Rigby's Folly, Armistead property on Ferry Neck, Talbot County, MD, West
Ferry Neck Road near Royal Oak but nearer still to Bellevue.
Friday, May 11, 2007. Mostly overcast and hazy, at times sunny, 57-83, SW
at 5. A gem of a spring day.
Most of these found by George Armistead: an influx of migrants and other
birds. Of most interest: a female Scarlet Tanager, a female American
Redstart, a male Black-throated Blue Warbler, a singing Prairie Warbler, a
Veery, 2 Northern Parulas, 2 Red-eyed Vireos, and a Baltimore Oriole.
Also, these year birds for the yard: Orchard Oriole, a male Blue Grosbeak
& 2 Yellow-billed Cuckoos. In addition: 2 Least Terns, 7 Surf Scoters, 1
Snowy & 1 Great egret, 1 Common Loon, 1 Spotted Sandpiper, 2 Chimney Swifts
over the chimneys, and a calling Great Horned Owl after sunset.
Otherwise. There's one egg in the Barn Swallow nest under the dock
catwalk. A Green Tree Frog called a few times from c. 15 feet up in the
Magnolia grandiflora, the first ever found in our yard per se. 73
Diamondback Terrapin (53 at Lucy Point, 20 in the cove mouth). 1 Tiger
Swallowtail & 3 Red Admirals. 2 small Fowler's Toads on the lawn. 7 deer
incl. a leucistic one. 1 Gray Squirrel. Irises are blooming. The blooms
on the Black Locusts seem especially luxuriant this year.
Chores: spent 3 hours trimming overhanging vegetation on the driveway. An
hour mowing the tussock clumps at Lucy Point behind the chairs. Took first
dip in the cove this year afterwards. One Yellow Poplar is blooming, the
other one isn't, the latter hit by lightning while we were present over 20
years ago. While landscaping the driveway almost chopped a foot-long young
Black Rat Snake in twain; it was engorged with a big (considering its size)
prey item; it was chest-high in a bush.
Sunday, May 13. Clear, cold, strong NE wind. A little rain last night,
not enough. Yard bird action: George finds a Northern Parula, a singing
Swainson's Thrush, and a Magnolia Warbler. Starlings are nesting in a
woodpecker cavity in a Black Locust in the yard, carrying food to it, the
young heard. A pair of Blue Jays is also nesting in the yard, seen
frequently, carrying food also. Left a pair of white waterman's boots on
the front porch on April 29. On May 4 there is a nearly complete Carolina
Wren nest in one, the start of another nest in the other boot, right next
to it.
Saturday, May 12. 80th DORCHESTER COUNTY, MD, MAY BIRD COUNT. Midnight -
9:45 P.M. 203 miles by car, 1 by foot.
154 species, the best in several years, perhaps the 9th or 10th best
overall. Migrants widespread but in moderate numbers. Nevertheless, a
very good day, almost like old times.
Henry T. & George L. Armistead, Mel M. Baughman, John G. Hubbell (until
3:45 A.M. only, then he joins Jared W. Sparks to cover Dorchester N. of
Route 50).
3 other parties were afield today. When I receive their lists I will do an
overarching summary, as it were.
Clear becoming mostly overcast, sometimes fair, for the rest of the day
beginning at c. 8 A.M. Winds variable, calm at night becoming 5-10+ most
of the rest of the day, lessening at dusk, calm to south at 5 at night,
switching around to the NE, NW for a while in the late afternoon, but
mostly NE. Temperature low 70s to high 60s at night, up to high 70s in
afternoon, down to 63 after sunset. Wind never interfered much with either
hearing or searching for birds on the waters' surface. Tides mostly lower
than normal. Very distant lightning (if there was thunder it was
inaudible) illuminating the clouds to the east and southwest at night many,
many miles distant.
Abbreviations: BNWR, Blackwater N.W.R. EIR, Elliott Island Road. HI,
Hooper's Island.
NIGHT LIST (ends at 5 A.M.): 32 species (the record is 42). Last week's,
May 5, I failed to mention previously, was 21.
HIGHLIGHTS:
WHIMBREL 1. Flying east and calling, seen by HTA, GLA & MMB from "Gadwall
Bend" on EIR, 7:45 P.M. About 125 yards away. Rather chunky, brown,
duck-sized shorebird with a decurved bill. This is an overdue first, not
seen the other 79 times. On the other hand, on May birding marathons in
Delaware almost every year from the early 1960s until a few years ago we
never saw Whimbrels on any of those. Most of them do apparently come
through in late May.
SEDGE WREN 2. Calling close to the road soon after midnight. Heard again
c. 7 P.M. First ones in 8 or 9 years. Used to breed not uncommonly in
this county. In the 1960s and 1970s I sometimes heard 10 or more on these
May bird counts.
BLACK RAIL 2. Calling in the distance.
AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN 5. Seen circling over BNWR Visitor Center. No
doubt the same ones seen May 5. Also seen by Terry Allen and those on his
refuge bird walk this morning.
MUTE SWAN 4. Used to be hundreds. The eradication program, as with that
for the Nutria, highly effective. Waterfowl list, a poor 8 with no divers.
Almost missed Gadwall and the 2 teal.
RED-HEADED WOODPECKER 13 (at least). More than doubles previous high. In
the past few years countless 1000s of trees, mostly Loblolly Pines, have
died, presumably from saltwater intrusion. This has provided more
Redheaded habitat than the few present can occupy but apparently led to
their increase. Other woodpeckers are curiously scarce: 1 Hairy, 2
downies, 3 flickers, 6 redbellies & 6 Pileateds.
BALTIMORE ORIOLE 16. There was an actual overhead flight just after sunup
down at Robbins.
PURPLE MARTIN. Last Saturday, May 5, 4 parties reported a total of 4.
Today, May 12, martin numbers semed almost normal for my party.
Otherwise:
3 Brown Pelicans at HI. 2 Least Bitterns at EI calling at night. 4 Glossy
Ibis: 3 at BNWR, 1 at EIR. 1 Cattle Egret, has been in decline for years.
HERONS. We always end the daylight period with a watch at Gadwall Bend,
EIR, to look for herons winging their way back to their island colonies.
There are none this evening, save 3 Snowy Egrets and 1 Glossy Ibis, the
worst I've ever seen. We were sure we'd add Tricolored to our species list
but didn't.
only 1 Black Vulture, at Robbins. 1 TRUMPETER SWAN, not counted in the
tally, present at Robbins for several years, all year long; today we heard
it calling, photographed by GLA, unbanded. No yellow at base of bill.
Massive bill, long and deep and high at the base. 1 Red-shouldered Hawk at
Old Field Road. 1 Peregrine Falcon at BNWR, a male. 9 bobwhite, better
than last week, but still in trouble.
RALLIDS: 2 Black, 30 Clapper, 1 King & 47 Virginia Rails plus 7 Common
Moorhens (EIR; all 7 heard at night, then 4 probable repeaters seen in
late afternoon) and 1 American Coot, the latter at BNWR, Pool 1. Soras
have become hard to get here. Used to often hear 5-10 without even trying
very hard. My impression continues to be that Black, King, and Virginia
rails are in decline, Clappers increasing.
SHOREBIRDS, 17 species, not bad, but with no scarce ones such as a
phalarope, Stilt or White-rumped sandpiper, but including 4 American
Oystercatchers at Swan Harbor. 4 Black-necked Stilts (2 ea. at BNWR & EIR,
fewer this year than the last few springs at EIR). the Whimbrel. 4
Short-billed Dowitchers (often missed; curious how random they are here,
yet there are 1000s in Delaware in May). Missed Solitary Sandpiper but
Terry Allen et al. saw several at BNWR.
Least Tern 35. Something flushed them off the roof of Best Value Inn.
OPOSSUM ISLAND. Last week we noticed dozens of terns in the air over
Opossum Island (just east of Barren Island), an almost sure sign there is a
breeding colony, probably of Forster's Terns but perhaps with some Herring
Gulls, too.
NIGHT BIRDS. OWLS: 2 screech, 1 Barn, 6 horned & 1 Barred. NIGHTJARS:
20 Chuck-will's-widows. No nighthawk or Whip-poor-will. Whips seem to be
in decline.
18 Brown-headed Nuthatches, as rubber ducky as ever. 1 White-breasted
Nuthatch, a few breed in the more hardwooded areas of the central refuge.
THRUSHES. A minor incursion. 1 ea. of Veery & Swainson's. Other unID'd
thrushes heard dimly going over at night.
WARBLERS. 18 species. Good. 2 best times were 23 and 22 species. As
usual we missed certain species that are almost rarities here in spring,
such as Nashville, Blackburnian, Bay-breasted, Cape May, Wilson's, and
Tennessee. Yellow-throated was a "bad" miss., Blue-winged not quite as
bad. As usual no waterthrushes. I don't expect Kentucky anymore.
Here's the list: 3 parulas, 3 redstarts, 11 Ovenbirds, 35 yellowthroats, 7
chats, and these other warblers: 9 Yellow, 1 Chestnut-sided, 2 Magnolias,
2 Black-throated Blues, 4 Myrtles, 3 Black-throated Greens, 25 Pines, 5
Prairies, 4 Blackpolls, 3 Black-and-whites, 3 Prothonotaries, 1 Worm-eating
(usual get several), and 1 Canada.
Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow 8, seen both near Shorter's Wharf and at
EIR.
OTHER MISSES: White-throated Sparrow, grebes, Little Blue Heron, wigeon,
shoveler, accipiters, kestrel, phoebe, vireos other than Red- & White-eyed,
Rough-winged & Cliff swallows, kinglets, and waxwing - most of these not
surprising to miss.
MAMMALS: 13 species, probably a record. Best is a MINK, at Langrell's
Island, EIR, trotting along the road in front of us c. 3 A.M. Also: 2
'possums, 2 'coons, 1 skunk, 2 bunnies, 10 Sika & 3 White-tailed deer, 5
Muskrats, 1 Red Fox, 4 Fox Squirrels (2 at BNWR, 1 at EIR opposite Reston
Farms entrance, 1 at Lewis Wharf Rd.), 2 Gray Squirrels, and 1 Woodchuck
(Lewis Wharf Rd.) plus 2 unID'd bats.
HERPS. Not good 4 Northern Watersnakes. Various D.O.R. Black Ratsnakes.
A c. 5 lb. Snapping Turtle at Robbins; my first blundering attempt to grab
the tail unsuccessful, because I flinched; finally got it and removed from
the road; Boy!, did it stink; phew! 20 Painted Turtles. 0 Red-bellied
Sliders. Probably because of the dryness few frogs and toads, just a few
calling Bullfrogs, Green Frogs, Green Tree Frogs, and Fowler's Toads. A
few terrapin in Fishing Bay. Cricket Frogs calling at Moneystump Swamp and
Old Field Road, sound like insects.
OTHERWISE: Not many butterflies, but a few Red Admirals. A blackish, 2"
crayfish in the middle of the road at Robbins, would threaten with its
pincers when approached, as one of us remarked: "Ready to kickass and take
names."
THANKS: To Blackwater refuge for permitting access to restricted areas.
To Terry Allen for putting us onto several birds we might have missed at
the refuge. To Neil & Kate Birchmeier for letting us scope the bars and
Bay from their nifty dock at Swan Harbor (Dorchester's sea coast), where we
added 11 species in almost as many minutes. To the Cambridge Wawa - for
being there and not even blinking once as I filled the stainless steel
Nissan thermos with 2 quarts of regular coffee.
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 ....) |