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

GOTTA COUNT SOMETHING.  Monday, October 29, 2007.  Watch a perfect sunset
from my chair on the shoreline at Lucy Point.  In one sector of the western
sky, c. 45 degrees, count 19 distant jet contrails in the sunset's
afterglow.

Friday, November 2.  18 deer including the leucistic buck plus one Raccoon
as we come up the drive at 10:45 P.m.

Saturday, November 3.    

Overcast becoming fair, 50-58, NW winds 25-30-20.  Distant effects of
Hurricane Noel.  The big news channels and some of the papers tell of how
Noel weakens as it hits New England.  It weakens so much that there are 84
m.p.h. gusts in parts of Cape Cod.

75 Tree Swallows.  14 Cedar Waxwings.  2 Royal & 12 Forster's terns.  1
House Wren in the potted flowers next to the back steps.  1 Field Sparrow. 
1 phoebe.  

RAPTORS:  1 adult Red-tailed Hawk.  3 Black & 13 Turkey vultures.  2
Sharp-shinned Hawks.  4 Bald Eagles.  a female Merlin.  An Osprey flushes
from a Black Locust on the edge of the yard carrying a small fish. 
Impressive to catch a fish on such a very windy day.

SUCH LARGESSE.  Jimmy & Tom Olszewski come bearing gifts:  2 big bags and a
box of apples, a huge Virginia ham, a case of cheese crackers, and
Tastykake jelly krimpets.  Liz goes to work on the apples, makes 4 pies.  

Later in the day: an 8-pt. buck with huge tines, a small 4-pt. buck, 2
does, and a Red Fox hunting at dusk in the Big Field.

SUMMER'S LAST HURRAH?  Most of the mid and late afternoon we sit in the lee
behind some Baccharis bushes where we are in the sun.  It is pleasant, calm
and warm.  Here we see 2 each of Buckeyes, Orange Sulphurs, and Cabbage
Whites plus 5 medium-sized dragonflies, not big enough to be Green Darners,
patrolling the air space around us.

Late in the day Jimmy Olszewski slays an 8-pt. buck in our woods.  The
resulting gut pile on the edge of Field 6 attracts several Turkey Vultures
and American Crows on Sunday.

Sunday, November 4.  Cool, breezy, fair.  

A Talbot Bird Club bird walk on Ferry Neck that ends at Rigby.  18
observers including Terry Allen, Liz, Wayne Bell, Lester Coble (the
leader), Cathy Cooper, Jean Crump, Austin Farley, Jane McConnell, Bill &
Myra Novak, Danny Poet, Les Roslund, Luther & Cordelia Tucker et al. 
Afterwards: breakfast hosted by Priscilla Thut on Heron Pt. Rd., where her
many feeders throng with Red-breasted Nuthatches and other fowl.

61 species.  Approximate numbers: An early Northern Gannet, immature, from
Benoni Point at the McConnells.  45 Common Loons seen from the dock in one
tight pod on the NW side of Irish Creek with an attendant, wheeling flocks
of gulls and terns - some cooperative feeding going on.  1 Horned Grebe.  A
male Merlin at Rigby that flashes by and only I see.  30 Surf Scoters.  25
Buffleheads.  1 goldeneye.  1 Osprey.  12 Wild Turkeys seen by the Novaks. 
1 Northern Harrier.  1 Royal Tern.  both kinglets.  a Purple Finch.  2
sharpies.  2 Bald Eagles.  A Tufted Titmouse roadkill on Ferry Neck Road. 
Also: 3 Monarchs.

LOONS.  The 45 Commons ties the 6th highest property count.  These
assemblages are seen occasionally, often far from shore, and I once, by a
combination of counting and estimating, found a tight, massed group of c.
477 seen from the Lucy Point shoreline (November 9, 1980).  THAT was a
sight.

WOODPECKERS:  5 species - a Pileated, a Hairy, and also Downy, Red-bellied,
and Northern Flicker.

Deer: 12 today, counting the 7 swimmers (see below).

THE SUNDAY OFFERING: I put out 10 lbs. of corn and some of the apples at
the base of 10 trees in the yard for the squirrels.

DOGS vs. DEER.  Us bird club members watch free-ranging domestic dogs chase
a doe across the Big Field.  Earlier from Lucy Point we see 4 deer swim
across Irish Creek from our shoreline all the way to Deep Neck (Holland
Point) and clamber ashore and 3 other deer swimming towards Dorchester
County, 7 mi. distant.  One of the latter veers off towards Deep Neck.  The
other 2 continue swimming out into the mouth of the Choptank River until
they are not visible to the unaided eye, about 3/4 mile from the nearest
land.  I am investigating this and will contact the owners.  Dogs REALLY
spook deer.  In their primordial past deer had to deal with wolves.

DEER vs. BROWN THRASHER.  Ever confuse a deer snort (actually an
exhalation?) with the rough, dusk call of the Brown Thrasher?  They're not
unsimilar when heard from a distance.

BLACKWATER N.W.R.  An quick and dirty and unsuccessful trip to look for the
Red Phalarope.  At c. 2:30 EST see a Red-bellied Slider and 10 Painted
Turtles.  16 Tundra Swans have arrived. 

FLUSHED WITH PRIDE.  Earlier this week the outdoor plumbing lines, 50+
years old, were replaced with big, new PVC piping.  The downstairs loo has
gone from plug ugly to Old Faithful.  One result of all the consequent
excavation is a lovely old bottle left lying on the lawn, unharmed.  Narrow
rectangular base, round spout, the lip just so that it's evident it had a
screw-on cap.  On one narrow side, in cursive: Chas. H. Fletcher.  On the
other narrow side in block caps: CASTORIA.  On the base: P encircled, USA,
and 4 with a period underneath.  Perhaps it belonged to the Benson family,
who were living here c. 1875.

Anyone hazard a guess as to its age and value?

Oh, doctor, dear doctor, oh, dear Doctor John,
Your cod liver oil is suh pure and suh strong.
And when in the mornin' the kettle would boil
You'd swear it'd be singin' of cod liver oil.

-an olde ballade.  Burl Ives, way underappreciated as a singer, and an
actor, used to sing this.

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 ....)