DORCHESTER COUNTY, MARYLAND, 78th MAY BIRD COUNT, MAY 13, 2006.

156 species.  Individuals grand total and hours/miles not totalled yet.

Except for a big lacuna in north Dorchester, the coverage was excellent
otherwise.

My posting for the previous count, number 77, incorrectly had the date as
May 14 instead of May 6.  Most of my commentary for the May 6 count summary
(q.v.) applies for today's also.  I'll try not to repeat it, except to
again thank Glenn Carowan for access to off-limits Blackwater N.W.R. areas
and the Birchmeiers for letting us scan from their dock out to Tar Bay.

ABBREVIATION:  EIR = Elliott Island Road.

MISSED SPECIES, there are always a batch (none of the following are
surprising):  Pectoral Sandpiper, Bonaparte's Gull, Caspian Tern, Common
Nighthawk, rough-winged swallow, Gadwall, Blue-winged Teal, Ruddy Duck,
kestrel, Merlin, Wilson's Snipe, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Savannah &
White-throated sparrows, Rose-breasted Grosbeak & Baltimore Oriole.  

Many warblers were missed as always when there is not a flight day, which
there wasn't today.  Anytime you see Tennessee, Nashville, Wilson's, Cape
May or Bay-breasted warblers in this county in spring is almost a red
letter day ... and we didn't this May.  Vesper Sparrow, Louisiana
Waterthrush & Cliff Swallow nest sparingly in the north of the county,
where there was no coverage, so were missed.

OF INTEREST (The number of the party/parties involved*** [see below] may
appear in parentheses):

Pied-billed Grebe 1 (2), EIR, calling at Gadwall Bend.  Scarce in the
county, esp. during the warmer months.

Brown Pelican 5 (2).  Remains hard to see from most mainland areas of the
county, except in the extreme south, say, from Crocheron.

HERONS/IBIS:  10 species is good, incl. 1 Glossy Ibis, 3 Least Bitterns (2
by the Wechslers, 1 by Armistead/Baughman), 3 Little Blue Herons, 6
Tricolored Herons & 1 Cattle Egret.  None of these 5 species can be counted
on to be seen in every May count even though, except for the bittern, they
have bred in good numbers in the county on Holland Island.

WATERFOWL.  8 species is lackluster but 1 each of lingering Bufflehead &
Common Merganser and 6 Red-breasted Mergansers are of note (2).

Bald Eagle 58.

Cooper's Hawk 1 (1), Taylor's Island.

Peregrine Falcon 3 (2 & 6), widely separated individuals, a new May high
count.  They may breed on the Cambridge bridge and there are hacking towers
not too far away on Clay (S of EIR), South Marsh, Spring (in Dorchester),
Smith, Watts, and Deal islands.

RAILS.  Black Rail 2, 1 each by 2 parties.  To my knowledge they have been
heard at 4 sites this spring, an improvement over 2005, but still WAY below
their historic presence.  They apparently persist, but that's about all. 
Clapper Rail 52 (2 & 3).  A new May count high by a large margin thanks to
Diane's 35 in extreme south Dorchester.  Virginia Rail 52 (1, 2 & 3).  I
Sora.  1 King Rail.  Common Moorhen 9 - along with Clapper the good news
rallid.

SHOREBIRDS, 18 species which is good.  Most notable was a female Red-necked
Phalarope well seen, studied, and described by the Weesners at Blackwater,
the 3rd May count record.  6 Black-necked Stilts, 3 at both EIR and
Blackwater, incl. one on a nest with 4 eggs.  None of the counts of the
other 16 species is especially remarkable.  Only 1 Short-billed Dowitcher
(4).  At this time of year 1000s are sometimes seen along Delaware Bay, a
much better shorebird locality than the Eastern Shore.

Laughing Gull, 1,725.  In spite of the huge numbers present each spring,
there are more often than not lately no breeding LAGUs anywhere in
Maryland.  

Black-billed Cuckoo, 2 (3), a rare spring migrant here.  

OWLS.  Not a good night.  Barn 1 (8).  screech 3.  Great Horned 7.  Barred
2 (2 & 3).

NIGHTJARS.  Chuck-will's-widow, 82 (party totals of 35, 32 & 15) vs. only 2
Whip-poor-wills.  93 chucks were heard on May 6.  Nighthawks seem to have
disappeared locally as breeders.

Acadian Flycatcher, 3 (2 & 4), underscores their scarcity in southern
Dorchester.

Great Crested Flycatcher, 116 (party totals of 40, 29, 21 & 26).  A common
bird, vocal, too.

Horned Lark 2 (2).  Much commoner than this makes them seem, but subtle and
easy to miss in the big fields.  Much commoner north of Route 50, where
there was no coverage today. 

Bank Swallow, 6.  A rather scarce bird in south Dorchester in May.

White-breasted Nuthatch 1 (2).  Ditto.

Brown Thrasher, 4.  3 parties.  Curiously scarce in recent years.  My party
has missed them a couple of times.

Eastern Bluebird 25.  Party totals of only 14, 6 & 5.

Wood Thrush 14.  Party totals of only 3, 2, 8 & 1.

WARBLERS.  Non-breeders included only 3 parulas, 3 Magnolias, a
Black-throated Blue, 3 Yellow-rumps & 1 Blackpoll.  Bleak.  55 Pine
Warblers and 84 yellowthroats.

Swamp Sparrow 7 (2 & 1).  Probably breeders.  EIR and Taylor's Island.  

Indigo Bunting 69.  Good total for here.  Vs. only 17 Blue Grosbeaks.  

Bobolink 2 (3).  Often missed here.

Common Grackle 1,029.  Red-winged Blackbird 872.  Commonest birds after
Laughing Gull.

*** COVERAGE:  Midnight to 11 P.M.  14 observers in 9 parties as follows:

1.  Brendan Klick, Taylor's Island, 4 A.M. - 9:45 P.M., 49 miles by car, 2
miles on foot.  99 species.

2.  Harry Armistead & Mel Baughman, EIR, Blackwater N.W.R., Hooper's Island
and in between, midnight - 9 P.M., 192 miles by car, 2 by foot.  135
species.

3.  Diane Cole, 11 A.M. - 11 P.M., Extreme southern part of county, 83
miles by car, 1 on foot.   

4.  Shirley Bailey & Claudia (last name unknown), east-central county
including Vienna and areas west of there, 7:40 A.M. - 5:40 P.M., 45 miles
by car.

INCIDENTAL COVERAGE, some of it duplicating that indicated above, but with
some higher counts and new species.  These incidental parties were in the
county for reasons other than the May count but their efforts nevertheless
contributed to it.  Some of them I became aware of through sheer accident
and serendipity.

5.  Terry Allen, Levin Willey et al.  Blackwater N.W.R.  An official refuge
bird walk.  8 A.M. - noon.

6.  Doug & Debbie Wechsler.  EIR, Blackwater N.W.R. & in between.  Present
most of the daylight period with a focus on photography and canoeing.

7.  Dave & Darlene Weesner.  Blackwater N.W.R., 4 - 5:30 P.M.

8.  Dan Ombalski.  EIR after midnight for several hours.

9.  Diane & Levin Willey.  Blackwater N.W.R. at dusk.

My grateful thanks to all the participants.

Best to all.-Henry ("Harry") T. Armistead, 523 E. Durham St., Philadelphia,
PA 19119-1225.  215-248-4120.  Please, any off-list replies to: 
harryarmistead at hotmail dot com  (never, please, to 74077.3176 ....)