Date: Sun, 6 Jan 2002 21:50:22 EST Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Mark Hoffman Subject: OC CBC Results MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable FYI, OC CBC results, from Jay Sheppard. Mark Hoffman Sykesville, MD Mhoff36100@aol.com 2001 OCEAN CITY, MARYLAND, CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT Fifty-fourth consecutive Christmas Bird Count including Ocean City Inlet, th= e=20 north end of Assateague Island, and several miles of the Pocomoke River and=20 surrounding bottomlands. Ocean City, MD. 38=BA 19'N, 75=BA 13'W, center 0.8 mi ESE center of Berlin.= =20 Dec. 28, 2001; 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM; temp. 23-44=B0F. Wind SW 0-20 mph. =20 Freshwater ponds, salt marshes and small coves mostly frozen; large bays,=20 ocean and running water open; no snow on ground. AM clear, PM mostly cloudy= .=20 Observers: 44 in field in 30 parties. Total party-hours (non-owling) 240;= =20 party-miles (non-owling) 644; 182 hours and 102 miles on foot, 55 hours and=20 530 miles by car, and 3 hours and 12 miles by boat; 10.7 hours and 59 miles=20 owling. Red-throated Loon (seen on 54 of 54 counts, and seen on 25 of the last 25=20 counts) 103, Common Loon (53, 24) 111, loon sp. (4, 2) 15, Pied-billed Grebe= =20 (53, 25) 30, Horned Grebe (54, 25) 41, Northern Gannet (38, 20) 197 (new 2nd= =20 highest count), Double-cr. Cormorant (47, 23) 106 (new highest count, old=20 rec.=3D44), Great Cormorant (23, 20) 1, Great Blue Heron (54, 25) 174 (new=20 highest count, old rec.=3D172), Great Egret (20, 10) 4, Tricolored Heron (20= ,=20 13) 10 (tied for 2nd highest count), Black-crowned Night-Heron (45, 22) 33=20 (new 2nd highest count), Black Vulture (50, 25) 151, Turkey Vulture (54, 25)= =20 879, Snow Goose-white phase (50, 25) 51,200, Snow Goose-Blue phase (36, 25)=20 500 (new highest count, old rec.=3D344), Canada Goose (54, 25) 8550,=20 Richardson's Canada Goose (2, 2) 2 (South party), Brant (54, 25) 1422, Tundr= a=20 Swan (39, 25) 446, Wood Duck (41, 19) 7, Gadwall (39, 22) 98 (new 2nd highes= t=20 count), Eurasian Wigeon (7, 7) 1 (Assateague party), American Wigeon (53, 25= )=20 200, Am. Black Duck (54, 25) 1134, Am. Black Duck OR Mallard (2, 2) 11,=20 Mallard (54, 25) 3167, Blue-winged Teal (11, 5) 2 (North party), Northern=20 Shoveler (44, 22) 163 (new 2nd highest count), Northern Pintail (49, 21) 48,= =20 Green-winged Teal (54, 25) 154, Canvasback (54, 25) 150, Ring-necked Duck=20 (49, 25) 87, Greater Scaup (37, 19) 33, Lesser Scaup (36, 25) 274 (new 2nd=20 highest count), scaup sp. (25, 6) 1, eider sp. (1, 1) CW, Harlequin Duck (20= ,=20 14) 1, Surf Scoter (54, 25) 571, White-winged Scoter (54, 25) 3, Black Scote= r=20 (53, 24) 164, dark scoter sp. (10, 9) 802, Long-tailed Duck (54, 25) 143,=20 Bufflehead (54, 25) 4946 (new high count, old rec.=3D4187), Common Goldeneye= =20 (53, 24) 16, Hooded Merganser (43, 22) 153, Common Merganser (25, 10) 1,=20 Red-breasted Merganser (54, 25) 391, Ruddy Duck (52, 24) 151, Bald Eagle (49, 24) 77 (new high count [3rd consecutive year], old rec.=3D45= ;=20 27 ad., 50 imm.), Northern Harrier (54, 25) 31, Sharp-shinned Hawk (53, 25)=20 26, Cooper's Hawk (46, 23) 11 (new high count, old rec.=3D10), Accipiter sp.= =20 (2, 2) 1, Red-shouldered Hawk (53, 24) 13, Red-tailed Hawk (54, 25) 42,=20 American Kestrel (54, 25) 21, Merlin (31, 15) 3, Peregrine Falcon (30, 19) 2= ,=20 Wild Turkey (5, 5) 33 (new high count, old rec.=3D27), Northern Bobwhite (54= ,=20 25) 12 (low; lowest count is 11), Clapper Rail (48, 24) 9, Virginia Rail (33= ,=20 20) 3, American Coot (52, 25) 7, Black-bellied Plover (54, 25) 231, Killdeer= =20 (54, 25) 202, American Oystercatcher (24, 24) 80 (new 2nd highest count),=20 Greater Yellowlegs (43, 22) 34 (new highest count, old rec.=3D29), SPOTTED=20 SANDPIPER (1, 1) 1 (new species to list; North party-SR, SH, refound the nex= t=20 day by separate observers [JSh, CS] on same Isle of Wight beach), Ruddy=20 Turnstone (44, 25) 87, Sanderling (54, 25) 582, Western Sandpiper (36, 21) 8= ,=20 Least Sandpiper (31, 11) 1, Purple Sandpiper (53, 25) 62, Dunlin (54, 25)=20 2274 (new 2nd highest count), Long-billed Dowitcher (4, 4) 12, dowitcher sp.= =20 (7, 5) 20, Common Snipe (51, 25) 5, American Woodcock (51, 25) 12, POMARINE=20 JAEGER (1, 1) 1 (new species for list, Assateague party [DC] seen from=20 beach), jaeger sp. (3, 3) 2 (seen at some distance from North Jetty of Inlet= =20 by O.C. party-DG; too far to safely ID), Laughing Gull (21, 6) 44 (new=20 highest count, old rec.=3D17), Little Gull (14, 9) 1, Bonaparte's Gull (54,=20= 25)=20 1807 (high number), Ring-billed Gull (54, 25) 10,500, Herring Gull (54, 25)=20 7500, Lesser Black-backed Gull (14, 13) 4 (new highest count, old rec.=3D2),= =20 Glaucous Gull (5, 3) CW (only seen & photographed in Mystic Harbor=20 subdivision day before count by NS), Great Black-backed Gull (54, 25) 888=20 (new highest count, old rec.=3D820), Forster's Tern (44, 24) 1100 (new highe= st=20 count, old rec.=3D345), Rock Dove (28, 25) 617, Mourning Dove (54, 25) 1440,= =20 Eastern Screech-Owl (52, 25) 31, Great Horned Owl (54, 25) 21, Long-eared Ow= l=20 (12, 12) 1, Short-eared Owl (30, 16) 1, Northern Saw-whet Owl (17, 15) 1,=20 Belted Kingfisher (54, 25) 35, Red-bellied Woodpecker (54, 25) 62,=20 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (53, 25) 16, Downy Woodpecker (54, 25) 93, Hairy=20 Woodpecker (54, 25) 32, Northern Flicker (54, 25) 169, Pileated Woodpecker=20 (54, 25) 16, Eastern Phoebe (47, 24) 12, Blue Jay (53, 25) 119, American Crow (54, 25) 65= 3=20 (new 2nd highest count), Fish Crow (36, 19) 4100 (new highest count, old=20 rec.=3D1508), crow sp. (4, 4) 230, Horned Lark (54, 25) 59, Tree Swallow (22= ,=20 8) CW, Carolina Chickadee (54, 25) 263, Tufted Titmouse (54, 25) 113,=20 Red-breasted Nuthatch (40, 21) 31, White-breasted Nuthatch (53, 24) 3,=20 Brown-headed Nuthatch (50, 24) 28, Brown Creeper (54, 25) 24, Carolina Wren=20 (54, 25) 267, House Wren (49, 24) 5, Winter Wren (54, 25) 44, Sedge Wren (40= ,=20 17) 4, Marsh Wren (45, 23) 1, Golden-crown Kinglet (54, 25) 108, Ruby-crowne= d=20 Kinglet (53, 24) 9, Eastern Bluebird (54, 25) 152, Hermit Thrush (54, 25) 53= ,=20 American Robin (54, 25) 3000, Gray Catbird (54, 25) 17, Northern Mockingbird= =20 (54, 25) 142, Brown Thrasher (53, 25) 18, European Starling (54, 25) 7800,=20 American Pipit (47, 22) 29, Cedar Waxwing (52, 25) 29, Orange-crowned Warble= r=20 (26, 14) 1, Yel.-rump (Myrtle) Warbler (54, 25) 3121, Pine Warbler (46, 25)=20= 1=20 (very low), Western Palm Warbler (41, 24) 6, Yellow Palm race (26, 13) 2,=20 UNIDENT. "BAYPOLL" WARBLER (1, 1) 1 (new 'species' for list; seen by Center=20 party [LD] feeding on ground; not able to separate between Blackpoll and=20 Bay-breasted Warbler), Com. Yellowthroat (44, 24) 4, Eastern Towhee (54, 25)= =20 45, Chipping Sparrow (46, 21) 62, Field Sparrow (54, 25) 83 (low), Savannah=20 Sparrow (54, 25) 230, Ipswich race (49, 24) 12, sharp-tail sparrow sp. (50,=20 22) 1, Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow (2, 2) 1, Saltmarsh Sharp-tail Sparrow=20 (5, 5) 1, Fox Sparrow (53, 24) 38, Song Sparrow (54, 25) 923, Swamp Sparrow=20 (54, 25) 339, White-throated Spar (54, 25) 1661, White-crowned Spar (38, 21)= =20 34, Dark-eyed Junco (54, 25) 600, Snow Bunting (37, 19) 1, Northern Cardinal= =20 (54, 25) 361, Red-winged Blackbird (54, 25) 16,000, Eastern Meadowlark (54,=20 25) 241, Rusty Blackbird (49, 21) 2, Common Grackle (54, 25) 7000, Boat-tail= =20 Grackle (49, 25) 300, Brown-headed Cowbird (54, 25) 155, Purple Finch (44,=20 19) 1, House Finch (37, 25) 390, American Goldfinch (54, 25) 661, and House=20 Sparrow (54, 25) 1163. TOTALS: 150 species (14 of 54 counts [=3D25.9%] have had 150 or more specie= s;=20 average for past 30 counts is 146 species), 3 forms; 3 additional species=20 seen during count week; 155,885 individuals. PARTICIPANTS: Compiler-Jay Sheppard, 3359 Cranberry South, Laurel, MD=20 20724-2419; EM: jmsheppar@aol.com; Brad Andres, Linda Baker, Tom Bancroft,=20 Marty Barron, Joy Bowen, Michael Bowen, Paul Bystrak, John Churchill, David=20 Czaplak, Lynn Davidson*, Allen Deward*, Susanna Engvall, Fred* & Jane Fallon= ,=20 Doug Gill, Sue Hamilton, Mark Hoffman, Ed Horner, Simone Jenion, Heather=20 Johnson, Susan Lawrence, Ryan Lesh, Woody Martin*, Taylor McLean, David=20 Mozurkewich*, Dotty Mumford*, Michael O'Brien*, Paul O'Brien, Daryl Olson,=20 Dave Powell, Sue Ricciardi, Bob Ringler, Chandler Robbins*, Jack Saba, Fran=20 Saunders, Norm Saunders, Mark Scallion, Mark Schilling, Jay Sheppard*, Craig= =20 Sholley, MaryAnne Todd, Jim Wick, Hal Wierenga*, and Louise Zemaitis (*area=20 leaders). Commentary: This count was preceded by a warm, but very dry, fall. =20 Virtually all the ponds I saw were clearly 2-3 feet below normal water=20 levels. In talking with local residents of Ocean City, the first major=20 freezes of the season were the morning before and morning of the count. =20 Fourteen species set new record high counts (that may be a high in itsel= f=20 for the past 25 years, but cannot be determined), and 10 set or tied new=20 second highest counts. None of the 64 species that has been seen on all 54=20 counts set a new low count row were missed. It was again encouraging to see= =20 a new record high set for Bald Eagle for the third straight year. Three=20 species were added to the cumulative species list: Spotted Sandpiper,=20 Pomarine Jaeger, and "Baypoll Warbler." The cumulative list now stands at=20 241 species, with 25 forms, hybrids, unidentified groups (e.g., crows,=20 scoters). This makes seven out of the past eight years that this count has=20 equaled or surpassed 150 species. The all-time high remains 161 species in=20 the 1975 and 1976 counts. Species not seen on this year's count or during the count week this year= =20 but which have been seen on 11 or more of the previous 25 counts include=20 Red-necked Grebe, American Bittern, Redhead, King Eider, Common Eider, Red=20 Knot, Barn Owl, Barred Owl, American Tree Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow, Seaside=20 Sparrow, Lapland Longspur, and Evening Grosbeak. There were no=20 extraordinarily large roosts of blackbirds and robins reported this year. =20 Last year's low count of Hairy Woodpeckers resulted in the highest ratio of=20 Downys to Hairys of 11:1 compared to the previous high of 5.9:1; the ratio=20 this year was a normal 3:1. The warmer waters of the bay and ocean kept a=20 lot more bait fish present around the Inlet and adjacent waters; this, in=20 turn, attracted the large numbers of Forster's Terns and Bonaparte's Gulls,=20 as well as large numbers of fishermen in boats. The latter allowed very few= =20 ducks and loons to be present around the jetties and in the inlet itself;=20 this is the first year in my memory (30 counts) of this many fishing boats=20 maneuvering within the inlet during most of the daylight hours. I thought=20 the berry and seed crops were about average for the most part. The pines=20 immediately to the west of Sinepuxent Bay seemed to have an abundance of=20 cones this year. Finally, I would like to thank all of the many landowners and managers=20 who allowed us access to their lands and waters during the course of the day= .=20 Since there are almost no public lands within the circle away from=20 Assateague Island, we are at the mercy of landowners for access to count the= =20 birds in the wide variety of habitats found within the circle.-J.M.S. =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D =========================================================================