FRIDAY, September 14, 2007:
7 Blue Grosbeaks along Rt. 481 seen while driving. I was only to see 1 all
day on Sept. 16 but Bob Ringler & Jared Sparks found 43 (!) in Dorchester
County N of Rt. 50.
Rigby's Folly, Armistead property on Ferry Neck, Talbot County, MD, West
Ferry Neck Road near Royal Oak but nearer still to Bellevue.
26 deer: 21 in Field 4, 5 in Field 6, incl. 3 bucks and 4 fawns. 7 Snowy
Egrets take off from the cove shoreline and fly NNW at dusk.
SATURDAY, September 15:
Clear, NW-NE 15-25, 70s. Cool.
A Yellow-billed Cuckoo. 2 Adult Red-tailed Hawks, one chased by 2 American
Crows. An adult female Sharp-shinned Hawk, early in the fall to see an
adult. 1 Barn Swallow. 1 adult and 1 immature Bald Eagle. 2 unID'd peep
flybys. 1 Great Egret.
NON-AVIAN TAXA. 16 deer. 2 Five-lined Skinks on the front porch, seen
repeatedly during the course of the day. Butterflies: 7 Monarchs, 3
Pearlcrescents, 1 Cloudless Sulphur & 3 Red Admirals.
WEATHER. Last night there is blessed, gentle, continuous, slow rain from
7:30 P.M. until c. 3 A.M., without wind. This morning our 3 tiny ponds are
brimming over for the first time in months, there is standing water in the
fields, and the ditches, although not full, have plenty of water, too. But
the Olszewski Trails remain dry, even the low Wool Sedge Depression, but
Lake Olszewski has 5-6" of water. Since last weekend there has been
another substantial rain and several big limbs are down on the driveway.
In addition several trees have blown over, their lie indicating a powerful
SW wind.
Although planted over a week ago with chicory, turnips, and various
clovers, there is no sign of these germinating, yet, in the Clover Field
(Field 3). 9 cardinals in a loose group are foraging there today.
Our patches of Dogbane, so favored by lady butterflies last year, have
unfortunately mostly died back due to the drought.
2 manure piles have materialized, 1 in Field 1, another in Field 7. I nail
up 2 more National Wildlife Federation "Certified Wildlife Habitat" signs,
these along the main road. These are attractive, tasteful signs, and
besides, in my experience the more one can dazzle the Philistines with such
esoterica the less chance there will be of off-hand, outre trespassing
events. We shall see. There is a dead, very smelly, and headless deer in
a ditch along the main road.
Bob Ringler and Jared Sparks arrive to spend the night.
SUNDAY, September 16. 12th DORCHESTER COUNTY FALL BIRD COUNT. Best
coverage ever. 7 observers in 4 parties:
1. Diane Cole, extreme S Dorchester, S of Shorter's Wharf, as well as some
time in the Cambridge area, incuding a stint nearb there from 0200-0230
hours.
2. Wayne Bell, David Hoffman & Paul Spitzer, Taylor's Island and
Smithville Road.
3. Bob Ringler & Jared Sparks, the county N of Route 50, including Hurlock
as well as the greater Vienna area.
4. Harry Armistead, Blackwater N.W.R., Hooper's I. & Elliott I. Rd.
146 species (highest ever). Miles: 369 by car, 8 by foot, 18 owling;
Hours: 20 by car, 27 on foot, 4.5 owling. Time: 2-2:30 A.M.; 4:15
A.M.-8:15 P.M.
Missed: Wood Duck. (!!)
COMPLETE SPECIES LIST (numbers in parentheses show how many parties found
the species in question):
ABBREVIATIONS: BNWR, Blackwater N.W.R.; EIR, Elliott Island Road; H,
Hurlock Wastewater Treatment Plant; HI, Hooper's I.; TI, Taylor's Island.
FAMILY GROUP REPRESENTATION: herons 7 species (O.K.); raptors 11 (good);
waterfowl 10 (O.K.); shorebirds 12 (O.K.); rails 4 (good; 5 if you count
moorhen); 5 gulls (good); 5 terns (good); owls 4 (good); flycatchers 4
(O.K.); vireos 2 (par); woodpeckers 6 (the basic 6, but often miss
red-headed, sometimes pileated); warblers 18 (good); sparrows 5 (about
par, or even better by 1; 6 if you count towhee).
Canada goose 214. mute swan 14. tundra swan 1 (present at BNWR in the
summer; no doubt a sick bird). American black duck 13. mallard 176.
blue-winged teal 14 (a low count by historical standards). northern
shoveler 25 (H). northern pintail 21. green-winged teal 238. ruddy duck
9 (H).
wild turkey 31 (3). northern bobwhite 16 (1; TI). pied-billed grebe 2
(2). brown pelican 27 (2). double-crested cormorant 398. great blue
heron 37. great egret 49. snowy egret 22. little blue heron 7 (2).
tricolored heron 2 (low). green heron 2 (2). black-crowned night heron 7
(EIR).
black vulture 11; turkey vulture 226. osprey 11 (normally is very scarce
on this count compared to the numbers here in the breeding season). bald
eagle 80 (4). northern harrier 5. sharp-shinned hawk 8. Cooper's hawk 2.
broad-winged hawk 1 (TI). red-tailed hawk 9. American kestrel 17 (4).
merlin 1 (TI).
clapper rail 11. king rail 1 (in the marsh between Gum Swamp & Riggins
Corner). Virginia rail 8. sora 1 (Seward's). common moorhen 1
(Seward's).
semipalmated plover 11. killdeer 115. greater yellowlegs 11. lesser
yellowlegs 11. spotted sandpiper 1 (H). WHIMBREL 1 (BNWR; seen 6 times in
the course of today's bird walk by all 9 participants, in flight, at rest
in a field, on a muddy island, calling; first fall bird count record; years
ago I saw another one on Sept. 16; few county records). sanderling 2 (Tar
Bay sandbars). semipalmated sandpiper 110. least sandpiper 121. pectoral
sandpiper 11 (H). short-billed dowitcher 2. Wilson's snipe (EIR at dusk;
my last bird of the day).
laughing gull 3348 (most, as usual, in the vicinity of the hog farm along
Indiantown Rd.). ring-billed gull 128. herring gull 307. lesser
black-backed gull 1 adult (on the experimental jetty, Middle HI). great
black-backed gull 58. unID'd gull 46. Caspian tern 40. royal tern 46.
SANDWICH TERN 1 (on a dock at Swan Harbor; so close I could see it was
unbanded; very few county records). common tern 11 (3). Forster's tern
298.
rock pigeon 54 (4). mourning dove 208. yellow-billed cuckoo 1. barn owl
1. eastern screech-owl 8 (2). great horned owl 10 (3). barred owl 2.
common nighthawk 1 (EIR at dusk). chimney swift 20 (1). ruby-throated
hummingbird 4 (1). belted kingfisher 4 (1).
red-headed woodpecker 3 (1). red-bellied woodpecker 20. downy woodpecker
18. hairy woodpecker 7 (2). northern flicker 18. pileated woodpecker 6
(1).
OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER 1 (perched in the tall tree behind St. Mary's
Star-of-the-sea R.C. Church N of HI; watched for several minutes as it
sallied forth after its prey, large insects; new for my county list and one
of the few county records overall; a great 67th birthday present). eastern
wood-pewee 13. unID'd empidonax 1. great crested flycatcher 3 (3).
white-eyed vireo 4 (1). red-eyed vireo 6 (2). blue jay 82. American crow
87. fish crow 5 (4). horned lark 86 (2). tree swallow 119. bank swallow
1. barn swallow 26. Carolina chickadee 72. tufted titmouse 28.
red-breasted nuthatch 19 (3; an invasion year; one was seen at Kiptopeke,
VA, on Aug. 13). white-breasted nuthatch 2 (1; scarce in the county).
brown-headed nuthatch 47.
Carolina wren 85. house wren 7. marsh wren 6. blue-gray gnatcatcher 12.
eastern bluebird 45 (4). wood thrush 3. American robin 33 (3). gray
catbird 17. northern mockingbird 27. brown thrasher 7. European starling
1120. cedar waxwing 18.
Tennessee warbler 1. northern parula 9 (3). yellow warbler 2 (1).
chestnut-sided warbler 5 (2). magnolia warbler 7 (2). Cape May warbler 4
(1). black-throated blue warbler 2 (1). black-throated green warbler 3
(3). Blackburnian warbler 4 (2). pine warbler 54 (4). prairie warbler 1.
bay-breasted warbler 2 (1). blackpoll warbler 1. black-and-white warbler
10 (3). American redstart 25 (4). ovenbird 1. common yellowthroat 34
(4). Canada warbler 1.
scarlet tanager 6 (3). eastern towhee 5 (3). chipping sparrow 48. field
sparrow 8 (1). Savannah sparrow 1 (EIR). seaside sparrow 4 (2). song
sparrow 2 (1; EIR). northern cardinal 70. rose-breasted grosbeak 4 (3).
blue grosbeak 45 (3). indigo bunting 17 (2).
bobolink 238. red-winged blackbird 219. eastern meadowlark 4 (1; EIR).
boat-tailed grackle 3 (1; EIR). common grackle 4213 (4211 by party 3, 2 by
party 4; often strangely scarce in some sectors at this time of year).
brown-headed cowbird 452. Baltimore oriole 3 (2). house finch 44 (2;
still scarce in much of the county). American goldfinch 59. house sparrow
204.
COMMENTARY. The big differences among certain areas of the county are
evident when one considers that the Ringler/Sparks party found 29 species
(out of 93 total) I missed - they have much better landbirding areas than
my sector does; in my sector I found 43 species (out of 107) that
Ringler/Sparks missed, not surprising since it has huge areas of marsh and
open bay that is lacking N of Rt. 50.
The Taylor's I. and N. of Route 50 parties had good representation of fall
migrant passerines, especially warblers. I found but 6 warbler species,
Ringler/Sparks 14, Bell/Hoffman/Spitzer 13.
Extreme S Dorchester has very uniform habitat, mostly pure saltmarsh and
that primarily consisting of huge areas of rather depauperate Juncus
roemerianus or else pure Loblolly Pine forests (and, of course, open Bay).
However, it is good, obviously, for marsh birds and birds of the piney
woods. A good showing of passerines there must be an extremely rare event.
Fall migration is always very protracted, ranging from the last days of
June sometimes into January. To me this one-day fall count is nevertheless
interesting and significant because it documents the scarcity of many
common species at this particular time of year. Sparrows are notoriously
hard to find now, except for Chipping Sparrow. Some of these birds, such
as Song, Savannah & Field sparrows, robin, Common Grackle, and towhee
become much commoner later in the fall as do some of the ducks.
Some scarce, "common" species today: wood duck 0. American black duck 13.
green heron 2. osprey 11. yellow-billed cuckoo 1. chimney swift 20,
hummingbird 4 & kingfisher 4 (all seen only by party 3). great crested
flycatcher 3. fish crow 5. house wren 7. marsh wren 6. wood thrush 3.
American robin 33. ovenbird 1. eastern towhee 5. seaside sparrow 4.
song sparrow 2. common grackle only 2 seen by parties 1, 2 & 4 combined.
The hawk flight was poor today. Vireos and flycatchers were scarce. Ducks
continue to seem to decline.
Personally I had the best, and longest, night birding ever on the fall
count, with 4 species of rails and 4 of owls. This and the Whimbrel,
Sandwich Tern, and Olive-sided Flycatcher certainly compensated for my poor
passerine day.
WEATHER: 50-70, a cool, sometimes cold, breezy day, winds NW but mostly
NNE or NE usually at c. 15 m.p.h., diminishing rapidly after sunset,
lighter before dawn allowing good nightbirding, cloud cover often 0% rising
to 40-55% at mid-day and early afternoon, becoming clear again in the late
afternoon. Tide sequence high-low-high.
MAMMALS: 6 Sika Elk, 5 White-tailed Deer, 1 Red Fox ... and that's it.
BUTTERFLIES: Not many species but an impressive Monarch flight. I didn't
begin using the clicker until mid-morning, by which time I'd estimated 80
(probably a low estimate). Ended up with 161, probably way low. Diane
also commented on an impressive flight in extreme S Dorchester. 2
Cloudless Sulphurs. 2 Cabbage Whites. 2 Viceroys. 2 Pearlcrescents.
REPTILES: 7 Painted Turtles at BNWR.
My grateful thanks to all the participants for their energy and effort and
also for their prompt reporting of the always-interesting results.
Dorchester rules!
MONDAY, September 17. Sleep in, 10 hours worth, until 9:30. Going out the
driveway: 2 House Wrens and a small fawn.
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 ....) |