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Subject:

Maryland Big Day--May 24, 2009

From:

Bill Hubick

Reply-To:

Bill Hubick

Date:

Tue, 26 May 2009 11:00:28 -0700

Hi Everyone,

Minutes before midnight on Sunday, May 24th, six of us were standing in the drizzling rain in a parking lot in Cumberland. Common Nighthawks were flying overhead, calling, easily visible as they hunted in the lights around two nearby church steeples. When our cell phones registered 12:00 a.m., the nighthawks became the first species tallied in our attempt to break the all-time Maryland Big Day record. We quickly piled into the van, an awkward routine we would repeat over 100 times during the next 24 hours. Heading west optimistically, the team was me, Zach Baer, Jim Brighton, Ron Gutberlet, Matt Hafner, and Mikey Lutmerding. 

Our goal was to top the Maryland Big Day record of 214 species, which was set on May 22nd, 2002 by Marshall Iliff, Jim Stasz, Matt Hafner, and Andrew Farnsworth. The team has a lot of big day experience--Matt Hafner was a member of the record-setting team, and most of us are veterans of the World Series of Birding. We’d been scheming for months, scrutinizing every detail. Could we really drop Deal? Can we really skip the Pocomoke? We put together an unconventional 6-person team, risking "5%" species for the benefit of more scouting, more eyes, and more fun. 

We’d dedicated several days to full-time scouting and our route seems sleek and polished. As we head west, spirits and adrenaline levels are high. Our cooler is full of Dr. Pepper and Rockstar. Matt is making last-minute adjustments to Excel spreadsheets. Over the next 24 hours, this route morphs into an epic, unforgettable day of birding. Although we didn’t break the record, our total of 200 species was very satisfying. We are excited to join Hafner on the short list of insane birders who have seen 200 species in Maryland in 24 hours. I always knew 214 was a solid record, but I have a new respect for it.  

I will compile a full narrative, along with an analysis section by Matt Hafner, and share it as soon as possible. In the mean time, we wanted to get something out a bit sooner.

SPECIES OF MOST INTEREST

Tundra Swan (Blackwater), Lesser Scaup (pair, Piney Reservoir), Surf Scoter (2, Cabin Creek), American White Pelican (1, Blackwater), American Bittern (Garrett Co.), Black Rail (2, Elliott Island Road), Upland Sandpiper (Garrett Co.), Iceland Gull (first-cycle, Ocean City Inlet and Skimmer Island), Glaucous Gull (first-cycle, Skimmer Island), Black Skimmer (4 each, Ocean City Inlet and Eagle's Nest), Northern Saw-whet Owl (Garrett Co.), Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Garrett Co.), Gray-cheeked Thrush (night migrant in Garrett Co.), Mourning Warbler (Garrett Co.). 

MORE EXPECTED

Snow Goose, Gadwall (more difficult to locate in recent years), Hooded Merganser, Common Loon, Least Bittern, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned Hawk (late migrant), Broad-winged Hawk, American Kestrel, Sora, Piping Plover, Black-necked Stilt, Red Knot, American Woodcock, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Black-billed Cuckoo, Barn Owl, Common Nighthawk, Red-headed Woodpecker, Alder Flycatcher, Common Raven, Bank Swallow, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Winter Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrush, 26 species of breeding warbler including Blue-winged (a traditional big day nemesis species), Golden-winged, Myrtle, Northern Waterthrush, Mourning, and Canada; Blackpoll Warbler, Henslow's Sparrow, Slate-colored Junco, Purple Finch, Pine Siskin. (Full list included below)

MISSED SPECIES

Bad Misses (6): Peregrine Falcon (dropped from route due to schedule concerns), Common Moorhen (uncooperative, a reasonable miss), Lesser Yellowlegs (too many locations cut due to schedule), Brown Creeper (not singing at 5 reliable locations), Wood Thrush (horrifying; we must have just forgotten to note it until too late), Yellow-throated Warbler (a victim of schedule slippage).

Found during scouting, but not cooperative (17): American Wigeon (Blackwater), Blue-winged Teal (Rte 309 ponds), Ring-necked Duck (Rocky Gap, Easton WWTP), Greater Scaup (Cabin Creek), Harlequin Duck (Ocean City Inlet), White-winged Scoter (Ocean City Inlet), Bufflehead (Cambridge waterfront), Ruffed Grouse (multiple locations), Northern Gannet (Ocean City; we probably arrived too late), Brown Pelican (Ocean City Inlet, Skimmer Island), Great Cormorant (Ocean City Inlet), American Coot (3 locations), Greater Yellowlegs (2 locations), White-rumped Sandpiper (Rte 309 ponds), Stilt Sandpiper (Rte 309 ponds), Wilson's Snipe (Rte 50 Borrow Pit, Rte 309 ponds), Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow. The Route 309 birds were not present on Saturday, so the ponds were dropped from the schedule.

Selected species expected in some years, but not found this year (most of these were certainly present in the state, but none were located close enough to our route): Green-winged Teal, Common Merganser, Ring-necked Pheasant, Red-throated Loon, Pied-billed Grebe, Whimbrel, Bonaparte's Gull, Black Tern, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Sedge Wren, Swainson's Thrush; migrant warblers (Tennessee, Nashville, Cape May, Bay-breasted, Wilson's), Lincoln's Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Dickcissel. 

FULL LIST OF OBSERVED SPECIES

Snow Goose
Brant
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Tundra Swan
Wood Duck
Gadwall
American Black Duck
Mallard
Lesser Scaup
Surf Scoter
Hooded Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Wild Turkey
Common Loon
American White Pelican
Double-crested Cormorant
American Bittern
Least Bittern
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Little Blue Heron
Tricolored Heron
Cattle Egret
Green Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
Glossy Ibis
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Broad-winged Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Black Rail
Clapper Rail
Virginia Rail
Sora
Black-bellied Plover
Semipalmated Plover
Piping Plover
Killdeer
American Oystercatcher
Black-necked Stilt
Spotted Sandpiper
Solitary Sandpiper
Willet
Upland Sandpiper
Ruddy Turnstone
Red Knot
Sanderling
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Purple Sandpiper
Dunlin
Short-billed Dowitcher
American Woodcock
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Iceland Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Glaucous Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Least Tern
Common Tern
Forster's Tern
Royal Tern
Black Skimmer
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Black-billed Cuckoo
Barn Owl
Eastern Screech-Owl
Great Horned Owl
Barred Owl
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Common Nighthawk
Chuck-will's-widow
Whip-poor-will
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
Red-headed Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Acadian Flycatcher
Alder Flycatcher
Willow Flycatcher
Least Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
White-eyed Vireo
Yellow-throated Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Fish Crow
Common Raven
Horned Lark
Purple Martin
Tree Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Bank Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Barn Swallow
Carolina Chickadee
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown-headed Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Winter Wren
Marsh Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Eastern Bluebird
Veery
Gray-cheeked Thrush
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Blue-winged Warbler
Golden-winged Warbler
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Pine Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Cerulean Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Prothonotary Warbler
Worm-eating Warbler
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Louisiana Waterthrush
Kentucky Warbler
Mourning Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Hooded Warbler
Canada Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat
Summer Tanager
Scarlet Tanager
Eastern Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Grasshopper Sparrow
Henslow's Sparrow
Seaside Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Blue Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Bobolink
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Common Grackle
Boat-tailed Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Orchard Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
Purple Finch
House Finch
Pine Siskin
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

We'll send out a full write-up sometime soon.

Good birding!

Bill

Bill Hubick
Pasadena, Maryland

http://www.billhubick.com