Bob Ringler probably has more comprehensive comments on Dan Haas's
observation that Red-necked Grebes seem to be missing from Maryland this year.
However, I checked "View and Explore" in eBird and verified that not
one bird of this species has been reported to eBird, from Maryland,
so far this calendar year.
In fact, adjacent states haven't had many either -- Virginia only has
had one reported to eBird this year. That one was at the Chesapeake
Bay Bridge Tunnel on January 25, reported by Michael O'Brien. New
Jersey has reported only two Red-necked Grebes to eBird this year --
one in January from Cape May (multiple observers), and another from
Nummy Island (near Wildwood NJ), reported as recently as April 1 by
the same Michael O'Brien.
Pennsylvania and New York had multiple reports but those were
basically from up by the Great Lakes. There were two reports from
Brooklyn, NY, from late March. Delaware had no reports at all for this year.
Interestingly, the largest number of Red-necked Grebes ever reported
in Maryland (again, that's reported to eBird, and may not be 100%
correct) was 116 at Violette's Lock on the C&O Canal in Montgomery
County on March 6, 2003, seen by Dave Czaplak. I believe that was at
the end of an extremely cold winter up north, which froze the Great
Lakes and pushed the birds down to us. Clearly that didn't happen in
the winter of 2009/2010.
Dan's remark about missing spring this year reminds me of the old saw
about the infamous British summer: "Missed it last year; I was in
the bathroom."
Good birding and Happy Summer!
Mike Bowen
Montgomery Bird Club
Bethesda, MD
At 02:09 PM 4/7/2010 -0400, Dan Haas wrote:
>It was nice to see, while driving over the Weems Creek Bridge in West
>Annapolis, the return of one (possibly two) ROYAL TERN to our little
>creek.
>
>Did I miss spring. I recall going to bed on Sunday night and then
>when I awoke... it was summer.
>
>On another subject: where were the Red-necked Grebes this year? Has
>one been reported in the state in 2010?
>
>Good Birding,
>
>Dan Haas
>West Annapolis, MD
>
D.H. Michael Bowen
8609 Ewing Drive
Bethesda, MD 20817
Telephone: (301) 530-5764
e-mail: dhmbowenATyahooDOTcom
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