Date: Fri, 25 Aug 2000 15:37:43 EDT Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Marshall Iliff Subject: Call for bird sightings (NAB letter) - PART I MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit August 9, 2000 Dear Friends, Area Birders, and North American Birds Contributors, This is my standard reminder to send your SUMMER sightings in to us at North American Birds as soon as possible. Your contributions are essential to being able to piece together a meaningful summary of the season's sightings. Since this is a fairly long email it has been split into three parts. PART I includes: Summer 2000 (talks a bit about what was notable this season) and my Personal Highlights (what I was doing this past spring); PART II provides more general information on North American Birds, including: an introduction to North American Birds (North American Birds: What it is & History) and its recent changes (North American Birds: Recent Changes). Perhaps most importantly, is a section on the reporting network here (The Local Staff) and how you can help. New with this letter, PART III includes a new section on our database, which now contains 251,551 reports from field birders in the Region from the summer of 1995 through February 2000. Please read that section to find out how your sightings can further help out or, hopefully, how our database can help YOU! Part III also has a brief section on "Local Internet Resources" ****************************************************************************** ************** I would like to apologize for the inevitable cross-postings which will occur. This mailing has been sent to VA-BIRDS and MDOsprey, as well as personal email accounts. I cannot constantly monitor the changing subscription lists on all of these excellent listservs, and want to ensure that I reach all active birders in the Region. If you are unfamiliar with North American Birds (formerly Field Notes), please read on - information on who we are and what the magazine includes is below. If not, please read on as well - we NEED your reports! I hope everyone will read the section: "The Local Staff". It details exactly what we hope for in our reports and how you can help. If you bird in the Appalachian Region (i.e. Maryland's western three counties and Virginia west of the Blue Ridge Mountains) please note that your sightings should no longer go to George Hall, who has retired. The new Appalachian Regional Editor is: Robert Leberman, HC64, Box 453, Rector, PA 15677, (724) 593-7521, (no email) ****************************************************************************** ************** The Summer reporting season (1 Jun-31 Jul) for A.B.A.'s North American Birds (formerly A.B.A. Field Notes) has drawn to a close, so I urge anyone who has not yet reported their sightings to us, the Voice of the Naturalist, or email groups such as Valley Birds, the Richmond area Listserv, or MDOsprey to please send in your sightings for inclusion in my next Season Report. Please send them no later than 5 SEPTEMBER. Late reports are always welcomed as well -- better late than never!. Email obviously has the opportunity to vastly improve the efficiency and speed with which I communicate with observers in the Region, and will also save much time, paper, and expenditure on the mailings. I ask anyone who wishes NOT to receive this mailing in the future on email, to respond. Also, if you read this mailing on one of the above mentioned listservs, or somewhere else, and did not receive a personal copy in your e-mailbox, please let me know so I can update my address list. I apologize again for any cross-postings. If you received this letter via "snail mail" and have an email address that I may use in the future, please drop me a note and say so! The FALL SEASON runs 1 Sep- 30 Nov. Data entry will be MUCH easier if reports are received continuously rather than all at the end. Please take good notes on your sightings and let us know of them. Photocopied field cards are OK, computerized sightings are ideal, but even a quick note or email will suffice as long as we get the information. As I've said before and will say again, I am entirely dependant on YOUR reports to write a good column. SUMMER 2000 There were a few remarkable events this summer. Perhaps most surprising, and one which may have received the most birder attention, was the nesting of a pair of Scissor-tailed Flycatchers in Culpepper County, VA. The two birds were discovered 15 Jun by Karen Heatwole and breeding activity was confirmed that same day. The birds nested on a lower rung of a large electric tower and apparently fledged at least 3 young. Several other Scissor- tails were seen in the state including one additional pair in Appomadox that may have been nesting. IF ANYONE HAS DETAILS ON THESE BIRDS PLEASE LET US KNOW! These records may not be as surprising when seen the larger context. Other Scissor-tails nested in North Carolina (first nest record), Georgia (first record was only in the early 1990s, this represented about the 3rd or 4th), and several pairs nested in Tennessee, where there a couple previous breeding records but where it is considered extremely rare. This summer there was a severe drought across the southeast, with the most extreme conditions in northeast Texas. Another byproduct of the drought may have been the large Dickcissel invasion. In the VA Piedmont observers found an in incredible number of singing Dickcissels (perhaps as many as 100) and breeding was confirmed. In Maryland the invasion was less pronounced, but Dickcissels were still in evidence in appropriate habitat. Breeding was confirmed in Maryland as well. We will be interested in any and all reports of Dickcissels to get the full picture of the invasion. Making headlines during early June was the range extension of Brown Pelican in Maryland portions of Chesapeake Bay. Numbers of Brown Pelicans were back at the 3-year old Dorchester County colony in May and numbers were higher than ever before. It has been puzzling that comparatively few Brown Pelicans have dispersed in the Bay, and that they have mostly stayed closely in the vicinity of the colonies. This year was a little different. Late May saw a couple reports as far north as Rose Haven, Anne Arundel County, and Bodkin Island, Queen Anne's County, but these seemed to be isolated incidents. Then there was a hiatus until 12 Jun when a flood of reports began. Pelicans were noticed at Eastern Neck NWR (above the Bay Bridge!), North Beach, Cove Point, Kent Narrows, Annapolis, Bodkin Island, Tilghman Island, and even Baltimore - all well beyond their former limits. Most of us assumed that the pelicans from the Dorchester had finally begun to make use of the rest of the Bay waters. Several birds were even found nesting on Bodkin Island, just of Kent Island, Queen Anne's County (and as far north as the Bay Bridge). Suddenly though, the pelican reports dropped off almost as quickly as they had come, and through the summer they remained regular only around Bodkin Island and Tilghman Island. I believe the mass incursion we saw in mid-June was overflow from the Dorchester colony. Those birds that could find no suitable nest sites remaining dispersed northwards looking for additional sites. Some found Bodkin Island. Others may have prospected at Carroll Island in Baltimore, or elsewhere. Apparently only those that found nest sites at Bodkin stayed, and the rest disappeared suddenly and pelicans have been rare in those same Bay locales ever since. Other than perhaps Carroll Island, there are no other suitable pelican nesting islands north of the Dorchester islands. One of the islands in the Poplar chain has a large cormorant colony that may develop into a suitable pelican island, but for now the vegetation is too thick and the trees too tall. I encourage alternate theories and especially ALL reports of pelicans away from normal areas (Dorchester and Saint Mary's counties in MD). Reports that break the pelicans down by age may help to support (or refute) this theory. Below is a preliminary list of rarity reports from the season. Some do not have any documentation and WILL NOT be included unless we receive some. Others are already well-documented but more documentation would be helpful. If you saw ANY of these birds and could provide even brief notes on the identification, habits, etc. it would be much appreciated. Photos would be ideal. Some of the fancier rarities reported this season included: * Adult White-faced Ibis continuing at E.A. Vaughn WMA seen 11 Jun 2000 * Little Egret seen on Wreck Island, Accomack County, VA, late Jun 2000 * Sandhill Crane appearing on Hooper's I., Dorchester County, MD, from 22 Jul into August (does anyone have any insight on the subspecific identification of this bird, or what the chances are that it might represent an escapee - it was very tame and outside the main season of vagrancy, though there have been other recent mid-summer reports) * Ruff off Oak Grove Rd., Caroline County, MD, 24 Jul 2000 * South Polar Skua 4 Jun 2000 in Maryland waters on a Focus on Nature Tours pelagic trip out of Lewes, DE * Atlantic Puffin 4 Jun 2000 in Maryland waters on a Focus on Nature Tours pelagic trip out of Lewes, DE (two other puffins were seen in Delaware!) - First June record for MD * Scissor-tailed Flycatchers galore - see above PERSONAL HIGHLIGHTS As usual, my summer was spent only partly in the Region. I began with a couple of gangbuster pelagic trips out of Lewes, DE, run by Focus on Nature Tours (FONT). The first motored out to Maryland waters en route to Baltimore Canyon only to find a few trawlers working along the 30 fathom line and hundreds of birds around them. Flocks of shearwaters (Greater and Sooty) were sitting on the water all around and several other species were also in the vicinity. Pretty soon a lone 1st-summer Atlantic Puffin was spotted, the latest ever for the state and part of a growing number of late May/June records. As soon as the excitement died down, a South Polar Skua appeared. We stayed with the skua for a half an hour discussing its identification while we took rolls of photos and enjoyed its bullying of the shearwaters. Later we crossed into Delaware waters where we found TWO MORE puffins as well as an adult Bridled Tern! I don't think very many birders have seen Atlantic Puffin and Bridled Tern on the same day in the United States! The following pelagic trip had fewer rarities but was equally exciting. The trawlers were still active in the same area and had attendant flocks of hundreds of shearwaters. Numerous jaegers of both species were seen in the area, and a surprising Chimney Swift flew by. A quick flyby Manx Shearwater was seen by most participants. During the rest of June I enjoyed following pelicans around the Bay and exploring some interesting areas by boat, including Bodkin Island, Poplar Island, and Big Bay Marsh Island in coastal Worcester County. I visited Garrett County in mid-June where the breeding warblers were fantastic and where we found some other unusual species, including Yellow-throated Warblers in northwestern Garrett County. On 1 July Jim Stasz, Matt Hafner, George Armistead and I attempted a July Big Day. Our benchmark was the 174 set last year by Iliff, Todd Day, and Greg Miller. We began with an impressive morning of owling and were in position on Roth Rock Rd. where Mourning Warblers and Winter Wrens were singing at dawn. Our route dashed through Garrett as fast as possible and garnered most breeding warblers in the process along with Upland Sandpiper, Black-billed Cuckoo, Red-breasted Nuthatch, and some other nice ones. Golden-winged Warbler, Pine Siskin, and a couple other targets were uncooperative. We sped on to the Frederick valley, where, ahead of schedule, we decided we had time for a run down to Lilypons where we might clean up a few of our misses. This was our best decision and best run of birds for the day. Though the noon sun was hot, in short order we cleaned up all possible additional species including Yellow Warbler, Orchard Oriole, Vesper Sparrow, Warbling Vireo, Dickcissel, Loggerhead Shrike, Red-shouldered Hawk, and Bank Swallow. Few species even waited for us to get out of the car before appearing and the excitement level was running at an all-time high. It is a wonder that none of us had a heart attack or stroke when the Least Bittern which we decided to spent two minutes looking for flew OVERHEAD as we were leaving! Our route was slowed as we hit beach traffic but a creative detour through Annapolis and another down the Eastern Shore saved us from a major disaster. Trying a risky new route, we hit Deal Island first where we cleaned up all the regulars along with Green-winged Teal and a male REDHEAD (!), found by Jim. Across the Pocomoke everything fell nicely in line and we realized our day was going to be spectacular, as we were already almost at the record and we had not yet done the coast. I was convinced that 190 (a good May total) was within reach. We missed Yellow-throated Vireo but got Wild Turkey and some other iffy species. Our spirits remained elated up until our arrival at the Eagle's Nest mudflats. Until that point, I had kept quiet about my secret worry that the tide would be high - I had forgotten to check. The tide turned out to be higher than I'd ever seen. In a valiant effort to save the day, George picked out a female Black Scoter at Eagle's Nest, but shorebirds were nowhere to be found. We closed the day at dusk trying in vain for shorebirds, but ended the day missing Least Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Black-bellied Plover, both yellowlegs, and several other species that we knew were in the area. Oh well. In the post-dusk hours we dug up Barn Owl and a few others, ending with 179, a new national record for July. I left five hours after the days' conclusion, on a flight to Belize City. My recent position tour leading with Victor Emanuel Nature Tours (VENT) allowed for a trip to Chan Chich Lodge, in western Belize, where I needed to learn the birds and the area prior to leading a trip down there in late December. The lodge is set among almost untouched rainforest and the birding exceeded anything I have previously experienced (this is as far south as I've been in the American tropics). I saw about 160 species of which more than half were new. Among many highlights were Ornate Hawk-Eagle, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Rose-throated and Golden-masked Tanagers, Great Tinamou, Tody Motmot, and White-whiskered Puffbird. I did not see a jaguar, although the entire visit was permeated by the excitement of that prospect. Anyone interested in a copy of my trip report and list need only ask. ****************************************************************************** ************** see Parts II and III to follow... ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================