MARYLAND SECTOR
2008 CHINCOTEAGUE, VIRGINIA, CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT
 
Stockton, MD. Dec. 29, 2008. Times: 0640-1730; owling 0520-0645. Freshwater ponds, streams, salt marshes, bays and running water open. Observers: 6 in 3 parties. Total party-hours 28.2; 22.2 on foot, 6.0 by car. Total party-miles 53.6; 20.3 on foot, 33.3 by car. Owling party-hours 2.7; party-miles 5.3.
 
All areas in Worcester County, Maryland, including E. A. Vaughn Wildlife Management Area-Central Area (areas south of Scarboro Creek and north of Pikes Creek), E. A. Vaughn Wildlife Management Area-Southern Area (areas south of Pikes Creek and north of George Island Landing Road), George Island Landing, Stockton, Big Mill Pond, Jones, Steel Pond, Swans Gut, Greenbackville, and Rabbit Knaw Roads, and private farms along Purnell Bay.    
 
All comments refer to the 18 years (1991-2008) for which complete data are currently available for this sector. Species in caps are new to the cumulative list. New highs and lows are indicated. (X/18) means the species has been recorded on X of the 18 counts. All species recorded during 18-year period listed.  Initials are given for species recorded by a single party. CW = count week.
 
Snow Goose 3764 (18/18); Ross' Goose 0 (3/18); Cackling Goose 0 (1/18); Canada Goose 519 (18/18); Brant 40 (10/18); Tundra Swan 31 (15/18); Wood Duck 5 (13/18); Gadwall 0 (10/18); American Wigeon 4 (12/18); American Black Duck 133 (17/18); Mallard 25 (17/18); Mallard/Am. Black Duck (sp.) 0 (7/18); Blue-winged Teal 0 (1/18); Northern Shoveler 0 (5/18); Northern Pintail 0 (4/18); Green-winged Teal 0 (9/18); Ring-necked Duck 0 (5/18); GREATER SCAUP 18 (1/18, new to count, Besson Landing, MLH); Lesser Scaup 0 (2/18); Scaup (sp.) 0 (1/18); Surf Scoter 0 (1/18); Long-tailed Duck 1 (3/18, MOB); Bufflehead 533 (18/18); Common Goldeneye 3 (9/18, MOB); Hooded Merganser 12 (18/18, MOB); Common Merganser 0 (4/18); Red-breasted Merganser 9 (17/18); Wild Turkey 0 (2/18); Northern Bobwhite 3 (15/18, MLH); 
 
Common Loon 2 (9/18, MLH); Pied-billed Grebe 0 (11/18); Horned Grebe 20 (11/18, MLH); Double-crested Cormorant 0 (2/18); American Bittern 1 (4/18, JLS, EB); Great Blue Heron 21 (18/18); Great Egret 1 (8/18, MLH); Tricolored Heron 0 (1/18); Green Heron 0 (1/18); Black-crowned Night-Heron 2 (7/18, MOB); 
 
Black Vulture 27 (16/18); Turkey Vulture 137 (18/18); Bald Eagle 16 (15/18); Northern Harrier 10 (17/18); Sharp-shinned Hawk 6 (17/18); Cooper's Hawk 3 (13/18, ties high count); Red-shouldered Hawk 4 (12/18, ties high count); Red-tailed Hawk 6 (18/18); GOLDEN EAGLE 1 (1/18, new to count, Vaughn/South, MOB, imm., photos); American Kestrel 5 (18/18); Merlin 0 (3/18); Peregrine Falcon 0 (4/18); 
 
Clapper Rail 0 (1/18); large rail (sp.) 0 (2/18); Virginia Rail 0 (9/18); American Coot 0 (2/18); Black-bellied Plover 0 (11/18); Killdeer 12 (16/18); American Avocet 0 (1/18); Greater Yellowlegs 76 (18/18, new high count); Lesser Yellowlegs 4 (10/18, MOB); Sanderling 0 (1/18); Western Sandpiper 0 (1/18); Least Sandpiper 0 (1/18); Dunlin 3 (16/18, MOB); Long-billed Dowitcher 0 (8/18); dowitcher (sp.) 0 (2/18); Wilson's Snipe 0 (12/18); American Woodcock 5 (18/18); Bonaparte's Gull 0 (1/18); Ring-billed Gull 92 (18/18); Herring Gull 106 (18/18); Great Black-backed Gull 5 (17/18); Forster's Tern 0 (1/18); 
 
Rock Pigeon 10 (18/18); Mourning Dove 86 (18/18); Barn Owl 0 (2/18); Eastern Screech-Owl 24 (18/18); Great Horned Owl 9 (18/18); Barred Owl 0 (4/18); Long-eared Owl 1 (3/18, ties high count, Vaughn/Central, EB); Short-eared Owl 0 (7/18); NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL 2 (1/18, new to count, Vaughn/South, MOB)); Belted Kingfisher 1 (18/18, JLS, EB); RED-HEADED WOODPECKER 1 (1/18, new to count, "big woods" along Steel Pond Rd, MLH, ad, photos); Red-bellied Woodpecker 15 (18/18); Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 3 (15/18); Downy Woodpecker 18 (18/18); Hairy Woodpecker 11 (18/18); Northern Flicker 22 (18/18); Pileated Woodpecker 3 (18/18); 
 
Eastern Phoebe 10 (18/18); Blue-headed Vireo 0 (1/18); Blue Jay 22 (18/18); American Crow 183 (18/18); Fish Crow 10 (8/18); Horned Lark 7 (15/18); Tree Swallow 3 (5/18, MOB); Carolina Chickadee 46 (18/18); Tufted Titmouse 9 (18/18); Red-breasted Nuthatch 0 (6/18); White-breasted Nuthatch 3 (9/18); Brown-headed Nuthatch 7 (15/18); Brown Creeper 0 (16/18, worse miss); Carolina Wren 52 (18/18); House Wren 1 (15/18, MLH); Winter Wren 14 (18/18); Sedge Wren 2 (15/18, JLS, EB); Marsh Wren 1 (10/18, JLS, EB); Golden-crowned Kinglet 7 (18/18); Ruby-crowned Kinglet 12 (17/18); Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 0 (1/18); Eastern Bluebird 73 (18/18); Hermit Thrush 40 (18/18); American Robin 917 (18/18); Gray Catbird 9 (17/18); Northern Mockingbird 23 (18/18); Brown Thrasher 21 (17/18); European Starling 475 (18/18); American Pipit 98 (17/18, MOB); Cedar Waxwing 0 (14/18); 
 
Orange-crowned Warbler 1 (4/18, MOB, photos); Nashville Warbler 0 (Count week only); Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler 220 (18/18); Y.-rumped (Audubon's) Warbler 0 (1/18); Pine Warbler 6 (14/18); Prairie Warbler 0 (1/18); Palm Warbler (yellow) 0 (4/18); Palm Warbler (western) 0 (6/18); Palm Warbler (total) 0 (12/18); Common Yellowthroat 0 (9/18); Yellow-breasted Chat 0 (2/18); 
 
Eastern Towhee 16 (18/18); Chipping Sparrow 45 (13/18); Clay-colored Sparrow 0 (1/18); Field Sparrow 28 (18/18); Vesper Sparrow 0 (7/18); Savannah Sparrow 168 (18/18); Grasshopper Sparrow 0 (/18); Le Conte's Sparrow 0 (2/18); Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow 1 (11/18, JLS, EB); Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow 5 (11/18, JLS, EB); sharp-tailed Sparrow (sp.) 0 (8/18); Seaside Sparrow 0 (1/18); Fox Sparrow 4 (18/18); Song Sparrow 272 (18/18); Lincoln's Sparrow 0 (2/18); Swamp Sparrow 85 (18/18); White-throated Sparrow 480 (18/18); Harris's Sparrow 0 (1/18); White-crowned Sparrow 0 (5/18); Dark-eyed ("Slate-colored") Junco 50 (18/18); Dark-eyed ("Oregon") Junco 0 (1/18); Northern Cardinal 130 (18/18); Painted Bunting 0 (1/18); 
 
Red-winged Blackbird 5080 (18/18); Eastern Meadowlark 177 (18/18); Rusty Blackbird 1 (14/18, ZB, ML); Brewer's Blackbird 0 (1/18); Common Grackle 7240 (18/18); Boat-tailed Grackle 0 (8/18); Brown-headed Cowbird 2 (17/18); 
 
Purple Finch 14 (10/18); House Finch 23 (18/18); Red Crossbill 0 (1/18); Common Redpoll 0 (1/18); Pine Siskin 14 (3/18, new high); American Goldfinch 124 (18/18); House Sparrow 4 (17/18); 
 
TOTAL SPECIES 103 (best since 2004, best 112, 100+ in seven years). 22,106 individuals. Cumulative species total (for count days) 157, 4 species added.  No count week species.
 
PARTICIPANTS: Zach Baer, Ed Boyd, Mark L. Hoffman (compiler), Mikey Lutmerding, Michael O’Brien, James L. Stasz.
 
General party locations: Hoffman (Big Mill Pond and vicinity; private farms along Purnell Bay); Boyd/Stasz (Vaughn/Central); Baer/Lutmerding (Stockton Chicken Plant, Vaughn WMA-South (west) Area; O’Brien (Vaughn WMA-Southern (east) Area and George Island Landing Road). 
 
Commentary: Big surprise was adding four species to the cumulative list: Greater Scaup, Golden Eagle, Northern Saw-whet Owl and Red-headed Woodpecker.  Species totals lackluster considering effort. But as always a greatly enjoyable day in Maryland's premier CBC territory!
 
Mark L. Hoffman