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Chincoteaque CBC-MD Sector Summary

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Mark L Hoffman

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Wed, 4 Jan 2012 02:23:06 +0000

MARYLAND SECTOR 
2011 CHINCOTEAGUE , VIRGINIA , CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT 

Stockton , MD. Dec. 29, 2011 . Times: 0621-1712; owling 0457-0642. 27-43 F°, south wind 0-6 mph, clear early, then becoming partly cloudy by mid-morning, and overcast by about 11 am; ponds some skim ice, streams, salt marshes, bays and running water open. Observers: 8 in 4 parties. Total party-hours 25.9; 20.2 on foot, 5.7 by car. Total party-miles 50.1; 18.3 on foot, 31.8 by car. Owling party-hours 2.4; party-miles 7.0. 

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 20 years (1991-2011, sans 2010 went the count was cancelled due to heavy snow) for which complete data are currently available for this sector. Species in caps are new to the cumulative list (none this year). New highs and lows are indicated. (X/20) means the species has been recorded on X of the 20 counts. All species recorded during 20-year period listed.   Initials are given for species recorded by a single party. CW = count week. 

Snow Goose 17,527 (20/20) (new high, prev. high 16,956); Ross' Goose 1 (4/20) (MOB, TL); Cackling Goose 0 (1/20); Canada Goose 3,004 (20/20); Brant 0 (10/20); Tundra Swan 47 (17/20); Wood Duck 12 (14/20); Gadwall 11 (12/20); American Wigeon 9 (13/20) (MOB, TL); American Black Duck 722 (19/20); Mallard 253 (19/20); Mallard/Am. Black Duck (sp.) 0 (7/20); Blue-winged Teal 0 (1/20); Northern Shoveler 13 (7/20); Northern Pintail 0 (4/20); Green-winged Teal 124 (11/20); Ring-necked Duck 6 (6/20); Greater Scaup 0 (1/20); Lesser Scaup 20 (4/20) (new high, prev. high 5, MOB); Scaup (sp.) 0 (2/20); Surf Scoter 0 (1/20); Long-tailed Duck 0 (3/20); Bufflehead 584 (20/20); Common Goldeneye 0 (9/20); Hooded Merganser 58 (20/20); Common Merganser 0 (4/20); Red-breasted Merganser 15 (19/20); 

Wild Turkey 0 (2/20); Northern Bobwhite 7 (16/20) (MLH, private farm near Big Mill Pond); 

Common Loon 10 (11/20) (new high, prev. high 9); Pied-billed Grebe 0 (11/20) (used to be regular, recorded in only 1 of the last 7 counts, 10 of 13 prior to that); Horned Grebe 55 (13/20) (ties high); Double-crested Cormorant 5 (3/20) (JLS et al.); 

American Bittern 0 (4/20); Great Blue Heron 33 (20/20); Great Egret 0 (8/20); Tricolored Heron 0 (1/20); Green Heron 0 (1/20); Black-crowned Night-Heron 0 (8/20); 

Black Vulture 6 (18/20); Turkey Vulture 84 (20/20); Bald Eagle 13 (17/20); Northern Harrier 4 (19/20); Sharp-shinned Hawk 3 (19/20); Cooper's Hawk 2 (15/20); Red-shouldered Hawk 7 (14/20) (new high, prev. high 4, recorded on only 3 of 8 initial counts); Red-tailed Hawk 6 (20/20); Golden Eagle 0 (1/20); American Kestrel 3 (19/20); Merlin 1 (4/20) (JLS et al.); Peregrine Falcon 0 (4/20); 

Clapper Rail 0 (1/20); large rail (sp.) 0 (2/20); Virginia Rail 0 (9/20); American Coot 2 (3/20) (MOB, in bay from GIL Rd , first marsh opening, scare here); 

Black-bellied Plover 2 (12/20) (MOB, TL); Killdeer 10 (18/20); American Avocet 0 (1/20); Greater Yellowlegs 38 (20/20); Lesser Yellowlegs 6 (11/20) (MOB, TL, flats N of George Island Landing); Sanderling 0 (1/20); Western Sandpiper 0 (1/20); Least Sandpiper 0 (1/20); Dunlin 16 (18/20); Long-billed Dowitcher 0 (8/20); dowitcher (sp.) 0 (2/20); Wilson's Snipe 0 (12/20); American Woodcock 11 (20/20); Bonaparte's Gull 3 (2/20) (ties high); Ring-billed Gull 203 (20/20); Herring Gull 53 (20/20); Great Black-backed Gull 3 (19/20); Forster's Tern 59 (3/20) (new high); 

Rock Pigeon 0 (19/20) (one observed out of count circle, almost made it on the list, but JLS had to temper MJI's enthusiasm, never common here, the two barns I have sometimes had them were wanting); Mourning Dove 100 (20/20); Barn Owl 0 (2/20); Eastern Screech-Owl 30 (20/20); Great Horned Owl 14 (19/20); Barred Owl 0 (4/20); Long-eared Owl 0 (3/20); Short-eared Owl 0 (7/20); Northern Saw-whet Owl 0 (1/20); Belted Kingfisher 7 (20/20); 

Red-headed Woodpecker 2 (2/20) (new high, MLH, same location as the single bird in 2008, the "big woods" on Steel Pond Road, imm. and adult, photos); Red-bellied Woodpecker 9 (20/20); Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 4 (17/20); Downy Woodpecker 17 (20/20); Hairy Woodpecker 8 (20/20); Northern Flicker 33 (20/20); Pileated Woodpecker 5 (20/20); 

Eastern Phoebe 5 (20/20) (high is 16); Blue-headed Vireo 0 (1/20); Blue Jay 14 (20/20); American Crow 108 (20/20); Fish Crow 0 (8/20); Horned Lark 2 (17/20) (MOB, TL); Tree Swallow 0 (5/20); Carolina Chickadee 79 (20/20); Tufted Titmouse 21 (20/20); 

Apparent CAROLINA CHICKADEE X TUFTED TITMOUSE HYBRID (1).   This deserves some details.   In the afternoon while working a mixed passerine flock at the "big woods" along Steel Pond Road (same location as RHWOs), Hoffman discovered and photographed a presumed Caroline Chickadee x Tufted Titmouse hybrid.   This combination is not cited in Pyle.   As see in the photos ( http://www.pbase.com/wcbirding/cachxtuti_20111229 ) the bird is an odd mixture of both intermediate characteristics (a slight crest, dark on top of head but no bib) and unique features (evenly buff washed underparts, white forehead).   Consultation with MOB, TL, et al. agree that this hybrid combination is the likely origin of this individual. 

Red-breasted Nuthatch 0 (6/20); White-breasted Nuthatch 0 (9/20); Brown-headed Nuthatch 19 (16/20) (new high, prev. high 10); Brown Creeper 2 (18/20); Carolina Wren 61 (20/20); House Wren 3 (17/20) (high is 10); Winter Wren 17 (20/20); Sedge Wren 0 (15/20); Marsh Wren 0 (10/20); Golden-crowned Kinglet 8 (20/20); Ruby-crowned Kinglet 8 (19/20); Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 0 (1/20); Eastern Bluebird 94 (20/20); Hermit Thrush 43 (20/20); American Robin 951 (20/20); Gray Catbird 15 (19/20); Northern Mockingbird 21 (20/20); Brown Thrasher 24 (19/20); European Starling 205 (20/20); American Pipit 0 (18/20) (territory used to be winter pipit capital of MD, 680 in 2000, ag fields on Swan Gut Road no longer great for this species); Cedar Waxwing 39 (16/20); 

Orange-crowned Warbler 0 (4/20); Nashville Warbler 0 (0/20, CW only), Y.-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler 172 (20/20); Y.-rumped (Audubon's) Warbler 0 (1/20); Pine Warbler 5 (16/20) (MLH, as usual, Pines out number Myrtles in my beloved areas around Big Mill Pond, this year the Pines pitched a 5-0 shutout, I had the same score the day prior in my OC CBC territory around Newark -- two days of winter biridng in MD, 10 individual warblers, and no Myrtles!! ); Prairie Warbler 0 (1/20); Palm Warbler (yellow) 0 (5/20); Palm Warbler (western) 0 (7/20); Palm Warbler (total) 0 (13/20); Common Yellowthroat 0 (9/20); Yellow-breasted Chat 0 (2/20); 

Eastern Towhee 8 (20/20); Chipping Sparrow 46 (15/20); Clay-colored Sparrow 0 (1/20); Field Sparrow 68 (20/20); Vesper Sparrow 0 (8/20); Savannah Sparrow 164 (20/20); Grasshopper Sparrow 0 (0/20, CW only); Le Conte's Sparrow 0 (2/20); Nelson's Sparrow 3 (12/20, but only split as species for 15 years) (JLS et al.); Saltmarsh Sparrow 5 (12/20, but only split as species for 15 years) (JSL et al.); sharp-tailed Sparrow (sp.) 0 (8/20); Seaside Sparrow 0 (1/20); Fox Sparrow 18 (20/20); Song Sparrow 291 (20/20); Lincoln's Sparrow 1 (3/20) (JLS, MJI); Swamp Sparrow 184 (20/20); White-throated Sparrow 334 (20/20); Harris's Sparrow 0 (1/20); White-crowned Sparrow 0 (5/20); Dark-eyed ("Slate-colored") Junco 69 (20/20); Dark-eyed ("Oregon") Junco 0 (1/20); Northern Cardinal 108 (20/20); Painted Bunting 0 (1/20); 

Red-winged Blackbird 5,820 (20/20); Eastern Meadowlark 40 (20/20); Rusty Blackbird 0 (15/20); Brewer's Blackbird 0 (1/20); Common Grackle 860 (20/20); Boat-tailed Grackle 0 (8/20); Brown-headed Cowbird 12 (19/20) (JLS et al); 

Purple Finch 0 (10/20); House Finch 1 (19/20) (MLH, declining, missed in '09, had as many as 258 in '92, 176 in '93 and 117 in '98, this year in the always awesome roadside hedgerow on Rabbit Knaw Road); Red Crossbill 0 (1/20); Common Redpoll 0 (1/20); Pine Siskin 0 (3/20); American Goldfinch 50 (20/20); House Sparrow 6 (19/20) (MLH, declining, had as many as 110 in '94, 114 in '97 and 126 in '01 and 113 in '03, like the lone HOFI, they were in the Rabbit Knaw Road hedgerow-how can you not like a sector with a road name like that?). 

TOTAL SPECIES 97 (we can do better, best 112, 100+ in seven years). 33,284 individuals. Cumulative species total (for count days) 157, no species added.   No count week species. 

PARTICIPANTS: George Armistead, Mark L. Hoffman (compiler), Marshall Iliff, Nathaniel Kahn, Tony Leukering., Michael O’Brien, James L. Stasz, Bob Ringler. 

General party locations: Hoffman (Big Mill Pond and vicinity; private farm along Purnell Bay ); Armistead, Iliff, Kahn, Stasz (sector leader) (Vaughn/Central); Ringer (Vaughn WMA-South (west)); O’Brien (Vaughn WMA-South (east) Area, George Island Landing Road , Greenbackville Road ). 

Commentary: Species totals lackluster considering effort and with the mild winter we were hoping for some more lingering species. But as always a greatly enjoyable day in Maryland 's premier CBC territory!   

Mark L. Hoffman 


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