From: Harry Armistead [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
Sent: Monday, May 04, 2009 5:55 PM
To: Norman Saunders
Subject: 83rd Dorchester County May Bird Count (in part), May 2; Ferry Neck,
April 30, May 1 & 3, 2009.

 

83rd DORCHESTER COUNTY, MD, MAY BIRD COUNT, May 2, 2009 (IN PART) & Rigby's
Folly, April 30, May 1 & 3.  The summary of the May 2 bird count below is
mostly just for my own list.  In a few days I'll incorporate others'
observations into a complete, if not executive, summary. 

            THURSDAY, APRIL 30.  Overcast, 64-61, SW 10, cool, P.M. only.
Pond s. of Hope on Rt. 481:  2 Wood Ducks, 2 Great Blue Herons, and 39
Canada Geese.  Rts. 481 X 309 pond nice and low and muddy and loaded:  37
Least Sandpipers, 8 Green-winged Teal, 5 Semipalmated Plovers, 6 Lesser
Yellowlegs.  At Rigby's Folly: 1st Green Heron of the year, 2 Common Loons,
a male bluebird carrying food, 40 Fish Crows, and 2 White-throated Sparrows.
Mammals: 3 deer, 1 rabbit & 1 Gray Squirrel plus a White-footed Mouse in the
downstairs bedroom traps.  Just since last Monday new channel markers have
been installed in Irish Creek.  It has dried out enough so I can drive
across the Big Field to Lucy Point.

            FRIDAY, MAY 1.  Overcast, occasional sprinkles, becoming partly
clear at the end of the day, SW 5-10, low 60s - 73.  Just took it easy
today, napped, rested up for Saturday's ordeal.  1 Wild Turkey in Field 4.
5 deer in the Big Field.  A 2' Garter Snake on the lawn well-concealed in
the midst of the pine pollen and fallen oak catkins, to the extent that I
unwittingly caught my shoe under it and thus lifted it up before I noticed
it.  The Woodchuck seen along the cove bank, putzing around, assuming the
Weltanschauung position twice, and scratching itself with its left foot
before disappearing into the honeysuckle.  Along Route 33 east of St.
Michaels 3 Black Vultures are feasting on 25 Menhaden that's omehow got
spilled onto the south road shoulder.  

            FISH CROWS vs. ENGLISH IVY.  The ivy has become rank in the
trees behind the pumphouse.  The Fish Crows hang around there all day
feasting on the ivy berries.  Each day they pass what is left of the berries
after they have partially digested them . all over the dock including on the
tops of the pilings.

 

            SATURDAY, MAY 2.  The 83rd Dorchester County May Bird Count, 11
P.M. Friday until 8:30 P.M. Saturday.  189 miles by car.  129 species, very
poor by the standards of earlier years.  An extremely disappointing day in
many respects.  The paucity of landbirds here is puzzling, especially
compared with the good numbers found today by the North Dorchester Party
(Bill & Karen Harris, Danny Poet, Amanda Spears), which found 25 species I
missed, most of them warblers, vireos, and nightjars.

            WEATHER.  Mostly overcast and warm, even at night, winds
southerly 7-20 m.p.h. to start, shifting to west at c. 20 c. 11 A.M., then
north at 10.  Too windy for my tastes.  Temperatures 67 at midnight RISING
to 71 by 7 A.M., reaching 74 by mid-day, then dropping to 65 by 8:30 P.M.
Occasional light, pleasant rain in the morning.  Tide VERY low at Elliott
Island in the P.M.

            ABBREVIATIONS:  BNWR, Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge;  EIR,
Elliott Island Road;  SWR, Shorter's Wharf Road.

            Of interest:  1 Horned Grebe (in spectacular, buffleheaded
breeding plumage in front of the Sailwinds visitor center).  20 Brown
Pelicans (EIR).  1 American White Pelican (at Sewards, probably injured or
sick).  1 Tundra Swan (BNWR, also possibly injured or ill).  4 Gadwall (2
EIR, 2 SWR).  Just 1 Blue-winged Teal (EIR, the decline continues).  20 Surf
Scoters (EIR, a new high count for the May count).  17 Buffleheads (also a
new high, 1 at Cambridge, 16 from EIR).  40 Bald Eagles.  5 harriers.  2
Northern Bobwhite (an inconceivable number 20 years ago).  RALLIDS: 1 BLACK,
54 Virginia, 4 King, 8 Clappers & 3 Common Moorhens.  7 Killdeer (incl. 2
ad. and their chick at BNWR).  1 oystercatcher (Swan Harbor).  8
Black-necked Stilts (EIR).  5 Solitary Sandpipers.  6 Short-billed
Dowitchers (SWR, can be surprisingly scarce in this county in the spring).
12 Least Terns (continuing their good showing).  Only 1 Royal Tern (EIR).
11 Chuck-will's-widows.  

            3 Red-headed Woodpeckers.  All of 1 Red-eyed Vireo.  5
Brown-headed Nuthatches.  10 House Wrens.  1 Veery.  1 Yellow-throated
Warbler (SWR).  35 yellowthroats.  10 Summer Tanagers.  3 Savannah, 4
Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed & 50 Seaside sparrows.  22 Blue Grosbeaks.  4 Indigo
Buntings.  8 Bobolinks.  7 Boat-tailed Grackles.  22 Orchard Orioles.    

            CORVIDS.  Seem to be in decline in recent years, perhaps due to
West Nile Virus (?).  For the first time ever BLUE JAY WAS MISSED!  Only 20
American and 4 Fish Crows.  The North Dorchester Party didn't do much better
with 14 Blue Jays, 8 American & 4 Fish Crows.

            WOODPECKERS.  I am struck by the low numbers of woodpeckers: 5
Red-bellied, 2 Downy, 2 Pileated & 3 Red-headed (but not bad for RHWOs) plus
2 flickers and no Hairies.  North Dorchester Party recorded 7 Red-bellied, 6
Downy & 2 Pileateds plus 1 flicker.

            WARBLERS.  Abysmal for me but North Dorchester Party did well.

            LATE ARRIVALS.  These are species either hard to get or else
sometimes missed on this first weekend count each year, but this time they
are pretty well-represented in spite of the early date, the second of May:
1 Yellow-billed Cuckoo, 4 Indigo Buntings, 2 Acadian Flycatchers & 1 Eastern
Wood-Pewee.  Yellow-breasted Chat does not fit this syndrome as well,
usually to be had w/o too much effort, but Saturday's count of 6 is a bit
better than usual.  Semipalmated Sandpiper was missed.

            BUTTERFLIES.  Not especially.  Few.  1 Monarch plus a few
sulphurs and whites and one big black job that got away from me.

            MAMMALS.  Sika Deer (elk, whatever):  76, 12 along Elliott I.
Rd., 62 between there and Bestpitch Ferry Bridge, 2 in the greater, central
Blackwater N.W.R. area.  Also 3 White-tailed Deer, 2 Virginia Opossums, 7
Muskrats (more than I usually see), 1 Raccoon, 4 Gray & 2 Fox squirrels 2
Eastern Cottontails.  Surprising not to see any Red Foxes.  An Elliott
Island man stopped to talk and said he'd trapped 16 this year.

            BATRACHIANS.  Surprisingly few in view of the warmth, the recent
light rain just prior to the start of the count, and the heavier earlier
rains.  Only a few Fowler's Toads, Bull, Southern Leopard, and Green frogs,
Carpenter Frogs 3 times (not bad for this scarce species), and a few
half-hearted choruses of Green Tree Frogs. 

            REPTILES.  A Black Racer on Old Field Road and it sure did go
racing off even before I got out of the car to try to catch it.  Only 2
Diamondback Terrapin, 5 Red-bellied Sliders, and 3 Painted Turtles.  

 

            SUNDAY, MAY 3.  HEADIN' HOME.  Overcast, steady rain, low 60s,
miserable.  2 deer in Field 4 on the way out.  A d.o.r. juvenile Raccoon on
the main road.  1 Wild Turkey in front of John Swaine's.  At the little pond
just n. of the Rts. 481 X 309 T-junction:  11Semipalmated Plovers, 1 Great
Blue Heron, 19 Least & 3 Solitary sandpipers, 4 Green-winged Teal, 5 Greater
& 14 Lesser yellowlegs.  At the pond e. of Rt. 481 and s. of Hope . nothing.
550 Ring-billed Gulls in the recently disked field just s. of Routes 301 X
481.  The 3 Snow Geese continue next to the pond at mile 98.2 on Route 301,
obviously incapacitated.  

            ALL-NIGHTERS.  These things help me.  Brush my teeth several
times during the course of the day and night to get rid of the morning mouth
moss that builds up after so much coffee.  An apple is just as good as
brushing teeth.  I find a regular influx of coffee = I am always alert.
Sometimes you don't want to take the time to pour a cup or even eat but if
you do this regularly it helps me.  It's just as important not to eat TOO
much.  I carry a change of socks.  Feels good to have fresh ones.  Spring
nights are surprisingly cold often.  I take the same clothes I use on the
Christmas counts, just in case.  Light cotton gloves are good when it is
buggy and to keep the sun off your hands.  Good to have several flashlights
with fresh batteries.  

            Best regards to all. - Harry Armistead, Philadelphia.

 

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