MARYLAND BIRDLIFE SuLbtin oj {Az 'A/[axijLanA &*inLtlio[ocjLcLi[ ^SocUsty, {]nc. JUNE 1975 VOLUME 31 NUMBER 2 MARYLAND ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY, INC. Cylburn Mansion, 4915 Greenspring Ave., Baltimore, Maryland 21209 ■ STATE OFFICERS FOR MAY 10, 1975 TO WY, 1976 President: Mr. Barclay E. Tucker, l4l7 Grafton Shop Rd,Bel Air 21014 838-6269 First V.P. Mr. Charles Vaughn, 1306 Frederick Ave, Salisbury 21801 742-7221 Second V. P.: Dr. Donald Messersmith ,104l8 Brookmoor Dr,SilvrSpg 20901 593-5942 Secretary: Mrs. John Ford, 408 Beach Drive, Annapolis 21403 267-8417 Exec.Sec'y: Mrs. C. B. Perryclear, 204 St. David Ct , Cockeysvl 21030 666-38l4 Treasurer: Mr. W. Gordon MacGregor, 5009 Greenleaf Rd, Balto 21210 435-3044 EXECUTIVE COUNCIL Mr. Dale B. Fhller 420 Beall St., Cumberland 21502 724-6906 Mr. Larry Hood 5473 Wooden Hawk Circle, Columbia 2104-4 730-9251 Mrs. Dorothy Mendinhall Damsite, R.D. #2, Chestertown 21620 778-0826 Dr. J. William Oberman 4l00 W St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20016 333-6315 Mr. John Poteet 5608 Stonington Ave. , Baltimore 21207 448-1967 Mr. Maurice Rimpo 102 Linthicum Drive, Cambridge 2l6l3 228-1905 Mr. August Selckmann Route 2, Box 212, Frederick 21701 874-2515 STATE TRUSTEES Allegany : Anne Arundel *Mr. Dale B. Fuller Mrs. C. Gordon Taylor : *Mr. Richard E. Heise, Jr. Harford: *Mr. Eldred Johnson Col. Leland Devore Mr. John Wortman Mrs. Patricia Flory Mrs . Laddie Flyger Howard : *Miss Martha Chestem Mr. Larry Hood Baltimore : *Mr. John Cullom Mrs. C. Lockard Conley Miss Jane Daniels Kent: *Dr. Daniel Gibson Mrs . Edward Mendinhall Mrs. Raymond Geddes, Jr. Dr. Roger Herriott Mrs. Edward A. Metcalf Dr. Benjamin F. Pos cover Mr. John Poteet, Jr. Montgomery : *Mr. Paul Woodward Mr. Robert Hahn Dr. J. William Oberman Miss Claudia Wilds Mr. Chandler S. Robbins Mrs. Joshua Rowe Patuxent : *Mrs . Ellen Gizzarelli Mr. Elwood Fisher Caroline : *Mrs . Wilber Engle Mr. Stephen Westre Talbot : *Mr. Ray Bryan Mr. & Mrs. Robert Pries Dorchester : *Mr. Maurice Rimpo Mr. Milton Webster Washington : *Mr. Robert Keedy Mr. Edward Peters Frederick: * Chapter *Mr. William Shirey Mr. August Selckmann President Wicomico : *Mr. D. Maurice Davis Mr. Charles Vaughn Active Membership (adults) Student Membership (full-time students) Junior Membership (under 18 years) Family Membership (Mr. & Mrs.) Sustaining Membership Life Membership Member-at-Large $ 5.00 plus local chapter dues 2.00 plus local chapter dues 1.00 plus local chapter dues 6.00 plus local chapter dues ( 10.00 plus local chapter dues, 100.00 (payable in 4 annual 1 installments) j 5.00 Cover: Sub to near-adult Yellow-nosed Albatross ( Diomedea ohlororhynohos ) in flight, 60 miles east of Ocean City, on February 1, 1975- Photo by Richard A. Rowlett. MARYLAND BIRDLIFE i'. >Hil Volume 31 June 1975 Number 2 FIRST RECORDS OF ATLANTIC PUFFIN AND YELLOW-NOSED ALBATROSS OFF MARYLAND Richard A. Rowlett A pelagic trip aboard a chartered sports fishing "headboat" off Ocean City, Maryland, on February 1, 1975, was highlighted by first sightings of Atlantic Puffin { Fratevcula arctica) and Yellow-nosed Alba- tross ( Diomedea chlororhynchos ) for Maryland. Both species were well studied by 45 corroborating observers and documented by photographs. In February and March, 1975, a total of 43 Atlantic Puffins were identified off the Delmarva Peninsula; 37 of these were in Maryland wa- ters, one off Delaware {Feb. 9), and five off Virginia (Feb. 6.) Seven Atlantic Puffins and one near or sub-adult Yellow-nosed Albatross were seen on February 1, from 1200 to 1400 hours, in an area centered at about 38°19’N, 73°52'W, at the "head" of Baltimore Canyon, 57-60 miles due east of Ocean City. Another charter trip to the same area off Ocean City, on the following day with 45 observers, yielded l6 Atlantic Puffins, but failed to relocate the albatross. Additional sightings of puffins were made by me during a Joint research cruise with the United States Coast Guard and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), on February 6, 7, and 9- The last sightings of puffins were made on March 1 6 , when seven were seen on a chartered pelagic trip with 45 birders. A summary of the oceanic species and numbers observed during the nine days spent at sea off Delmarva from January through March, 1975, is presented in Table 1. Two immature Atlantic Puffins on a glassy calm Atlantic on March l6, 51 miles ENE of Ocean City, 38°22'N, 74°02'W. All photos by the author. 52 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE voi . 31. No. 2 Table 1. A summary of 9 days of pelagic observations during the winter of 1975- All figures are totals seen off Maryland unless otherwise in- dicated. Common and typically littoral species are omitted. „ . Date 1 Species 12 l 2 5 6 7 8 9 l6 rotal 2 YELLOW-NOSED ALBATROSS Diomedea chlororhynchos 1 - - - - - - 1 MANX SHEARWATER 3 Puffinus puffinus 1 1 NORTHERN GANNET Morns bassanus l6l± +i o CM CM 275± 200± 125± 111± 300± 53± H —3 O !± ** RED PHALAROPE 113- Phalaropus fulioarius - 1 - 27 5 - - - lU6- GREAT SKUA Catharaota skua 3 9 4 2 7 “ 3 3 31 JAEGER SP. Steroorarius sp. - - - - - - 1 - - 1 GLAUCOUS GULL Larus hyperboreus 3 3 I CELAND GULL Larus glauooides ” “ - 1 2 1 2 ” 6 BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE Rissa tridaotyla 295± 200± 134± 102± 345± 530± i4o+ 350± 7 RAZORBILL Aloa torda 2 - 1 - - - - 1 4 DOVEKIE Plautus alls 6 6 24 - 5 1 - - - 42 ATLANTIC PUFFIN Fratercula arotiaa - 7 l6 “ 5 3 5 7 43 LARGE ALCID SP. - 3 - - 1 - - - 4 1 A11 Feb. 5 observations were off Delaware; all Feb. 6 off Virginia; all Feb. 9 off Delaware except for 2 skuas and 4 puffins off Md. 2 This total indicates the number of sightings, which is not necessar- ily the number of individuals seen during the period. Chances are that many of the gannets, kittiwakes, and maybe even some of the skuas seen on successive trips may be the same wintering individ- uals. The odds of seeing the same alcids or phalaropes on suc- cessive trips seem remote. 3 Details will be in September 1975 issue of Maryland Birdlife . In most instances, the puffins were encountered as singles, but occasionally they were in pairs. The birds appeared reluctant to fly ahead of the boat, and dove to get out of the way. All puffins observed were immature individuals. They were charac- teristically of short and stocky build with bills resembling Razorbills ( Aloa torda) in length and thickness. Only by carefully noting the large dirty gray facial area and the shape of .the all dark bill, espe- . cially the ridge of the upper mandible which curves gently downward from June 1975 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE the base high on the forehead, could we be certain of the alcids’ iden- tity. During dives, and in rare instances when the puffins were in flight, boldly striking bright orange legs and feet were noted. This latter feature contradicts literature examined by me. Witherby et at. (l9Ul) indicate that only breeding adults have orange legs and feet, while those of immatures are flesh colored. The only previous record of the Atlantic Puffin off the Delmarva Peninsula is a vague ref- erence to a sight observation of a bird at Back Bay, Virginia, on January 1, 1955 (Murray, 1957). During the winter of 1975 , the Atlantic Puf fin was the "most common" alcid observed on pe- lagic trips off Maryland. All of these observa- tions were made beyond 40 miles from shore. In fact , it became apparent on the EPA/ Coast Guard cruise off Delmarva, as we zig-zagged back and forth from 15 to 50 miles off shore, puffins could almost be expected once ve were more than 40 miles out. Other species that were seen only beyond 40 miles were small numbers of Dovekies ( Plautus alte ) , Red Phalaropes (Phalaropus ful'i- carius ) , and Great Skuas ( Catharaeta skua ) 1 . Since the puffins were so often exhibiting a sedate habit and reluc- tance to fly even when pursued, I am suggesting that perhaps these birds may have drifted into our off-shore waters simply by swimming and float- ing here, aided by "the diluted effects of the Labrador Current. The prevailing current along the outer continental shelf is from the north- east, and provided it flows as little as one knot, this could give a puffin ample time to "float" here from perhaps the Canadian maritimes. The only individual I observed flying freely on its own accord was on the morning of February 7- From my observation post on the bridge of the Coast Guard vessel, 35 feet above the water line, with excellent light and visibility, and a 35 ®ph wind from the north, a puffin appeared from the north and passed 200 yards in front of the bow, disappearing to the south. Its flight was almost a whirr of rapid, shallow wingbeats as the bird nearly skimmed the water surface. The bright orange legs were boldly accentuated in the bright morning sunlight and contrasted with the essentially black body, white belly, and gray facial area. On Februaiy 1, while we were enjoying our puffin find, then only 15 minutes old, Peter Pyle yelled, "Albatross I " Much to everyone's total astonishment an albatross was indeed sitting on the water with a flock of about 50 gulls and garmets , 30 yards away, on the side of the boat opposite the puffins where everyone else's attention was concentrated. * Until shown otherwise, the skuas referred to in this note are to be regarded as Great Skuas ( Catharaeta skua). Owing to the difficulty of field identification, the occurrence of non-breeding southern hemisphere forms of 'skuas cannot be ruled out (Rowlett, 1974). Immature Atlantic Puffin 51 miles EPTE of Ocean City on March l6. MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol. 31, No. 2 51 + As the bird lifted off the water, it was immediately recognized to be one of the smaller albatrosses of a group collectively known as "mollymawks in that it possessed a dark back and tail. Against the dark sea, the latter mark was sometimes difficult to see without concentrating on it. The heavy bill, by comparison. to the gannets and gulls, was black except for a dingy, but conspicuous greenish-yellow stripe running along the ridge of the upper mandible ( culminicorm) from the forehead to near the tip, where it merged into black tinged slightly by reddish. When the albatross lifted off the water, it banked up and away revealing the underwing linings and the large webbed pink feet. The wing linings were extensively white except for a narrow dark border along the leading edge and the dark tips to the primaries. Convinced that the bird was a Yellow-nosed Albatross, we proceeded to observe and study it in detail for the next two hours. A curious plumage feature which showed up in all color and black & white photographs which I examined is the presence of a conspicuous dusky collar on the hind neck. None of us who observed the bird in life can recall this feature as being as bold as it appears in the photos. Murphy, 1936, and Rowan, 1951, describe the head and neck areas of the adult Yellow-nosed Albatross as being white with the occiput, nape and cheeks tinged pearly gray. The yellow stripe on the culminicorm is brilliant yellow, shading to rosy pink at the tip. Warham et at. (1966) point out that adults possess dark feathers around the eye which give the appearance of a small triangular patch pointing downward. Since immature birds have wholly black bills and pure white heads (Warham et at. , 1966) , I suggest that the Yellow-nosed Albatross observed on February 1, was probably a sub- to near-adult. The albatross did not appear at all alarmed by our continued "harassment." It mingled with a flock of 100-200 other seabirds con- sisting of Northern Gannets {Morns bass anus ) , Herring ( Lotus argentatus ) and Great Black-backed Gulls ( Lams majrinus ) , Black-legged Kittiwakes ( Rissa tridaetyla ) , and Great Skuas. We were chumming the entire time with coarsely ground beef fat (suet) and bread. Although the gulls competitively scrapped for each bit of chum tossed over, and the gannets dove presumably for bait fish attracted to the chum, the skuas and the albatross appeared to show little more than passive curiosity. The albatross was never observed feeding. It did occasionally engage in "duet" flights with adult Great Black-backed Gulls which, incidently, it superficially resembled. These flights, complete with arcs and sails in tandem were more than once responsible for our brief erroneous thinking that two albatrosses were present. When the albatross was not involved in one of these "duets," it tended to fall into a particular, pattern of behavior. Resting on the water, it would allow the boat to approach, often as close as 12 feet before taking to flight. Frequently at these moments, it was nec- essary to lean over the rail at the bow to look down on it. A regular pattern of flight style was noted, which is best described by Watson (1966) and is characteristic of all albatrosses. The bird would run along the surface for 15 feet or so flapping until it gained momentum June 1975 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 55 and wind to rise into the wind, coast across it, hanking ventral side to us, lose altitude but gaining speed, dip to the leeward, bank to turn, rising into the wind once more, then repeat this cycle or land on the water again. Usually, these flights lasted less than five' minutes . Yellow-nosed Albatross resting on the water beside the boat. The weather on February 1 was overcast, wind northeast at 5-15 mph, air temperature was in the low to middle kO's, and the sea was running 1-3 feet with a slight chop. Another charter trip on the following day, February 2, left the dock in a moderate to heavy snow storm for the first two hours. Winds were north, 10-20, with seas becoming choppy and rough, 3-7 feet, while the air temperature was in the middle 30* s. We reached the same loca- tion at the "head" of Baltimore Canyon, 38°19'N, 73°52'W, at 1230 hours, and spent about 1^ hours searching to no avail for the albatross. Al- though more puffins and Dovekies were seen than on the preceding day, the flock of non-alcid species had diminished, and sightings of skuas were only brief distant isolated events. 56 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol . 31, No._2 Previous to this sighting, there have been 15 reports of the Yellow- nosed Albatross in the western Atlantic of North America, ranging from Texas to Quebec (McDaniel, 1973)* Only five of these are documented by specimens or photographs. The normal breeding range of the Yellow-nosed Albatross is in the south-central Atlantic in the Tristan da Cunha Group, and Gough, and islands in the Indian Ocean. It typically ranges north in the South Atlantic to the Tropic of Capricorn off Brazil and 15° S off southwestern Africa (Watson, 1966). Appreciation is extended to the more than l80 participants who con- tributed financially and visually to the 1975 winter charter trips off Ocean City. I am again grateful to Darryl Nottingham, captain of the headboat "Mariner," who as always is helpful in every way to make our trips as successful as possible. I am grateful to the United States Coast Guard, and Dr. Donald Lear from the Environmental Protection Agency, chief scientist of the joint research cruise in February for allowing me to join that effort. Robert L. Ake and Maurice V. Barnhill provided information regarding puffin records in Virginia and Delaware. Doug Cook opened his home darkroom facilities to me and offered tireless efforts with devel- oping and printing of the photographs, for which I am grateful. Finally, I extend my most sincere personal thanks to Dr. George E. Watson of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. , who examined photographs and confirmed the identity of the albatross, provided helpful assistance in my search of the literature, especially in regards to plumage features, and for his critical and respected review of this manuscript. REFERENCES Alexander, W.B. 1954. Birds of the Ocean. 2nd ed. , New York: Putnam. American Ornithologists' Union. 1957- Check-list of North American Birds. 5th ed. , Am. Ornith. Union, Baltimore. McDaniel, J.W. 1973. Vagrant albatrosses in the western North Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. Am. Birds 27:3, 563-565. Murphy, R.C. 1936. Oceanic Birds of South America, I. New York: Am. Museum of Natural History. Murray, J.J. 1957* Major recent changes in the Virginia avifauna. Raven 28:5; 6, 48-52. Palmer, R.S. 1962. Handbook of North American Birds, I. New Haven: Yale University Press. Rowan, M.K. 1951. The Yellow-nosed Albatross, Diomedea ahtovOThynchos Gmelin, at its breeding grounds in the Tristan da Cunha Group. Ostrich 22:3, 139-155- Rowlett, R.A. 1974. Additional sightings of Skuas in Maryland and Virginia ocean waters. Md. Birdlife 30:2, 51-55. Warham, J. , and W.R.P. Bourne. 1974'. Additional notes on albatross identification. Am. Birds 28:3, 598-603. Warham, J. , W.R.P. Bourne, and H.F.I. Elliot. 1966 Albatross identifi- cation in the North Atlantic. British Birds 59:376-384. Watson, G.E. 1966. Seabirds of the Tropical Atlantic Ocean. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Press. Witherby, H.F. , et aU 1941. Handbook of British Birds, V:122-127. London: H.F. & G. Witherby Ltd. 715 Main St., Laurel 20810 June 1975 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 57 MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL MEETING, MAY 10, 1975 The Annual Meeting of the Maryland Ornithological Society was held at the Diplomat Motel, Ocean City, Maryland on Saturday, May 10, 1975- The President, Mr. Barclay E. Tucker, called the meeting to order at 8:55 P.M, It was established that a quorum was present. A twofold motion was introduced by Dr. Herriott and approved — that we suspend reading of the Minutes of the last meeting, since they had been printed in Maryland Birdlife , and authorize the Executive Council to approve Minutes of this meeting. Following a motion by Mr. Hewitt, acceptance was given to Mr. MacGregor's Treasurer's Report. This summary of a successful financial year will appear in Merry land Birdlife. President Tucker expressed appreciation for the assistance rendered by so many dedicated volunteers, citing especially the chairmen of both regular and special committees, the trustees with their excellent attendance at meetings, our fine Executive Secretary, and Messrs. Parks and Robbins for their services in connection with this convention. He spoke of some of the outstanding highlights of the past season: the definitive statement drafted by the Pest Bird Policy Committee; the excellent report of the Conservation Easements Committee; the formation of our new chapter in Dorchester County; the acquisition of Manderes Creek Sanctuary and the possibility of another at Thomas Point in conjunction with the Anne Arundel County Department of Recreation and Parks; our affiliation with World Nature Tours; and the participation of several of our chapters in the April program of the C&O Canal National Historic Park. Unanimous assent was given to a motion by Mrs. Mendinhall that we suspend reading of the committee reports, which are scheduled to appear in Maryland Birdlife. Following a motion by Mr. Parks, the members voted to amend Article XIV, Section 1 of the By-Laws to read: These By-Laws may be amended by a vote of at least three- fifths of the Board of Trustees in favor of such amendment, provided that the proposed amendment shall have been dis- tributed in writing to the members of the Board of Trustees not less than 30 days prior to the meeting. Upon request, Mrs. Rowe read the proposed change to Article III, Section 1, subsections (d), (e) and ( f ) , whereby the annual dues for sustaining memberships would be raised from $6 to $10, single member- ships from $3 to $5, and family memberships from $h to $6. This pro- posed amendment was due to be presented to the Board of Trustees for approval (and ultimately was passed by that body). 58 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol . 31. No. 2 The Secretary then read Chapter nominations for trustees (Chapter president is listed first): Allegany , fir. Dale B. Puller, Mrs. C. Gordon Taylor; Anne Arundel , Mr. Richard E. Heise, Jr., Mrs^ Patricia Flory, Mrs. Laddie Flyger; Baltimore , Mr. John H. Cullom, Mrs. C. Lockard Conley, Miss Jane Daniels, Mrs. Raymond Geddes, Jr., Dr. Roger Herriott , Mrs. Edvard A. Metcalf, Dr. Benjamin F. Poscover, Mr. John Poteet, Jr., Mr. Chandler S. Robbins, Mrs. Joshua Rove; Caroline , Mrs. Wilber Engle, Mr. Stephen Westre; Dorchester , Mr. Maurice Rimpo, Mr. Milton Webster; Frederick , Mr. William N. Shirey, Mr. August Selckmann; Harford , Mr. Eldred Johnson, Col. Leland Devore, Mr. John Wortman; Hovard , Mrs. Martha Chestem, Mr. Larry Hood; Kent , Dr. Daniel Z. Gibson, Mrs. Edvard Mendinhall ; Montgomery , Mr. Paul W. Woodvard, Mr. Robert Hahn, Dr. J. William Oberman, Miss Claudia P. Wilds; Patuxent , Mrs. Ellen Gizzarelli, Mr. Elvood Fisher; Talbot , Mr. Ray Bryan, Mr. & Mrs. Robert Price; Washington , Mr. Robert Keedy, Mr. Edvard Peters; Wicomico , Mr. D. Maurice Davis, Mr. Charles Vaughn. Approval vas given to a motion by Mr. Parks that the slate of trustees for the 1975-1976 season be accepted as read. Dr. Zeleny, Chairman of the Nominating Committee, presented the following slate of officers for the President First Vice President Second Vice President Treasurer Secretary A motion vas introduced by Mr. be accepted and nominations closed, approved, instructing the Secretary these officers. 1975-1976 season: Mr. Barclay E. Tucker Mr. Charles Vaughn Mr. Donald Messersmith Mr. W. Gordon MacGregor Mrs. Helen Ford Fletcher and passed, that the slate Another motion by Mr. Fletcher vas to cast a ballot for the election of Following a motion by Mrs. Cole, the meeting adjourned at 10:00 P.M. Helen M, Ford , Secretary CONVENTION FIELD TRIP SUMMARY , MAY 9-11* 1975 Members attending the 1975 Annual Convention at Ocean City were offered the usual large selection of field trips, including pre-dawn forays for crepuscular species, the dawn chorus in the Pocomoke Swamp, all-day excursions to Wallops Island, Chincoteague Refuge and Irish Grove Sanctuary, a quiet paddle on the Pocomoke River, a boat ride down Sinepuxent Bay, and many different 2- to L-hour guided trips exploring the various coastal habitats. At each meal the trip leaders gave brief summaries of the birds seen so that members would know where to find each of the goodies. Since the motel served the Sunday noon meal in their small dining room we were unable to meet together to compile the weekend list in the customary manner. Instead, a committee of trip leaders made the June 1975 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 59 compilation from the various lists that were turned in, and the entire Convention weekend list is presented here: Common and Red-throated Loons, Horned and Pied-billed Grebes, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue, Green and Little Blue Heron, Cattle, Great and Snowy Egrets, Louisiana, Black-crowned Night and Yellow-crowned Night Herons, Least and American Bitterns, Glossy Ibis. Mute Swan, Canada Goose, Brant, Mallard, Am. Black Duck, Gadwall, Green-winged and Blue-winged Teal, Am. Wigeon, Northern Shoveler, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, White-winged, Surf and Black Scoters, Ruddy Duck, Red-breasted Merganser. Turkey and Black Vultures, Red-tailed, Red-shouldered and Broad- winged Hawks, Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, Osprey, Merlin, Bobwhite, Ring-necked Pheasant, King and Clapper Rails, Common Gallinule, Am. Coot. Am. Oystercatcher , Semipalmated and Wilson's Plover, Killdeer, Piping, Lesser Golden and Black-bellied Plover, Whimbrel, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs , Willet , Spotted Sandpiper, Ruddy Turnstone, Am. Wood- cock, Short-billed and Long-billed Dowitchers , Red Knot, Sanderling, Semipalmated, Western, Least, White-rumped, Pectoral and Purple Sand- pipers, Dunlin, Stilt Sandpiper, Parasitic Jaeger, Greater Black-backed, Herring, Ring-billed and Laughing Gulls, Gull-billed, Forster's, Common, Roseate, Least, Royal, Caspian and Black Terns, Black Skimmer. Rock and Mourning Doves , Yellow-billed and Black-billed Cuckoos , Barn, Screech, Great Horned and Barred Owls, Chuck-will' s-widow, Whip- poor-will, Common Nighthawk, Chimney Swift, Ruby-throated Hummingbird , Belted Kingfisher, Common Flicker, Pileated, Red-bellied, Red-headed, Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers. Eastern Kingbird, Great Crested Flycatcher, Eastern Phoebe, Acadian Flycatcher, Eastern Pewee , Horned Lark, Tree, Bank, Rough-winged and Barn Swallows, Purple Martin, Blue Jay, Common and Fish Crows, Carolina Chick- adee, Tufted Titmouse, White -breasted and Brown-headed Nuthatches. House, Carolina and Marsh Wrens, Northern Mockingbird, Gray Catbird, Brown Thrasher, Am. Robin, Wood Thrush, Veery, E. Bluebird, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Cedar Waxwing, European Starling, White-eyed, Yellow-throated, Solitary, Red-eyed and Philadelphia Vireos. Black-and-white, Prothonotary , Swainson's, Worm-eating, Blue-winged, Tennessee, Nashville, Northern Parula, Yellow, Magnolia, Cape May, Black- throated Blue, Yellov-rumped, Black-throated Green, Yellow-throated, Bay- breasted, Blackpoll, Pine and Prairie Warblers, Ovenbird, Northern and Louisiana Waterthrushes , Kentucky Warbler, Common Yellowthroat , Yellow- breasted Chat, Hooded, Wilson's and Canada Warblers, Am. Redstart. House Sparrow, Bobolink, Eastern Meadowlark, Red-winged Blackbird, Orchard and Northern Orioles, Boat-tailed and Common Grackles, Brown- headed Cowbird, Scarlet and Summer Tanagers. 6o MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol. 31, No. 2 Northern Cardinal, Rose-breasted and Blue Grosbeaks, Indigo Bunting, Evening Grosbeak, House Finch, Am. Goldfinch, Rufous-sided Towhee , Savannah, Grasshopper, Sharp-tailed, Seaside, Chipping, Field, White- crowned, White-throated, Swamp and Song Sparrows. The weekend total was 20U species, of which 189 species were found in Maryland and the remaining 15 in nearby Virginia or Delaware. BLUEBIRD COMMITTEE REPORT The combined MOS-ANS bluebird project had its most successful year in 197*t. Reports were received from 75 collaborators who had set out and monitored approximately 1,H80 nesting boxes, nearly all in Maryland and Virginia and mostly within 50 miles of Washington or Baltimore. An estimated 3,15^ young Eastern Bluebirds were fledged from these boxes, nearly double the number reported in 1973 which was the previous record year . Numerous "bluebird trails" have been established under the project in our region, and remarkable increases in bluebird population have been apparent in those limited areas where the trails have been oper- ated successfully for several years. Continued expansion of the project should put us well on our way toward our objective of restoring the bluebird population in our region to some semblance of what it was in earlier times. The scope and influence of our activities is not by any means limited to Maryland or to the Central Atlantic States but is practi- cally nation-wide. Publicity in nationally distributed periodicals has resulted in thousands of requests for our "Bluebird Nesting Box Plans and Instructions" from nearly every State and several Canadian Provinces. Distribution of this material is made virtually without cost to MOS since nearly all requests are accompanied by stamped addressed envelopes and the instruction sheets have all been printed through the courtesy of Edward Peters of our Washington County Chapter to whom we are very much indebted. The Wilderness Society was permitted to reprint our MOS bluebird sheets and distributed additional thousands of them on request. The St. Paul (Minnesota) Audubon Society has this year issued and distri- buted its own "Bluebird Trails" brochure. This was prepared with our help and incorporates much of the MOS instruction material. As a result of our bluebird article in a recent issue of South Carolina Wildlife a man in Indiana who makes bluebird nesting boxes of the MOS design in his basement workshop was promptly deluged with orders for more than 1,250 of the nesting boxes. Nearly sill of the orders were from South Carolina. This is a most encouraging indication of the rapidly growing public- interest in bluebirds and in wildlife con- servation in general. We are honored that the Cornell University Laboratory of Ornithology June 1973 MAE Y LAUD BIRDLIFE 6l has adopted our bluebird nesting box design and is now offering these boxes for sale, unassembled, in its latest catalog. The Camp Fire Girls are now in the second year of their "Save the Bluebirds" nation-wide project. Instructions to their leaders are based on those issued by MOS. This project should help the bluebirds materially. But perhaps even more important is the fact that it should instill into the minds of hundreds of thousands of young girls at their most impressionable age a greater love of nature and an appreciation of the serious problems facing some of America's finest wildlife . Your Bluebird Committee fervently hopes that partly as a .result of its activities the "Bluebird of Happiness" may survive to enrich the lives of our grandchildren as it did the lives of our grandparents. This is a privilege that has been largely denied to our present generation. LaDrenae Zeleny , Chairman EDUCATION COMMITTEE REPORT Certificates designed by Doug Hackman and printed by Ed Peters were distributed to those 60 MOS members who completed the Leadership Training Program. On March 15 , the Committee met with Chapter program chairmen to discuss common interests. Two major outcomes of this meeting were: that the Education Resource Guide being designed by the Education Committee would be well received by the program chairmen; and that the Chapters exchange their annual programs with each of the other MOS Chapters . It was recommended to President Tucker that a Committee be formed to study the possibility of establishing an MOS Library. The chairman of this Committee would also serve on the Education Committee. A questionnaire was designed and distributed to the Chapters to gather information to assist the Education Committee in future planning. Topics covered were the Educational Resource Guide, the MOS Library, the design of educational courses, and educational trips. Proposed activities for 1976 include analyzing the information on the questionnaire for the purpose of future planning, and arranging more Statewide activities such as: (l) a Chesapeake Bay Ecology Trip — pro- posed dates are July 3 to July 10, 1976; (2) a State of Maryland Ecology Trip — proposed dates are June 20 to June 26; (3) an Area Study Trip — a trip designed to be a scientific study of bird life in a specific area. It would involve a group of about 25 and the study could be completed in one day; (4) a Lister's Trip — a trip for adding certain birds to lists; i.e. a gull trip, a trip to Pine Barrens, etc.; and (5) a weekend at Irish Grove. Ben Poscover , Chairman 62 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol. 31, No. 2 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE TREASURER MARYLAND ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY, INC. Fiscal Year Ending April 30, 1975 OPERATING FUND Fund Balance April 30, 1974 Receipts : Dues $5,206.00 Convention Income 539-50 Sale of Publications 23-77 Sale of Private Sanctuary Signs 501.50 Interest Earned 750.67 Interest Earned on Sanct. Main. End. Fund 1,302.71 Amateur Gardeners Club, for Scholarship 235.00 Assistance on Mailing Permit {Balt. Chapter) 15-00 Miscellaneous Income 20.45 Expenditures : MARYLAND BIRDLIFE, Printing & Mailing $2,091-00 Convention Expenses 222,64 Audubon Camp Scholarships 925-00 Executive Secretary’s Salary 2,500.00 Administrative Expense 321.81 Printing 235.66 Osprey Fund Disbursements 140.60 National Audubon Affiliation 25.00 Liability Insurance (Two Year's Premiums) 583-00 Private Sanctuary Program Signs & Postage Ul2.31 Utilities, Irish Grove 165.87 Rent, Rock Run (15 Months) 150.00 Sanctuary Maintenance 1,356.74 Property Insurance 53.00 Taxes 71-55 Fund Balance April 30, 1975 $ 8,046.29 8,594.60 $16,640.89 9.254.18 $ 7,386.71 SANCTUARY INVESTMENT Carey Run ($48,021.95 less mortgage of $9,229-26) $38,792.69 Mill Creek 14,446.86 Irish Grove 84,779-20 Pelot . 13,019-88 Manderes Creek (Assessed value plus survey costs) 3,544.00 Rock Run (Leasehold) 0 Sanctuaries are listed at cost (or at appraised value, if an outright gift) plus the cost of subsequent improvements. June 1975 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 63 HELEN MILLER SCHOLARSHIP ENDOWMENT FUND Fund Balance April 30, 1974 Receipts : Contributions Received Interest Earned Fund Balance April 30, 1975 $ 100.00 240.00 SANCTUARY FUND Fund Balance April 30, 1974 Receipts : Contributions, Incl. Life Memberships Unrestricted $l,06l.8l Ins. Policy Proceeds (Bertram Haines) 2,000.00 For Carey Run Addition 7,303-85 Manderes Creek Sanct. (Appr. Value) 2,824.00 For Manderes Creek Sanct. Survey 720.00 Expenditures : Paid on Mortgage Interest on Mortgage Property Surveys (Pelot & Manderes Cr. ) Capitalization of Manderes Creek Sanct. Fund Balance April 30, 1975 $5,008.7!+ 991-26 3.596.00 2.824.00 $4,022.05 340.00 $4,362.05 $ 3,134.05 13,909-66 $17,043-71 12,420.00 $ 4,623.71 Reconciliation of Accounts and Assets at Year-end Fund Balances : Operating Fund $ 7,386.71 Helen Miller Scholarship Endow. Fund 4,362.05 Sanctuary Fund 4,623-71 Sanctuary Maintenance Endow. Fund 24,500.00 $ 40 , 872.47 Fund Assets Checking Account $ 1,112.48 Savings, Loyola Federal' 12,146.44 T. Rowe Price Growth Stock Fund 9,500.00 Niagara Mohawk Power Co. Bonds (7- 375/5 ) 4 , 983.15 Gen. Telephone Co. , S. E. " (7.75050 5,129.92 Ohio Bell Telephone Co. Bonds (7.87 556) 4 , 987.81 Dayton Power & Light Co. " (8.00050 3 , 012.67 $40,872.47 W. Gordon MacGregor , Treasurer AUDITING COMMITTEE REPORT We have examined the financial records of the Maryland Ornitholog- ical Society Inc. , as of April 30, 1975 to the extent felt necessary. In our opinion the aforementioned financial records accurately present the financial position of the Society. (Signed) Rodney B. Jones , Chairman Gerhard W. Hot z 6k MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol. 31, No. 2 ANNUAL REPORTS OF LOCAL CHAPTERS ALLEGANY CHAPTER The vigor of an organization is a difficult quantity to assess. But from the normal indices, the Allegany Chapter would seem to remain in the prime of- life. The occasional signs of senescence are more than compen- sated for by the accretion of new and enthusiastic members and by the willing, reliable and experienced participation of long-term members. Without question, the Adult Birdwatching Classes taught by Ken Hodgdon at Allegany Community College have invigorated the Chapter. The students have brought extra enjoyment to joint activities with the Chap- ter and many have become dues-paying members of the MOS. Interest in the birdlife of Allegany County is at an all-time high. This fact is attested to by the number of avian articles appearing in the local newspapers, by the reports of bird sightings by the general public, and by the inquiries and requests made to Chapter members. In conservation and environment matters, the Chapter's opinion and advice is solicited by outsiders. We feel that ours is the best known and most highly regarded wildlife organization in the County. The Chapter's most important project of the past year has been the raising of money to purchase a large, durable mower/brush cutter for Carey Run Wildlife Sanctuary. Through proceeds of a bake sale and raf- fle of a Mel Garland painting, by individual donations, and by the con- tribution from the MOS Sanctuary Fund, the purchase is now assured. By early summer of 1975 , the machine should be operating in the enhancement of the Sanctuary. Upon the death of member Aden Everstine in December, many of his friends made donations in his memory to the Winter Feeding Program at Carey Run Sanctuary. Dale B. Fuller , President ANNE ARUNDEL CHAPTER This was a good year for the Anne Arundel Chapter. Weather cooper- ated for most field trips, except, as usual, for any handled by the president. Membership remained fairly constant at approximately 112, with losses of some familiar faces and gains of some new ones. Gasoline was more plentiful than last year, so field trips were scheduled around the State. Although our monthly programs, featuring illustrated lectures and refreshments, were well attended, field trips involved the same rel- atively small number of members. The Snowy Owl appeared again; some brave members sloshed around in mud in search of the Le Conte's Sparrow; others went out of their way to see the Short-eared Owl. Speaking of owls, we were treated to a lengthy June 1975 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 65 close-range view of the Barred Owl at Piscataway in September. Tapes played at Irish Grove produced an aroused Clapper Rail. More recently after a grueling hike up and down hills at Adventure, walkers had spec- tacular views of the Prothonotary Warbler and the Northern Oriole in the brilliant spring sunlight along the C & 0 Canal towpath. Field trips included Bombay Hook, Java Farm, Piscataway, Manderes Creek, Carey Run, Camp Letts, Hawk Mountain, Blackwater, Ivy Neck, South Mountain, Sandy Point, Annapolis Neck (and Pat Flory's delicious home-made Oyster Stew), Cove Point-Solomons-Benedict (and great seafood platters at Shorter's), Ocean City (Winter weekend), Pelot , Irish Grove, Rolling Ridge Farm (lunch with Lee and Wendell Phillips, tasty German potato salad). Adventure and C & 0 Canal. The season was opened and will be closed with an annual picnic, enjoyable traditions of our chapter. Program speakers included' Paul McKenzie (Warblers), Col. Bodenstein (Conservation Issues), Hugo Gemignani (AACC Nature & Ecology Museum), Chan Robbins (Bird Surveys), Jan Reese (Ospreys) and Dick Heise (movies of Sanibel and Corkscrew birding). Held regularly for the benefit of our sanctuary fund, the annual Wildlife Lecture featured Mr. Jeffrey Kuhn, biologist and teacher, who narrated his movies of "The Other Everglades." This excellent lecture clearly revealed why Mr. Kuhn is under consideration for Audubon Lectures. In addition to birds and wildlife, Mr. Kuhn provided excellent footage and narration on the grass fires and their ecological impact. With much regret we learned that one of our most respected, active and long-time members, Phyllis Steen, will be moving to another part of the State with husband Gordon. Our loss will, however, be another chapter's gain. Responsibilities relative to the new MOS Manderes Creek Sanctuary in our county, and exploration of the possibility of joint county-bird club management of Thomas Point Park (42 acres at the bay end of Annap- olis Neck Peninsula) as a wildlife sanctuary, pose new challenges for this chapter in the coming year. Richard E. Heise , Jr. , President BALTIMORE CHAPTER (Committee Chairperson names are in parentheses) The membership as of April 1, 1975 has dropped from the 910 figure of a year ago to 808. This is not entirely surprising in view of the 15 percent increase in dues and the effect of inflation on incomes. The Program (Mrs. Daniel B. Wheeler) included a wide range of ac- tivities such as 50 f ieldwalks , 5 evening lectures at Cylburn, 2 social evenings at Grace Methodist Church, 2 weekends and day's bus trip to the New Jersey Pine Barrens. Lake Roland and Loch Raven continue to receive the closest regular attention in the fall and spring. 66 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol . 31, No. 2 Weather curtailed several important trips hut cooperated magnifi- cently on most occasions. The high point of the year was the 99 species seen at Chincoteague this spring weekend under the leadership of Charles Vaughn. The program has been full and well received by the membership. The Audubon Wildlife Films (Lansing Fulford) were offered on four occasions' at the Dumbarton Junior High School with an average attendance of 502. An increased attendance of Juniors was attained due in part to raising the age limit to seventeen, and to lowering the season ticket for Juniors to $2.00. The programs are appropriate blends of wildlife pic- tures, ecology and conservation. The series was well received and contin- ues to be our best way of communicating with both members and non-members. Extension Services (Mrs. Francis W. Lang) have been sought. Illus- trated talks were presented to Garden Clubs, Senior Citizens, School and Church groups. A set of slides was loaned to Harford County Community College for the fall semester. The Youth Activities (Mrs. Norwood K. Schaffer) group has been very busy this year. The Chapter’s Junior Nature Camp at Kings Landing Camp in June of 1974 was a great success owing to the organization of Dr. Benjamin Poscover and his associates. Mr. Robert Wood will supervise the camp this year. Mrs. Katherine Smith leads daily walks for school children during October and November and again from March to June 1. Thus far this year, 54 classes have brought out 1339 children and that number will climb much higher by June 1 — perhaps to 1700. Saturday activities are overseen by a group headed by Mrs. Alan Ross. Seventeen meetings have been scheduled. Bird banding demonstra- tions have preceded six of the Saturday meetings. This is a great draw- ing card and may account for a marked increase in attendance this spring. Five special trips for junior members have been conducted to areas away from Cylburn such as Bombay Hook, Soldiers Delight, and Rock Run Sanctuary. The last trip was led by Rodney Jones on April 26. Junior members are also permitted to help with Cylburn programs. They lead walks, make museum exhibits and are developing ideas about public programs. This is probably the Chapter's finest service to the Community. Mrs. Schaffer, Miss Smith and Mrs. Ross have earned the gratitude of us all including the Junior members. Newsletter (Marian Butler) - After a number of years of editing the Newsletter, Mrs. C. Lockard Conley turned the responsibility over to Marian Butler who has served admirably. The Newsletter, which appears monthly, contains accounts of trips, meetings, unusual sightings of birds, announcements of things to come, new books available at the bookstore and messages from state and local officers. However the fine Newsletter would not be received were it not for the able operation of a mimeograph by our Productionist Mrs . Thomas Shipley and the stuffing and mailing of the many hundreds of them by Mrs. Martin Larrabee and her group of volunteers. We owe these quiet workers a mammoth vote of thanks. June 1975 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 67 Publicity (Mrs. Anthony Perlman) this year has centered largely on the Audubon Wildlife Films which attract the public; the proceeds go to support state sanctuaries and Audubon Camp Scholarships. Nearly 8000 printed or mimeographed folders and flyers were sent to schools, public organizations, etc. to let their members know of these excellent films. Radio and television announcements have also spread the word of these films, as have articles in both Baltimore newspapers. There have also been public displays of M.O.S. activities at Balti- more County Public Library in Towson, Federated Garden Club, Baltimore City Fair and random community and neighborhood gathering spots. General and Bird Information (Mrs. Raymond Geddes, Jr. and Mrs. Harold Archer) - Since November 1973 the Chapter has had a listing in the Baltimore telephone book. The incoming calls have averaged three a day — some interested in membership, but most from the general public requesting information. We feel this has been a very worthwhile under- taking and is a service to the community. Ninth Annual Christmas Count (C. Douglas Hackman) - Fifty observers worked on December 28 to find 84 species and about 30,000 individuals. Although the count appeared low to many it tied the previous high. Sighting 11,000 starlings accounts for the high total. Seven Screech, 5 Great Horned and 2 Barred Owls constituted the best owl count ever. This volunteer program is a wonderful combination of persons doing something they enjoy and giving service to the community. Birding leads to a better understanding of Ecology. Roger M. Hevviott , President CAROLINE COUNTY CHAPTER The Caroline Chapter began its 1974-75 activities in September with a workday at the Pelot Wildlife Sanctuary under the leadership of Sanc- tuary Chairman, Jerry Fletcher. Throughout the year several other work- days have been held there and various groups have been guided on field trips. At present, a committee is compiling a list of plant and bird- life in the sanctuary area. We hope to have this list available in the near future. Our chapter has 34 members, many of whom participated in both the Christmas count and the statewide bird count in May. Programs at our regular meetings have included a nature film, "Prowlers of the Ever- glades" and a report by Capt. D. G. Phillips of the Department of Natural Resources on "Pollution in the Choptank River," a topic of interest to our chapter since much of our county lies in the Choptank River Watershed. Slide programs were presented by Tom Robbins , a Caroline County recipient of the Helen Miller Scholarship, on his "Trip to Audubon Camp in Maine." Doug Hackman crossed the bay to present a program on "Birds of Pacific Islands" and their relationship to island ecology. Our own Steve Westre gave a slide lecture on the "Micro- Community of a Fallen 68 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol. 31, No. 2 Log" and M.O.S. Education Chairman, Ben Poscover, presented a nature slide series. Our June meeting will be a picnic and nature walk at the Pelot Wildlife Sanctuary. Ethel Engle , President DORCHESTER COUNTY CHAPTER Appearance of a Snowy Owl in Cambridge was reason enough to form a Dorchester Bird Club, V. Edwin Unger last February told a group of local birders who had been meeting informally since December at the Dorchester Heritage Museum at Horn Point. Twenty-one charter members were present for a March organizational meeting during which MOS chapter by-laws were adopted. Officers and a trustee were selected at an April meeting in the Dorchester County Public Library in Cambridge. Monthly programs since December have featured films, talks by MOS and Talbot Chapter members, a discussion of the C&P phone company's os- prey pole planting program and comments by Jan Reese on his osprey studies The club has held three birdwalks and representatives have joined the Talbot Chapter on one of its breakfast hikes. Mauri ee Rimpo t President FREDERICK CHAPTER The 67 members of the Frederick Chapter have enjoyed a series of lectures at Winchester Hall. In September, Mr. Selckmann told of "Mary- land Land and Water Birds" using slides by Augie Jr. October brought Mr. and Mrs. Richard Stambaugh, sharing their story of "Participating in the Maine Audubon Workshop." Joyce had enjoyed a scholarship from MOS. Mr. G. B. Edwards, our local District Conservationist, spoke on "Land- scaping for Birds" at our November meeting. Another annual Christmas dinner served at the Jefferson Community Hall was highlighted by a slide talk on "Australian Birds" by Chandler Robbins. In January, Rick Krepela, of the National Park Service, showed one of their newest movies, "Petrified Forest." February brought one of our most enjoyable nights, with members showing their favorite slides, giving a varied program on a number of subjects. Ed Unger made the long trip to Frederick in March to tell us about our Sanctuaries. April brought a real surprise to the membership. The roof blew off Winchester Hall, and our meeting had to be cancelled. May brought several compensations for the lost April meeting. George Jonkel graciously allowed himself to be rescheduled, and gave a most interesting talk on "A Study of Banding and Migration." We then saw the movie "Colonial Naturalist." Because our County Commissioners were using our meeting room in Winchester Hall, we had found a temporary room in Hodson Hall at Hood College. We have been invited to use this June 1975 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 69 room on a permanent basis for the coming year, and feel this is an excellent location. Small, but enthusiastic groups vent on 12 field trips locally, and also enjoyed the guided tour of the bird house at the Washington Zoo. New officers for 1975-76 are William Shirey, President; Charles Mullican, Vice-President; Mrs. Phyllis Hodge, Secretary; and Norm Chamberlin, Treasurer. August Selckmanriy President HARFORD COUNTY CHAPTER During the 197*+-75 season Harford County Chapter has continued to enjoy, under the leadership of. President Col. Leland Devore, fine programs at our regular meetings and a great deal of birding and outdoor fellowship on our field trips. Our steadily growing membership now stands at 131. The season began with the annual picnic at Rock. Run in September. In spite of a downpour of rain, a few people showed up. Although no birding was done, picnic suppers were eaten and summer activities ex- changed while gathered around the fireplace inside . Our four regular meetings were well attended. As is our custom, these were dinner meetings held at the Churchville Presbyterian Church. The program at our first meeting in November was a game, put together by our program chairman, Mr. David Smith, in which we tried to identify birds by their song or call from a recording. When identified or everyone gave up, the bird's picture was shown and its name given. For the January meeting, Mr. B. F. Halla, State Director of the Non- Game Wildlife, spoke to us concerning the organization of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. He outlined its recent accomplishments and future plans. In March, Mi*. David Smith again provided the program himself wi}th a most interesting account of his very recent trip to India where he trav- eled many miles by elephant observing and photographing wildlife. Our final program in May was a talk by Dr. B. F. Poscover, chairman of the MOS Educational Committee. He spoke about educational opportuni- ties currently available and plans and possibilities for the future. In addition to the four meetings , field trips have been made to Hawk Mountain, Susquehanna State Park, Perry Point, Bombay Hook, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Eastern Neck, Elk Neck State Park and, still to come, the C&O Canal. Besides these Saturday trips, the "Mini-Birdvalks" at mem- ber's homes have been enjoyed by those able to attend on a weekday. Our chapter is again happy to claim a winner of the Helen Miller Scholarship, Mr. Kermit Updegrove. He plans to go to Wyoming. TO MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol. 31, No. 2 At our March meeting the following officers were elected to serve for the next two years: President, Eldred Johnson; Vice President, Dr. Edgar Folk; Recording Secretary, Miss Barbara Bilsborough; Corresponding Secretaries, Mrs. Martin Leatherman and Mrs. John Carver; Treasurer, George Drumm. Rock Run naturally is of great interest to our chapter. Although the food is now provided by the state, volunteers from our membership have filled the feeders during the winter. Our chapter can look back over an interesting year and ahead for more to come. Barbara C, Bilsborough, Recording Secretary HOWARD COUNTY CHAPTER The Howard County „ Chapter had a very successful year despite a dis- appointing decline in paid membership from 73 to 67 . Program attendance was consistently good. Field trip attendance was greater than in previous years. Erv Klaas arranged a very successful "discover Howard County" series of monthly trips which included visits to the Little Patuxent and Middle Patuxent rivers and a banding demonstration at Old Camp Woodbine. Longer field trips included Hawk Mountain, Little Creek, Bombay Hook and Kent Island. The Nags Head trip for our annual February birding weekend was rather disappointing; rain and fog with very limited visibility re- sulted in a relatively low count of 86 species (our first count under 100 for our annual winter trip). Using slides taken by various members of the club, we put together a show entitled "Birds of the Delmarva Peninsula Refuges" to Join the slide show "Winter Birds of Howard County" which we put together last year. These 30-minute slide shows were given by club members on more than fifteen occasions to garden clubs, scouting groups and civic organ- izations as part of our community relations and education programs. We are currently in the process of improving these and also putting together a show on nesting birds of Howard County. Officers for the coming year were elected in April as follows: President, Martha Chestem; Vice President, Tom Mayer; Secretary, Lucille Peters; Treasurer, Ben Dawson; Trustee, Larry Hood. Robert M, Herndon , President KENT COUNTY CHAPTER The 197^-75 season was one for reorganization of the Kent County Chapter. Because of the death of some of our most active members, the moving away of others and the lack of Junior members, the Chapter held re organizational meetings in the fall at which we elected new officers and appointed new committees. Regular meetings were resumed at the June 1975 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 71 "beginning of the winter and hopefully, the group is on its way toward resuming the vitality which it has had in the past. Even during this reorganizational period, the Chapter carried on with its basic projects and work. With assistance of other Chapter mem- bers , Ed Mendinhall compiled and edited the fall and spring arrival and departure dates and Dorothy Mendinhall continued her valuable work at the Damsite Banding Station with the able assistance of Margery Plymire. The Christmas count was again successful and the May 3rd count yielded 138 species even though the cold weather this year delayed migration somewhat . Our strongest efforts are now centered in gaining new interested members and planning ornithologically meaningful field trips and activ- ities such as the shorebird outing to Little .Creek, Delaware, scheduled for May 16. We also are endeavoring to set up a service for the local newspapers and radio to disseminate information on local birds and enhance publicity. In closing, I would take this opportunity to extend an invitation to all M.O.S. members to visit Kent County for birding. Contact any member of the Chapter and we can point out some good birding spots. Daniel Z. Gibson , President MONTGOMERY COUNTY CHAPTER The Montgomery County Chapter entered its tenth year as active as ever. This is reflected in an increased membership during 1974-75 , in a record 93 observers on our Seneca Christmas Count, and in an average of 74 people at each of 8 monthly meetings. Under the able leadership of Bob Hahn, the youth group also continues to prosper. Our January so- cial was extremely successful with 120 members and guests in attendance. As usual, most of our programs were given by our own members. We traveled to Africa with David Holmes, to Big Bend National Park with Bill Oberman, to the Falkland Islands with Claudia Wilds, to some Indian Ocean islands with Don Messersmith, to the Galapagos with Margaret Donnald, and to the central Pacific Ocean with Paul Woodward. Dr. Eugene Morton discussed the vocalizations of Carolina Wrens, and Dr. A1 Geis talked about his work on the relationship between birds and the urban environment of Columbia, Maryland. This year we tried, somewhat successfully, to organize the May Count so all areas of the county were covered. As a result, many people discovered good birding areas that they had been unaware of previously. Bill Oberman coordinated this effort. To cap off the year. Chip Bonde was awarded the MOS Scholarship to attend the Maine Audubon Camp. Paul W. Woodward , President 72 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol. 31, No. 2 PATUXENT CHAPTER Despite a somewhat diminished membership, the Patuxent Chapter continues to pursue many activities. Several members have reported on numerous nests, the bluebird trails are actively maintailed, and par- ticipation in Christmas Counts and May Count Day remains high. The second annual workshop coordinated by Jo Solem and held Jointly with the Howard County Chapter was a great success with sixty people attending. Some of the topics covered were: Beginning Birding, Shorebirds, Gulls and Terns, Finding Nests, and Botany for Birders. Several banding demonstrations were held by Danny Bystrak who has been chosen chairman of the new Manderes Creek Sanctuary. Several of the chapter members have gone on the widely publicized Ocean City Pelagic Trips and seen Puffins, Skuas, and Dovekies plus an assortment of gulls and Jaegers. We hope Our Fearless Leader, Rich Rowlett, will' plan similar trips in the future. Several of our hardier birders dashed up to Massachusetts to see the Ross' Gull. Once again through her hard work in the book store , Mrs . Robbins has raised over $400 to contribute to the M.O.S. Sanctuary Fund. The monthly programs included Dr. Bodenstein speaking on marshes, Dr. Messersmith on Birding the Indian Ocean, Paul Bystrak on Spring Flowers, and Chandler Robbins on The Spring Migration. All told, the Patuxent Chapter had a very productive year. Ellen Gizzarelli , President TALBOT COUNTY CHAPTER The Talbot Chapter successfully completed a full program that included: regular monthly meetings with appropriate speakers; bird walks in fall and spring; a series of Audubon lectures; a dinner in October to celebrate the 20th year of the Talbot Comity Bird Club with 85 in attendance ; and trips to Ocean City and Irish Grove Sanc- tuary. Eleven members also participated in a pelagic trip off Ocean City. At Mill Creek Sanctuary we replaced the sign that had been de- stroyed by vandals. We also had our usual "clean-up" days at Mill Creek Sanctuary. We participated in the* Statewide Bird Count in May, and in the Christmas Count. The Christmas Count highlight was a total of 100 Screech Owls. Bay H. Bryan , President June 1975 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 73 WASHINGTON COUNTY CHAPTER We held monthly meetings from September through May and a lawn pic- nic in June. Our programs which were arranged by our able program chair- woman covered such topics as: a bird population study in New Hampshire; a talk on legislation pending before the Maryland Legislature that was of interest to birders; the film "Winged World"; a speaker on educational activities within the M.O.S.; members' own slide program; a program on bird song identification; a slide program on wildflowers; and a film about the C&O Canal called "The Magnificent Ditch." The National Park Service designated April as "April is for the birds along the C&O Canal." We cooperated with them by furnishing leaders for six different programs which were designed to make people aware of and interested in the birdlife around them. Also as part of this theme we had a display in the winch house at Dam §k for the month. We had numerous field trips, and a good turnout of members to help, with the May Count. This year we had 2k people participating in the Christmas Count. We ended the day with a dinner report meeting that was enjoyed by all. Several members maintained bluebird trails. The largest and most successful were maintained by Danny Boone. Robert Keedy , President WICOMICO CHAPTER The museum cabinets for the mounted bird collection at Irish Grove were completed and delivered last August. These three cabinets were built by Bill Johnson, past chapter president, and one of his employees. At present the total collection can be housed, but with many more addi- tions there will start, to be overflow. This year the chapter voted to build a screened picnic area at Irish Grove under one-half of the 2h by 50 foot wood shed behind the banding station. Construction should be completed by the fall. Eleven members turned in lists for the May Count. And, four "ringers" Joined the Salisbury Christmas Count to bring total partici- pation to twenty people and a count of 93 species, the best ever. The highly successful sales booth at the Annual Atlantic Flyway Wildfowl Carving and Arts Exhibit brought the club a net of about $525. In addition, the Baltimore Chapter Book Store sent books which had gross sales of $73* the entire sum of which was sent to Baltimore. I estimate we have just about reached the' upper limit of profits for this type of sale, but who knows what 1975 will bring? Membership stayed unchanged from last year at 59, thereby stopping a slow decline over the past several years . Charles R. Vaughn , President lb MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol. 31, No. 2 REPORT OF THE STATE-WIDE BIRD COUNT, MAY 3, 1975 C. Douglas Hackman The 28th annual May Count began rather uneventfully for the majority of the day's counters who were tucked peacefully in their beds, dream- ing of trees full of birds come dawn. For the intrepid few the count began at the last stroke of midnight. These few stalwarts, forsaking sleep for something better, were dashing around the countryside hooting for owls , or were heaving stones into marshes to stir up the sleepy-eyed rails, or were hunched down in the dewy, damp discomfort of the bow of a slowly drifting boat straining their ears to detect the passage of unseen migrants. For the first time in six years, the writer's midnight madness paid off. Each of the first five years of boat-counting in the Gun- powder Marshes of Baltimore County had invariably begun with an ex- tremely long and un comfort ably chilly night that featured precious few calls from migrants and had always ended with a spectacular return journey into the teeth of ever increasing winds that aided the boat's progress in every direction save toward home. Several times, we were literally blown out of the marshes during those years of trying. In spite of the problems and disappointments there had been other com- pensations that led to a feeling of satisfaction and pleasure. In successive years there was the opossum, the fox, the skunk and the raccoon passing close-by along the river bank in search for food. There were >the dainty, ever present "plips" of countless bait fish avoiding unseen predators as well as the thunderous wallowings of carp in the shallows. Then the first crows of distant roosters came unex- pectedly at any time from midnight on and occurred with increasing frequency and exuberance as dawn approached. Clear night skies, when they occurred, were blessed with thousands of twinkling lights punctuated with occasional streaks of light that marked the fiery passage of specks of dust, perhaps from other worlds, through our own. And above it all, if we were fortunate, there were the sounds of a migration in progress. With these and other wonders to behold, the mild discomfort of cramp and chill rapidly faded away. This year, in the five hours between midnight and first light, 2b species were identified from the 707 recorded calls. The vast majority of these calls, as one might imagine, were those of uniden- tified species. Five hundred and five of the calls were assigned either to warblers of unknown species (130 calls), or sparrows of unknown species (362 calls), or to calls of unknown origin (13 calls). Most noteworthy of the night's count were the totals for the Swainson's Thrush and Veery. The State-wide total for the Swainson's Thrush was 66, 29 of which were recorded on the night count. Of the 110 Veeries recorded, 6b were on the night count. Only 4 Gray-cheeked Thrushes were recorded on the count and none were heard at night. Table 1 is a compilation of the night count from the Gunpowder Marsh. June 1975 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 75 Table 1. Summary of Night Count, Gunpowder Marsh Species 12-1 1-2 2-3 3-1+ 1+-5 5-Dawn Total Great Blue Heron 1 2 5 6 2 5 21 Green Heron 2 2 1+ 2 1 11 Black-crowned Night Heroi 1 5 2 1+ 11 Canada Goose X X X X X X X Mallard/Black Duck 2 1 3 Virginia Rail 1 1 2 1+ Sora 1 1 2 Common Gallinule 1 1 Killdeer 1 1 2 Common Snipe 1 1 Spotted Sandpiper 2 1 1 1+ Greater Yellowlegs 1 1 2 1+ Bara Owl 1 1 2 Barred Owl 2 1 2 3 8 Whip-poor-will 1 1 2 Marsh Wren 1 1 2 Northern Mockingbird 2 1 2 1 1 6 American Robin 1 1 Swainson's Thrush 5 1+ 1 9 10 29 Veery 1+ 9 1+ 22 25 61+ Common Yellowthroat 5 5 Red-winged Blackbird 2 2 Northern Cardinal 2 2 1+ Swamp Sparrow 1 2 3 2 8 Song Sparrow 1 2 2 5 Warbler chip 2 18 50 26 23 11 130 Sparrow chip 10 1+0 95 127 78 12 362 Unknown call 6 1 2 1+ 13 Totals 3l+ r 81 170 182 162 78 707 Shortly before and after dawn the majority of the day's observers sprang into action in their own favored birding areas. This year's counters recorded 173,565 individuals of 2hh species + 1 hybrid during 11+50.5 party-hours of coverage (793 hrs. on foot, 589 hrs. by car, 31 hrs. by boat and 37-5 hours by bike). Total party-miles covered were 1+90U (697-5 miles on foot, 1+110.5 by car, 80 by boat, and l 6 by bike). Coverage, as in the past, was spotty in some areas and intensive in others. All counties except St. Marys were covered. In the county summary that follows, the number of observers is listed in parentheses: Anne Arundel (1*3) 181 + Worcester ( 22 ) 139 Queen Annes. (3) 112 Dorchester (HO 165 Kent ( 16 ) 137 Frederick (11) 111 Montgomery (51) 159 Allegany (27) 131 Talbot (M 106 Baltimore ( 61 ) 155 Charles (13) 130 Cecil (5) 95 Prince Georges (33) 152 Harford (19) 127 Somerset (9) 90 Howard (30) ll+5 Caroline (30) 126 Calvert (3) 87 Garrett (i+o) ll+3 Washington (17) 121 Carroll ( 6 ) 66 Wicomico ( 21 ) 66 -J ON Table 2. State-wide Bird Count Species Gar All Was Fre Mon How Crl Har Bal Ann Cal PrG Cha Cec Ken Que Car Tal Dor Wic Som Wor Total Common Loon 7 2 4 3 _ 1 6 51 21 _ 3 8 1 _ 3 2 _ _ 3 115 Horned Grebe - - 1 - - - - - - 10 - - 3 - - - - 3 1 - - - 18 Pied-billed Grebe 10 2 - 1 2 - - 2 1 2 - 1 - - - - 1 - 1 - - 1 24 Double-crested Cormorant - - - - - - - - _ 3 - - lit - - - - 6o 51 - - 857 985 Great Blue Heron 2 1 1 1 12 - - lit 25 67 - 17 81 2 49 3 16 33 Ul - 2 2 369 Green Heron 1 6 9 5 5 15 7 - 11 22 Ul - lit 3 1 11 3 9 12 19 - 2 10 215 Little Blue Heron _ _ _ _ 2 - _ _ - 1 - - - - - - - - 1 - 1 20 25 Cattle Egret - - - 2 - - - - - It 1 15 15 - - - - 18 39 - 45 6l 200 Great Egret - - - - - - - - - 6 - 2 - - - - - 1 6 - 1 11 " 27 Snowy Egret 1 4o - - 65 107 Louisiana Heron 2 - - 3 5 Black-cr. Night Heron _ _ - - - 1 - 7 11 1 - - - - 2 - - - 13 1 4 40 Yellow-cr. Night Heron - - - - 1 - - - 1 - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2 Least Bittern - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5 - - - 5 American Bittern 2 1 - - 6 2 - - 2 1 - 3 1 - - - - - 5 - - - 23 Glossy Ibis - - - - - - - - - It - - - - - - - - 3 - 10 78 95 Mute Swan - - - - 2 2 1 2 2 55 - - - - 64 Whistling Swan - - - 1 - - - - - - - 8 - - It - - 3 14 - 1 - 31 Canada Goose - 1 7 2 7 It - 125 26 110 - 126 It 585 l8ll 2 435 540 125 Zb - 15 3949 Snow Goose It Blue Goose - 1 J Mallard 19 8 56 50 6i 73 7 23 85 107 - 36 36 6 259 8 51 42 33 b 6 9 979 American Black Duck 3 - - - 2 - - 3 io 28 - 29 5 It 16 12 9 14 85 2 15 7 244 Gadwall - - - - - 2 - It - - - 1 - - - - - - 5 - - - 12 Common Teal _ _ _ _ _ _ _ it _ _ - _ - 2 - - - 50 - - - 56 Blue-winged Teal 15 8 lit 2 9 - 2 2 it 6 3 - 29 lit - 6 - 1 - 81 - - 2 234 American Wigeon - - - - - - - 1 - 1 - 2 - - - - - - 3 - - - 7 Northern Shoveler 1 Wood Duck 7 47 19 14 1 66 23 - 15 L it 15 - 52 lit 10 21 1 11 - 2 - 2 2 465 Redhead 2 2 Ring-necked Duck 8 2 2 - - - - - - - - 6 - - - - - - - - - - 18 Canvasback 3 - 2 - - - - - - 35 - - - - - 1 - - - - - 1 42 Greater Scaup - - - - - - - - - 36 - - 75 - - - - - - - - - 111 Lesser Scaup 86 1 1 - - - - - - 11 - - - - - - - 18 50 - - - . 167 < O oo 3 O ro MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Gar All Was Fre Mon How Crl Har Bal Ann Cal PrG Cha Cec Ken Que Car Tal Dor Wic Som Wor Total Common Goldeneye _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 1 _ _ 1 _ _ _ _ _ 1 _ _ _ 3 Buffi ehead 18 It 2 - 2 - - - 2 52 - - 2 - 1 - - 102 - - - - 185 Oldsquaw 1 1 White-winged Scoter - - 2 - - - - - - 1075 - - - - - - - - 3 - - - 1080 Ruddy Duck 1 15 2 - - 2 - - - 98 - - 10 _ 11 - _ 33 It - _ - 176 Hooded Merganser It It Common Merganser - - - - fl 25 - - 1 2 - - 11 _ - - _ - - - _ - UT Red-breasted Merganser 5 6 - - 17 - - - - 18 - - - - 3 - - - 8 - - - 57 Turkey Vulture 23 6 32 30 55 105 8 27 82 31 9 it 5 26 5 126 57 206 32 77 17 68 79 1146 Black Vulture - - - 7 6 2 - - 13 1 - 6 9 - - - 2 2 2 - - 5 55 Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 - 1 - It 7 - 2 7 3 - 3 - - - 1 - - - - - - 29 Cooper's Hawk - 2 - - - - - - - 1 - - 1 - - - - - - 1 - - 5 Red-tailed Hawk 2 6 3 7 21 18 - 4 11 — r - 11 — F 3 — r 5 3 1 13 2 - 3 131 Red- shouldered Hawk 2 - - 3 25 31 - 2 7 15 - 28 5 - 2 - It - - 1 2 1 128 Broad-winged Hawk 5 30 6 3 68 19 1 6 43 16 - It 1 _ 2 _ _ 1 _ - _ - 205 Rough-legged Hawk - 1 - - - - - - - - - 1 - - - - - - - - - - 2 Bald Eagle - 1 - - - - - - - 3 - 1 - - - - - 4 17 - - - 26 Northern Harrier 2 - - - - - - - - - - _ - _ - - - - 8 - 3 - 13 Osprey 2 _ 6 2 15 - _ 10 6 21 It 2 13 2 25 1 11 100 17 3 3 243 Merlin - - - - - - _ - _ 1 - - - - _ - - - - _ _ 1 American Kestrel 1 4 8 It 4 It _ 9 2 6 _ It 1 7 10 3 5 2 1 - _ - 75 Ruffed Grouse 12 It 16 Common Bobwhite - 7 50 25 13l* 83 6 11 32 175 9 66 22 23 87 33 128 33 74 5 56 38 1097 Ring-necked Pheasant - - 20 34 lit 1*2 11 5 81 1 _ 2 _ 6 - _ _ 1 _ _ _ _ 217 Wild Turkey lit 1 - 1 7 23 King Rail - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2 - 3 - 21 - - 26 Clapper Rail - - - - - - - - - 1 - - - - - - - - 5 - - 6 12 Virginia Rail 1 2 - - - - - 2 It 20 - l - - 2 - - - 81 - - - 113 Sora - - - 1 - - - - 2 5 - 1 - - 1 - - - 13 - - - 23 Black Rail - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 12 - - - 12 Common Gallinule - - 2 - 1 - - 1 3 - - 1* - - 1 - - - 6 - - - 18 American Coot 59 31 2 1 5 _ - _ 10 It _ 6 _ _ - 1 _ _ 1 - _ _ 120 American Oystercatcher 6 6 Semipalmated Plover - - - - - - - - - 3 - - - - - - It - 3 - - 10 20 Killdeer 17 28 31 11 15 33 - 12 25 39 3 31 2 17 18 15 55 1 3 5 It 28 393 Black-bellied Plover 2 1 - - - - - - - - 3 - - 9 15 June 1975 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE CD Gar All Was Fre Mon How Crl Har Bal Ann Cal PrG Cha Cec Ken Que Car Tal Dor Wic Som Wor Total Upland Sandpiper 1 1 Greater Yellowlegs 2 - - 1 9 3 - 20 27 25 - 10 9 2 3 1 16 5 53 - 5 9 200 Lesser Yellowlegs 1 4 2 7 10 - - 6 - 17 - 59 - - 3 1 5 - 36 - - - 151 Solitary Sandpiper 5 8 1 3 29 8 1 4 19 26 - 14 3 - 1 - 1 - 1 - - - 124 Willet 23 - 2 212 237 Spotted Sandpiper 21 5 5 10 26 4 1 6 23 44 - 15 3 2 2 1 2 1 1 - - 2 174 Ruddy Turnstone 33 33 American Woodcock 2 - - 1 2 5 - 1 10 46 - 6 2 - 6 - 2 - 19 - - - 102 Common Snipe - 8 - - 2 - - 1 5 2 - 15 - - l - 3 - 10 - - - 47 Short-billed Dovitcher 1 18 31 Sanderling 2 2 Semipalmated Sandpiper - - 4 - - - - - - 6 - 2 - - - - 15 - 3 - - 20 5° Least Sandpiper 1 9 - 8 - - - - - 9 - - - - 52 - 2 - 58 - - 1 140 White-rumped Sandpiper - - 1 * - - 2 - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 - - - 7 Pectoral Sandpiper - - 1 - - - - - 17 3 - 30 - - - - - - 52 - - - 103 Purple Sandpiper 6 6 Dunlin - - - - - - - - - 3 - - - - - - 3 - 43 - - 240 289 Great Black-backed Gull - - - - - - - 2 - 29 - - 1 1 11 3 - 11 45 - 2 16 121 Herring Gull £>3 - _ - 3 ■- 12 T 38 6 1 1*7 8 220 57 1 35 235 3 32 265 1662 Ring-billed Gull 213 6 - - 7 82 - 96 Ul 1754 - 35 363 l4 135 45 7 25 186 3 50 30 3092 Laughing Gull 315 10 - 12 - 17 14 51 400 253 38 650 390 2150 Bonaparte's Gull 2 - - - - - - - - 54 - - 35 - - - - - - - - - 91 Forster's Tern - - - - - - - - - 15 - - - - - - - - - - - - 15 Common Tern - - - - - - - - - 7 - - - - - - - 25 - - - 130 162 Little Tern - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5 - - 36 41 Royal Tern 5 5 Caspian Tern - - - - - - - - - 5 - - 8 - - - - - - - - 5 18 Black Skimmer 58 58 Rock Dove - 18 - 6 l 250 134 - 117 680 77 - 109 - - 54 19 57 40 - - - - 1616 Mourning Dove 20 23 TO 125 256 290 7 34 395 252 15 160 52 21 137 38 146 50 90 1 12 38 2232 Yellow-billed Cuckoo - - - - 1 1 - - - 1 - - - - - - - - 1 1 - - 5 Black-billed Cuckoo 1 1 Barn Owl _ - - - - 3 - 4 1 1 - - 1 - 2 - - 2 2 - 1 - 17 Common Screech Owl 2 - 2 - - 1 - 2 3 4 - 1 4 - - - - 1 10 - - 1 31 Great Horned Owl It - - 1 1 4 - 2 7 - - 1 - - 2 - 2 - 13 - 1 1 39 Barred Owl 4 - 1 1 16 20 - 1 5 1 - 8 5 - - - 4 1 7 - - 1 75 ro MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol. 31, No Gar All Was Fre Mon How Crl Har BaT Ann Cal PrG Cha Cec Ken Que Car Tal Dor Wic Som Wor Total Chuck-will' s-widow 7 * _ 1 _ 4 _ _ 8 _ — 1 21 Whip-poor-will 2 2 - - - 18 - - 8 13 - 9 6 1 7 - 7 - 23 2 1 ■1 100 Chimney Swift 2 6b 45 132 80 157 15 27 117 164 12 76 20 125 19 29 64 25 9 - 20 24 1226 Ruby-thr. Hummingbird - b 9 - 13 4 - 5 .4 17 4 7 5 4 l4 3 8 2 1 1 5 2 112 Belted Kingfisher 15 5 3 7 23 15 2 3 20 18 1 4 7 5 6 1 7 7 1 1 - 2 153 Common Flicker 78 63 4o 53 87 73 5 51 196 148 1 35 6 7 31 11 29 17 27 8 12 19 997 Pileated Woodpecker 7 12 10 3 30 8 - - 5 S - 6 6 - 1 1 3 - 7 - 1 2 108 Red-bellied Woodpecker - 10 11 24 l4l 101 2 11 84 164 11 84 25 5 52 18 56 5 11 4 4 55 878 Red-headed Woodpecker 3 - 3 1 - - 1 - - 1 - - - - - - - - 1 - - - 10 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 2 3 2 2 8 5 1 - 4 - - 2 - - - 2 3 1 - - - - 35 Hairy Woodpecker 22 - 1 1 13 9 - - 8 5 - 5 - 1 17 2 6 1 3 - - - 94 Downy Woodpecker 4 6 40 23 24 137 94 4 19 108 85 5 42 15 2 21 9 33 1 9 6 1 8 132 Eastern Kingbird 19 2 9 6 32 52 1+ 11 27 29 3 35 10 7 20 6 1+1+ 7 12 - 6 8 3 £9 Great Crested Flycatcher 2 2 2 7 61 13 - 9 13 44 1 12 4 4 7 7 16 6 32 2 - 9 253 Eastern Phoebe 20 20 16 17 4/ 34 7 7 38 8 1 24 9 11 11 3 20 5 - - 1 7 306 Acadian Flycatcher - - - - 21 - - - 1 7 - 1 8 2 2 - 5 - 3 - 2 2 54 Alder Flycatcher 2 2 Least Flycatcher 35 2 - - 1 2 - - 1 1 - - - - 2 - - - - - - - 44 Eastern Pewee 2 1 1 - 11 3 - 1 1+ 1 - - 1 2 - 1 t - 1 2 - 1 38 Olive-sided Flycatcher - - - - - 3 - - 1 - - - - - - - - - - - - 4 Horned Lark 3 1 _ _ - 19 - 1 1 1 - 2 1 9 2 4- 19 - 2 - - 4l 106 Tree Swallow 64 1 48 16 189 10 - l4 120 1382 46 75 65 21 70. 2 134 10 110 - 302 55 2734 Bank Swallow - - - - 2 2 - - 23 121 8 16 - - 1 - 28 6 10 - - - 217 Rough-winged Swallow U 15 7 14 34 2 4 15 14 53 - 11 3 - 2 - 10 - 1 - - 3 192 Barn Swallow 135 15 30 65 127 178 2 33 382 274 1+6 268 77 **7 132 28 275 60 175 20 69 210 2648 Cliff Swallow _ - 20 _ - 11 - - 40 - - 2 - - - - - 1 - - - 74 Purple Martin 32 4 12 53 61 66 - 24 6l Ill 29 83 24 25 27 7 142 11 70 - 38 34 914 Blue Jay 136 71 87 271 4028 2950 175 236 -5183 9050 1162 3445 237 185 302 114 255 25 38 12 l4 27 28003 Northern Raven 5 1 1 7 American Crow 198 64 153 202 425 362 24 64 549 228 18 151 54 18 107 48 149 23 95 6 *+7 31 3016 Fish Crow _ - 1 5 1+3 14 - 10 38 157 3 32 8 3 15 11 13 1+0 28 - 13 10 444 Black-capped Chickadee 190 54 6 3 253 Carolina Chickadee - - 28 64 239 243 8 28- 228 224 10 158 38 21 78 15 117 22 25 22 16 42 1626 Tufted Titmouse 71 98 42 47 207 131 4 33 161 192 8 115 67 9 49 14 117 11 20 12 8 79 1495 White-breasted Nuthatch 53 16 2 5 36 17 2 2 22 2 - 4 - 2 5 - 4 - - 1 - 2 175 Red-breasted Nuthatch 5 _ 2 _ 3 3 _ 1 5 1 _ - 1 - 1 _ 2 - - - - - 24 June 1975 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE CD o Gar All Was Fre Mon How Crl Har Bal Ann Cal PrG Cha, Cec Ken Que Car Tal Dor Wic Som Wor Total Brown-headed Nuthatch 1 4 3 _ 2 - 10 Brown Creeper 1 3 3 2 4 - - - 2 2 - 3 1 - 1 - - 1 1 - - 1 25 House Wren 53 l 8 37 4o 268 6 l 25 20 128 63 2 20 6 7 15 2 15 3 21 8 22 12 846 Winter Wren - - 3 2 2 l - - - 2 - - - - - - - - - - - 1 11 Carolina Wren 4 15 14 35 231 126 2 28 155 231 18 104 51 22 84 23 38 10 43 3 17 63 1317 Marsh Wren 1 1 - - 2 - - 3 7 21 - 5 6 - 4 - 1 - 120 - - - 171 Sedge Wren - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 - - - - - 2 - - - 3 Northern Mockingbird 2 36 66 29 95 219 - 44 239 236 19 95 47 32 128 4l 116 25 28 20 69 33 1619 Gray Catbird 78 36 19 57 186 148 8 40 157 274 26 81 28 15 48 18 81 3 19 6 33 17 1378 Brown Thrasher 65 34 24 37 70 87 6 31 66 172 3 58 17 14 53 20 80 3 18 3 8 15 884 American Robin 559 362 189 212 430 601 12 281 1190 848 46 317 76 230 405 52 347 20 77 57 108 119 6538 Wood Thrush 77 38 1 ? l64 191 3 27 150 286 24 97 43 21 88 28 108 5 34 8 - 93 1549 Hermit Thrush 3 1 2 19 12 2 7 22 25 2 3 2 2 2 1 - - - - - 5 110 Swainson's Thrush 3 - - - 8 3 - 1 31 - 4 - - - - 7 2 - 7 - - - 66 Gray-cheeked Thrush - - - - 1 - - - - - 1 - - - - - - - 2 - - - 4 Veery 10 2 - - 9 15 2 1 75 42 - 5 - 1 2 3 3 - - - 1 - 171 Eastern Bluebird 20 10 55 8 52 30 - 1 6 19 3 54 24 - 9 1 34 5 2 2 8 12 355 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 33 24 26 20 334 166 6 12 108 79 4 97 54 2 10 9 19 - 6 4 5 11 1029 Golden-crowned Kinglet 7 2 3 - 5 3 1 21 Ruby- crowned Kinglet 305 91 18 58 177 68 15 11 93 130 1 32 3 4 17 8 2 3 3 - - 6 1045 Water Pipit _ - 24 380 7 57 - - 6 - - - - - - - 6 - - - - - 480 Cedar Waxwing 2 9 9 19 117 49 - 15 224 217 6 82 21 42 77 3 3 6 - 10 8 45 964 Loggerhead Shrike 1 European Starling 338 308 604 266 887 753 23 317 1487 959 61 562 118 125 596 77 617 70 170 26 4 99 155 9018 White-eyed Vireo 3 1 1 2 8 i 92 2 18 62 150 5 109 43 7 31 17 56 4 25 12 18 64 803 Yellow-throated Vireo 5 1 6 - 33 ' 30 - 1 10 19 2 12 6 - 4 1 3 - 1 1 4 12 151 Solitary Vireo 5 4 3 6 36 11 - 3 10 13 1 6 - - 4 1 - - 2 - - 2 107 Red-eyed Vireo 6 2 - 3 72 38 1 12 24 79 18 75 164 8 10 6 39 2 18 - 1 14 592 Philadelphia Vireo - 1 2 3 Warbling Vireo - 2 8 - 32 - - 4 2 - - 1 - 5 2 - - - - - - - .. 56 Black-and-white Warbler 12 8 1 1 130 4o 2 18 52 105 5 38 10 4 12 13 23 9 12 1 - 27 523 Prothonotary Warbler 1 3 6 1 59 4 - - 1 3 - 10 10 1 6 6 19 - 5 1 2 20 158 Swainson's Warbler 1 1 Worm-eating Warbler 1 1 - - 8 4 - 1 13 11 - - 2 - 3 2 2 - 9 1 - 11 69 Golden-winged Warbler 1 - - - 1 - - - 1 2 - - - - - 1 - - - - - - 6 Brewster's Warbler 1 < o I-* a o no MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Gar All Was Fre Mon How Crl Har Bal Ann Cal FrG Cha Cec Ken Que Car Tal Dor Wic Som Wor Total Blue-winged Warbler _ 1 4 11 _ 1 15 32 _ 8 3 9 3 2 1 2 _ 92 Tennessee Warbler 1 2 1 - 6 2 - - 1 2 - 1 - - - 7 - - - - - — 23 Orange-crowned Warbler 1 1 2 Nashville Warbler 3 2 2 - l4 7 - 1 9 4 - 4 1 - - 1 - - - - - - 48 Northern Parula Warbler 2 4 - - l6l 86 - 3 42 135 11 96 85 3 5 - 5 1 10 - 2 6 657 Yellow Warbler 31 21 21 7 66 46 - 25 70 56 3 25 4 12 55 18 11 4 l4 1 14 8 532 Magnolia Warbler 5 12 - 6 - - 1 3 10 1 2 - - 3 - - - - - - 43 Cape May Warbler 1 2 - 1 10 2 - - 2 3 21 Black-thr. Blue Warbler It 1 - 1 28 9 1 11 10 53 2 3 - 2 6 2 3 2 1 - - 2 l4i Yellow-rumped Warbler 247 50 69 126 960 230 30 81 613 1665 16 506 127 81 167 121 111 18 185 10 86 64 5563 Black-thr. Green Warbler 5 4 - - 51 11 1 4 10 11 1 11 4 - 2 - - - - - - - 115 Cerulean Warbler 2 4 5 - 14 2 - - 2 - - 1 1 31 Blackburnian Warbler 2 _ _ - 6 - - - 1 - - - - 2 - - - - - - - - 11 Yellow-throated Warbler - - 1 - 8 4 - - - 3 - 3 - - 1 - 1 - 3 1 - 8 33 Chestnut-sided Warbler 3 - - _ 3 - 1 - 12 4 1 4 - 3 - - 1 - - - - - 32 Bay-breasted Warbler - - - - 1 - - - - - - - - - - - 1 - - - - 2 Blackpoll Warbler 2 - - - 3 - - - - 2 - - - - 2 - 2 - 1 - - - 12 Pine Warbler l* - - - 3 4 - - 3 10 1 49 10 2 14 1 8 9 30 - - 18 166 Prairie Warbler 6 2 _ - 32 58 - 4 31 1+1 - 48 28 - l4 2 10 5 7 5 8 8 309 Palm Warbler 11 - 1 - 6 7 - 2 6 5 - 2 - 9 1 2 - 1 - - - 1 54 Ovenbird 11 8 1 3 72 73 - 12 69 177 13 59 27 11 29 12 29 2 17 2 i4 77 718 Northern Waterthrush 3 16 6 1 55 4 1 1 7 21 - 6 - - - 1 2 - - - 1 - 125 Louisiana Waterthrush 18 4 5 3 31 40 - 5 13 2 4 4 l4 3 2 6 10 - - 1 - 11 176 Kentucky Warbler - 1 - - 3 15 - 1 3 6 4 11 9 5 - 2 5 - 3 - - 2 _ - 70 Common Yellowthroat Uo 5 8 7 162 181 3 42 159 227 16 185 56 15 136 48 87 13 125 5 27 i4eT 1693 Yellow-breasted Chat - 8 2 3 16 28 - 2 12 26 2 8 10 - 5 2 1 3 4 - 5 1 ■ 138 Hooded Warbler 2 - - - 3 15 - - 4 86 2 16 24 1 - - - - - - - 6 159 Wilson's Warbler - - - - 4 - - - 1 - - - - - - - - - - - - 5 Canada Warbler - - - - 3 - - - - - - 1 - - - - - . - - - - - 4 American Redstart 1 6 1 2 17 58 3 8 22 5>+ 2 42 2 1 6 2 - - - 3 4 33 267 House Sparrow 202 375 28l 207 3^3 27 234 682 303 5l+ 1^5 65 312 252 57 l+ll l+o 110 48 176 174 4592 Bobolink It - - 11 6 4 - - 27 3 60 46 - - - - - 12 - - 1 - 174 Eastern Meadowlark 46 20 50 63 64 135 1 52 6l 38 19 59 37 47 56 32 83 19 105 - 10 35 1032 Red-winged Blackbird 843 225 193 149 760 851 19 121 1168 1139 120 281 197 105 981 257 866 95 1300 7 151 265 10093 Orchard Oriole 1 - 4 1 10 12 - 9 2 21 7 3 3 2 19 5 14 - 17 - 7 2 139 Northern Oriolfe IT 22 26 25 83 42 5 l4 71 32 3 10 4 l4 16 9 19 - 4 2 1 4 423 CD H June 1975 MARYLAND BTRDLIFE Gar All Was Fre Mon How Crl Har Bal Ann Cal PrG Cha Cec Ken Que Car Tal Dor Wic Som Wor Total Rusty Blackbird _ 7 2 5 105 _ 1 3 3 _ 189 _ _ _ _ _ _ 2 _ _ _ 317 Boat-tailed Grackle 26 - 119 73 218 Common Grackle 415 4lU 768 566 104 1 713 67 118 1286 1099 114 606 305 111 748 451 1345 130 960 91 602 545 12495 Brown-headed Cowbird 201 166 29 74 191 154 2 34 232 149 65 101 39 16 46 l4 147 15 33 21 117 153 1999 Scarlet Tanager 3 1 3 - 28 16 - 1 13 53 4 18 9 5 6 9 20 4 6 - - 9 208 Summer Tanager - 1 - - 2 - - - - 3 1 5 2 - - - 3 - 7 - - - 24 Northern Cardinal 1 L 0 i4o 106 95 570 482 13 82 6i4 747 47 225 152 57 242 67 288 28 93 29 140 61 4418 Rose-breasted Grosbeak. 23 7 - - 8 8 - 15 9 19 2 11 2 2 5 1 - 1 - - - - 113 Blue Grosbeak - - - - 1 3 - 2 - 20 1 4 9 2 9 4 20 - 8 - 2 4 89 Indigo Bunting 13 16 5 1 39 38 2 4 20 36 9 15 l4 9 20 4 15 2 1 2 2 2 269 Dickcissel 1 1 Evening Grosbeak 97 40 10 - 25 13 - - 17 91 - 11 6 - 4 - ■ - 2 - 10 - - 326 Purple Finch 58 21 357 57 379 8 £> 17 17 4l 38 1 14 - 9 6 - - - - - - - 1101 House Finch - 9 34 - 5 - - 6 10 4 - 2 - - 1 - - 1 - - - - 72 American Goldfinch 2 U 7 452 336 216 1090 478 36 129 665 526 27 306 38 71 94 20 107 13 30 7 24 59 4971 Rufous-sided Tovhee 166 69 25 25 152 178 3 32 306 336 12 140 107 15 ill 24 143 20 53 11 31 101 2060 Savannah Sparrow 2 4 - - l4 32 - 10 7 124 10 95 3 - 7 10 12 - 63 - - 15 408 Grasshopper Sparrow - - - - 19 36 5 1 3 13 7 15 5 - 2 3 9 - 3 - - 2 123 Henslow's Sparrow 2 2 Sharp- tailed Sparrow 1 1 2 Seaside Sparrow - - - - - - - - - 19 - - 1 - - - - - 103 - - - 123 Vesper Sparrow 1 - - 7 2 10 1 - - 1 - 2 - - - 5 7 - - ■ - - - 36 Northern Junco 20 25 13 2 5 9 2 4 5 5 1 4 2 - 7 - 6 - 2 - 1 1 114 American Tree Sparrow 2 2 Chipping Sparrow 318 137 4l 69 82 90 1 92 285 257 18 43 24 18 149 43 115 12 86 12 18 97 2007 Field Sparrow 96 50 29 31 190 184 44 21 io4 162 34 116 45 9 116 28 59 8 20 1 15 38 1400 White-crowned Sparrow 32 35 35 7 21 29 - 5 4 18 1 3 11 - 42 29 11 1 8 - - 3 295 White-throated Sparrow 133 188 1 U 7 108 772 332 30 202 590 1447 64 154 86 5 393 135 316 40 300 13 42 218 5715 Fox Sparrow 3 - 1 - - 2 - 1 - - - - - - 1 - - - - - - - 8 Lincoln's Sparrow - - - - 1 3 4 Swamp Sparrow 54 1 2 5 67 ll+ - 2 19 50 1 8 3 1 5 5 9 1 4 - 5 7 263 Song Sparrow 102 83 66 54 198 234 20 57' 194 239 23 87 26 64 69 28 25 16 l4 5 17 43 1664 TOTAL SPECIES 143 131 121 111 159 145 66 127 155 184 87 152 130 95 137 112 126 106 1^5 66 90 139 2W TOTAL INDIVIDUALS /7033 4901 18801 750 21252 2461 3954 9610 8798 7314 3985 173565 *■ 4317 4682 13894 3607 31575 11427 2807 2478 2688 656 6575 TOTAL PARTY-HOURS 129*5 98 63 39 i4o 157 8 50 1683s 157 12*5 104 4Us| 8 59*5 14 96 15*s 21 83s 30*5 29*5 l450*s MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol. 31, No. June 1975 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 83 Individual reports and some county compilations trickled in very slowly this year. The last reports weren't received until early in Sep- tember which is partly responsible for the lateness of this June issue. Many of the reports that were submitted lacked some essential information Every count that is submitted, to be complete, should contain: the names of all participants written legibly, starting and stopping times, area covered, party-hours and party-miles, and thorough documentation for rare or unusual species or concentrations. These basic data are needed to make the counts more Meaningful and useful in years to come. The concept of party-hours and party-miles seems to confuse some observers but is actually quite simple. A group of observers, no matter how many, who bird together either by car or foot or some other means, constitute a party as long as all members of the group are within hailing distance of one another. Each hour this group birds together is recorded as 1 party-hour and each mile they travel together is recorded as 1 party mile. Five birders traveling 5 miles on foot in 5 hours would simply list 5 party-miles in 5 party-hours. If the group should split up for a portion of the time each new group would record its party-hours and mileage in the same manner. Groups that bird on or near county lines should separate their coverage by county and should keep a separate tally of species and party-hours and miles for each county. Recording of the actual count still presents something of a problem to the compilers. There are still a few counters who annually submit counts that contain such notations as: "a few robins," "lots of starlings or the near classic "too many to count." At the other extreme is the counter who submits a checklist full of nothing more than x-marks after the name of the species observed. The only value a compiler can assign to any of these notations is 1. Such counts are virtually valueless. Documentation of unusual sightings or rarities is a continuing problem for compilers everywhere. Each year compilers have to contend with such reports as "Joe Doe saw 5 Tasmanian Three-toed Bullfinches." Without careful documentation such reports are valueless. Joe Doe may or may not have seen such a thing. Certainly, the compiler has no way of knowing. The compiler is placed in a bad position by such reports. If the compiler merely prints each and every sighting, no matter how remote the possibility of such a sighting may be, then the risk of ruining his or her own reputation as a careful birder is great. At the same time the literature would become cluttered with many false or inaccurate reports, hardly a desirable thing to have happen. By not publishing such an observation the compiler also may run the risk of upsetting or discouraging a good birder who actually did see what he reported. Documentation — careful, concise, complete documentation — is the answer to the problem. Rarities most certainly do and will continue to occur with regularity and most of these will be duly recorded in count compilations provided they are supported by substantive descrip- tions of habitat, plumage, behavior and circumstances of sighting. Finally, a bird does not always have to be rare or unusual in order to require documentation. Sightings of any species observed outside its normal periods of occurrence, exhibiting unusual behavior, occurring 84 MARY LAUD BIRDLIFE Vol . 31, No. 2 in unusual habitats or circumstances , or occurring in more than usual numbers should he carefully documented. New high totals were established for 74 species on this year's count. The majority of these new highs are not noteworthy since they don't represent any significant changes in population or abundance. However, the exceptionally, high count of 28,003 Blue Jays nearly doubles the previous high of 14,591 set in 1970. The 205 Broad-winged Hawks observed exceeded by far the previous 1973 high of 91* Other species that were observed in numbers nearly twice that of their previous highs were Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Water Pipit, and Yellow- rumped Warbler. Of special importance is the total of 64 Mute Swans (55 from Talbot County^ observed in 1975* This represents a considerable increase over the pre- vious high of 36 set in 1972. Mute Swans were observed in six counties, two of which are on the Western Shore of Maryland. This species is becoming firmly established as a breeding species in Maryland and is steadily increasing its number and its range. Careful documentation of this species' establishment and expansion in Maryland warrants our full attention. SUMMARY OF COVERAGE GARRETT COUNTY (Gar). 40 observers. 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Lydia Beiler, Helen Crouch, Dot Dawson, Alverta Dillon, Alec Doren, Charlotte Folk, Harold Harmon, Ken Hodgdon , Sheila Hughes, Dorothy and Richard Janney, Betty and Joe Johenning, Gus Johnson, Grace Lichty, Elizabeth Mance, Bill and Nancy Nemith, Gordon and Sally Paul, Bill and Fran Pope, Bill and Juanita Pratt, Alice and Ken Ridder, Frances Smith, Billie Taylor, Jackie Torres, Cynthia and Helen Vitez , Mrs. James Wallace, John Willetts, Esther Yoder, John and Sam Yoder, Lowell and Weldon Yoder, Katie and Noah Zook. ALLEGANY COUNTY (All). 27 observers. 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Helen Crouch, James Daulers , Bill Devlin, Dick Douglass, Bill, Robbie and Trudy Eichelberger , Cynthia Eiser, Mr. and Mrs. John Eiser, Jack Elliott, Charlotte Folk, Dale Fuller, Elyse Harmon, John Hansen, Ken Hodgdon (compiler), Dr. and Mrs. Richard Johnson, Dorothea Malec, Lamar Minnick, William Rue, Harriet Sheetz, Mr. and Mrs. Paul Smith, Molly Sommerville , John Willetts, John Workmeister. WASHINGTON COUNTY (Was). 17 observers. (no times given) Laura Arant, Mary Corderman, Dan Cutchall, Frances Cutchall, Leontine Doyle, Truman Doyle, Ellen Edwards, Daniel Foltz, Norma Foltz, Mary Keedy, Robert Keedy, Alice B. Mall one e , Richard Paylor, Carol Sheldon, Napier Shelton, Robert Stockslager, Kent Stouffer. FREDERICK COUNTY (Fre). 11 observers. 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Frances Ann Gilbert, Pat Gowdy, Dave Hansroth, Charles Mullican (compiler), John W. and Ruth 0. Richards, Mary Schneider, August Selckmann, Steve Selckmann, William Shirey, Rick Warfield. MONTGOMERY COUNTY (Mon). 51 observers. 5:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. June 1975 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 85 Sarah Baker, Louise Berry, Chip Bonde, Jo> Bowen, Michael Bowen, Olin Browne, Ellen Caswell, Robert Caswell, Paris Coleman, Barry Cooper, Dave Cutler, Dan Delattore , Dave Fallow, Maxmilian Goepp, Delores Grant, Anita Gunn, Dave Hahn, Bob Hahn, Richard Hall, Harry Hogan, Vincent Jones, Joe Keenan, Margaret Keenan, Bonnie Kennedy, Barbara Lund, Stuart Lucy and Nancy MacClintock, Ed Miller, Don Millman, Ann Mitchell, Harvey Mudd, Marion Mudd, David Nutter, Bill Oberman, Lola Oberman, Ted Oberman Ray Prybis, Bob Pyle, Pete Pyle, Betty Riedel, Frank Schaff, Judith Shaw Grace Sims, Bruce Steub, John Vance, William Wendell, Bob Whitcomb, Don Widman, Claudia Wilds, Jim Wilkinson, Vee Willet. HOWARD COUNTY (How). 30 observers. h: 1+0 a.m. to 7 = ^5 p.m. Martha Chestem, Morris Collins, Frances Dawson, Sam Droege, Alice Fazekas, Andy Hauck, John Healy, Larry Hood, Beverly Hotz, Patricia Johnson, Erwin Klaas, Kathy Klimkiewicz, V. and Mercia Krishnamoorthy , Wayne Landrum, Tim Manns, Marjorie Mountjoy, Thomas Moyer, Rosamond Munro, Philip Muth, Dorothy Rauth, Fred, Nan and Elizabeth Rhinelander, Chandler and Eleanor Robbins, Evelyn Roberts, Jay Sheppard, Jo Solem, Mark Wallace. CARROLL COUNTY (Crl). 6 observers, (no times given) M. Susan Bollinger, Mr. and Mrs. Robert B. Lyon, Mrs. Mrak, Mary Grace O'Rourke, Margaret C. Stevenson. HARFORD COUNTY (Har) . 19 observers. (no times given) Barbara Bilsborough, Bill Braerman, Hammond and Thirza Brandt, Martin Brazan, Toni and Kathy Burke, Margaret Coole, Doug and Linda Hackman, Mr. and Mrs. Walter Kohout , John Robinson, Dave Smith, Spike and Linda Updegrove, Frances Trego, John and Adel Wortman. BALTIMORE COUNTY (Bal). 6l observers. 12:01 a.m. to 8:55 p-m. Clay Andres, Tom Andres, Gifford Beaton, Martin Brazan, Dot Clark, Douglas and Joan Cook, Bill Corliss, Jim Corliss, John Cullom, Jane Daniels, Jo Ann Dreyer, Jim Emerson, Lansing Fulford, Janet Ganter, Shirley Geddes , Rose Gerringer, Marion Glass, Doug and Linda Hackman, David Holmes, Clark Jeschke, Craig and Colin Jeshke, Dr. and Mrs. J. T. H. Johnson, Haven Kolb, Mrs. M. G. Larrabee, Ono Lescure, Bud, Marlene and Gay Letsch, Mrs. Alan S. Markham, Bruce McClary, Randie, David and Jeff Mulholland, Mrs. Perlman, Ben Poscover, Benjie Poscover, George Poscover, James W. Poultney, John Poteet , Brian Reilly, Mrs. Joshua W. Rowe, Doug Santoni , Joe Schreiber, Marge Shipley, Robert P. Smith, Jr., Chris Slaughter, Eddie Slaughter, Eileen Spring and 6 observers, Mrs. Leo J. Vollmer, Etta Wedge, Joy Wheeler. ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY (Ann). 1+3 observers. U : 15 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Veronica Amoss , Ann Anderson, William Anderson, Robert Augustine, Bruce Bilbec , Peggie Bishop, Rena Bishop, Charles Buchanan, Danny Bystrak (compiler), James Cheevers , Amelia Cochran, Richard Compton, Philip A. DuMont, Mary Ellen Ewing, Patricia Flory , Ellen Gizzarelli, Mary W. Goldman, Mark Hoffman, David Howard, Marguerite Howard, Mary Johnson, R. E. L. Johnson, Doug Joyce, Emily Joyce, Steve Joyce, Patricia Lawrence, Patricia Mehlhop, Ben Pagac , Helen Passano, Pat Rogers, 86 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol . 31, No. 2 K. Friel Sanders, Mike Schauff, Mary Smith, Nathan Smith, Phil Stoddard, Carol Swartz, Sally Symington, John Symonds , Ben Tappan, Ginny Vroblesky, Jon Vroblesky, Ed Weir, Hal Wierenga. CALVERT COUNTY (Cal). 3 observers. 7:00 a.m. to L:30 p.m. John Fales, Mary W. Goldman, K. Friel Sanders. PRINCE GEORGES COUNTY (PrG). 33 observers. (no times given) Ralph and Steve Andrews, Adam Bean, Jim Bruce, Mr. and Mrs. Bill Curren, Chuck DuPree, Luther Goldman, Jerry and Joyce Longcore, Chris Ludwig, Sam Lyon, Elwood Martin, Bill Murphy, William O' Kelley, Robert and Bill* Patterson, Chan and Stuart Robbins, Mike Sorensen, Bruce Steub, Bob Whitcomb,