Hey Joel,

Sounds like a great day!  The Northern Bobwhite at Blairs Valley are almost certainly introduced for hunting, as are the Ring-necked Pheasants sometimes reported there. In addition to any stocking done at that site, I understand that Pennsylvania very actively stocks game birds. I've often heard that what pheasants and bobwhite are reported in western Maryland are clustered along the PA border for this reason. I don't have a copy of the recent BBA handy, so I don't know if - or to what extent - that is reflected. The last Northern Bobwhite I saw at Blairs Valley was a female that slowly walked ahead of me on the trail, just five feet away and comically tame. I took a lot of nice photos, but didn't count it as a wild bird.

As for reporting in eBird, feel free to report normally. We will flag reports of presumed introduced birds slightly differently, but we still want to know what is where. We can't go back and build any picture of changing populations if we don't collect the data now.

Countability is secondary and mostly a personal matter, of course, but those birds are generally not counted. I like the idea of "Innocent until proven suspicious" for many similar scenarios. If I found a Ring-necked Pheasant along a country road in Carroll Co., I would immediately start justifying why it could be wild and countable, but if someone noted the hunting club that releases them 2 miles away, I'd fold under peer pressure to not count it. :)

Hope all's well!

Bill

Bill Hubick
Pasadena, Maryland

http://www.billhubick.com

________________________________
> From: Joel Martin <>
>To: 
>Sent: Sunday, May 27, 2012 1:37 PM
>Subject: [MDOSPREY] Chasing Birds in Washington County, 5/26
>
>On Saturday I had only the morning to bird, so I decided to look for some
>of the great Washington County birds found by Jim Green and company on 5/23.
>It  was a very enjoyable morning with a few new county birds.
>
>I started early to avoid traffic on Broadfording Road, but the patchy  fog
>made seeing birds difficult in places. But I could easily hear 4
>DICKCISSELS, singing constantly between St. Paul's Church and Spickler  Roads. There
>were also numerous GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS and EASTERN MEADOWLARKS,  many of
>them singing on fence posts and wires along the road. I also saw a  female BLUE
>GROSBEAK, and a WILD TURKEY, seemingly out of place on this nearly
>treeless stretch. I did NOT see or hear the UPLAND SANDPIPER heard by Jim  on
>Wednesday, but there is an area of great habitat on both sides of  Broadfording
>east of Spickler -- weedy, rolling hills with numerous rock  outcroppings for
>perches. Sure looks promising!
>
>From there I went to Blair's Valley Lake, mainly for a quick shorebird
>check. I was stunned to hear a NORTHERN BOBWHITE calling just west of the  dam.
>It was clearly an actual Bobwhite, with no trace of any mimid notes during
>the 5 minutes I was there. Does anyone know what the likelihood of wild vs.
>released birds would be at this location? The only shorebirds were two
>KILLDEER.
>
>Next I spent nearly a hour on the otherwise unnamed road with the ATT&T
>sign off of Hanging Rock Road. This road, which apparently continues  into
>Pennsylvania, is very pleasant for birding -- not one vehicle came by  while I
>was there. I was hoping for some late migrants but there were none. I  did
>find 3 WORM-EATING WARBLERS and a COMMON RAVEN being harassed by Blue Jays,
>among other residents.
>
>Next was Mummert Road, where two weeks ago I had searched for my closeout
>WHITE-EYED VIREO without success. This time, on a tip from Jim Green, I
>found one easily. Thanks Jim! I also heard a KENTUCKY WARBLER on territory and
>a  YELLOW-THROATED VIREO. I then went to nearby Park Head Road, where I had
>missed  PRAIRIE WARBLER on my previous visit. With patience I finally heard
>one singing  far up the hill. There were also 3 YELLOW-BREASTED CHATS here.
>
>The last stop of the morning was Camp Harding County Park on Pectonville
>Road, where Jim had seen a RED-HEADED WOODPECKER on Wednesday. I had made a
>circuit of the small park and was at the very end of the park road, ready to
>leave, when I stopped to take a text message. I saw a bird fly up from the
>ground and perch on a tree trunk -- a beautiful adult RHWO! A perfect way
>to end  the day.
>
>(A side note on the RHWO. Usually I'm not obsessive about county closeouts,
>but this is one of my favorite birds and I'd love to have in all MD
>counties.  Despite my less-than-exceptional birding skills I've had exceptionally
>good luck chasing RHWO's reported in various counties, so maybe there  is a
>chance. With this bird I've now seen it in all MD counties except
>Caroline.)
>
>Thanks again to Jim for the always-great advice!
>
>Joel Martin
>Catonsville, MD
>
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