[MDOsprey] Summer Sightings needed for North American Birds!
Miliff@aol.com
Fri, 13 Aug 1999 21:24:10 EDT
August 9, 1999
901 Crystal Spring Farm
Rd.
Annapolis, MD 21403
miliff@aol.com
Dear Friends, Area Birders, and Field Notes Contributors,
First, I would like to apologize for the inevitable cross-postings
which will occur. This mailing has been sent to Valley Birds, The Richmond
Area Listserv, and MDOsprey, as well as personal email accounts. I cannot
constantly monitor the changing subscription lists on all three of these
excellent listservs, and want to ensure that I reach all active birders in
the Region. Second, I want to make sure you aware that we have changed names
YET AGAIN! What was once Bird Lore became Audubon Field Notes then American
Birds then Audubon Field Notes again then A.B.A. Field Notes and finally
A.B.A.'s North American Birds. 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! Plus, there is some information on the bird movements of
the season and my own personal highlights. 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 address)
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The Summer reporting season (June 1-July 31) for A.B.A.'s North American
Birds (formerly A.B.A. Field Notes) has just drawn to a close, so I urge
anyone who has not yet reported their Spring 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 September 1! As always,
the data are easiest to process if they come in continuously through the
season. Late reports are always welcomed as well.
This is the seventh mailing that I have sent out almost entirely by
email. 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 August 1-November 30 (it is the longest season,
being 4 months long). 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.
Be sure to check out the M.O.S. website (www.mdbirds.org) if you carry an
interest in birding in Maryland and the D.C. area.. In addition to a wealth
of information about the Maryland Ornithological Society (M.O.S.) And its
chapters, the website also carries information on the birding sites in
Maryland, the Maryland/D.C. Records Committee, and even photos of recent
Maryland rarities (including Kelp Gull, the possible Slaty-backed Gull,
Arctic Tern, White-faced Ibis, and Fork-tailed Flycatcher). Recently it has
been linked to a new shorebird page that details the local conditions and
recent reports from shorebirding locations in Maryland. Thanks to Fran
Saunders for doing such a great job maintaining this site!
SPRING 1999
This summer has been incredibly dry and July was one of the hottest on
record for the D.C. area. This had to have effected our birds drastically,
and any observations as to how birds in your area were effected would be most
welcome. Of interest this summer were two significant expansions of
Black-necked Stilt breeding range in the Region. Apparently several pairs
bred at both Elliot Island, Dorchester County, MD, and the Chincoteague
Causeway, Accomack Co., VA. Reports from Truitt's Landing Rd. (where the
White-faced Ibis was in the spring) are of interest since Sedge Wrens
lingered there until at least May 30 and surely meant to breed. Did anyone
see them there? A suspicious Sedge Wren was at Deal Island in July, and
while breeding has occurred a number of times on Maryland's Lower Eastern
Shore, it is always of interest. Another amazing breeding season story
concerns Brown Pelicans. Harry Armistead et al. surveyed the Spring Island,
Dorchester County, colony that began last year. This year there were 140
nests (vs. 15 last year). And of course, pelicans have been becoming more
and more common as wanderers in the Bay: let us know if you saw any! In what
seemed a poor year for Dickcissels several pairs bred at Custis Tomb for a
first breeding record on VA's Eastern Shore, but even more shocking were the
Bobolinks that bred in the same field! Breeding Bobolinks are unknown away
from Piedmont or Mountains in the Region. Finally, the continued presence of
Maryland's Kelp Gull is curious, if not troubling. For those hoping to make
a case for the bird's natural vagrancy from South America (or South Africa or
Australia) the non-migratory nature of this bird may be disturbing. Finally,
it is increasingly evident that there is significant IMPORTATION of Kelp
Gulls into the U.S.A.. Some people in LA are trying to track down some solid
evidence on this, and the rest of us should investigate the same question.
Could this bird be an escapee (or the progeny of an escapee)?
Rarities are of particular interest for the Field Notes column, and I
welcome any documentation that can be
provided (perhaps a copy of what you sent to the Maryland or Virginia Records
Committees?). Photos are of special interest, and a high percentage of
quality photos are likely to make it into print. The Middle Atlantic Coast
column is usually lacking in good photographic material (few of my own photos
are worth publishing!) so any pictures you can send would be FANTASTIC. No
(new) extremely rare birds were reported from the Summer Season, but a number
of notable birds were seen. Documentation would be desirable for these:
Kelp Gull continuing at Sandgates through at least August 1
Ruff in Queen Anne's County, July 18-21
Ruff at Easton Waste Water Treatment Plant, July 17 (and Tanyard July 19)
An early Long-billed Dowitcher at Easton W.W.T.P. July 24 and later
Glaucous Gull at Chesapeake Beach during July
Many of you may have already sent your documentation on to us, and if so,
many sincere thanks! If not, whatever you can provide (even if only the date
you saw the bird(s) - the range of dates here may not be complete or
accurate). There may be rarities I've omitted or not yet heard about, so
please send info on those as well!
Please note in particular that although widely observed and photographed,
the Kelp Gull has almost NO documentation in to the Maryland Records
Committee. It would be great to have some of those excellent photos on file.
Contact Phil Davis (2549 Vale Court, Davidsonville, MD 21035, 301-261-0184,
pdavis@oao.com) if you have notes or photos on this bird, or any others, that
you are willing to share.
PERSONAL HIGHLIGHTS (long!)
I began the season with a great couple of pelagic trips with Brian
Patteson June 5-6, on which I saw my first White-tailed Tropicbird (an
adult!), my first South Polar Skuas (three!), and my first Herald Petrels
(three, light and intermediate morphs) as well as a general abundance of
seabirds and beautiful sea conditions.
Returning home I rushed to pack for a trip to Australia. I left late on
June 8 and arrived in Sydney in the early morning of June 10. My sister wh
had been studying at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, meant to
meet me at the airport but couldn't quite handle the 6 a.m. arrival. After
some nervousness and confusion I tracked her down though (the phones there
are completely different) and she showed me around the city, where Welcome
Swallows, Silver Gulls, Australian Magpies, Rainbow Lorikeets and Pied
Currawongs were common. It was a couple days before I could get my fill of
Australian birds, and unfortunately was the result of a weathered out pelagic
trip. Still I was able to meet up with two Australian birders and be shown
around properly. At Royal National Park I was overwhelmed with new birds:
Sulphur-crested Cockatoos, Brown Gerygones, Satin Bowerbirds, Australian
Grebes, Dusky Moorhens, Brown Falcon, and a wealth of other birds were all
new. A little seawatching produced Crested Terns, Yellow-nosed and
Black-browed Albatrosses, and distant Fluttering Shearwaters. At the shore
we found two-banded Plover and Australian White Pelican. And, the highlight
of the day, was a totally unexpected displaying male Lyrebird. I was amazed
by the size of that bird - close to a turkey! Several days later my sister
and I hopped a plane to New Zealand. We flew into Aukland, then after three
days on to Christchurch, rented cars on both islands, and just wandered
aimlessly around. Though it was rainy for the entire visit, the land is as
beautiful as you've heard. Unfortunate though that most of the native forest
(which abounds with tree ferns and looks really Jurassic) has been mostly
converted to the sheep pastures that are so scenic. The fragments of forest
left are far more spectacular than the postcard shots of the sheep on the
misty hillsides. Though we rarely ever saw the sun, I thought that the foggy
carpets to the valleys and misty veneers only added to the experience. And I
might mention that we saw mutliple rainbows every day. The birding highlight
in New Zealand was certainly the pelagic trips that run out of Kaikura on the
South Island. Internationally known as one of the better whale watching
locations, the shelf edge is only a km or so off the coast and thus it is a
short boat ride to prime whaling and birding grounds. We saw 5 Sperm Wahles,
a pod of Dusky Dolphins, 4 species of albatross (Wandering, Buller's, Shy,
Black-browed), Cape Petrels, both Giant-Petrels, Common Diving-Petrel,
Hutton's Shearwater, and Westland Petrel. I couldn't take it and had to
return the next day (amounting to another 400 km round trip). This time I
went out on the birding boat, which is very small and will take you out on
your own for $90.00 NZ, about $45.00 US. It is only for two hours but is
unquestionably the best seabirding I've ever experienced. Once out in the
deep watr a chum block was tossed overboard and instantly birds that we
hadn't really noticed before started wheeling in from downwind. Before long
there were a minimum of 200 Cape Petrels and 40 albatrosses (5 species,
including Southern Royal this time) feeding right off the stern. I easily
could have caught any of them by hand.
Our trip Down Under continued in Melbourne where we met up with our
parents and drove the Great Ocean Road. Had our first kangaroos (Gray) and
my sister spotted the only koala from the car as we were driving. Then after
a quick stint in Sydney we spent some time up in the Daintree Rainforest near
Cairns where we also did a Great Barrier Reef dive. It was my first SCUBA
experience and surely spoiled me - among myriad tropical fish and towers of
coral, we also encountered a Green Sea Turtle, a sleeping Silvertip Shark
that the instructor woke up and chased out towards us (!), and some species
of cuttlefish that changed colors from the mottled browns or coral to the
brilliant white sand bottom as quickly as we change channels on the boob
tube. When startled though, the cuttlefish lit up the edges like running
lights with a phosphorescent blue. The Daintree Rainforest was equally
splendid (though we dipped on Cassowary) with Brush-Turkeys, Orange-footed
Scrubfowl (both Megapodes), Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher, and Azure
Kingfisher being highlights, along with Flying Foxes and Crocs. Chris
Dahlburg's birding river cruise is not to be missed and is one of the better
birding tours I've taken. We then hopped another plane up to Darwin and a
visit to Kakadu NP (where Crocodile Dundee was filmed). In the dry season
when we were there waterbirds of all stripe are concentrated along the river
and in waterholes there, and the birding is spectacular, certainly the best I
experienced in Australia and some of the largest heron concentrations I've
seen. Additionally the park is routinely burned and each bushfire had a
entourage of hunting raptors including Whistling and Black kites and Brown
Falcons. The bird highlight may have been a single Black Bittern, a bird I
had very much hoped to see back at the Daintree. We closed our visit at
Ayer's Rock where the birds are few but the sunsets are unrivaled. Needless
to say it was a fantastic trip and marked Australia and New Zealand as places
to return as soon as I figure out a way to start making a little money! I
can only envy the 5 months my sister had there.
I write to you now from Mobil Green Canyon 18, an oil platform
about 100 miles of the Lousiana Coast near the slope edge. For the past
three migration seasons Louisiana State University has stationed five
observers on these rigs to try to monitor the trans-Gulf migration. This
year more funding came in, the team was expanded to ten, and here I am! Not
surprisingly, I've seen little since my arrival August 4. Only the very
beginnings of migration are evident, with single Prothonotary, Prairie, and
Yellow warblers, and one Yellow-bellied Flycatcher. Seabirds have been
likewise scarce, but aside from Black Terns (about 25) and Laughing Gulls
(about 8), the next most common species has been Masked Booby! I've seen
three so far. As with all Gulf Coast birders, I am finding myself conflicted
as I hope for poor weather to tire the poor birds out so they'll settle on my
platform. Of course this is the worst for the birds. Maybe I'll just have
to content myself with watching Masked Boobies - not so bad actually!
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NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS: WHAT IT IS
To those not familiar with North American Birds, below is a quick summary
of the magazine and what it includes. North American Birds is published
quarterly (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter) and is meant to summarize the
significant observations of field birders throughout the United States and
Canada. The two countries (as well as the West Indies) are divided into 26
Regions, each of which has one-several Regional Editors. The Regional
Editors collect information from birders in their Region and, at the end of
each reporting season, compile the sightings into a Season Report. The
deadline is 1 ½ months after the end of the season, so reports are asked for
two weeks from the end of the season, but email reports can be received up to
a month after the end of the season. The reporting seasons are:
Spring: March 1-May 31
Summer: June 1 - July 31
Fall: August 1-November 30
Winter: December 1-February 28(29)
The Season Reports always include information on rarities, early and late
migration dates, high counts etc... but also usually include significant
other news relating to birds in the Region. For anyone interested in birds
and birding in the U.S.A. and Canada the magazine is invaluable - no other
publication summarizes birding news from across the country so completely.
Recently, feature articles have returned to Field Notes/North American Birds:
recent articles have featured the first U.S.A. records for Stygian Owl (in
TX) and Chinese Pond-Heron (in AK), and the hurricanes of 1996 and the birds
associated with them. Pictorial Highlights have returned, and in addition to
the black-and-white photos shown throughout the magazine, feature from 15-25
full color photos of (usually) rarities from around the country. Each issue
also features a Changing Season column, which is a summary of all the Season
Reports from different Regions, and attempts to identify some of the more
noticeable trends of the season (i.e. Winter Finches were scarce south of
Canada, Rufous Hummingbirds were found in unusual numbers on the East Coast,
and most fall migrants lingered unusually late). Recently, different expert
authors from around the country have been chosen to write the Changing
Seasons column - depending on what trends need special highlighting and where
the individual's expertise lies. Many state publications (Maryland Birdlife
for example) publish similar summaries for their states and Regions, which
are typically more detailed than the North American Birds season report, but
the advantage of North American Birds is that it assimilates national trends.
If you want to track the spread of Eurasian Collared- Doves across the U.S.,
find out how the Attwater's Prairie-Chickens and Whooping Cranes are faring
in Texas, or what rarities the latest trip to Attu turned up, North American
Birds is for you.
NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS: HISTORY
The magazine has undergone a number of changes in its lifetime, with the
most major change occurring in the summer of 1997. In the early years of its
existence, Audubon Field Notes was a small publication which included only
the Season Reports. Eventually, the magazine was beefed up with color photos
and feature articles (on everything from identification, to conservation, to
out of range records) and assumed the new name, American Birds. In the early
1990's National Audubon fell on hard times, and the magazine was cut back to
a bare minimum with only the Season Reports and Changing Season columns
persisting. In the summer of 1997, it was agreed that Field Notes would be
turned over to the American Birding Association (A.B.A.). Recently revived
sections and a new management promise continued improvement in the quality of
the publication. The first few issues look drastically better than ever.
Recently Field Notes has changed its name to North American Birds but
continues with the same quality articles and photos. If you let your
subscription slide I urge you to sign back on!
A.B.A. FIELD NOTES AND RECENT CHANGES
By now those of you that do subscribe to Field Notes (now North American
Birds) should have received your first several issues that A.B.A. has put out
(from Volume 51 #4 on). The most recent features an article on identifying
Nazca Booby (a possible upcoming split from Masked Booby) and the first
Yellow-throated Bunting from Attu. Some substantial format changes ave been
made, feature articles have returned (see the article by Brinkley et al. on
the Hurricanes of 1996 in 51 #4 and the article on the discovery of two
A.B.A. area firsts in 51 #5) and color photos have returned to the back
section (Pictorial Highlights). Some more changes are in the planning and I
have confidence that the magazine will continue to improve. Recently, guest
editors have been hired to write the Changing Seasons column (summarizing all
the Regional reports) and the "fresh blood" has improved that column and the
magazine as a whole. Delivery of issues, erratic at best under National
Audubon, has showed marked improvement and should be timely from here on out.
Subscription has more than doubled since A.B.A. took over and is still
growing. If anyone would like information on how to subscribe please contact
the American Birding Association at (800/850-2473). Subscription is $20 per
year.
THE LOCAL STAFF
Starting in the fall of 1995, I have been the Middle Atlantic Coast
Regional Editor. During that time I have had enormous assistance from Jim
Stasz of North Beach, MD. His guidance and local knowledge has been
invaluable over the past several years. Most importantly, he has helped by
computerizing the reports so that their value may extend beyond the skeleton
produced in the North American Reports report. ALL sightings of ALL species
reported to us are included (yes, every starling and every House Sparrow).
We now have three years' worth of reports in the working database, which is
available to any interested parties. Recently we were able to provide a
complete summary of all crossbill sightings to Julie Simard of McGill
University, PQ, who is looking in depth at last winter's invasion. Reports
should continue to go to Jim at P.O. Box 71, North Beach, MD 20714
jlstasz@aol.com.
The Middle Atlantic Coast Region includes all of Maryland and Virginia
east of the mountains. Essentially, in Maryland I cover all reports from
Frederick County east, and in Virginia I cover all areas east of the Blue
Ridge Mountains. The majority of reports I receive are from Maryland birders
(calling all Virginians!), and a huge volume of reports also comes from the
Voice of the Naturalist, Virginia Birdline, and Baltimore Birdline (which
each send me ALL their reports), as well as from monitoring such email
discussion groups as Valley Birds, the Richmond Area Listserv, and MDOsprey.
Individual reports are most valuable though, so I urge anyone willing to send
me a separate report for each season, even if you regularly call your
sightings into the Voice or Virginia Birdline. A large number of
sub-regional editors help with the assimilation and computerization of the
data. If you actively bird any of their regions, I ask that you submit
reports directly to them rather than to me. If you are willing to serve as a
sub-regional editor for any of the uncovered counties or Regions of Maryland
(or any part of Virginia), please let me know promptly. It would be a GREAT
help! Currently, the sub-regional editors are:
Patty Craig: Saint Mary's County (P.O. Box 84, Lexington Park, MD 20653)
pattycraig@mail.ameritel.com
Elizabeth Pitney: Wicomico County (7218 Walston Switch Rd., Parsonsburg, MD
21849)
Jo Solem: Howard County (10617 Graeloch Rd., Laurel, MD 20723)
Odenata@email.msn.com
Ethel Engle: Caroline County (20789 Dover Bridge Rd., Preston, MD 21655)
Sam Freiberg: Montgomery County (8733 Susanna Lane, Chevy Chase, MD
20815-4713) sammarcy@erols.com
Al Haury: Anne Arundel County (852 Redwood Trail, Crownsville, MD 21032)
cactuswren@erols.com
Janet Shields: Frederick and Washington Counties (13105 Fountain Head Rd.,
Hagerstown, MD 21742 JANETBILL@prodigy.net)
Sincerely,
Marshall Iliff
Mid-Atlantic Coast Regional Editor
A.B.A. Field Notes
901 Crystal Spring Farm Rd.
Annapolis, MD 21403
miliff@aol.com
(410) 269-1589
Please send reports to:
Jim Stasz
Secretary, A.B.A. Field Notes
P.O. Box 71
North Beach, MD 20714
jlstasz@aol.com