaping I didn't leave the yard either day.  45
species, incl.: 

3 cormorants.  1 Snowy Egret.  2 Green Herons.  68 Mute Swans.  12 Turkey
Vultures (best count of those in sight simultaneously).  1 imm. & 1 ad.
Bald Eagle.  1 Wild Turkey (in Field 4).  1 Chuck-will's-widow (actually
heard Saturday evening at 8:50 P.M. in Woods 2).  4 Blue Jays (in apparent
migration).  1 Brown Thrasher (breeds locally but not usually at Rigby;
ergo, may have been a late migrant).  3 Cedar Waxwings.  2 Orchard Orioles.
 1 Blue Grosbeak.  Barn Swallows attending their nest under the base of the
catwalk of the dock, one bringing in a conspicuous white feather to line
the nest with.  The pen Mute Swan still incubating on her nest at the head
of the cove.

Michael Lytell suggested investigating the procedure for getting the cove
named.  It does not seem to be named on any of the maps.  I'll suggest
Terrapin Cove if I am able to get the chance.  Go Terps!     

MAMMALS:  3 Eastern Cottontails.  4 deer (3 does and a small fawn that
burst out of the undergrowth and gamboled away from me down the Irish Creek
Trail).  1 Muskrat (swam right under the dock; either didn't see me or was
unconcerned).  the MagniFURcent Seven: 7 Gray Squirrels in the yard, not as
visible or audible as last weekend (but nevertheless putzing around a lot)
and probably the same family group present then with one additional
squirrel I may not have noticed previously.  2 mice in the traps both last
weekend and this.  Last night at 8:45 we saw an animal on the driveway in
our headlights briefly that was probably a Gray Fox, a species I seldom see
anywhere.  

REPTILES/HERPS.  A young Black Rat Snake on the front porch, c. 1.5', and a
grown one by the east end of the house, c. 4.5', both of which I caught.  A
c. 2.5' Northern Water Snake swimming under our dock in the cove.  A 6"
Five-lined Skink on the front porch.  "Amphibians and reptiles of Delmarva"
by James F. White, Jr. & Amy Wendt White (Tidewater Publishers, 2002,
248pp.) indicates (p. 154) the almost neon blue tails of young skinks
distract predators, which attack the tail rather than the animal's vital,
central body.  The tail breaks off easily "allowing the lizard to escape." 
This same source describes Broad-headed Skink, as "rare to very rare" on
the peninsula with no records for Delaware or Accomack County, Virginia (p.
155).  I'd seen a fine speciment, a foot or so long, here on May 12.  The
3rd edition of the Peterson guide (1991) refers to it as Broadhead Skink
and does show it ranging into those areas.  Primarily a southeastern
creature, here it's near the NE extremity of its range.  3 Fowler's Toads
in the yard.  

BUTTERFLIES.  Didn't pay much attention but did see 4 Cabbage Whites, 1
Tiger Swallowtail, 3 Silver-spotted Skippers, 2 Orange Sulphurs, and 2
Eastern Tailed Blues.  4 Little Wood Satyrs seen Monday along the trail
through Woods 8.  

BETTER TO BE CHASED THAN UNCHASTE.  Last weekend I saw a mockingbird do an
extended chase of an American Crow.  When the mocker finally broke off it
was in turn chased by a kingbird.  Several times this weekend I saw
kingbirds chase crows.  The crows didn't like it.  Sunday morning a
territorial Osprey divebombed an immature Bald Eagle right in front of the
house.  Twice the eagle flipped over on its back in mid-air and exposed its
talons when the Osprey got very close.  Of course this is the time of year
when some birds, especially grackles, chase any crow or Turkey Vulture that
invades their territory.  Last weekend we saw several Ospreys carrying
sizeable fish (1 foot or larger).  Right next to the house I found an
eagle's primary feather today, c. 14" in length, beautifully emerginated. 

WEATHER.  Fair becoming overcast late in the afternoon c. 6 P.M. with a few
brief showers and some thunder and lightning and winds, then clearing
again.  Winds NW 10-SW 5 most of the day.  67-80 degrees F.  Tide:  low to
high to low.  Ground condition:  still extremely dry in spite of some
recent light rains.  Visibility:  good.  Nice weather both today and on
Monday with low humidity and a refreshing northerly breeze most of the
time.  Cool at night.  Corn up 2-3" since being planted last weekend.
 
MONDAY, June 5.  Did even less birding today.  A Ring-billed Gull (scarce,
even absent most of the time, here in June) and 2 male Mallards - the only
species not seen yesterday.  For about half an hour in the wee small hours
2 Great Horned Owls entertained us, the male calling from a tree close to
our bedroom window, the female, who did not call as often, calling from
perhaps 100 yards away.  

"Birding Babylon: a Soldier's Journal from Iraq."  Jonathan Trouern-Trend
(Sierra Club Books, 2006, 79p., $9.95).  Recently celebrated in "the New
Yorker", this tiny little book, 4.5 X 6.5 inches, is a bit precious but is
a nice, quick read.  Contains 18 attractive duotone text figures.  Consists
of selected excerpts from the author's diary/blog: 
http://birdingbabylon.blogspot.com.  He was with a Connecticut National
Guard medical unit.  Ends with an annotated checklist of all species seen
there.  It's heartening to read of a "flock of about 25 (Purple Herons)
migrating north along (the) Tigris River." (p. 72)  The cover photo
features a bee-eater perched on razor wire.     

Best to all.-Henry ("Harry") T. 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 ....)