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Ferry Neck, April 12-19 (in part), Blackwater N.W.R. (& its honors), urban eagles, 2 atrocities.

From:

Harry Armistead

Reply-To:

Harry Armistead

Date:

Tue, 20 Apr 2010 01:59:38 +0000

            FERRY NECK, BLACKWATER N.W.R., APRIL 12-19, 2010 (in part).  BLACKWATER REFUGE HONORED.  URBAN EAGLES.  TWO ATROCITIES. 
             I left all of my field notes behind when we took off from our place on Mon., April 19.  So it will be a week or so before I’ll be able to submit a full report.  
            April 16.  George detects a White-eyed Vireo, breaking the property record early arrival date by one day.
            Surf Scoters.  Highest total for the period: 830.  But for most of this span of dates the Choptank River mouth has been almost deserted, a curious situation I find very disturbing.  I didn’t see a single Horned Grebe the entire time.  Unbelievable.
            Harris Creek, Talbot County, MD.  Nine of us, a family gettogether, see 2 American Oystercatchers from the Skipjack ‘Rebecca T. Ruark,’ April 18.
            Egypt Road n. of Blackwater: 3 kestrels, April 16.  
            BLACKWATER refuge gets top honors, for each of the last 4 years.  Bill Giese was recently named top employee of the National Wildlife Refuge system (out of 530+ refuges).  This year Zeeger de Wilde was honored as refuge volunteer of the year.  Earlier the refuge friends group was designated as friends group of the year.  Former refuge manager Glen Carowan was chosen as refuge manager of the year.  They must be doing something right there.
            Blackwater N.W.R. - Shorter’s Wharf Road, 31 Snowy Egrets, 8 Seaside Sparrows, April 13.  No sign of the Wildlife Drive Ruff on that date.
            URBAN EAGLES.  The Bald Eagle nest at the John Heinz N.W.R. (known fondly as Tinicum) has 2 eaglets this spring.  There are active eagle nests in all 7 counties surrounding the Philadelphia area.
            Golden Hill, Dorchester County, April 16: 2 Brown-headed Nuthatches, 1 Tiger Swallowtail.
            8 active Osprey nests are visible from our shoreline.  If I do some more extensive scope work I may be able to come up with one more.
            I’d venture that the foliage is about 3 weeks ahead of normal.  The forests have the look of the 2nd week in May already.
            April 19.  A pair of Canada Geese with 6 small, downy goslings at the little pond west of Route 309 c. 2 mi. n. of Route 50.
            6 Mute Swans have been in our cove, the most I have seen there in some time.  A flock of 9 flew over a fw days ago. 
            Little wetland just n. of routes 309 X 481: 7 Pectoral Sandpipers, April 12, Queen Annes County.
            At Rigby’s Folly this stay we have seen Mud Turtle, Diamondback Terrapin, Painted Turtle, Southern Leopard Frog, Garter Snake, Fowler’s Toad, American Lady, Spotted Turtle, Spring Azure, Orange Sulphur, Cabbage White, Muskrat, Red Fox, deer, etc. 
            TWO ATROCITIES.  1:  HOUSE SPARROW VS. BLUEBIRD: Ran into Mary Konchar, whose splendid matted photographs are available at Blackwater, on April 13.  She checks a trail of bluebird houses.  In one of them recently, where House Sparrows have been present, she found a male Eastern Bluebird sitting on its nest.  Both of its eyes had been pecked out, the feathers on the top of its head were missing, and it was still alive.  2:  SQUIRRELS HUNG.  Recently on the campus of the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore in Princess Anne two squirrels were found that someone had hung and left in plain view.  It’s not pleasant to report these things but it is important to be aware of them.            Best to all. – Harry Armistead.   		 	   		  
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