ISSN 011 * 7-9725 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Suttstin of tfiz d\/[az\jta n U ° 8 Beach Drive, Annapolis 21403 267-8^17 EXECUTIVE COUNCIL Mr. Paul Bystrak 110 Linda Lane, Millersville 21108 923-6875 Mr. James W. Cheevers 2855 South Haven Rd. , Annapolis 21401 224-2061 Mr. John Cullom 437 Paradise Ave., Baltimore 21228 7^7-5870 Mrs. Dorothy Mendinhall Damsite, R.D. 2, Chestertown 21620 778-0826 Mr. Edward Peters 5 Plum Tree Lane, Williamsport 21795 223-8540 Mr. August Selckmann Rt. 2,' Box 212, Frederick 21701 87^-2515 Miss Claudia P. Wilds 3331 N St., W.W. , Washington, D.C. 20007 333-5769 STATE TRUSTEES Allegany: *Mr. Kendrick Y. Hodgdon Harford: Mrs. Robert J. Hiegel Anne Arundel: *Mr. James W. Cheevers Howard: Mrs. Laddie Flyger Mr. John C. Ford, Jr. *Mr. Eldred Johnson Col. Leland Devore Mr . John Wort man *Dr. R. Benjamin Dawson Mrs . Martha Che stem Baltimore: *Mr. John Cullom Mrs. C. Lockard Conley Miss Jane Daniels Mrs. Raymond Geddes Dr. Roger Herriott Mrs. Edward A. Metcalf Dr. Benjamin F. Poscover Mr. Chandler S. Robbins Mrs. Joshua Rowe Caroline: #Mr. Thomas A. Robbins Mr. Stephen Westre Dorchester: #Mr. Elmer Mowbray, Jr. y Mr. Milton Webster t ^ Frederick: *Mrs. Phyllis Hodge Mr. August Selckmann * Chapter President Kent: *Dr. Daniel Z. Gibson Mrs . Edward Mendinhall Montgomery : *Miss Claudia P. Wilds Mr. Robert Hahn Dr. J. William Oberman Mr. Richard A. Rowlett Patuxent : *Mr. & Mrs. Paul Bystrak Mr. Danny Bystrak - Talbot : *Mrs. John W. Ropes Mrs. Katherine B. Bauer Mr. Ray H. Bryan Washington : *Mr . Robert Keedy Mr. Edward Peters 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 $ 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 installments ) Member-at-Large , Cover: Carolina Wren,. drawn by Mimi Whitcomb 5.00 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE h> ir^lllll mill Volume 33 March 1977 Number 1 EVIDENCE OF WINTER MORTALITY FROM CHRISTMAS COUNT AND SUBSEQUENT INTENSIVE COVERAGE AT BELTSVILLE Committee of Biologists for Preservation of Natural Areas Since 1971 the Bowie Christmas Bird Count has provided information on winter bird populations in Maryland's western coastal plain. One of the most productive sectors of this 15-mile diameter count circle, by virture of its habitat diversity and thoroughness of coverage, has been that comprising the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center. In 197 1 *, a portion of the Center, including some of the most diverse and interesting habitat, was declared excess, and may now be masterplanned as open space and recreational land. This area has recently been termed 1 the "Belts- ville Federal Masterplan Area" (BFMA). In the 1976 Christmas Bird Count on January 1, 1977, BFMA was cov- ered as a discrete sector of the Bowie circle. Basically, two parties covered its 2700 acres. One party worked the area leased by NASA for its Goddard Space Flight Center functions; the other party covered the portion currently administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The cov- erage accorded these acres was considered thorough, by Christmas Count standards. In all, 29 party-hours were committed, and a total of U 7 species recorded. Nevertheless, there remained nagging doubts in the minds of the Christmas counters. How thoroughly had the area really been covered? Would further coverage turn up additional species? We strongly suspected this would be the case, since graphs of party-hours vs. species for other Christmas Count territories suggested that most territories on Maryland Christmas Counts receive far less than optimal coverage. For example, the graphs for the Center territory at Ocean City show that although the 1976 coverage had been the most intensive in history., with a record 111 species recorded, the 23-year species pool for the territory was actually 170 species. Although all species in a long-term species pool are not available every year, investment of additional party-hours in any given 1 CBPNA (Committee of Biologists for Preservation of Natural Areas). 1976. Beltsville Federal .Masterplan Area: Biological and Research Values and Recommendations for Land Use Master Planning. Draft. Pub- lished by Prince George's Audubon Society, P0 Box 693, Bowie, Md. 20715 h MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol territory should uncover a substantial number of additional species. Such factors were of sufficient interest to motivate l4 members 2 of the CBPNA (Committee of Biologists for the Preservation of Natural Areas) to attempt an intensive coverage of the BFMA area on January 15, two weeks after the Christmas Count. All birds observed in each of six subsections were recorded on maps, and the totals were obtained from the maps after eliminating duplication. The comparison between the Christmas Count survey and the intensive census trip on January 15 (IC1) comprises one portion of this report. The intensive coverage day of January 15 immediately followed a severe ice storm, which was itself a feature in the early stages of the most severe winter onslaught in Maryland in decades. The weather of early January and the weeks following the intensive survey was obviously perilous to many winter resident bird species. The existence of two baseline surveys suggested that a third count, similar to the intensive census of January 15 would be of great interest. It was hoped that such a count would reveal changes in populations as a result of mortality. Accordingly, the team of censusers, largely composed of the same per- sonnel, recensused the BFMA area on February 19 (IC2). By this date, we felt the worst of the winter weather had passed, and with a few ex- ceptions, spring movements had not begun. The changes in populations on the BFMA resulting from this severe winter onslaught form a second portion of this report. Weather conditions for the three days are summarized in Table 1. Table 1. Weather conditions during the three counts Date of count Weather condition Dec. 2k Jan. 15 Feb . 19 Sky Temperature (F.) Wind (mph) Snow cover Ponds Clear 15 °- 28 ° NW, 12-30 None Partly frozen Clear after ice storm 2T°-37° nw, 5-10 U" , hard crust Hard frozen Overcast 30°-l+6° SW, '5-10 Ice patches Thawing RESULTS The totals for the Christmas Count and the two subsequent intensive coverages are presented in Table 2. Subtotals from each of the six sub- sections for the two intensive counts are presented also, since they give a good measure of the internal variability of the counts . With few exceptions, the subtotals show the same population trends in all or most of the subsections. 2 The participants were: Danny Bystrak, Sam Droege, Charles DuPree, Luther Goldman, Paul Jung, Stuart, Nancy and Lucy MacClintock, Paul Nytisco, Robert and William Patterson, Chandler Robbins, and Robert and Stephen Whitcomb. March 1977 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 5 Table 2. Comparison of BFMA Coverage on Three Winter Days Species Christmas" Count Intensive Count Days Subsections (Jan. 15. Feb. 19) Jan. 15 Feb. 19 1 2 3 4 5 6 Canada Goose 560 0 329 0,0 0,0 0,+ 0,0 0,0 0,329 Great Blue Heron 0 1 1 0,0 0,0 0,1 0,0 1,0 0,0 Ring-billed Gull 0 2 3 2,0 0,3 0,0 0,0 0,0 0,0 Turkey Vulture 7 5 20 0,4 0,0 2,7 1,1 + .7 2,1 Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 3 0 0,0 + .0 0.0 1,0 1.0 1.0 Cooper's Hawk 1 1 1 0^ 0,0 0,1 0,0 1,0 0,0 Red-tailed Hawk 4 3 3 + .0 + ,0 + ,+ +,+ +,o 0,0 Red-shouldered Hawk 4 5 9 + ,+ ■f, + + ,+ +,+ + ,+ + .+ Rough-legged Hawk 0 1 0 0.0 0.0 0,0 0,0 1,0 0,0 Northern Harrier 0 1 1 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 0.1 0.0 American Kestrel 4 1 2 0,1 +.0 1,0 0,0 0,0 +.1 Common Bobwhite 31 61 26 9,0 0.9 12,0 28,17 0,0 12,0 Ring-necked Pheasant 1 0 1 0,0 0,0 0,1 0,0 0,0 0,0 Kllldeer 1 0 2 0,1 0,0 0,1 0,0 0,0 0,0 Rock Dove 5 21 11 0,4 1.0 20,8 0.0 0,0 0.3 Mourning Dove 190 101 174 13,23 4,15 34,53 26,60 22,4 2,19 Common Screech Owl 1 5 5 0,0 1,1 0,0 0,0 3,3 1,1 Great Homed Owl 0 3 1 2,0 0,0 0,0 0,0 0,0 1,1 Common Flicker 5 18 60 2,2 3,3 2,1 9,49 1,4 1,1 Pileated Woodpecker 0 1 1 + .1 1.0 0,0 0,0 0.0 +.0 Red-bellied Woodpecker 4 35 48 9,8 7,12 4,9 5,6 2,3 8,10 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 0 3 0 0,0 0,0 0,0 0,0 3,0 0,0 Hairy Woodpecker 4 9 12 1.4 2,2 1,2 1,3 2,0 2,1 Downy Woodpecker a 34 30 10,9 ' 4,9 6,4 3,2 1,1 10,5 Homed Lark 0 61 1 0,0 +.0 60,0 1,0 0,1 0,0 Blue Jay 43 108 123 24,21 8,19 42,53 10,11 “5^12 8,7 American Crow 64 122 185 25,0 + .10 57,41 10,20 18,49 8,65 Fish Crow 1 2 2 0,0 1,1 0,0 1,1 0,0 0,0 Carolina Chickadee 54 119 200 40,112 18,19 12,22 5,6 24,6 20,35 Tufted Titmouse 13 70 67 14,12 30,25 6,5 4,4 2.2 14,19 Red-breasted Nuthatch 9 7 8 675 “o^o - 0,1 0,0 0,0 1,2 White-breasted Nuthatch 0 0 1 \ 0,0 0,0 0,0 0,0 0,0 0,1 Brown Creeper 3 16 22 N 2,6 5,9 0,3 0,0 7,0 2,4 Winter Wren 1 0 0 0,0 0,0 0,0 0,0 0,0 0,0 Carolina Wren 14 20 3 7,2 0.0 6.1 2,0 2.0 3.0 Northern Mockingbird 12 21 18 5,14 3,0 2,2 4,0 2,0 5,2 Brown Thrasher 0 2 1 1,0 1,0 0,1 0,0 0,0 0,0 American Robin 0 3 4 3,1 0,1 0,0 0,0 0,2 0,0 Hermit Thrush 4 14 3 9,3 0,0 1,0 1,0 2,0 1,0 Eastern Bluebird 17 21 4 9,2 0,0 2.0 4,0 3.0 3,2 Golden-crowned Kinglet 17 27 0 4,0 5,0 1,0 1,0 3,0 ■ 13,0 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1 3 0 0,0 0,0 0,0 0,0 3,0 0,0 Water Pipit 0 1 0 0,0 0,0 0,0 0,0 0,0 1,0 Cedar Waxwing 0 123 0 0,0 + .0 100,0 0,0 8,0 15,0 European Starling 184 881 991 56,68 + ,8 820,887 0,0 2,5 3,23 Myrtle Warbler 2 1 2 0,0 1,2 0,0 0,0 0,0 0,0 House Sparrow 20 100 113 1.35 0,2 98,68 0,0 + ,0 1,8 Eastern Meadowlark 17 1 4 0,0 0,0 0,0 0,3 1,1 0,0 Red-winged Blackbird 6 177 78 152,1 + .1 0,14 0,10 25,12 0,40 Common Crackle 0 772 19 2,0 + .0 2,4 0,8 635,4 133,3 Brown-headed Cowbird 0 0 278 0,0 0,0 0,278 0,0 0.0 0,0 Northern Cardinal 54 118 118 17,18 7,32 61,30 10,30 15,4 8,4 ^ Evening Grosbeak 2 28 19 1,9 3,3 4,0 1.5 15,0 4,2 House Finch 10 0 4 0,0 0,0 0,0 0,0 0,4 0,0 Purple Finch 0 9 35 5,3 3,32 0.0 0.0 0,0 1,0 American Goldfinch 24 110 34 4,2 2,5 16,26 7.0 80,0 1,1 Rufous-sided Towhee 9 20 16 4,1 2,2 4,3 2,0 2,0 6,10 Savannah Sparrow 1 8 2 0,0 1,0 2,0 4,0 0,0 1,2 Northern Junco 200 452 355 23,86 109,35 183,164 43,25 80,9 26,36 American Tree Sparrow 2 11 12 0,0 7,4 1,6 1.2 2.0 0.0 Field Sparrow 27 83 57 32,14 12,0 17,21 10,4 3,18 4,0 White-crowned Sparrow 0 2 0 0,0 0,0 1,0 1,0 +,0 0,0 White-throated Sparrow 167 201 127 36,22 10,27 22,37 24,8 13,0 36,33 Swamp Sparrow 4 3 1 1,1 2,0 0,0 0.0 0,0 0,0 Song Sparrow 74 127 82 31,30 11,4 33,12 11,12 34,20 7.4 Total Species 47 59 56 Total Party Hours 29 68 52 6 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol . 33, No, 1 Comparison of Christmas Count Coverage with Intensive Coverage . In the count of January^ 5 (IC1), 68 party-hours were invested, compared with 29 party-hours on January 1. The species total was increased from 47 to 59. In the 2-week period January 1-15, some population changes were evident. These included: (l) Disappearance of Canada Goose, as open water froze; (2) Reduction in numbers of open field birds, with the exception of Horned Lark and Water Pipit; these two species may simply have been more detectable against ice and snow, than on bare ground; (3) Winter finches (Evening Grosbeak and Purple Finch) had increased in numbers in the Washington area between the two counts; (4) Winter Wren, a normal winter resident of BFMA, was already very low on Count day, and had disappeared by IC1. Carolina Wrens were quiet on ICT day, and the numbers recorded, considering intensity of coverage, seemed low; mortality of this species may already have begun by January 15; (5) In- creased totals of House Sparrows and European Starlings were certainly artifacts, resulting from more careful coverage on IC1; (6) Common Grackles and Red-winged Blackbirds were counted overhead from a number of stations in the morning of January 15, but were missed on Count day; none were seen feeding within the BFMA on either day. More interesting than the differences between the 2 counts were the similarities. The 68 party-hours on IC1 were spread throughout the 2700 acres of BFMA, so that almost all parts of the parcel received some cov- erage. The ratio of party-hours on IC1 vs. Christmas Count Day was 2.34, which is very similar to the ratio of total individual birds re- ported, if only the stable wintering population is considered (bobwhite, woodpeckers, jays, crows, tits, nuthatches, creepers, wrens, mimids , thrushes, kinglets, warblers, and all fringillids except winter finches). Totals of these species were 1851 on IC1 VS. 869 on Count day. This ratio is 2.13. Probably, if party-hours spent walking fields, barren barnyards, etc. were deducted, and especially, time lost combating the ice crust, or attempting to hear birds through the barrage of ice that began falling from the trees about 10:30 a.m. , the individual birds per hour may have been about the same on both days. Further increases in party-hours, however, would not produce similar efficiency, since all members of the censusing group felt that they had extended optimum attention to the various habitats within their subsections; hence, the party-hours of 68 for the 2700 acres can be taken as a rough estimate of the coverage required to efficiently cover a packet of mixed habitat of that size. It therefore seems that most land "territory," as defined in local Christmas Bird Counts, could profitably receive much more inten- sive coverage without loss of efficiency. Comparison of First and Second Intensive Counts . In all, 52 party- hours were expended on IC2; the decrease from 68 was distributed rather evenly among the six subsections. The participants unanimously felt that the coverage on IC2 was equivalent to or more extensive than the earlier coverage. On IC2 day, there were no problems with extensive March 1977 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 7 ice or snow cover, enabling more efficient coverage; also, there was no background noise of falling ice. Counts of stable, hardy bird species fully support this impression. Species showing no change or slight increases, for example, include raptors, woodpeckers, jays, crows, tits, nuthatches and creepers. These birds represent the "hard-core" of permanent or winter residents in eastern North America. Finches and sparrows, on the other hand, are less well adapted to overwinter where persistent deep snow cover may bury their seed re- sources for long periods. Accordingly, only cardinals and northern finches held their own in our comparisons. A paired t-test showed that sparrows as a group (with the notable exception of the hardy American Tree Sparrow) suffered a significant (p < .05) decline. The decrease in bobwhite is probably real, although this cannot be dem- onstrated statistically because of the extreme variability resulting from its flocking behavior. Other species have even more tenuous status as winter residents in the western shore coastal plain. Significant (p < .05) declines in the Carolina Wren and Eastern Bluebird were particularly striking, and almost certainly reflect high mortality. Hermit Thrushes also decreased in all of the five territories in which they were detected. Although we were not surprised to find that Ruby-crowned Kinglets had disappeared between the two intensive counts (but note the small sample size) , we were surprised to find that Golden-crowned Kinglets had totally dis- appeared from the area, dropping from 27 to 0. We had expected this species, a normal hardy winter resident, to fare better than this, and have no explanation for such a dramatic .decrease. Winter Species Pool of BFMA . In all, 65 species were recorded on the three days of censusing and surveys. Four other species — Black Duck, Black Vulture, Herring Gull and Barred Owl, were recorded in the five-week interval between IC1 and IC2. In winters in which Beck J Lake is not frozen, several water birds occur frequently on BFMA. These include Pied-billed Grebe, Mallard, Ring-necked Duck, Common Goldeneye, Hooded and Common Mergansers and Belted Kingfisher. About 10 other duck species occur less frequently. Land birds recorded on BFMA in other winters include American Woodcock, Black-capped Chickadee, Rusty . Blackbird, Chipping Sparrow and Fox Sparrow. Also, Pine Siskins and Red Crossbills are common in BFMA pine woods in years of irruptions of northern finches. In suitable years, under appropriate conditions, therefore, the BFMA serves as winter habitat for nearly all the species recorded within the Bowie Christmas Count circle. s A final comment is in order concerning raptorial bird species.- In the course of this winter's studies, we noted 11 species of raptors on BFMA. In other years. Saw-whet Owl, Barn Owl and Bald Eagle have been reported. The significance of this minimally disturbed area, in con- junction with the adjacent Patuxent Wildlife Research Center and the , remaining acres of the U.S.D.A. Research Center, as an overwintering and breeding refuge for raptorial birds is obvious. 8 MARYLAND BIRLDIFE vm . 83, No. 1 SUMMARY AND DISCUSSION The Beltsville Federal Masterplan Area (BFMA) is composed of a rich mixture of upland pine and deciduous forest and a moderate amount of small stream floodplain, open fields and edge hahitat. Our results suggest that such an area, consisting of 2700 acres of mixed hahitat, could profitably absorb 52 party-hours in good weather, or 68 party- hours in adverse conditions for the purpose of winter coverage. Our three surveys of this area revealed the dynamic nature of bird popula- tions, even in midwinter, as water birds responded to freezing of their habitats, winter finches continued to arrive in modest numbers in mid- winter, and wandering vagrant species such as Cedar Waxwing arrived and disappeared unpredictably . The stable population of winter residents (bobwhite, woodpeckers, jays, crows, tits, nuthatches and creepers) survived even the harsh winter of 1976-77, attesting to their adaptation for winter survival. However, our results suggest that Carolina Wren, Hermit Thrush, Eastern Bluebird and kinglets were severely impacted. Most fringillids, northern finches excepted, also suffered, but less drastically. Reductions in populations of some of these species may offer exceptional opportunities to study population interactions be- tween the impacted species and other species, particularly neotropical migrants, with which they may compete in the summer. 700 Midland Rd. , Silver Spring, Md. 2090k IMPACT OF THE SEVERE WINTER OF 1977 ON WOODLAND BIRDS IN THE MARYLAND PIEDMONT Chandler S. Bobbins Marylanders, wildlife as well as people, have just experienced the most severe winter in more than 35 years . Although total snowfall in central Maryland was only slightly in excess of the long-term average, snow that fell on Christmas day 1976 remained on the ground in shady places for two months or more. Temperatures remained subnormal for 28 consecutive days, from Dec. 30 to Jan. 27, with long periods of hard freezing weather. An ice storm on Jan. 1^-15 covered the snow with a thick crust, which sealed up the normal food resources of many of the ground- feeding species. For the next nine days the temperature remained below freezing. On Jan. 17 it dropped to or below 0°F . in all parts of the State (0° at Salisbury, -5° at Clarksville, -17° at Hagerstown). Since the five preceding Maryland winters had been unusually mild, pop- ulations of the half-hardy permanent residents such as Carolina Wren had been increasing and extending their range to higher elevations; winter mortality of other species also had been lower than normal. Thus, the impact of the 1977 winter was accentuated. In the valley of the Middle Patuxent River at Columbia in Howard County (3 miles from the Clarksville weather station), I have been study- ing winter bird populations on two woodland plots since 1972. One plot. March 1977 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 9 located in the floodplain, consists of 45.5 acres; the other, in the adjacent upland, contains 29.6 acres. The vegetation of both plots has previously been described {Robbins, American Birds 25:963-964, 971)* Censusing of both plots has been standardized. Each winter from early January to mi d- February , four early morning and four late afternoon census trips have been conducted in each plot. Results of the various Winter Bird-Population Studies have been published in the June issues of American Birds through 1975 and in the December issue in 1976. Unlike the Christmas Bird Counts, the Winter Bird-Population Studies are con- ducted in the dead of winter when the bird population is relatively sta- ble. The purpose of the present paper is to go into more detail regard- ing observed effects of the weather conditions on bird populations than is possible in the reports published in American Birds. In a normal year in the Columbia plots, the supply of poison ivy berries lasts throughout the census period, and few changes in bird populations are noted during this six-week period. In the winter of 1976 - 77 , however, the poison ivy berries were consumed much earlier than usual {either because of a smaller crop or greater demand) and by the end of January only a small number of berries, nearly all tiny ones, remained on the vines. Any berries that had fallen to the ground were buried under a hard crust of snow and were not available to the birds. The first two trips through the upland plot were made on the after- noon of Jan. 8 and the morning of Jan. 9, before the worst of the cold weather. It is interesting to compare the results of these two trips with the later ones (Jan. 20 through Feb. 12) because of the drastic decline in several species {left two columns of Table 1). Little change in the numbers of woodpeckers, chickadees, titmice, and finches was noted, but the Carolina Wren disappeared entirely, the White-throated Sparrow virtually disappeared, and the Hermit Thrush and Yellow- rumped Warbler dropped to a small percentage of their previous numbers. ^ Unfortunately, no direct comparison is available for the floodplain plot because the first trip there was not taken until Jan. 22, after the greatest impact of the severe weather had been felt. During the period Jan. 22 through Feb. 12, populations remained quite stable in the flood- plain plot, suggesting that most of the winter mortality had indeed taken place before the beginning of the 1977 study. Both the floodplain and upland study plots lie within the Triadel- phia Reservoir Christmas Bird Count (CBC) circle, and each year I cover a section of the Middle Patuxent Valley, including both plots, as part of this Christmas Count. Total coverage on the Triadelphia CBC was similar in both years (198 party-hours on Jan. 1, 1976 and 206 on Dec. 24, 1976 , and with comparable but a little windier weather on the latter date). Thus, the Christmas Count totals {Table l) for these two years can be compared directly to get an indication of relative populations before the onset of the severe weather. And finally, the pair of. columns at the right in Table gives a com- parison between the floodplain study plot in January-February 1976 and 10 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol . 33, No. 1 January-February 19TT- All study plot figures in Table 1 are 2-trip ■ totals (a morning trip and an afternoon trip) or means of 2-trip totals. Table 1. Bird population changes in Upland and Floodplain study plots as compared with Christmas Count figures 1 Upland, 1977 Christmas Floodplain 1/8-9 1/20-2/12 1976 1977 1976 1977 Species minimally affected Red-bellied Woodpecker 4 6.33 124 154 13.75 11.00 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1 1.00 3 11 2.75 3.50 Hairy Woodpecker 0 2.00 36 37 4.00 2.00 Eastern Bluebird 0 0 100 54 1.25 2.75 Purple Finch 0 2.00 34 93 7.25 2.50 American Goldfinch 1 0 364 380 1.50 ■ 4.50 Subtotals 6 11.33 661 729 30.50 26.25 Species moderately affected Common Flicker 2 0.50 102 102 17.00 1.75 Downy Woodpecker 7 6.67 166 160 21.50 11.50 Carolina Chickadee 6 6.00 749 638 19.50 11.25 Tufted Titmouse 4 6.00 274 293 17.75 8.75 Northern Cardinal _6 2.00 790 958 20.50 8.50 Subtotals 25 21.17 2081 2151 96.25 41.75 Species severely affected Belted Kingfisher 0 0 31 24 1.00 0 Winter Wren 0 0 21 18 2.25 0 Carolina Wren 2 0 308 301 9.25 0 Hermit Thrush 0.67 6 32 0 0 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 0 0 25 16 2.00 0 Yellow-rumped Warbler 7 1.67 68 65 129.75 17.00 Rufous-sided Towhee 0 0 23 49 1.00 0 White-throated Sparrow 33 0.33 2146 2443 31.75 3.25 Subtotals 46 2.67 2628 2948 177-00 20.25 lumbers are either 2-trip totals or means of 2-trip totals I examined the results of the eight trips in each plot in 1976 and in 1977 (total of 32 trips), species by species, using analysis of var- iance to detect significant population changes between 1976 and 1977- In this connection it is important to note that most species in Table 1 were found in similar numbers on both CBC's or in larger numbers on the December 1976 CBC. Christmas Count totals for the Hairy Woodpecker, Common Flicker, Downy Woodpecker, Carolina Wren, Yellow-rumped Warbler, and American Goldfinch were nearly identical (within 5 !) both years; only the Belted Kingfisher, Carolina Chickadee, Winter Wren, Eastern Bluebird, and Ruby-crowned Kinglet were appreciably lower at the begin- ning of 1977- March 1977 MARYLAND BIRD LIFE 11 The analysis of variance, comparing all 1976 trips through the study plots with all 1977 trips, showed a highly significant (p < .05) drop in the 1977 counts of the .Belted Kingfisher, Rufous-sided Towhee, and White- throated Sparrow. Since the Belted Kingfisher, Winter Wren, and Ruby- crowned Kinglet were reported in lower numbers on the December 1976 CBC than in the previous year, I reduced the study plot figures for 1976 by the same percentage^ in an attempt to compensate for this lower population at the beginning of the 1976-77 winter. Even with this adjustment, the differences between the 1976 and 1977 study plot figures were statisti- cally significant at the levels indicated, suggesting that the severe weather had affected the populations of these three species. With one exception, woodpeckers and finches seemed well adapted to survive the abnormal cold and the prolonged icy conditions. All of the woodpeckers in my study plots rely heavily on poison ivy berries in a normal winter, and except for the flicker they seem capable of exploiting other food sources when these berries are not available. Yellow-rumped Warblers, on the other hand, use poison ivy berries as their staple food (except on warm days when insects are available), so they were hard pressed to survive when the berry crop became exhausted before the return of warm weather. A few Yellow-rumps fed at sapsucker drillings, but not enough of these drillings were available to support the early winter population of warblers. Carolina Wrens, Winter Wrens, and Ruby-crowned Kinglets- winter reg- ularly in the study plots, especially the floodplain plot. The winter of 1977 was the first in six that they were not recorded in the floodplain. Although all three of the species occasionally feed on poison ivy berries, they also find much insect food in a normal winter. The combination of severe cold, ice-covered trees, and heavily crusted snow apparently caused a complete wipeout of these species not only within the study plots but throughout the surrounding area as well, except that a few Carolina Wrens survived at feeding stations one-half mile or more away. Kingfishers would have been -unable to feed during much of the study period. In the past they have been present every winter, but have dis- appeared for a few days at a time when ice formed on parts of the river. This year, however, they did not return when the ice began to break up. Although the treetop feeding finches were present in normal numbers , considering their vagrant habits, the ground- feeding fringillids, cardi- nal, towhee, and White-throat, declined significantly. These three spe- cies, in common with so many of the regularly wintering species, rely heavily on the poison ivy berries , which normally remain available long after the Japanese honeysuckle and other berries have been consumed. Thus, when the poison ivy berries disappeared while the ground was still sealed under ice strong enough to support a man, these normally hardy birds either perished on their winter territories or wandered off in a futile search for better pickings. Migratory Bird and Habitat Research Laboratory, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Laurel, Md. 20811 12 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol . 33, Wo. 1 OILED BIRDS SEEN AT OCEAN CITY, MARYLAND Paul G. DuMont On December 31, 1976, while birding at the Ocean City jetties from midafternoon on, I noted an unusually large number of birds with oil stain on their feathers. The following notes are of interest in light of the recent oil spills by tankers in Delaware Bay and off Nantucket Island, Mass., earlier this month. Among the 100 or so gulls standing on the packed-sand beach above the north jetty were a Ring-billed and 5 Herring Gulls with brown stain- ing and matted feathers on the upper wing coverts. Five of the 6 gulls had brown stain-bands across the breast, along the flanks, and across the vent-undertail areas — a broad, dark "bathtub ring" effect. Two of the Herring Gulls had matted feathers on the front of the face. None of these apparently oil-stained birds had any trouble flying when I pushed the whole flock into flight. Among the flock of 150 'or so Bonaparte’s Gulls feeding over and resting on the roiling waters off the end of the south jetty was one winter-plumaged adult with a jet black, sharply demarcated, apparent oil stain across the lower belly and undertail feathers. The flight feathers had a very dark shadowing (suggesting staining) the full length of each feather and extending through all the secondaries and three or four fea- thers into the primaries. No other feather parts appeared discolored. This Bonaparte's had no trouble flying or attempting to feed on the wing. Twice after it dropped to rest on the water, it took to flight again with no apparent problem. Two of the Oldsquaws in the flock of sea ducks feeding off the end of the south jetty appeared to have brown stains along the flanks. They also had irregular, dark areas on the face and neck, but I was unsure whether this might be staining or normal plumage variation. Both birds appeared healthy, dove regularly, and did no preening. Around U p.m. , a "clean appearing" Thin-billed Murre (Uria lomvia) and an apparently oil-stained Razorbill ( Alca tovda) swam up from a southeast direction to the feeding flock of Oldsquaws, scoters (all 3 species), and Red-breasted Mergansers at the end of the south jetty. The murre was identified as this species by its: extensive whiteness high up the side of the head — to well above the bird's eye on the rear face and partially above the eye on the foreface; long, thin, straight, dark bill; and generally flattened bill-into-forehead profile with the accompanying head peak toward the rear of the crown. It had a necked appearance, and the dorsal color of the body-wings was jet black and unspeckled, contrasting with the white ventral surface. The thin, black line extending posteriorly from the eye into the white rear face was only barely visible (and sometimes not at all) and seemed shorter than I expected; the lighting was more toward back lighting than side lighting and may have been a problem. March 1977 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 13 The Razorbill showed the typically thick, blunt-ended bill, the dark upper face, and the "raised rump, sloping back, neckless" appearance. It had brown stains throughout the lover face, irregularly across the breast, and as a solid band ''along the right flank and possibly left flank. Both alcids appeared midway in size between Oldsquaws and scoters, but closer to scoters; they rode higher in the water than the ducks. The murre acted healthy and even dove once after the two alcids joined the sea duck flock. The Razorbill did no diving, preened its breast and flank feathers continuously, and paid no attention to the sea ducks. In its preening, the Razorbill’s underwing covert and "axillary" areas were exposed — the underwing lining appeared to have some dark spots or stains while the axillaries were clear white, an interesting contrast. The whole sea duck flock, which also included one "brown" King Eider, and the two alcids drifted behind the south jetty. Some minutes later, most of the flock took flight back toward the roiled waters off the end of the jetty. Two alcids also took to flight — one appeared to be the murre and the other appeared to be a "clean" Razorbill. I could see the left side of the breast and the left side and rear of the flank of this Razorbill, and the bird appeared to have no dark staining. The alcids peeled off and dropped into the ocean several hundred yards. below the jetty. I could not pick them up again in my scope. A little later a bedraggled, badly oil-stained Common Loon flew diagonally by the jetties heading toward Assateague Island. Its flight was lurching, weaving, and erratic. The loon had trouble maintaining altitude and an even course and had even more trouble keeping its body on a flat 7 flight plane. The entire head, neck, and breast were blackened and had a very rum- pled look suggesting heavy feather matting. The black staining continued down the center of the belly and spread across the undertail area — only the right flank was whitish. There were several "holes" in the right wing flight feathers suggesting either missing or matted primaries. The wing beats were dissynchronous , and the right wing beat faster than the left. As the loon attempted to land in the shallow waters off the island a little below the south jetty, it set its wings and projected its feet to brake the stop. Instead of slowing, the bird went into a reverse roll, overshot the water, and crashed on its head and right side in the shallow surf breaking onto the beach. After perhaps a minute the bird stirred, righted itself, and tried to "walk" and "fly" (only the left wing was beating) up onto the dry beach. My attention was diverted for a while, but when I rechecked the crippled loon, gulls were mobbing it and ap- peared to be pecking at its head. The loon seemed defenseless except for beating its left wing and trying, with little success, to "walk" back into deeper water. The gulls continued to mob the loon until it was too dark for me to see the action. UllU Fessenden St., N.W. , Washington, D.C. 20016 Ik MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol. 33 , No. 1 EFFECT OF THE WINTER OF 1976-1977 ON EASTERN BLUEBIRDS Lawrence Zeteny The winter of 1976-1977 "was one of the coldest on record through- out most of the eastern half of the United States according to official weather records. All-time records for severe cold were broken in many places. Human suffering was extensive, hut wildlife suffered even more. Bluebird trail operators reported Eastern Bluebirds ( Sialia sialis) crowding in unusual numbers into nesting boxes or specially made roost- ing boxes for - nighttime protection from the cold and wind. Sixteen bluebirds were observed entering one nest box at dusk near Largo, Mary- land, by Michael L. Smith. Dead adult bluebirds were frequently found in these boxes — as many as eight in one nest box in Virginia. As spring approached, trail operators reported marked scarcities or even the com- plete absence of bluebirds. To obtain a more objective indication of the extent of bluebird losses, trail operators were asked to report the number of boxes on their trails that were used for first brood nesting in 1977 as compared with 1976-. Reports were received on the status of 55 bluebird trails consist- ing of about 2,660 nest boxes in 17 states and one Canadian province. Most of the data were taken from complete records kept by the trail operators, but in a few instances estimates based on the best available information were used. The results are summarized in Table 1. Table 1. Regional Losses in Eastern Bluebirds, 1976 to 1977 Boxes used for Percent de- States and Provinces Total first broods crease, 1976 boxes 1976 1977 to 1977 North: Wis . ,Mich. ,Pa. ,N. Y. ,Que. 731 333 281 1636 Maryland 836 khl 2h0 ke% Ohio and West Virginia 136 22 13 ki% Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky 297 135 36 13% Kansas, Missouri 69 h6 22 52% Virginia, North Carolina 5^8 271 219 19% South: Ala. ,Ga. ,S.C. b3 3U 3fc 0% Totals 2,660 1,282 8^5 3 Wo Estimated population loss is the decrease from 1976 to 1977 in the number of boxes used by bluebirds for first broods. For 1977 only those boxes (or their replacements) that were available to the birds in 1976 are considered. Where trails were enlarged in 1977 some of the birds that might have used boxes included in the computation may have used instead some of the new boxes. To determine whether this would have altered my calculations appreciably, I recomputed the overall population March 1977 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 15 loss using all of the boxes reported used in 1977. This indicated a minimum estimated population loss of 31$ along the bluebird trails. Figure 1. Percentage of bluebird population loss from 1976 to 1977 by state and province. Numbers in parentheses are the numbers of boxes reported occupied in 1976. The greatest losses occurred in the middle latitudes rather than in the north or the south. These middle states represent the approximate northern boundary of the usual winter range of the Eastern Bluebird. Many and perhaps most of the bluebirds that nest in these states remain near their breeding areas throughout the winter. Banding recoveries show, however, that most of the bluebirds that nest in the northern states and Canada winter in the deep south. This is the probable explanation for the losses being heaviest in the middle states. l6 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol . 33, No. 1 Unfortunately only scanty data on bluebird populations were obtained from the southern states. The total reduction in the Eastern Bluebird population during the past year over the entire range of the species is probably somewhat less than the 3b% indicated by this study, because the greatest number of reports were received from the states where the heaviest losses occurred. Nevertheless, the overall losses were undoubtedly very serious. It is generally believed that when bluebirds within their normal winter range fail to survive the winter it is a lack of available food rather than just the low temperature that kills them. Berries upon which bluebirds depend for their winter food may become heavily coated with ice as a result of freezing rain. This may happen, of course, when the temperature is only slightly below freezing. If this condition persists for two days or more the bluebirds may die of starvation even at relatively moderate temperatures. There is evidence, however, that during the winter of 1976-1977 it was the extreme cold rather than starvation that killed most of the bluebirds. Trail operators were asked to report whether freezing rains caused wild berries to be covered with ice for more than two consecutive days. In areas where bluebirds normally spend the winter this icing condition occurred on 12 trails; bluebird losses there averaged b2%. For 20 trails where ice did not last two days or more the overall loss was k0%. Thus the availability of food seemed to have very little influence on bluebird mortality. The combination of prolonged extreme cold and strong winds evidently was more than the bluebirds were equipped by nature to endure. The Eastern Bluebird without question suffered a major setback last winter and many bluebird trail operators feel discouraged that so much of the fruit of their labors was wiped out so quickly. But we must try to view the situation in its proper perspective. Exceptionally severe winters have occurred from time to time throughout history and have taken their toll on wildlife. This is one of nature's ways of con- trolling the populations of many creatures. Fortunately the bluebirds that survived the past winter in Maryland seem to be enjoying a high degree of nesting success in 1977- Perhaps we can speculate that these birds are tougher than those that perished and that their progeny may therefore be somewhat better able to with- stand the rigors of severe winters. This is the way that progress is achieved through the slow but inexorable process of evolution. U312 Van Buren St., University Park 20782 • GULL AND TERN COUNTS NEEDED • Dr. William E. Southern of Northern Illinois University has asked our assistance in supplying information on gull and tern populations at all seasons. Contact your local MOS Chapter for reporting forms. March 1977 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 17 HERONS AND RAILS VICTIMS OF SEVERE FREEZE Guy W. Willey For two full weeks in mid-January 1977, minimum temperatures at Cambridge, Maryland, ranged between 1° and 20° F. , except for a single' night when the mercury fell only to 26°. This, in combination with abnormally low daytime temperatures, continually below 40° from Jan. 11 to 2h, caused an almost complete freeze-up of the Blackwater River and its marshes. •On January 23, my sons Guy Jr (age 15) and Robbie (age 13) made a late afternoon visit with me to my property on Shorters Wharf Road near Blackwater .National Wildlife Refuge. There was a small area of open water, about 2 by 6 feet, at each end of a culvert, where a Great Blue Heron ( Ardea herodias) and a Clapper Rail ( Rallus longirostris) had been feeding since about the first of January. When we arrived this time the Great Blue Heron was standing in the open water and had caught a rail that we believed to be the same one we had been seeing there. The heron flew off to a cleared area with its prey. We made no effort to run the heron away from the rail, which appeared near death. For two minutes we watched the heron devour the rail, and then we left. I returned the next day and found the remains of the rail. The Great Blue Heron was one of the marsh species that suffered abnormal loss during the severe weather. I observed more than ten dead ones in the Blackwater area from January through February 17. At Black- water Refuge we received reports from trappers and birders that these herons were dying. Reports of dead King ( Rallus elegans ) , Clapper, and Virginia ( R . limiaola ) Rails were widespread in late January. It was recorded for the first time since about 193^-36 that muskrats were forced to cut out through the side of their houses, since their escape canals froze over in many areas. The severe cold also killed off many of the nutria in Dorchester County. Fortunately, the fields were free of snow during most of the period and there were no reports of heavy mortality of waterfowl. Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Cambridge, Md. 21613 * SOME EFFECTS OF THE 1977 FREEZE ON TALBOT COUNTY BIRDS Jan G. Reese One of the principal effects on birds of the freezing of Chesapeake Bay and its estuaries in January 1977 was the loss of offshore nesting sites for Ospreys ( Pandion haliaetus ) . In early March I checked 136 of the 150 nest sites that were active in western Talbot County, Maryland, in 1976. Thirty-five percent of the sites had been completely destroyed by ice and tides. I managed to construct a nest platform on the remains 18 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol. 33, No. 1 of 11 percent, and 3 percent have other structures nearby that are suit- able for nesting. The 29 pairs of Ospreys that had used the remaining 21 percent have no old nest site to return to in 1977. At least ten pole/platform structures and numerous channel markers previously not used for nesting are available in 1977 and hopefully will provide nest sites for some of the displaced nesters. Other species directly affected by the severe cold include the Great Blue Heron ( Ardea herodias) , Sharp-shinned Hawk {Aceipiter stri- atus) , Belted Kingfisher ( Megaoeryle alayon) , and Carolina Wren (Thry~ othorus ludovicianus ) . On March 11 I noted only about 50 Great Blue Herons in the Poplar Island colony where I usually expect more than 125 birds. Although Sharp-shinned Hawks were more numerous this past winter than I can remember, many may have been killed indirectly by the bad weather; during January and February I found 5 dead on highways where they had moved to prey on birds feeding along the open roadsides. I have not seen a Belted Kingfisher since December, although 53 Of them had been recorded on the St. Michaels Christmas Count on December 19- And Carolina Wrens, 189 of which had been counted on December 19, were practically non-existent by early March. Box 298, St. Michaels, Md. 21663 * SONGBIRD MORTALITY IN PRINCE GEORGES COUNTY, MARYLAND M. Kathleen Klimkiewioz The winter of 1977 has been declared by some experts as the worst in 200 years. It is certainly the worst I can remember. The severe cold and snow cover with its ice crust have taken their toll on wildlife. This is evident in several ways. The annual Winter Bird-Population Study at Piscataway Park, Accokeek, Md. showed two glaring effects of the severe winter. Eastern Bluebirds ( Sialia sialis) , present since 197^ on the 15-acre plot (average of 2 birds in 197^, + in 1975, 1 in 1976), were totally absent this winter. Carolina Wrens ( Thryothorus ludovicianus) were absent on the last five trips (after Jan. 12), where there had been an average of 3 birds in 1976. Both species are dependent on winter insects and berries, which were unavailable for several weeks in January and early February. Fur- ther evidence of the weather's effect was noted during a 5-mile hike through the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center along the Patuxent River and Knowles Marshes in mid-February. Not only were Carolina Wrens to- tally absent, but so were White-throated Sparrows ( Zonotriehia albioollis) Both species had previously been common in this area in winter. The past several winters have been exceptionally mild and the Caro- line Wren populations have risen accordingly each year as shown by the Christmas Bird Counts. A severe winter is one of many natural population checks and its effects should not cause undue alarm unless we experience several such winters in a row. 13117 Larchdale Rd. , Apt. 2, Laurel, Md. 20810 March 1977 MAE Y LAND BIEDLIFE 12 EDITORIAL V ■ DISASTER ISSUE We are indebted to Mimi Whitcomb for the cover drawing of our chief disaster species, the Carolina Wren, which she drew specifically for this issue. This is the first time since 19^7 that bird art (as contrasted with photography) has graced our cover. For those readers who have not seen the March-April issue of 19^7 (Vol. 3, No. 2), the cover showed a map of Kent Island on which Joe Bures had drawn a sketch of each of the 4l species seen on the Feb. 1 6 , 1947 M.O.S. field trip to Kent Island. The front portion of the present issue is devoted to papers docu- menting some of the effects of the severe winter weather of January and February 1977- Although this is not the coldest winter on record in the Middle Atlantic States, its effects on bird populations will be much better documented than was the case in any previous harsh winter in eastern North America [1904-05, 1911-12, 1917-18 (the coldest January on record at Washington, D.C.), 1935-36, and 1962 - 63 ]. To put the winter of 1976-77 in proper perspective, we should review the cause and extent of the abnormally frigid weather. In a normal win- ter in the Middle Atlantic States we enjoy an alternation of cold, clear Arctic air masses from the northwest and warm, moisture-laden airflow from the Gulf of Mexico. At irregular intervals this pattern is broken by an Atlantic coastal storm that brings rain or snow on easterly winds. Thus periods of excessive cold, warmth, or precipitation seldom last more than 4 to 6 days at a time. In mid-December 1976, however, a strong pressure ridge developed in the upper atmosphere over the west coast. Clockwise circulation around this nearly stationary ridge pumped subtrop- ical Pacific air into Alaska, giving that State its warmest winter in the 60 years of records. At the same time, clockwise circulation on the' east side of the ridge ushered frigid Arctic air from northwestern Canada southeastward on a trajectory centered over Minnesota, Indiana, Georgia, and Florida. In mid-January the Pacific ridge expanded eastward, shift- ing the brunt of the cold weather eastward from the Ohio Valley into the Middle Atlantic States and giving us the coldest weather of the winter. During February the Pacific ridge of high pressure gradually weakened, permitting the normal sequence of weather alternations to return by mid-month. Effects on birdlife of prolonged freezing weather coupled with deep or crusted snow were widespread. In the Ohio Valley, for the first time on record, the temperature remained continually below freezing for the entire month of January; at Buffalo it snowed on 53 consecutive days and 183 inches of snow had fallen by the end of February; and Miami had its first recorded snow, borne by high, bitter-cold winds. The mean January temperature for U.S. weather stations east of the Mississippi River was the lowest on record. The Washington area, with its fifth coldest Jan- uary (10° below normal) did not fare as badly as our neighbors west of the Appalachians (18° below normal in Indiana). 20 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol . 33 , No. 1 In the winter of 1962-63 the British Isles had a weather disaster similar to ours. Their Common Birds Census (Bailey 1967) recorded a 78/S reduction in Wrens (the same species as our Winter Wren), losses of 75% for Mistle Thrush and 57%. for Song Thrush, 64% for their race of the White Wagtail, 60% for the Moorhen (same species as our Common Gallinule) and 55% for the Lapwing, which ecologically replaces our Killdeer. It took each of these species 4 or more years to recover from the disaster. Watch forthcoming Season reports. Breeding Bird Survey results, Christmas Counts, and "banding summaries for additional documentation of the losses and subsequent recovery of our rails, Killdeer, kingfishers, wrens, Hermit Thrushes, "bluebirds, kinglets, and other affected species. Literature Cited Bailey, R. S. 1967- An index of bird population change on farmland. Bird Study 14:195-209. * THE MARYLAND CHRISTMAS COUNTS OF 1976 Danny Bystrak New Maryland residents thinking they were "down South" were probably surprised by the winter of 1976-77. From the second week of October un- til the beginning of January, temperatures averaged 4° to 8° F. below normal throughout the Mid-Atlantic States. Counts on the first weekend of the period were treated to some gorgeous weather, but the rest of the period was one of the coldest on record. The record 21 counts represent the combined efforts of 600 different people, many of whom helped on more than one count as exemplified by the 757 names listed after the Maryland counts in the July 1977 issue of American Birds. Unfortunately, the nasty weather on so many counts re- sulted in a 2.6% drop in total party-hours from 2866 last year to 2790.5 this year. Fortunately, however, the observers were hardy enough to spend almost precisely the same percentage of time afoot despite the weather. A gradual increase in time spent on foot is, of course, very desirable, for better coverage as well as gas saving. Eight counts reached or surpassed the magic 100 species mark. Ocean City was highest with l6l species, followed by Crisfield with 131 and Southern Dorchester with 111. The new Liberty Reservoir count did re- markably well in its first year with 87 species. Garrett County had the traditional honor of lowest species total with 56 — still a remarkable total considering the frozen lake and the snow cover. The count tabulation on pages 22-29 is more or less in order of distance from the coast. Ocean City through Elkton are on the Delmarva Peninsula, Point Lookout through Bowie are on the Western Shore Coastal Plain, Rock Run through Catoctin on the Piedmont, Washington and Allegany Counties in the Ridge and Valley province, and Garrett County on the Allegheny Plateau. Unusual totals or species appear in boldface type. March 1977 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 21 As expected, the increase in frozen water resulted in a drop in many water-dependent species from Belted Kingfisher to herons, although most waterfowl numbers, were normal. There were essentially no Black- capped Chickadees out of their breeding range this winter, but some ob- servers continued to report them with no substantiating details. Berry- eating birds seemed to fare well as a result of the bumper berry crop. Colder weather always means a drop in Ruby-crowned Kinglet numbers , but not in Golden-crowneds . Many observers were puzzled over the paucity of Golden-crowns this year. The total for the State was only 53% of last year's. There was effectively no "northern finch" flight this year, with virtually no confirmed Pine Siskins. Lacking adequate details, the five reports of this species had to be deleted. A remarkable report was of T -well-described Common Redpolls on the Lower Kent count. The "best" birds of this season in terms of Maryland as a whole included two new species for the State. Two Smith's Longspurs were on Assateague Island for the Ocean City count; one of these had been present since November and had been seen by many observers. A Thin-billed Murre also graced the Ocean City count, to be photographed and seen by many observers. Other goodies were Northern Goshawks on three counts, Semi- palmated Plovers on two inland counts. Black-headed Gull, Whimbrel and Wood Thrush at Ocean City, Yellow-headed Blackbirds on two counts, Rose- breasted Grosbeak at Liberty Reservoir and Nashville Warbler and Ovenbird at Baltimore. The "worst" birds (t.e., most common) were Common Grackle (347, 4o8), Canada Goose (247,167), Red-winged Blackbird (148,907), Starling (123,134) White- throated Sparrow (29,443), Common Crow (26,l4l), Slate-colored Junco (23,643), Mallard (22,281), Canvasback (20,864), and ftyrtle Warbler (17,784). OCEAN CITY - Dec. 29, 45 observers in 22 parties. 222 party-hours {163 on foot); l6l species, 188,104 individuals. Statewide high on 39 species. 25 species recorded on no other Maryland counts. CRISFIELD - Dec. 30, 35 observers in l8 parties. 159-5 party-hours (112.5 on foot); 131 species, 81,853 individuals. Statewide high on 21 species. Only Glossy Ibis and Snowy Egrets in State. SOUTHERN DORCHESTER COUNTY - Dec. 31, 21 observers in l4 parties. Ill party-hours (78 on foot); 111 species, 74,390 individuals. Statewide highs on 7 species. Only Golden Eagle in State. ST. MICHAELS - Dec. 19, 26 observers, in 22 parties, plus 1 at feeders 92 party-hours (49 on foot); 100 species, 71,545 individuals. Statewide highs on 5 species. Only Red Crossbills in State. LOWER KENT COUNTY - Dec. 19, 38 observers, in 15 parties, plus 10 at feeders. 112 party-hours (64 on foot); 110 species, 235,474 individuals. Statewide highs on 7 species, only Common Redpolls in State. SALISBURY - Dec. 26, 26 observers, in 9 parties, plus 2 at feeders. 69 party-hours (31 on foot); 91 species, 27,662 individuals. DENTON - Dec. l8 , 22 observers in l4 parties. 86 party-hours (4l on foot); 87 species, 17,164 individuals. Statewide highs on Rusty Blackbird and Horned Lark. 22 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol. 33, No. 1 Table 1. Maryland Christmas Ocean Cris- So . St. Lower Salis- Den- Elk- Species City field Dorch. . Mich. Kent bury ton ton Common Loon ■ 15 5 2 3 Red-throated Loon 19 Red-necked Grebe 1 Horned Grebe 100 27 70 5 2 Pied-billed Grebe 14 8 2 3 3 Northern Gannet 5 Great Cormorant Double-cr. Cormorant 1 Great Blue Heron 61* 62 55 30 48 22 15 6 Green Heron 2 1 Great Egret 1 Little Blue Heron 1 Snowy Egret 7 Louisiana Heron 10 20 Black-cr. Nt. Heron 8 1*0 4 American Bittern 6 2 5 1 Glossy Ibis 6 Mute Swan 7 70 18 Whistling Swan 102 215 575 4730 903 17 2384 20 Canada Goose 26765 1846 30920 35409 126860 4898 2447 7000 Brant 9055 532 Snow Goose I3l*l* 3014 4 7 Mallard 1*1*89 533 3490 1127 2788 475 3953 168 Am. Black Duck 2790 1112 1485 278 711 54 644 35 Gad vail 8 1 6 8 Com. Pintail 313 16 42 31 257 2 23 Green-winged Teal 5l* 1 4o 7 3 Am. Wigeon 29 2 10 3 6 4 2 8 N. Shoveler 17 3 11 l Wood Duck 5 2 2 2 1 Redhead 2 32 16 10 20 6 Ring-necked Duck 2 2 1 48 39 12 Canvas back 2685 1427 361 3417 2195 72 Greater Scaup 1*8 121 3 44 scaup sp. 44 323 2 Lesser Scaup 50 13 22 256 6 Common Goldeneye 188 203 i4 314 132 9 1 1 Bufflehead 1163 1334 158 849 29 2 1 Old squaw 722 5>*7 10 770 57 King Eider 1 White-winged Scoter 31 4 3 307 15 Surf Scoter 121 57 30 Black Scoter 1*8 16 4 Ruddy Duck 1*0 18 658 23 5 Hooded Merganser 9 3 * Common Merganser 2 3 2h 38 Red-br. Merganser 221 - 18 3 6 16 4 Turkey Vulture 1*29 611 121 108 223 450 573 118 Black Vulture 22 93 4 4 23 11 30 9 Goshawk 1 March 1977 MMffLAHD BIRDLIFE 23 Bird Count, 1976-1977 Point Anna- Aeco- Bo- Rock Sen- Tria- Balt- Liber. Cat- Wash. Alleg. Garr. Look, polis keek vie Run _ecjL delph imore Res. octin Co. Co. Co. 2 3 1 ' 79 13 5 3 7 2 4 15 6 6 3 8 6 9 50 58 14 13 21 52 6 4 l 6 7 4 2 846 588 3 53 1 5 1 # 1 1360 3533 565 899 2690 935 1016 8 18 211 1014 50 113 266 546 1128 486 Uo4 86 788 168 2 162 181 170 32 89 271 263 75 262 15 34 50 7 61 15 1 10 5 10 2 1 1 * i 2 * 2 104 30 9 4 7 1 25 4 5 25 1 72 6 5 8 30 7 63 # 3529 7105 60 2 3 6 2 755 1131 18 1 1 - Ill, . 1745 25 ' 248“ 100 2 1 1 1 884 853 27 2 16 27 4 1 3 3 644 390 80 26 64 11 3 6 2050 548 3 2 1 667 18 274 15 29 117 220 45 6 8 4 6 2 16 15 32 8 1 2 1 8 270 16 6 200 68 3 29 6 6 * 306 66 1 29 55 122 104 215 62 37 36 1 47 13 l 3 10 17 18 * 1 2 24 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol . 33, No. 1 Table 1. Maryland Christmas Bird Ocean Cris- So. St. Lower Salis- Den- Elk- Species City field Dorch. Mich. Kent bury ton ton Sharp-shinned Hawk 12 25 7 7 9 7 2 3 Cooper 1 s Hawk 1 3 4 4 1 1 3 Red-tailed Hawk 30 4l 15 18 65 13 18 16 Red-shouldered Hawk 10 1 * 7 1 6 1 8 5 Rough-legged Hawk 5 13 3 1 1 Golden Eagle 1 Bald Eagle 7 12 1 2 2 Marsh Hawk 33 65 62 2 14 12 8 1 Merlin 2 Am. Kestrel 83 63 lh 67 84 70 70 30 Ruffed Grouse Com. Bobwhite 188 112 134 74 133 45 94 Ring-necked Pheasant 1 Wild Turkey 3 King Rail 6 1 Clapper Rail 6 10 Virginia Rail 7 108 4 4 19 2 Sora Am. Coot 96 2 14 2 6 1 1 Semipalmated Plover 1 18 Killdeer 232 139 24 19 22 46 24 6 Piping Plover 6 Black-bellied Plover l 80 3 Whimbrel 1 Greater Yellowlegs 1 6 Lesser Yellowlegs 2 2 Ruddy Turnstone 145 Am. Woodcock 38 Ik 12 1 3 1 1 Common Snipe 79 89 21 l4 9 Red Knot 2 Sanderling 693 73 Western Sandpiper 8 Least Sandpiper 2 7 Purple Sandpiper 155 Dunlin 1260 723 Iceland Gull Gr. Blk. -backed Gull 171 35 l4 24 349 5 3 28 Herring Gull 3240 1699 129 1780 409 263 4 374 Ring-billed Gull 1837 251 20 1650 1517 389 66 150 Black-headed Gull 1 Laughing Gull 1 Bonaparte ' s Gull 202 Blk. -legged Kittiwake 1 Forster's Tern 8 Thin-billed Murre 1 Rock Dove 90 . 126 6 118 166 77 150 66 Mourning Dove 1913 . 780 485 860 762 477 458 163 Barn Owl 3 2 Screech Owl 63 13 2 17 29 2 1 2 Great Horned Owl 10 21 6 33 47 3 4 3 March 1977 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 25 Count, 1976-1977 (continued) Point Anna- Acco- Bo- Rock Sen- Tria- Balt- Liber. Cat- Wash. Alleg. Garr . Look. polis keek vie Run eca delph imore Res . octin Co. Co. Co . 9 12 1 12 3 10 2 6 4 3 1 3 1 2 3 4 1 2 1 2 25 27 3 31 17 68 26 23 18 24 17 12 6 8 20 2 63 1 61 4o 5 16 3 1 1 1 1 4 4 2 1 12 1 1 2 2 18 3 5 8 1 31 37 2 34 39 69 19 18 25 44 12 16 9 4 14 68 260 9 189 12 176 142 2 26 8 28 31 2 2 9 7 17 37 10 11 9 2 6 1 13 3 1 329 1 1 189 22 3 1 101 .100 7 31 19 13 18 3 12 57 18 4 2 4 1 2 10 1 4 13 12 5 3 1 28 152 1 7 180 142 8 1 1 395 1 * 3292 1061 200 99 784 24 6 108 6 6626 1263 12 73 1650 105 372 l 18 269 1 25 207 263 323 606 719 671 867 431 8931 316 55 642 865 25 789 150 1363 834 334 862 346 433 66 21 2 1 1 l 2 1 1 5 29 4 2 1 5 20 19 19 3 8 4 18 3 6 6 4 4 1 2 * 2 7 26 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol . 33, No. 1 Table 1. Maryland Christmas Bird Ocean Cris- So. St. Lower Salis- Den- Elk- Species City field Dorch. Mich. Kent bury ton ton Barred Owl 1 2 1 1 5 2 1 Long- eared Owl Short-eared Owl 2 2 5 Saw-whet Owl 1 Belted Kingfisher 55 50 29 53 28 16 15 5 Common Flicker 383 227 87 186 175 108 54 15 Pileated Woodpecker 31 8 11 1 1 1 Red-bell. Woodpecker 157 84 28 85 108 33 38 36 Red-headed Woodpecker 1 ■ 1 Yellow-bell . Sapsucker 31 7 15 21 ■ 7 2 3 Hairy Woodpecker 71 23 8 10 30 6 4 9 Downy Woodpecker 169 93 58 66 78 35 15 45 Eastern Phoebe 16 3 7 Horned Lark 190 69 20 64 1 364 Tree Swallow 4 375 Blue Jay 314 240 91 491 46T 247~~ 160 15b Common Raven Am. Crow 375 531 770 2843 279 576 192 306 Fish Crow 289 10 536 15 13 12 9 Blk. -capped Chickadee Carolina Chickadee 504 246 175 430 322 97 81 190 - Tufted Titmouse 192 36 45 145 111 50 49 101 White-br. Nuthatch 28 4 1 6 2 1 9 Red-breasted Nuthatch 19 2 2 38 21 2 3 Brown-headed Nuthatch 10 46 67 5? 1 Brown Creeper 19 14 33 4 9 6 2 18 House Wren 4 4 2 5 Winter Wren 57 49 22 3 3 3 7 Carolina Wren 385 199 105 189 195 92 24 60 Marsh Wren 4 15 13 Sedge Wren 3 5 3 1 1 1 N. Mockingbird 139 100 43 378 347 142 97 86 Gray Catbird 27 20 2 5 1 2 1 1 Brown Thrasher 73 58 12 3 7 7 2 American Robin 431 524 120 279 388 121 155 7 Wood Thrush 1 Hermit Thrush 102 103 '64 1 12 7 7 Eastern Bluebird 101 62 4o 10 2 50 117 Golden-cr. Kinglet 76 26 25 25 10 21 8 25 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 22 6 33 25 8 4 9 2 Water Pipit 309 295 28 3 123 30 Cedar Waxwing 95 6 2 104 107 l4 Loggerhead Shrike 1 1 1 European Starling 8805 6524 745 3691 3809 3938 204o 2582 Orange-cr. Warbler 1 Nashville Warbler Yellov-rumped Warbler 4330 ’ 5335 3875 361 241 310 8 19 Pine Warbler 10 3 2 2 1 2 Palm Warbler 3 2 1 Ovenbird March 1977 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 27 - Count, 1976-1977 (continued) Point Anna- Ac co- Bo- Rock Sen- Tria- Balt- Liber . Cat- Wash. Alleg. Garr . Look. polls keek wie Run eca delph imore Res. octin Co. Co. Co. 3 1 5 1 17 1 ¥ 5 2 3 21 37 2 7 11 48 24 1 29 9 14 15 .7 3 118 145 11 195 22 307 102 35 .35 35 it 7 3 4 1 17 87 13 4 2 19 7 l4 5 104 254 26 258 29 480 154 56 49 78 30 23 1 2 1 1 39 17 5 8 30 10 74 1 60 11 6 8 6 3 5 12 42 2 61 5 60 37 15 9 24 11 19 25 66 224 16 266 20 532 160 96 98 99 72 66 63 2 * 1 6 l 2 1 44 44 3 57 58 132 12 32 19 156> 312 4o 513 80 1030 427 172 174 98 85 126 175" 1 1 12 617 744 100 1205 176 2080 7087 578 3551 1755 1106 627 643 2 66 7 113 13 118 454 3 8 15 6 2 3 1 7 62 145 605 317 799 30 993 168 1435 638 349 4l6 171 47 76 412 20 440 135 695 293 105 126 139 55 197 84 2 18 38 7 205 51 35 18 53 4 51 113 18 5 5 21 2 8 11 28 9 2 1 7 23 61 1 94 4 l4l 19 12 15 23 19 7 16 1 1 2 21 28 3 57 6 54 18 9 10 15 2 5 5 279 583 5 30 344 34 819 301 158 127 139 51 85 l4 1 206 467 19 360 95 542 363 194 146 79 132 43 2 3 6 2 4 1 2 1 13 6 1 12 2 4 4 2 1 1 162 118 1 66 4 71 62 112 26 32 2 31 8 46 51 2 55 2 17 32 15 15 2 8 4 56 21 5 132 13 257 54 42 53 15 17 72 . 56 132 257 7 224 134 36 87 9 11 5 36 48 30 3 28 11 85 16 21 4 5 8 6 4 326 28 81 109 60 8 47 532 5 4l 81 45 42 65 15 3 3 1 2 l 4 7397 4320 * 135 5975 2091 / 33000 10429 4422 13295 1490 4oo8 3826 612 2410 102 14 246 23 364 65 1 34 35 10 2 28 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol . 33, No. 1 Table 1. Maryland Christmas Bird Ocean Cris- So. St. Lower Salis- Den- Elk- Species City field Dorch. Mich. Kent bury ton ton Com. Yellowthroat 1 1 1 Yellow-breasted Chat 1 House Sparrow 1260 401 165 913 679 522 576 486 Eastern Meadowlark 1619 1170 572 187 254 445 219 47 Yellow-hd. Blackbird 1 1 Red-winged Blackbird 28625 23654 18825 25^0 34250 10285 439 8800 blackbird sp. N. { Balto ) Oriole 1 1 1 Rusty Blackbird 8 24 18 52 5 Brewer's Blackbird 1 Boat-tailed Grackle 24 733 78 Common Grackle 60860 10686 3580 79 49994 149 197 5628 Brown-hd. Cowbird 6750 563 306 23 8 106 52 37 N. Cardinal 672 208 151 608 682 229 155 281 Rose-br. Grosbeak Evening Grosbeak 13 2 1 1 9 2 Purple Finch 18 9 2 6 4 21 3 18 House Finch 122 9 36 231 421 63 51 44 Common Redpoll 7 Am. Goldfinch 4i8 184 32 270 238 79 53 67 Red Crossbill 3 Rufous-sided Towhee 221 130 66 34 90 63 21 9 Savannah Sparrow 186 238 54 2 13 17 6 Sharp-tailed Sparrow 7 10 1 Seaside Sparrow 8 1 Vesper Sparrow 3 7 7 3 N. Junco 1423 729 314 1420 999 827 354 •888 Am. Tree Sparrow 52 6 1 2 56 4l Chipping Sparrow 10 3 5 Field Sparrow 316 68 34 79 115 42 28 66 White-cr. Sparrow 87 5 6 157 12 17 31 White-thr . Sparrow 3900 1967 811 1482 1674 877 307 984 Fox Sparrow 27 3 9 6 1 1 Lincoln's Sparrow 1 Swamp Sparrow 488 1227 298 13 96 170 8 2 Song Sparrow 1360 1134 662 562 238 214 65 199 Smith ' s Longspur 2 Lapland Longspur 53 Snow Bunting 203 35 TOTAL INDIVIDUALS 188m 82M 74m 72M 235M 28M 17M 30M TOTAL SPECIES l 6 l 131 111 100 110 91 87 76 TOTAL PARTY-HOURS 222 159.5 HI 92 112 69 86 59 PARTY-HOURS BY FOOT 163 112.5 78 49 64 31 4i 32 PARTY-HOURS BY CAR 56 36 33 43 48 38 33 25 PARTY-MILES BY FOOT 156 88 72 55 69.5 28 20 32 PARTY-MILES BY CAR 604 297.5 312 523 46l 293 397 232 PARTICIPANTS ^5 35 21 26 38 26 22 24 PARTIES 22 18 l4 22 15 9 14 8 FEEDERS 1 10 2 FEEDER-HOURS 9 10 4 * Seen during count week. March 1977 MABYIAND BIRDLIFE 29 Count , 1976-1977 ( c ontinued) Point Anna- Acco- Bo- Rock Sen- Tria- Balt- Liber. . Cat- Wash. Alleg. Garr. Look. polis keek vie Run eca delph imore Res . octin Co. Co. Co. 1 2 2 518 763 1+0 533 1+47 919 504 431 473 772 1017 550 396 7it6 1+3 27 226 40 106 196 1 111 26 38 2 8 631+1 2792 65 21+9 178 8506 2678 38 1 183 20 1 417 w 50000 7 1 1+5 6 36 38 * 3 4 4 1178 361+ 212 151+25 187000 111 1+9 20 544 155 10 161 17 75 3032 615 33 4362 118 5 142 270 410 8 187 664 1186 80 11 1+3 154 2026 958 521 544 1 223 375 310 158 k6 1 9 63 10 3 11 2 67 2 101 4 16 11 73 1 67 7 107 93 31 31 14 8 58 1 3i+ 20 247 95 130 118 70 22 15 105 92 24l 801 6 373 86 925 380 280 151 139 171 178 4l 76 115 7 60 6 36 49 25 10 3 5 5 21+ 2 '8 13 14 9 7 1 543 1426 150 1 3784 269 3928 2000 580 1268 556 948 84o 397 4 3 10 55 6 181 240 1 209 168 310 202 47 1 1 * 5 477 169 50 838 47 426 599 10 170 36 24 26 8 7 10 2l+ 12 116 72 1 37 45 211 12 1656 2635 150 3512 348 3959 2443 912 871 396 375 154 30 1 1 11 2 9 6 6 1 1 194 122 7 276 3 239 106 36 68 9 8 15 5 979 543 35 1100 126 1132 973 204 268 135 113 l4l 14 it 50M 46m 3M 29M 27M 2.6,2 m 48m 13M 26m 9M 71M 9M 4m 102 105 71 87 84 100 . 88 90 87 72 73 75 56 124 221 21 305 56 353 206 139 124 70 75 84 102 104 175 21 254 21 295 }73 99- 84 46 31 47 50 20 46 0 51 35 56 33 40 4o 24 44 37 52 99 142 14 239 32 285 156 72 49 59 30 48 70 249 439 0 531 151 54l 403 248 533 279 464 292 493 27 57 3 80 12 109 35 38 21 16 27 28 17 10 30 3 44 6 53 25 17 9 7 9 12 11 4 11 3 2 5 1 1 2 3 5 18 11 24 4 15 7 2 4 3 7 30 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol. 33, No. 1 ELKTON - Dec. 2 6 , 24 observers in 8 parties. 59 party-hours (32 on foot); 76 species, 29,664 individuals. A remarkable 18 Semipalmated Plovers was the State high. The only State Brewer's Blackbird also. POINT LOOKOUT - Jan. 2, 27 observers in 10 parties. 124 party^ hours (104 on foot); 102 species, 49,792 individuals. Statewide highs on 8 species. Only Great Cormorants in State. Boat-tailed Gradkle also good. ANNAPOLIS - Dec. 26, 57 observers, in 30 parties, plus 4 at feeders. 221 party-hours (175 on foot); 105 species, 45,860 individuals. State- wide high on 8 species. Only Long-eared Owl and Soras in State. ACC0KEEK.- Jan. 2, 3 observers in 3 parties. 21 party-hours (all on foot); 71 species, 2,631 individuals. Statewide high on Northern Shoveler . BOWIE - Jan. 1, 80 observers, in 44 parties, plus 11 at feeders: 305 party-hours (254 on foot); 87 species, 28,621 individuals. Statewide highs on 5 species. Palm Warbler, Loggerhead Shrike and Ve§per Sparrow were good. ROCK RUN - Dec. l8, 12 observers in 6 parties. 56 party-hours (21 on foot); 84 species, 27,227 individuals. The only Christmas Count Iceland Gull and the highest counts on Common Merganser and Greater Black-backed Gull. SENECA - Dec. 19, 109 observers, in 53 parties, plus 3 at feeders; 353 party-hours (295) on foot); 100 species, 261,858 individuals. State- wide highs on 22 species. Two Goshawks and a Bald Eagle were the best birds. TRIADELPHIA RESERVOIR - Dec. 24, 35 observers, in 25 part£e§| plUS 2 at feeders. 206 party-hours (173 on foot); 88 speclflB j 48,^70 individ- uals.' Statewide high on American Crow. A Bonaparte's Gull and a Yellow- throat were good. BALTIMORE - Dec. 18 , 38 observers, in 17 parties, plug 5 at feeder ® 1 139 party-hours (99 on foot); 90 species, 12,682 individuals. Statewide high on Wood Duck and Hooded Merganser. Only Nashville Warbler &ild 0V§n= bird in State. LIBERTY RESERVOIR - Jan. 2, 21 observers, in 9 parties, plus 1 at feeders. 124 party-hours (84 on foot); 87 species, 26,212 individuals. This new count in the rolling hills of Baltimore and Carroll Counties produced the only Rose-breasted Grosbeak in the State and the Statewide high on Evening Grosbeak. CATOCTIN MOUNTAIN - Dec. 19, 16 observers, in 7 parties, plus 1 at feeders. 70 party-hours (46 on foot); 72 species, 9,026 individuals. Statewide high on Ring-necked Pheasant. WASHINGTON COUNTY - Dec. 31, 27 observers, In 9 parties, plus 4 at feeders. 75 party-hours (31 on foot); 73 species, 70,685 individuals. Four Statewide highs including a remarkable 152 Common Snipes. Also Rock Dove, Am. Tree Sparrow and White-crowned Sparrow. ALLEGANY COUNTY -,Dec. l8, 28 observers, in 12 parties, plus 3 at feeders. 84 party-hours (47 on foot); 74 species, 8,924 individuals. Statewide high on Loggerhead 'Shrike. GARRETT COUNTY - Dec. l8, 17 observers, in 11 parties, plus 5 at feeders. 102 party-hours (50 on foot); 56 species, 4,362 individuals. Statewide high counts on Common Raven and Black-capped Chickadee. Almost no waterfowl as Deep Creek Lake was frozen. 582 Rita Drive, Odenton 21113 March 1977 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 31 A NON-STORM-BLOWN BRIDLED TERN AND OTHER OBSERVATIONS FROM A LATE SEPTEMBER PELAGIC TRIP OFF MARYLAND Richard A. Rowlett On September 26, 1976, a Bridled Tern ( Sterna anaethetus) was ob- served 42 kilometers east-southeast of Ocean City, Maryland, 38°15'N, Y4°3l+'W, by 30 observers aboard a chartered cruiser, the "Cap’t Talbot." The tern was first spotted by the Captain, Dale Brown, when it flew from a piece of driftwood ahead of the bow. The tern landed on another piece of driftwood, and we were able to approach to about 25 meters and photo- graph it before it flew again. We followed the tern for about 15 minutes from one block of wood to another, before losing it to the envelopment of dusk. The mantle was slate gray, broken by a conspicuous light collar on the hind neck. An extensive amount of white was present on the forehead, while the cap was confined to the nape and back portion of the crown. The tail was forked with the outermost feathers white. Offshore birders are cautioned to beware in late summer of molting Black Terns ( Chlidonias niger ) , which are occasionally seen at sea and might be mistaken for Bridled Terns. Black Terns can be readily recognized by their smaller size, notched tail, gray patch near the shoulder, and bouyant, erratic flight. All previous records of the Bridled Tern in the northwest Atlantic, north of Cape Hatteras, have been waifs of hurricanes or other tropical storms. The species is fairly common in late summer and early autumn in the Gulf Stream of Cape Hatteras, N.C. Several Bridled Terns were reported near the coasts of northern New Jersey, and Long Island, New York, following the passage of Hurricane "Belle," on August 10, 1976 (Paxton, et al. 1977, Am. Birds 31:155-156). The likelihood of the September Bridled off Maryland being a lingering waif of that storm seems remote, and no other tropical disturbances affected the area subsequent to "Belle." The only previous record for the Bridled Tern in Maryland was on September 12, I960, during the passage of the eye of Hurricane "Donna" over Salisbury, where two birds were seen (Dyke i 960 , Md . Birdlife 16 : 63 ). On September 26, warm and tropical water species including the Bridled Tern, 3 Audubon’s Shearwaters ( Puffinus Ihemtinieri) , a school of 125 Spotted Dolphins ( Stenella plagiodon ) , and extensive mats of Sargasso Weed ( Sargassum sp. ) were found in the shallow shelf waters. Bridled Tern off Maryland Photo by the author 32 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol . 33, No. 1 1+0 to TO kilometers offshore, while colder water species including Wilson's Storm Petrel { Oceanites Oceanians) and- Black-legged Kittiwake ( Rissa tvidactyla) were seen almost entirely beyond the edge of the Continental Shelf. Table September 26 transect. 1 summarizes marine birds observed along the Kilometers from shore Species 1+0-70 70-96 96-125 Total Northern Fulmar 1 0 0 1 Cory ' s Shearwater 2 0 . 0 2 Audubon's Shearwater 3 0 0 3 Wilson's Storm Petrel 5 10 361 376 Northern Phalarope 8 1+ 0 12 Red Phalarope 2 1 0 3 phalarope sp. 0 0 13 13 Pomarine Jaeger 6 0 2 8 jaeger sp. 2 1 0 3 Herring Gull 0 1 2 3 Laughing Gull 1 0 0 1 Black-legged Kittiwake 0 0 1 1 Bridled Tern 1 0 0 1 Table 1. Marine birds observed along the September 2 6 , 1977 transect from Ocean City to Baltimore Canyon. Darkness precluded observations closer to shore. The edge of the Continental Shelf was at 96 km. Analysis of mid-September infrared satellite photographs (reproduced as a part of the Experimental Gulf Stream Analysis program conducted by the National Environmental Satellite Service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) indicated (l) that a tongue of cool shelf water extended southward along the edge of the Continental Shelf, while (2) another tongue of warm slope water, including a large eddy of pre- sumably Gulf Stream water extended northward, inshore from the edge of the Shelf, off the middle Atlantic states. The area was obscured by clouds' during late September, so could not be analyzed at the time of our trip. The intrusion of warm slope and Gulf Stream water inshore might account for the presence of warm and tropical water species of birds, dolphins, and Sargasso Weed, and the cooler intrusion off the shelf may have been more to the liking of the kittiwake and storm petrels. The presence of a light phase Northern Fulmar ( Fuimarus glacialis) observed shortly before the Bridled Tern, 58 km east-southeast of Ocean City, 38°12'N, 7 1 +°22'W, is difficult to explain if the water theory is valid. The fulmar represents the earliest Maryland fall arrival date. Usually, this species is found in cold water along the edge of the Continental Shelf. Migrating Cory's Shearwaters ( Puffinus diomedea ) , jaegers, and ■ phalaropes do not seem to be influenced as readily by water types and temperatures, except that Cory's tends to shun the very cold waters north of the Cape Cod Front. March 1977 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 33. Continued pelagic studies may reveal that tropical seabirds are regular rare visitors in late summer and early autumn off Maryland and the Delmarva Peninsula. 715 Main Street, #5, Laurel 20810 * LARGE FLIGHT OF VULTURES IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY Paul W. Woodward and Joan C. Woodward On February 24, 1973 ve observed a flight of 165 Turkey Vultures ( Cathartes aura) and 40 Black Vultures ( Coragyps atratus) near the intersection of Edward's Ferry and Offutt Roads in western Montgomery County, Maryland. The vultures were first sighted in a kettle to the northwest and, almost immediately upon observation, began moving rapidly to the southeast by alternate circling and straight-line gliding in a loosely organized flock. Eight Mallards ( Anas platyrhynohos ) were flying with the vultures for at least part of the time. After the last birds passed overhead, we tried unsuccessfully to follow them by car. This observation occurred from 5:20 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. , about 25 minutes before sunset. The sky was clear, temperatures were in the low 4o's F., and wind was about 12 m.p.h. out of the northwest, the same direction from which the vultures originated. The next day we watched from U : 25 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the same location but saw no vultures. In eight years (1969 to 1976) of extensive field work in this general area, we have never seen another flight of this type or vultures in such large numbers at one time. We found two other similar records in Maryland — 198 Turkey Vultures migrating west on January 19, 1950 at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (Stewart, R. E. , et al. > Am. Mid. Nat. 47:321, 1952) and 95 Turkey Vultures on January 26, 1971 flying south ahead of a cold front at Fulton {Md. Birdlife 27:76, 1971)* Despite a search of available literature and records , we do not have an adequate explanation of this observation. Three possibilities seemed worth exploring. The first is that this was a flight of vultures into a winter roost. Two Christmas Counts are conducted in this general area — Seneca and Washington, D.C., which includes the vulture roost at the National Zoological Park {Am, Birds 27:265-268, 1973). In the winter of 1972-73 the former count recorded l40 Turkey Vultures and only 4 Black Vultures , while the latter recorded l6o Turkeys and 12 Blacks . Based on these counts, it is unlikely that our flight could have been from a winter roost, mainly because we saw such a large number of Black Vultures . Also, we have no evidence that birds from the zoo range out this far into Montgomery County. A final piece of evidence against a winter-roost explanation is the fact that at Lilypons in Frederick County, about l6 miles north of the sighting location, no Black Vultures and only a one-day high count of 24 Turkey Vultures were seen in the winter of 1972-73 (Woodward, ms.). Lilypons is a concentration area for vultures during most of the year. MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol. 33, No. 1 3 ^ The second possibility is that these birds were migrants going into a temporary roost. Stewart and Robbins (Birds of Maryland and the District of Columbia, 1958) give a tentative spring migration period of January 25 to March 20 for the Turkey Vulture, which agrees well with our date of February 2h. However, the Black Vulture is generally con- sidered non-mi gratory. Furthermore, the weather on the day of observa- tion and for the previous three or four days was not favorable for mi- gration (Daily Weather Maps, Weekly Series Feb. 19-25, 1973, U.S. Dept, of Commerce). The wind was out of the north or northwest and on Feb- ruary 22 was fairly strong. A cold front came through the area from the northwest on the night of February 23. It is possible that this was a case of reverse migration {i.e. , moving south in spring), but there were no adverse weather conditions to the north, and more importantly, the presence of so many Black Vultures, which are near the northern edge of their range in Maryland, makes this explanation difficult to accept. A final hypothesis is that these vultures were part of the local breeding population of the Maryland and Northern Virginia Piedmont, recently arrived from the south and for some unknown reason concentrating and roosting in these large numbers. We have no evidence to support or refute this possibility. Despite our increased awareness in the days and weeks following our observation, no vulture flights or increased numbers of either species were noted. We are still intrigued and puzzled by this spectacular flight. 2^33 Southgate Square, Reston, Va. 22091 * TELLING HAWKS FROM VULTURES Jim Peters Most hawks are brown, the vultures black. The latter, feathered heads do lack. But show their skin of black or red While hawks are feathered brown instead. Hawks always soar with wings held straight . Dihedral wings are vultures' gate. Causing them to tilt and rock While steady flight denotes a hawk. One final difference should be stressed To tell vultures from hawks the best : Vultures' shape is large and headless. Surely now you wish I'd said less. kk27 Piney Grove Road, Reisterstown 21136 March 1977 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 35 OCTOBER, NOVEMBER, DECEMBER, 1976 Chandler S. Robbins The first half of October was warm, with daily maxima in the sixties and seventies at Friendship Airport. Freezing temperatures arrived on Oct. 19, and cold or frigid weather remained with us for the rest of the winter. Five consecutive days of near-zero temperatures, Nov. 30 through Dec. H, at McHenry caused almost all of Deep Creek Lake to freeze over at the beginning of December. Oakland had the chilliest reading of the year on Dec. 3, when the mercury dipped to -11° F. Average temperature depar- tures for the state as a whole were -4° to -6° in October {despite the mild weather in the first half of that month), -5° to -7° in November, and -3° to -5° in December. Abnormally heavy precipitation in October (twice the normal) fortunately gave way to deficiencies of 2 to 3 inches in November and of about 1 inch in December, so continuous snow cover did not engulf Garrett County until Dec. 21 and the Ridge and Valley and Piedmont Sections until Christmas day. A weak cold front started across Maryland on Oct. 7, but was inter- rupted by a very wet Low from the Gulf of Mexico and didn’t reach the coast until the 9th, by which time it had lost all its punch. Two vigor- ous cold fronts on the lUth and l6th, however, ushered in one of the longest and most bitter winters in the memory of local citizens; sub- freezing temperatures occurred in Garrett County every night from Oct. 18 through Dec. 31, with the single exception of Nov. 28, when it dropped only to 35°. The extreme arrival and departure dates of the more commonly report- ed species are. summarized by county in Tables 1 and 2. We thank the fol- lowing observers for submitting lists of migration dates for these tables Garre tt — Mrs. Fran Pope, John Willetts, Dorothea Malec ; Alleg any — John Willetts, James Paulus, Kendrick Hodgdon, Dorothea Malec; Washi ngton — Daniel Boone, Bob and Mary Keedy, Mr. and Mrs. Donald Cutchall, Mrs. Alice Mallonee; Frede rick — Dr. John W. Richards; Balti more City and County — Bob Ringler, Rick Blom, Jim Stasz, Peter Knight, John Trochet , Mike Resch, Martin Brazeau, Eddie Boyd, Steve Hardiman, Joe Schreiber; Harfo rd — John Wortman, Chuck Graham, Joe Schreiber; Howa rd — Joanne Solem Mark Wallace, Dorothy Rauth; Montg omery — Mrs. Morrill Donnald and Adven- ture banding crew, Robert Warfield, Nancy and Lucy MacClintock, John Weske; Prince £eorges — Sam Droege, Danny Bystrak, Daniel Boone, Chandler Robbins, Paul Nistico, Bill Hayes, Bob Patterson; Anne Arundel — Hal 36 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol . 33, No. 1 Wierenga, Mark Hoffman, Danny Bystrak, Joe Schreiber, Paul DuMont; Calve rt — John Fales; Kent — Dorothy Mendinhall, Margery Plymire, Floyd Parks; Carol ine — Mr. and Mrs. A. J. Fletcher, Ethel Engle, Marvin Hewitt, M. Nuttle; Talbo t — Jan Reese, Harry Armistead; Dorch ester — Harry Armi- stead; Lower Eastern Shore (Wicomico, Somerset and Worcester Counties) — Harry Armistead, Charles and Gail Vaughn, Robert Warfield, Bob Ringler, Jim Stasz , Charles Hills, Paul DuMont. Fulmars , Shearwaters , Gannets. Twelve Greater Shearwaters seen h2 to 60 miles east of Ocean City on Richard Rowlett's Dec . pelagic trip extended the fall migration period of this species in Maryland into December for the first time. On the same trip 3 Northern Fulmars (l light phase and 2 tan-colored birds) were .encountered 60 miles east of Ocean City in Baltimore Canyon. Rowlett estimated that about 2h0 Northern Gannets crossed their path during the course of this trip. Herons and Ibis . Cattle Egrets were unusually common for the fall migration period; daily counts at Plum Point in Calvert County reached a peak of Lo on Sept. l4, then gradually declined to a single bird on Oct. 1+ (John Fales). In Talbot County, however, at least 50 were still present on Oct. 10 (Jan Reese). Counts made at Hoopers Island and. southern Dor- chester County by Harry Armistead on Oct. 10 and Oct. 18 demonstrate the , changes brought about In one week by the arrival of cold weather: Great Egrets decreased from 25 to 9, Snowy Egrets from 65 to 2, Cattle Egrets from 10 to 0, and Louisiana Herons from 3 to 0. There were several late departures as well as an impressive number of birds that remained into late December despite the abnormally cold weather that prevailed from mid-October onward. Single Green Herons were sighted at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center on Nov. L (Danny Bystrak) , at Loch Raven on Nov. 12 (Mike Resch) , in Howard County on Nov. l6 (Mark Wallace), and on the Dec. 19 Lower Kent Christmas Count, and there were 2 on the Ocean City Count on Dec. 29. Also on the Ocean City Count were a Great Egret, a Little Blue Heron, and 10 Louisiana Herons; and on the Crisfield Count there were 7 Snowy Egrets and a record 20 Louisiana Herons and 6 Glossy Ibis. Swans and Geese . Although the Whistling Swan migration was quite ordinary, with a maximum count of 1,500 in Talbot County on Nov. 10 (Reese), the mass arrival of Canada Geese on Oct. 3 was spectacular. Nearly every observer from Frederick County eastward reported flock after flock, all day long and continuing into the night. Jo Solem claimed Oct. 3 "was the best day for migration I've had in the eight years we've been in Howard County"; she counted 35 flocks of Canada Geese, most containing 30 to 50 birds, flying southeastward over her home between 1:15 and 3:15 p.m. ; and in the evening she stepped outside every 15 minutes between 7 and 8:15 p.m. and heard 1 or 2 flocks each time. Dorothy Rauth counted a total of 1,676 geese over Fulton, also in Howard County. At Germantown, Robert Warfield counted 29 flocks with about 75 birds per flock between 11:35 a.m. and midnight, and estimated between 2,000 and 3,500 geese over his home in a 20-hour period. At Belts-ville-, -Bill-Hayes-counted-l-,9-30-geese-in--50-flocks Mike-Reschls estimate of 10,000-12,000 over his Parkville home agrees closely with Table 1. Fall Arrival Dates for Late-arriving Species, 1976 Median Species 10-yr 1976 Garr Alle Wash Balt Howd Mont Pr.G Anne Calv Kent Caro Talb Dorc LES Common Loon — 10/10 0 10/12 0 0 0 11/13 0 0 0 0 0 9/25 10/10 10/ 2 Whistling Swan 11/ 6 11/ 8 11/ 9 H/13 0 10/ 1 11/14 11/12 11/12 10/26 11/14 10/23 10/29 10/23 11/ 6 — Snow Goose — 10/10 0 0 0 0 11/14 10/ 3 0 0 0 9/25 0 10/11 10/10 — Redhead - 11/ 1 11/ 1 0 0 11/ 1 0 0 0 10/23 0 10/30 0 0 11/ 7 Ring-necked Duck — 10/18 11/ 9 0 0 10/ 8 0 0 10/16 10/15 11/11 10/26 10/18 0 10/18 11/ 7 Canvasback — 11/ 8 12/ 1 0 0 10/30 0 0 0 10/26 12/19 10/26 12/23 11/10 11/ 7 Lesser Scaup — 10/18 0 10/ 9 0 10/ 8 0 0 0 10/27 0 10/26 10/ 8 — 10/18 11/ 7 Bufflehead 11/ 6 11/ 1 0 0 11/ 7 10/26 11/21 0 10/18 10/23 12/22 10/26 11/19 10/23 — 11/ 7 Oldsquaw — 10/26 11/ 1 0 0 11/12 0 0 0 10/21 0 9/23 0 11/ 7 — 11/ 7 Whiterwinged Scoter — 10/10 0 0 0 1/19 0 0 0 10/ 2 9/26 9/14 0 10/10 10/10 11/ 7 Surf Scoter — 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10/ 2 0 9/23 0 11/ 4 0 11/ 7 Blackj Scoter — 10/10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10/17 0 9/23 0 10/16 10/10 9/ 5 Ruddy | Duck — 10/ 8 11/ 1 10/ 2 11/ 6 10/14 o- 0 0 10/ 1 0 9/25 10/ 8 0 __ — Red-br. Merganser — 0 0 0 11/ 1 11/21 0 0 10/26 0 10/30 0 Rough-legged Hawk — 11/14 0 0 1/11 0 0 0 0 0 10/11 12/17 0 — American Coot 10/17 10/ 5 10/29 10/24 10/ 2 9/30 11/14 o" 9/27 9/25 11/28 10/ 5 9/27 — — 11/ 7 Saw-whet Owl — 0 10/30 0 12/18 0 0 0 0 0 12/19 0 0 0 0 Browni Creeper 9/28 10/ 2 9/21 10/15 — 9/29 9/29 9/29 10/ 1 9/29 10/18 9/28 10/ 5 10/11 — 10/ 2 Hermit Thrush 10/11 10/11 9/29 10/13 — 10/ 3 9/24 10/ 4 — 10/12 — 9/12 10/24 10/11 10/18 11/ l Eastern Bluebird 10/l4 10/ 9 — — 10/13 10/12 — 10/23 — __ Golden-crowned Kinglet 10/ 6 10/ 5 — 10/29 10/10 10/ 3 10/ 3 10/10 9/29 10/ 7 10/ 4 9/29 10/ 5 10/ 3 10/10 11/21 Water! Pipit — 10/16 0 9/18 0 11/18 0 9/25 10/13 9/23 0 0 — 10/18 10/10 — Orange-crowned Warbler — 9/25 — 0 0 9/24 0 9/25 10/ 3 0 0 9/17 0 0 0 10/22 Rustyj Blackbird 10/24 10/14 0 0 0 10/14 0 — 10/ 5 10/ 4 10/29 — 0 0 10/18 — Evening Grosbeak 11/ 8 12/ 8 1/20 11/17 0 12/ 8 12/17 10/13 — 12/ 6 12/28 12/ 3 12/ 9 — 0 1/19 Purple Finch 10/ 5 10/ 7 9/22 10/14 10/17 9/22 10/20 9/27 9/14 10/19 0 9/23 10/ 7 9/25 10/10 1/19 House[ Finch 11/ 6 10/23 11/27 7/22 — 10/16 10/23 — — 9/ 8 11/ 4 11/ 1 10/13 — 0 1/18 Rufous-sided Towhee 9/29 10/ 3 — 9/11 — 9/29 10/ 7 9/21 10/17 — 10/ 5 10/ 5 — 10/ 3 — 9/29 Vesper Sparrow — 10/29 11/12 — — 10/23 — 0 — 0 0 0 0 0 — Northern Junco 10/ 6 10/ 4 — 10/ 4 — 9/23 10/12 10/ 5 — 9/18 10/18 9/29 __ 10/ 3 10/18 11/14 American Tree Sparrow 11/21 11/13 11/13 — 11/ 6 11/13 — 11/ 3 11/23 11/21 0 12/11 0 0 — — White[-crowned Sparrow 10/14 10/14 10/25 10/14 10/ 7 10/18 10/23 10/12 10/13 10/ 3 10/29 9/29 10/16 10/ 3 0 — Fox Sparrow 10/28 10/30 — 10/15 0 10/15 10/30 10/17 10/28 11/ 3 0 11/15 11/20 — — 12/22 Swamp! Sparrow 10/ 1 10/ 5 — 10/14 — 9/25 10/30 9/25 9/21 10/ 5 — 9/29 — 10/10 10/10 — March 1977 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Table 2. Fall Departure Dates, 1976 UJ Co Median Species 10-yr 1976 Garr Alle Wash Fred Balt Harf Howd Mont Pr.G Anne Calv Kent Caro Talb Pore LES Double- cr. Cormorant 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10/23 10/18 Green Heron 10/ 2 10/ 5 9/ 5 11/12 — 11/16 — 11/ U 9/28 9 fib '12/19 10/ 5 10/ 3 — Little Blue Heron — 10/ 3 0 0 0 6 10/ 6 0 0 0 9/15 8/21 0 0 0 10/ 3 10/18 Cattle Egret , Great Egret — 10/ 3 0 0 ' 0 0 — 0 0 0 0 7/23 10/ it 9/19 0 10/10 10/10 10/ 2 — 10/ 7 0 10/ 2 0 — 10/29 0 — 0 0 10/11 9/12 10/ 7 10/ it 10/16 11/ 6 9/11 Snowy Egret — 10/12 0 0 0 0 9/25 0 0 0 0 10/10 0 10/12 10/ it 10/27 10/18 11/ 7 American Bittern — — 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 10/ 1 0 10/2U 12/ 8 0 Glossy Ibis — — 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8/21 0 10/20 0 0 — 10/ 2 Canada Goose 11/ 5 — w w 11/21 10/ It W 11/19 W W WWW Blue-winged Teal — 10/lU 8/29 0 — 0 10/Ht 0 0 — 11/28 0 9/21 0 0 — 11/ 7 Wood Duck — 11/ 3 8/29 0 9/ 5 11/ 3 H/20 — 11/ 7 — — 10/18 11/ 7 Broad-winged Hawk 9/30 10/ 7 10/ It — 10/ 3 — 10/29 10/ 3 0 10/lit — 10/16 10/10 10/ 2 Osprey 10/ 5 10/15 — 9/19 — — 10/15 11/11 10/ 3 — 10/ it 10/ it 8/13 10/29 10/ 8 11/ 2 10/18 11/ 7 Semipalmated Plover — 10/ 2 8/17 10/ 2 0 0 8/29 — — 0 0 10/15 0 — 0 9/25 10/10 11/ 7 Lesser Golden Plover — — 0 10/10 0 0 9/ 5 0 0 0 9/11 9/25 0 0 0 0 0 0 Black-bellied Plover — — 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10/26 0 0 0 0 10/10 W Greater Yellowlegs 10/26 10/25 8/28 10/ 2 10/ 2 — 10/ 8 0 0 0 11/ 8 11/ 5 0 10/12 11/ 9 11/10 — 11/ 7 Lesser Yellowlegs — 10/ 2 8/29 10/ 2 — — 10/ 7 0 0 0 10/29 10/ 3 0 8/30 0 9/11 — 11/ 7 Solitary Sandpiper — 9/22 8/2 9 10/ 2 0 — 9/18 0 0 9/25 10/18 9/ 2 0 — 0 0 0 0 Spotted Sandpiper — 9/12 8/29 10/12 8/15 — 9/18 — 9/12 — — 9/17 0 9/ 8 — 9/12 — American Woodcock 11/20 12/ 3 w 11/19 w W Semipalmated Sandpiper — 10/ 2 8/29 10/16 10/ 2 0 9/30 — 0 0 — 10/ 9 0 — 0 10/23 9/27 — Least Sandpiper — 9/12 8/29 10/ 2 0 0 9/30 0 0 0 9/ 8 9/16 8/22 — 0 0 Pectoral Sandpiper — 10/30 8/2 9 — 0 0 10/ 6 — 0 0 11/25 11/ 6 0 0 0 10/23 11/20 Dunlin — 11/11 0 10/10 0 0 11/ 8 0 11/21 0 11/ 1 11/20 0 11 /lb 0 Laughing Gull — 11/ 3 0 0 0 0 11/25 0 0 0 0 11/28 10/ 6 10/30 — 10/23 — 11/ 7 Forster's Tern — 10/28 0 0 0 0 8/28 0 0 0 0 11/12 — 11/lb 0 10/ 6 10/18 11/ 7 Common Tern — — 0 0 0 0 8/28 0 0 0 0 10/17 0 0 0 — 9/27 — Royal Tern — — 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0, 10/17 0 0 0 11/ 6 10/18 11/ 7 Caspian Tern — 10/ 3 0 0 0 0 8/28 0 0 0 0 10/10 9/27 0 0 10/ 3 — 11/ 7 Yellow-billed Cuckoo 9/30 9/25 10/15 — 9/11 10/ k 9/ 5 9/25 9/19 10/12 10/ 2 9/12 — Black-billed Cuckoo — — — 0 0 0 9/13 0 0 10/10 0 10/23 0 0 8/11 0 0 0 Whip-poor-will — — 9/ 3 - 9/ it — 0 9/11 0 Common Night hawk 9/lb 9/28 9/25 8/25 — 10/ 7 10/13 0 9/ 5 — 10/ 7 10/ 8 9/ 9 9/19 — 10/ 2 Chimney Swift 10/ 8 10/10 9/12 10/ 6 10/30 10/ 7 10/15 10/17 10/15 10/ 5 10/10 9/30 10/10 10/10 10/ 2 Ruby-thr. Hummingbird 9/18 10/ 5 10/11 9/12 10/ 8 10/ 3 10/30 10/ 3 9/19 9/28 10/ it 10/ 5 10/17 -- Red-headed Woodpecker — — li/H 0 11/ 6 0 — 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10/22 Eastern Kingbird 9/ 8 9/19 — — 8/16 — 9/26 — — 10/ k — 9/19 9/19 — 8/25 9/12 — MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Median Species 10-yr 197^ Gt. Crested Flycatcher 9/lU 9/18 Eastern Phoehe 10/21 11/ 6 Acadian Flycatcher 9/20 9/21 Yellow-bell. Flycatchr — 9/12 Traill's Flycatcher Garr 9/25 0 Alle 9/26 9/22 9/18 Wash 0 Fred 0 1 Balt 9/18 11 / 6 9/11 9/ 5 Harf 9/ 1 Howd Mont 9/25 10/27 Pr .G Anne Calv Kent 9/19 9/20 — 9/ 7 11/25 12/28 10/31 11/14 9/22 9/12 9/ 3 9/22 9/ 4 9/13 0 9/2 6 8/30 o 0 — Caro Talb Dorc — 9/12 — 11/19 11/ 7 10/18 0 0 0 0 9/12 0 LES W 0 0 — 9/21 9/12 10 / 3 Least Flycatcher 9/22 9/17 9/ 3 9/22 0 0 9/22 0 0 9/22 9/ 6 0 9/23 9/12 0 9/12 0 0 Eastern Pewee 10 / 2 10 / 3 10/10 — 8 /l 6 — 10T3 — 9/18 9/26 10 / 4 10/10 9/17 9/28 10 / 8 10/11 — Tree Swallow 10/16 10/20 — 0 — 0 11 / 6 — 0 9/25 9/11 11/21 10 / 1 10/30 10 / 8 10/23 10/18 11 / 7 Bank Swallow — — 0 0 0 — 9/ 4 0 0 0 — 9/30 9/ 1 — 0 9/11 — Rough-winged Swallow — 9/24 9/18 9/24 10 / 2 9/22 10 / 3 Barn Swallow 9/13 9/18 8/29 — — — 9/18 — — 9/25 9/11 11 / 6 9/12 10/ 9 — 9/12 — 10/30 Cliff Swallow — — — 0 0 0 9/ 4 0 — 10 / 6 9/ 2 0 0 0 0 0 • 0 Purple Martin 9/ 4 9/18 9/ 5 — — 10 / 4 9/ 7 9/25 9/ 4 9/18 8 /l 6 10 / 3 — 10 / 2 Blue Jay 10/21 — w w 10/16 w W w 10 / 5 w W W 10/18 W w W w 10/10 House Wren 10 / k 10/12 9/ 5 9/22 — — 11 / 6 — 9/14 10/27 10/13 11/12 — 10 / 5 11/24 10/11 10/18 10 / 3 Gray Catbird 10/16 10/23 10/20 9/30 10/24 — 11/27 10 / 6 9/20 10/23’ 10/15 10/25 10/28 10/30 — 10/23 w W Brown Thrasher 10/14 10/ 8 9/25 9/19 — — 10/30 9/24 — 10/31 — w 9/24 11/14 — 10/23 w W Wood Thrush 10 / 8 10 / 4 9/30 9/26 — — 10/27 9/25 9/11 10 / 6 10 / 4 9/28 10 / 7 10/13 10 / 6 10/11 — 9/12 Hermit Thrush 10/30 10 / 2 ? 10/25 10/31 — — 10/27 11 / 6 10/18 11 / 6 W W 10/27 10/29 10/24 10/23 w w Swainson's Thrush 10/10 10/11 9/30 10/15 0 11/30 10/29 9/25 — 10/30 10 / 5 10/14 9/20 10/16 10 / 2 10/11 10/10 — Gray-cheeked Thrush 10 / 7 10 / 5 — 9/29 0 0 10 / 7 10 / 3 — 10/15 10 / 4 9/28 0 10/10 10 / 6 0 Veery 9/23 9/27 9/ 5 9/19 0 — 9/13 — 9/20 10/13 10 / 2 9/29 10 / 6 10 / 5 — 9/25 0 0 Blue -gray Gnat catcher 9/14 9/21 9/ 5 — — 9/25 9 / 4 10/16 8/11 9/21 — 10 / 3 — Ruby-crowned Kinglet 11 / 2 11 / 6 10/11 11 / 7 — — 10/31 11 / 6 12/24 11/21 11/21 W 10/29 10/29 — w w Water Pipit — — 0 — 0 0 — 0 0 11/13 11/25 0 0 11/23 — 11/ 7 Cedar Waxwing — 10/23 12/18 — — — 10/27 — 10/23 10/31 — — 9/20 9/26 — 10/23 — Loggerhead Shrike — — 0 0 0 0 - 0 0 0 0 0 9/25 0 10/23 12/18 0 0 White-eyed Vireo 9/22 9/29 9/25 10/10 — 9/29 9/29 9/ l — 9/26 9/24 9/28 9/14 10 / 5 10 / 5 10 / 3 11/ 7 Yellow-throated Vireo — — 0 — — — 9/22 9/20 9/22 0 0 0 0 Solitary Vireo 10/14 10/14 — 10/23 0 9/25 11 /22 0 9/20 10/31 10/20 10/14 0 10/13 0 0 10/10 — Red-eyed Vireo 10 / 4 9/29 10 / 7 9/25 9/11 10/14 10 / 2 9/29 9/14 9/29 10 / 9 9/25 Philadelphia Vireo — 9/22 9/21 9/22 0 0 9/18 0 — 9/25 9/22 — 0 0 0 0 0 0 Black-&-white Warbler 10 / 4 10 / 8 — 9/18 — 9/25 10/10 — — 10 / 7 10 / 6 10 / 8 — 10 / 5 10 / 8 10/10 10/10 Worm-eating Warbler — 9/18 0 9/19 — — 9/ 2 0 9/30 8/26 — 9/18 0 0 Golden-winged Warbler 0 0 9/12 0 0 0 8/30 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Blue-winged Warbler — 9/14 0 0 0 0 9/18 0 9/11 9/1 6 9/ 1 9/H 0 9/22 0 0 0 0 Tennessee Warbler 10 / 2 10/12 9/28 9/19 10/16 0 9/26 0 9/H 10/18 10/16 10/12 0 10/11 10/23 0 10/30 Orange-crowned Warbler — 0 0 0 0 lI7~9 0 0 — 0 10/19 9/22 0 0 0 12/30 Nashville Warbler 10 / 5 10 / 2 — 11/30 — 0 10 / 4 0 9/25 9/29 9/28 10/11 0 9/23 10/11 0 0 No. Parula Warbler 9/30 10 / 7 10 / 4 — — 9/25 10/16 10/12 9/25 9/29 10/11 10/10 Yellow Warbler — 9/24 0 9/25 9/ 9 9/27 0 0 9/24 9/11 0 — March 1977 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Table 2. Fall Departure Dates, 1976 (cont.) Median Species IQ-yr 1976 Garr Alle Wash Fred Balt Harf Howd Mont Pr . G Anne Calv Kent Caro Talb Pore LES Magnolia' Warbler 10/ 4 10/ 5 10/11 9/2 6 10/ 3 10/ 3 9/24 10/18 10/12 10/ 5 10/ 8 9/20 10/ 9 10/ 5 10/11 0 0 Cape May Warbler 10/ 4 10/ 8 9/26 9/19 10/17 — 10/13 0 — 9/25 10/ 7 10/26 9/22 10/ 9 10/ 8 10/11 0 0 Black-thr . Blue Warblr 10/8 10 /l2 — - 9/22 0 0 10/27 — — 10/12 10/12 10/11 9/27 10/18 0 10/11 0 Yellow-rumped Warbler 11/ 4 10/25 10/25 10/25 — — 10/27 — — 10/31 10/16 10/15 11/ 1 10/20 11/ 7 Black-thr. Green Warb. 10/ 6 10/11 — 9/25 10/16 10/ 3 10/15 0 9/11 10/13 10/16 10/27 9/27 9/25 0 10/11 0 0 Blackburnian Warbler 9/26 9/28 — 9/12 — — 9/25 0 — 10/ 1 9/28 0 10/ 6 0 0 0 0 Chestnut-sided Warbler 9/28 9/30 — 9/12 — — 9/23 0 — 10/ 9 10/ 1 9/28 0 10/11 0 0 0 0 Bay-breasted Warbler 9/30 9/29 9/24 9/22 — 0 11/ 2 0 9/30 10/ 1 10/ 3 9/28 0 9/24 0 0 0 Blackpoll Warbler 10/ 8 10/11 9/29 9/2 9 0 0 10/27 0 — 10/10 10/25 10/27 — 10/18 10/ 6 10/11 10/10 10/22 Pine Warbler — 10/ 7 0 — 10/17 0 11/19 0 0 0 10/ 1 12/12 10/ 7 10/ 6 — 10/ 3 W W Prairie Warbler 9/20 — 0 9/ 5 0 11/14 — 9/22 10/ 3 Palm Warbler 10/22 10/28 0 0 0 0 10/ 4 — — 10/27 11/13 12/26 10/28 10/ 4 10/18 11/ 7 Ovenbird 10/ 7 10/ 5 . 9/28 9/30 — — 10/17 10/ 2 9/12 10/23 10/ 7 10/21 10/30 10/13 10/ 3 9/29 Northern Waterthrush 10/ 2 9/22 — 0 0 0 9/ 5 0 0 10/ 4 0 9/29 9/22 9/11 0 0 Kentucky Warbler — 8/30 0 — 8/23 — 9/ 5 — - 8/25 9/14 9/ 6 6/19 — Connecticut Warbler 9/28 9/29 — 9/29 0 0 9/22 0 — 10/ 3 — 10/10 0 0 0 9/12 0 0 Mourning Warbler — 9/25 9/25 9/22 0 0 11/ 2 0 0 9/29 0 9/11 0 0 0 0 0 0 Common Yellowthroat 10/14 10/10 9/28 9/30 — — 10/30 — 10/ 5 10/11 10/16 12/12 9/24 10/ 6 10/11 10/10 10/22 Yellow-breasted Chat 10/ 9 — 10/17 — — 10/23 — 9/11 9/29 — Hooded Warbler — 9/26 — 9/25 — — 0 — — 9/29 9/23 9/28 8/10 10/12 0 — 0 Wilson's Warbler — 9/25 0 9/12 0 0 9/26 0 0 9/25 9/29 9/24 0 9/26 0 9/12 0 0 Canada Warbler 9/18 10/ 2 — 0 — — 9/25 — — 10/18 10/ 6 9/29 0 ■ 9/22 10/12 0 0 0 American Redstart 9/30 10/ 3 9/ 7 9/19 — 10/ 3 10/ 5 — 9/11 10/ 6 10/ 6 10/ 8 9/27 9/28 9/28 10/17 10/ 8 Bobolink 9/21 9/25 9/ 4 0 0 0 91 9 0 0 9/25 — 10/ 1 9/ 4 10/12 9/15 9/25 9/27 Orchard Oriole — 0 7/ 1 - — 8/28 7/25 — 8/22 Northern Oriole "'9/22 9/23 — — 8/16 — 10/ 4 9/22 11/27 9/19 11/29 12/10 9/12 0 0 Scarlet Tanager 10/ 4 9/29 9/29 9/25 — 9/25 10/ 2 — — 9/29 10/ 4 9/29 9/28 10/ 4 10/ 8 10/11 Summer Tanager — 9/27 0 0 0 0 0 0 9/12 10/11 0 9/11 0 10/16 9/27 Rose-breasted Grosbeak 9/30 10/ 5 — 9/22 0 — 10/ 8 0 — 10/ 5 10/ 9 9/25 9/20 9/29 10/ 7 10/11 0 0 Blue Grosbeak 9/22 9/12 0 0 0 0 9/ 5 0 — 9/13 9/26 8/29 9/17 9/15 9/12 9/11 Indigo Bunting 10/ 6' 10/ 5 — 9/25 — — 10/13 — 9/ 5 10/10 — 10/ 5 9/24 10/ 5 io/11 Dickcissel — 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10/ 5 0 0 10/ 8 0 0 0 Rufous-sided Towhee 10/29 10/30 12/18 12/29 — — — 10/ 6 11/21 10/30 10/16 w 10/29 10/19 w w W w Vesper Sparrow — 10/29 11/12 0 10/29 0 0 0 0 0 10/22 Chipping Sparrow 10/26 11/ 1 -- 11/12 — — 10/31 — 10/23 10/26 11/12 11/ 8 10/28 11/14 11/15 11/ 1 10/18 w White-crowned Sparrow — 11/ 4 11/24 10/16 11/21 11/13 — 11/ 2 — 10/19 10/11 0 11/ 7 Fox Sparrow 11/24 11/12 10/25 11/11 0 — 11/ 6 — — 11/14 — 12/ 7 0 12/ 3 w Lincoln's Sparrow — 10/23 — 10/23 0 0 10/ 4 0 0 10/30 11/ 2 10/29 0 10/11 0 10/11 0 0 Swamp Sparrow — 12/18 10/23 0 0 10/27 0 W 11/14 W w W W w 10/23 w w 4 =- O MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol . 33, No March 1977 MARYLAND BTRDLIFE Ul Hal Wierenga'a total of 11,500 flying past Sandy Point. Two Brants ap- peared at Sandy Point State Park on Oct. 2 6 and 2 were also seen there on the late date of Dec. ^ (Wierenga) ; there was a respectable tally of 9,055 on the Ocean City Christmas Count. SnOW (including Blue) Geese remained at Blackwater Refuge in good numbers, with 3, Oil on the Christ- mas Count. Among the quarter-million Canada Geese in Kent County, Floyd Parks located a Greater White-fronted Goose on Nov. lU; it was seen the same day by Philip and Paul DuMont and a group from the Atlantic Natural- ist Society. An adult Greater White-front with a Canada and 1 hybrid offspring was seen at the Blackwater Refuge Visitor Center on Nov. 20 (Paul DuMont t Harvey Mudd) , and viewed by many other observers during the period. As a reminder that we should look extra carefully at White- fronts, an adult Lesser White-fronted Goose ( Anser erythropus) was spot- ted at Wye Institute on Oct. 25 by Richard Kleen, Jan Reese and Richard Felgenhaur . This Eurasian bird was almost certainly an escape, since it is a straggler even in western Europe; there is no valid North American record. Ducks . The most exciting duck of the season was a Fulvous Tree Duck that flew past Hal Wierenga and Scott Mele at Sandy Point on Nov. 7 and headed across the bay to Kent Island. Hawks . On Oct. 3, the same day as the great goose flight, there was a major movement of hawks as well. The coastal storm of the previous day moved out gradually on the 3rd; clearing skies and light northerly winds provided excellent conditions for hawk migration. Small flocks of Broad- winged Hawks were sighted at Laurel, Beltsville, Patuxent Wildlife Re- search Center, Sandy Point, and St. Michaels, and a total of 105 at Bellevue. Lone Peregrine Falcons were observed at Parkville (Resch), Sandy Point (Wierenga), and Beltsville (Hayes). Sharp-shinned Hawks totaled 6 5 at Beltsville (Hayes), 3 6 at Laurel (Mrs. Solem) , and 50 at St. Michaels (Reese). Bill Hayes had the highest tallies of Northern Harriers (7 birds) and Ospreys (32) at Beltsville. And at Sandy Point, 23 of Hal Wierenga' s seasonal total of 5k Ospreys were seen on Oct. 3. On the preceding "lousy rainy, gusty day with strong northeast winds" Armistead noted the following raptors flying north over Smith Island: 20 Sharp-shins, 2 Broad-wings, 5 Northern Harriers, and 7 American Kestrels. At Sandy Point State Park and Annapolis, Hal Wierenga ob- served 870 hawks of 12 species during the autumn months; he found the following species especially numerous this year: 2_ Northern Goshawks (Oct. 19, Nov. 7); 302 Red-tailed Hawks (93 on Nov. lL); 62 Red-shouldered Hawks (23 on Nov. 6) , _25 Northern Harriers, and 2 Peregrines. The last Broad-wing of the year was identified at Bowie on Oct. 29 by Robert Patterson . Turkey , Gall i nule . Six Wild Turkeys were found on the Garrett County Christmas Count. Fran Pope reported that helicopter and track surveys estimated the county turkey population at 500 birds. Some turkeys autopsied had died from exposure and starvation. Single Common Gal 1 inules were at the West Ocean "City pond on Oct. 2k and at Grasonville on Nov. 20 (Stasz, Ringler and others). 42 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol . 33, No. 1 Plovers . Noteworthy late departure dates were as follows: Semi- pal mated PI over at Oldtown on Oct. 2 (Jim Paulus), Piping Plover at Sandy Point on Oct. 10 (Wierenga), and Lesser Golden Plover at Sandy Point on Nov. 7 (Wierenga). Godwits , Whimbrel , Phalaropes . A single late Marbled Godwit was seen on Assateague Island on Nov. 7 (Paul DuMont). Maryland's first winter Whimbrel was discovered, also on Assateague Island, on the Ocean City Christmas Count (Rowlett). An ill Red Phalarope found on the Assa- teague beach on Oct. 10 was taken to the U.S. National Museum of Natural History (Dr. Prescott Ward). A high talley of 305 Reds rewarded Richard Rowlett and his Ocean City pelagic trip, h2 to 6o miles east of Ocean City on Dec. 4. Dowitchers , Peeps . Long-billed Dowitchers were last seen at Sandy Point on Sept. 24 (Wierenga) and at Blackwater Refuge on Nov. 20 (Ringler 1 and others). The last inland Semipalmated Sandpiper was seen at Oldtown on Oct. 1 6 (Paulus). A flock of 17 Purple Sandpipers at Sandy Point on Oct. 29 (Hoffman and Wierenga) was unprecedented in number and also broke the earliest date for the Bay. Single Pectoral Sandpipers were at Sandy Point on Nov. 6 and at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center as late as Nov. 25 (Danny Bystrak). At least 36 White-rumped Sandpipers and 225 Dunlins flew by Sandy Point on Oct. 17 (Wierenga), a foggy, rainy day with winds of 10-25 m.p.h. out of the northeast. Hal Wierenga reported that 32 species of shorebirds were identified at Sandy Point State Park during the 1976 fall migration period. Jaegers . On Nov. 8 at Sandy Point, Hall Wierenga watched an immature dark phase Pomarine Jaeger for half an hour while it harassed the water- fowl. Single Pomarines were seen from the Ocean City shore on Oct. 17 and Nov . 28 (Rowlett). Rowlett and party found 3 Parasitic Jaegers and a magnificent total of 32 Pomarines on the Dec. 4 pelagic trip off Ocean City; the Parasitics were only 10-15 miles offshore, but most of the Pomarines were in the 42-60 mile range. Gulls . A Lesser Black-backed Gull returned to the Bowie Sewage Treatment Plant on Nov. 20, but made itself scarce for the rest of the period (Patterson). On the early date of Nov. 27 an immature Iceland Gull was at the Bowie landfill (Patterson and 20 others), and on Christ- mas day 2 immatures were found there (Woody Martin). About 650 Bona- parte's Gulls were seen migrating south along the Assateague beach on Nov. 28 (Rowlett and Harold and Hal Wierenga). On Dec. 27, 130 Bona- parte's Gulls were resting on the ice on the Back River (Ringler), and a record 269 were counted on the Annapolis Christmas Count. On Dec. 4 Rowlett and party counted 5_ Little Gulls with a flock of 300 Bonaparte's 12-15 miles off Ocean City; this ratio of 1 to 60 should encourage every- one to examine each Bony with great care, at least along the coast. (The Bonies on the Annapolis Christmas Count were studied in flight in good light and did not include any other species.) Off Ocean City on Dec. 4, Rowlett noted that none of the 750 Black-1 egged Kitti wakes observed were adults. There were about 5 first-year birds to each 3 second-year birds. March 1977 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 1*3 Terns and Skimmers . Except for the Forster's Tern, which tradition- ally is the last to go, terns left Maryland with the advent of cold wea- ther, Oct. 17-18. Noteworthy high counts for their resepctive areas were 5 Royal Terns at Bellevue on Oct. 3, and a record 120 Royals with 90 Forster's on the south tip of Barren Island in Dorchester County on Oct. l8 (all by Armistead) . On Oct. 2 a group of 75 Black Skimmers was seen at Great Point near Crisfield by Armistead and the M.O.S. Smith Island party. Doves , Cuckoos , Owls . A Rock Dove laid 2 eggs out-of-season on the balcony of a Laurel apartment, about Nov. 15, and actually fledged one of the 2 young (Mrs. Samuel Woolger) ; exact dates, unfortunately, are lacking. Late Black-billed Cuckoos were seen at Adventure near Potomac on Oct: 10 (Margaret Donnald) and at Sandy Point State Park on Oct. 23 (Hal Wierenga) . Single Barn Owls were heard over Annapolis on only three dates from Oct. 3 to Nov. 2h (Wierenga). At dusk on Nov. 22 Jan Reese watched a Long-eared Owl flying around the north end of the Cambridge bridge. Two arrived at Sandy Point on Dec. 11 and for the fifth consec- utive year some spent the entire winter there (Wierenga) . It was a poor winter for Saw-whet Owls in Maryland; the earliest one reported was on Oct. 30 in Allegany County (John Willetts). Night hawks , Swifts . The mild weather of early October apparently encouraged several Common Nighthawks to delay their southward departures. Single stragglers were found on Oct. 7 at Emmitsburg (Ruth Richards), on Oct. 7 at Beltsville and Oct. 8 at Mitchellville (Patterson), and on Oct. 13 in the Baltimore area (Ringler and others). A lone Chimney Swift was at Lake Ashburton in Baltimore City on Oct. 30, about three weeks after the flocks had left for South America (Ringler and others). Hummingbirds . Usually all hummingbirds have left by the end of September. Observers watching the hawk and goose flight on Oct. 3, how- ever, saw migrating Ruby-throated Hummingbirds at Baltimore, Sandy Spring, Laurel, and Beltsville. Even later birds were found as follows: Oct. 4, banded at Damsite (Dorothy Mendinhall) ; Oct. 5 at Denton (M. Nuttle) ; Oct. 8 at Wiltondale, Baltimore (Herbert and Lola Strack) ; Oct. 9 at St. Michaels (Reese); Oct. 11, banded at Mountain Lake Park in Garrett County (Fran Pope); daily through Oct . 17 at Easton (Marion Delphey) ; and a new State record, one found freshly dead on Oct. 31, perched on a fuschia stem at Darnestown in Montgomery County by Mrs. Reid. Margaret Donnald took the bird to the Smithsonian, where Roxie Laybourne verified the species and estimated that it had died on Oct . 30 . Note that the median departure date for this year is 17 days later than the 10-year average ( Table 2 ) . Flycatchers . As might be expected at this time of the year, Western Kingbirds outnumbered Easterns. The only Eastern Kingbird found was at Ashton in Montgomery County on Oct. k (Lucy MacClintock) . Single Westerns were identified at Tanyard in Caroline County on Oct. 7 and Oct. 8 (Ethel Engle), and at Bellevue on Oct. 11 (Armistead); and on Oct. 25 2_ were found on and near Blackwater Refuge by participants in the M0S Listers Trip led by Jim Stasz and Bob Ringler. Eastern Phoebes 44 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol . 33, No. 1 attempted to -winter in Allegany, Carroll, Baltimore, Montgomery, Prince Georges, Anne Arundel, St. Marys, Wicomico, Somerset, and Worcester Counties. The only Empidonax flycatchers seen as late as October were 2 Yellow-bellied Flycatchers banded at Adventure in Montgomery County on Oct. 1 and Oct. 3 (Mrs. Donnald). Late for Garrett County was an Eastern Pewee on Oct. 10 (Mrs. Pope). Swallows . Migrating Tree Swallows reached peaks of 3,000 in Talbot County on Oct. 1 6 (Reese) and 5,000 at South Point below Ocean City on Oct. 22 (Rowlett). Late departures of Trees from the upper Bay were on Nov. 6 in Baltimore County (Ringler and others) and Nov. 21 at Sandy Point (Wierenga). Other stragglers of note were: Rough-winged Swallow at Plum Point in Calvert County on Oct. 2. (Fales) and Bellevue on Oct. 3 (Armistead); 2 Barn Swallows at Sandy Point on Nov. 6 .(Wierenga); and Purple Martin at Smith Island on Oct. 2 (Armistead and Baltimore Chapter trip), at St. Michaels on Oct. 3 (2 birds, Reese), and at Ashton -on Oct. 4 (Lucy MacClintock) . This is an unusual number of October obser- vations of species that normally leave Maryland in early September. Jays , Ravens . The southward migration of Blue Jays through Maryland was especially poor this year. The highest tallies reported were about 3Q0 each on Oct. 3 and Oct. 10 at St. Michaels (Reese). Common Ravens are continuing their gradual increase in our western counties. Twelve birds on Dec. 18 constituted a new high for the Garrett Christmas Count, and 7 birds on Nov. 11 over the C & 0 Canal below Paw Paw were unusual for that area ( Paulus ) . Chickadees , Nuthatches . Very few Black-capped Chickadees came south into Maryland this fall and none were captured at banding stations except in the mountains. The earliest bird found in the Piedmont was on Nov. 2 at Towson (Jim Stasz), and there were almost no reports south of the counties on the Pennsylvania border. Small numbers of Red-breasted Nuthatches remained into the winter in all parts of the State (see Christmas Count table on pages 26-27). Wrens , Mockers . House Wrens lingered into November in Baltimore County (Nov. 6, Ringler and others), at Sandy Point (12th, Wierenga), and at Tanyard (24th, Ethel Engle). Carolina Wrens were in peak numbers, with l4 on the Garrett County Christmas Count, 139 at Catoctin, 819 at Seneca, and 583 at Annapolis; at Adventure, Mrs. Donnald and her 'bandaides' captured 60 individuals from Aug. 15 through Oct. 31. Unusual in their respective inland locations were a Marsh Wren at Old- town on Oct. 2 (Paulus) and a Sedge Wren in Prince Georges County on Oct. 5 (Sam Droege). There were 2 Northern Mockingbirds on the Garrett County Christmas Count, and 1 was still at Mountain Lake Park on Dec. 26 (Mrs. Pope). Gray Catbirds were found on 15 of Maryland's 21 Christmas Counts, with the uppermost locality at Liberty Reservoir. Brown Thrashers also were unusually widespread at Christmas , with high regional counts of 73 at Ocean City, 58 at Crisfield, 12 at Bowie, 2 at Catoctin, and sin- gles on the Washington and Allegany Counts. Thrushes , Gnatcatchers . Both Swainson's and Gray-cheeked Thrushes were in good numbers, with 365 Swainson's and 74 Gray-cheeks banded at March 1977 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE b5 Adventure (Mrs. Donnald), and with Swainson’s reported on several very late dates: Oct. 29 in Baltimore County (Ringler and others), Oct. 30 at Adventure (repeat of a previously handed bird), and Nov . 30 at Emmits- burg where one was found freshly killed (Ruth Richards) and the specimen preserved (Bill Meredith). A Wood Thrush was seen on the Ocean City Christmas Count (Charles Hills). Late Blue-gray Gnatcatchers were seen in Talbot County on Oct. 3 (Reese) and at Sandy Point on Oct. 10 and 1 6 (Wierenga) . Vireos . Two White-eyed Vireos were found on unusual dates: 1 in western Allegany County on Oct. 10 (John Willetts), the other at Ocean City on Nov . J (Paul DuMont). The last Solitary Vireos were sighted at Rockville, Oct. 31 (Kenneth LaBorde) and at Cylburn on Nov . 22 (Doug Santoni). No Red-eyed VireOS were found after the weather turned cold in mid-October. Warblers . Orange-crowned Warblers were seen on Oct. 3 at Laurel and Oct. 22 at Ocean City (Rowlett), on Oct. 19 at Plum Point (Fales), on Nov. 9 in Baltimore County (Rick Blom) , and on the Ocean City Christ- mas Count (Rowlett and Hoffman). No one day was outstanding for warbler migration at the banding stations, except that Yel 1 OW-rumped Warblers peaked at 13^ birds at Adventure on Oct. l8 and ^8 at Damsite the next day. Armistead reported his best migration on Oct. 11, when he identi- fied 93 species at the family homestead in Bellevue. As usual, late dates of stragglers elicited much comment — especially for those species that lingered beyond the advent of cold weather in mid-October: a Prothonotary Warbler banded at Adventure on Oct. 26 repeated on Oct . 27 , breaking the State departure record (Margaret Donnald); 2 Tennessee Warblers on Assateague Island, Oct. 30 (Hoffman); a Nashville Warbler was found alive at Clarysville on Nov. 30 when the temperature was below 10°, but failed to survive through the day (Willetts); another Nashville was on the Baltimore Christmas Count (Doug Santoni, Greg Tillman); a Cape May Warbler was in Odenton on Oct. 26 (Danny Bystrak) , and another at Millersville in November (Paul Bystrak); a B1 ack-throated Blue Warbler was banded at Damsite on Oct. l8 (Dorothy Mendinhall); a Black-throated Green Warbler and a Blackpoll Warbler were at Sandy Point on Oct. 27 (Wierenga); State departure dates for both the Bay-breasted Warbler and the Mourning Warbler were broken on Nov . 2 _ at Towson (both banded by Gladys Cole); a Pine Warbler was at Loch Raven on Nov. 19 (Mike Resch) ; another Pine Warbler was at Sandy Point on Dec. 12 and a Prairie Warbler was there on Nov. 6 and lH (Danny Bystrak); Palm Warblers were found in December in Montgomery, Prince Georges, Anne Arundel, Calvert, Kent, Somerset, and Worcester Counties; Ovenbirds were at Sandy Point on Oct. 21 (Wierenga), banded at Adventure on Oct. 23 (Mrs. Donnald) , seen at Plum Point, Oct. 30 (Fales), and observed on the Baltimore Christmas Count, Dec. 18 (Jim Orgain) ; Common Yel 1 owthroats were seen on the Baltimore and Triadelphia Christmas Counts as well as the more usual tidewater areas; single Yel low-breasted Chats were seen in downtown Baltimore on Oct. 17 (Peggy Bohanan), banded at Sandy Spring on Oct. 23 (John Weske) , and found on the Ocean City Christmas Count (Bob Whitcomb); a Canada Warbler was banded at Adventure on Oct. l8 (Mrs. Donnald); and there was an American Redstart at Bellevue on Oct. 17 (Armistead). MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol. 33, No. 1 46 Blackbirds , Orioles , and Tanagers . Single Yellow-headed Blackbirds were found on the Elkton and Ocean City (Torn Andres) Christinas Counts, and Paul DuMont saw 2 others in a flock of some 80,000 blackbirds at Willards in Wicomico County on Dec. 31. The usual scattering of North- ern Orioles attempted to winter at coastal plain feeding stations (Anne Arundel, Kent, Caroline, Talbot, Somerset, and Worcester Counties). Any Summer Tanager in Maryland in October is noteworthy. Nancy MacClintock saw one in her Silver Spring garden on Oct. 11, and Alicia Knotts found another at Denton on Oct. l6, the second-latest record for the State. Northern Finches . Evening Grosbeaks arrived late and few stayed around for the winter (see tables on pages 28-29). Siskins, redpolls, and crossbills were virtually non-existent. Even Purple Finches were still in small numbers at the end of December (see pages 28-29). House Finches, on the other hand, are taking over the urban and suburban feed- ers. On the Christmas Counts, only Garrett County and Accokeek missed House Finch; and they were found in Garrett County both earlier and later in the winter. There were record-high counts of 122 at Ocean City, 231 at St. Michaels, 247 at Bowie, and 421 in Lower Kent County! Grosbeaks and Dickcissels . A Rose-breasted Grosbeak wintering in the Reisterstown area was seen on the Liberty Reservoir Christmas Count on Jan. 2. Although single Dickcissels were seen at Sandy Point State Park on Oct. 5 (Wierenga) and at Denton on Oct. 8 (Marvin Hewitt), none of the 757 Christmas counters were able to find wintering Dickcissels among the 12,000 House Sparrows tallied. Try a little harder next winter! Sparrows and Longspurs . Rarely does one spend a long weekend searching for a particular rare Maryland bird in a place where it has never been seen, and come home successful. Using this technique Richard Rowlett located not 1 but || Clay-colored Sparrows at the entrance to Assateague State Park headquarters on Oct. 22; he submitted three pages of notes to substantiate his find. There are only five previous records for the State. Late departure dates of interest include: Grasshopper Sparrow at Sandy Point on Nov. 9 and Sharp-tailed Sparrow there on Oct. l6 (Wierenga); Vesper Sparrows at Mountain Lake Park on Oct. 29 (Fran Pope) and in western Allegany County on Nov. 12 (Dorothea Malec); White- crowned Sparrow at Mountain Lake Park on Nov. 24 (Mrs. Pope); Lincoln's Sparrow at Eckhart on Oct. 23 (Willetts), Sandy Point on Oct. 29 (Hoff- man), banded at Adventure on Oct. 30 (Mrs. Donnald) ; and seen at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center on Nov. 2 (Danny Bystrak) . A winter- ing Lincoln's was located on the Ocean City Christmas Count, and a rec- ord 5 Swamp Sparrows attempted to winter in Garrett County (Dec. 18 Christmas Count). Hal Wierenga broke the State arrival date for Lapland Longspur on Oct . 5_ When one turned up at Sandy Point; he had another single there on Nov. 6. The only other locality reporting this species was the north part of Assateague Island where a flock of _53 was found by Mark Hoffman and Scott Mele on Nov. 27. The 2 Smith's Longspurs that wintered with them will be reported separately by Mr. Hoffman. 7900 Brooklyn Bridge Rd. , Laurel 20810 March 1977 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Dec . Jan. 47 2 ANNE ARUNDEL 2 BALTIMORE 3 ANNE ARUNDEL 3 WICOMICO 4 MONTGOMERY 4 HOWARD 6 BALTIMORE 8 HOWARD 10 ANNE ARUNDEL 11 HOWARD 11 BALTIMORE 15 MONTGOMERY 18 BALTIMORE COMING EVENTS Meeting. Bernard Halla. Library, West St., 8 p.m. Audubon Lecture, Tom Sterling. Dumbarton Jr. Hi, 8pm Trip to Calvert County. Meet Montg'y Wards, 7:30 am Trip to Stadler Plantation, Manokin Trip to Sandy Point. Meet US50 McDonald's, 8 am. Earlybirders trip. Meet Swansfield Elem. Sch. , 6:30 Ornith. Course. Identification, Robbins. Cylburn, 8 Monthly meeting. Swans field Elementary School. Trip to Sherwood Forest. Meet Montg'y Wards, 7:30am Trip to Baltimore Zoo. Meet Swansfield Elem., 12:30 Pot Luck Trip. Meet Towson Plaza P0, 7:30 am. R.Blom Meeting. Canvasbacks, Matthew Perry. Perpetual Aud,8 Beginners trip to Blackwater. Meet Visitor Ctr, 10. 17 17 17 18 18 18 18 24 26 26 26 27 28 29 30 31 31 1 2 2 3 6 l4 l4 14 14 15 19 22 23 24 28 28 • CHRISTMAS COUNT SCHEDULE • Contact local chapters for further information GARRETT COUNTY Mrs. Wm. Pope 334-4908, D. Bystrak 674-2965 ALLEGANY COUNTY James Paulus , Box 35, Oldtown DENTON A. J. Fletcher, Route 1, Box 201, Denton ST. MICHAELS Jan Reese, Box 298, St. Michaels LOWER KENT Mrs. E. Mendinhall, RD 2, Chestertown Dr. Wm. Oberman, 4100 W St . , N.W. , D.C. Dr. John W. Richards, Emmitsburg Danny Bystrak, 582 Rita Dr. , Odenton Rick Blom, 9709 Branchleigh, Randallstown Fran Cutchall, 1847 Virginia Ave., Hagerstown Charles Vaughn, 1306 Frederick, Salisbury 742-7221 Charles Vaughn, 1306 Frederick, Salisbury 742-7221 CHINCOTEAGUE Fred R. Scott, 115 Kennondale, Richmd 804-282-2666 OCEAN CITY C. S. Robbins, 7900 Brooklyn Br.Rd, Laurel 725-1176 C. S. Robbins, 7900 Brooklyn Br.Rd, Laurel Douglas Hackman, 3033 Woodside, Parkville Bob Patterson, 12.601 Buckingham Dr., Bowie Hal Wierenga, 12l6 Tyler Ave. , Annapolis POINT LOOKOUT Ernest Willoughby, Lexington Park ELKT0N Joel Citron, 2003 Ferndale, Wilmington SENECA CAT0CTIN MT. TRIADELPHIA LIBERTY RES. HAGERSTOWN SALISBURY CRISFIELD BLACKWATER BALTIMORE BOWIE ANNAPOLIS 479-1529 745-2875 778-0826 333-6315 447-6243 674-2965 922-0658 725-1176 668-1464 ’262-2459 268-1674 994-0709 302-475-8773 BALTIMORE Ornith. Course. Behavior, Hollens. Cylburn, 8 pm. ANNE ARUNDEL Meeting. Films, Birds of Prey. Library, West St, 8 MONTGOMERY Lake Needwood trip. Meet at bridge over lake, 8 am. BALTIMORE Delmarva trip. Meet US50 McDonald's, 7:30. Stasz. ANNE ARUNDEL Feeder trip. Meet Montg'y Wards, 8 am. Fran Betty. EXECUTIVE COUNCIL Meeting BALTIMORE Covered Dish Supper. Bald Eagles, Abbott. Cylburn, 5 MONTGOMERY Annual Social. Reservations required. BALTIMORE Pot Luck Trip. Meet Towson Plaza PO, 7:30 am. Stasz WICOMICO Meeting. Bill Standaert. Asbury Meth. Ch. , 7:30 pm PATUXENT Meeting. 10 Yrs. of BBS, D. Bystrak. St .Philips ,7 : 45 ANNE ARUNDEL Frostbite Trip to Sandy Pt. Meet Anglers ,US50 , 8 am WICOMICO Bird Feeder Trip. Call Nancy Strahl , 546-l4l2 U8 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol . 33, No. 1 BOOK REVIEWS CHECK LISTS OF BIRDS OF THE WORLD A CODED LIST OF BIRDS OF THE WORLD Ernest P. Edvards. 197^* E. P. Edvards, Sveet Briar, Va. 17^+ pp. BIRDS OF THE WORLD: A CHECK LIST James F. Clements. 197^- Two- Continents , N.Y. 560 pp. $15-00. REFERENCE LIST OF THE BIRDS OF THE WORLD J. Morony, W. Bock & J. Farrand. 1975- Am. Mus., N.Y. 207 PP- A CHECKLIST OF THE BIRDS OF THE WORLD Edvard S. Gruson. 1976. Quadrangle, N.Y. 212 pp. $10-95- As the titles imply, these four books contain bare-bones lists of the names of the birds that inhabit our planet. Taxonomy of many genera and families of birds is still poorly knovn. There is no single accepted standard for the vorld-vide classification of birds — let along English names for birds that never occur in English-speaking countries. Hence, there are differences in scientific and English names, differences in sequence, and in lumping and splitting, from one book to another. Edvards basically follows Wetmore's classification (as in the A.O.U. Check-List), Morony and Gruson follow Peters (a sequence more widely used in Europe), and Clements follows the classification of Van Tyne and Berger in their "Fundamentals of Ornithology." There is no clear choice as to which book is the best. I judge Morony to be the most authoritative; yet many birders will reject it be- cause it lacks English names and gives no indication of geographic range. Edwards, being thin, is the best one for a coat pocket. Both Morony and Gruson cite in detail the authorities they follow. Gruson' s greatest advantage is the series of references given for every species. Clements, however, is the only one providing ample space to write in the date and place for each bird on one's life list. Edwards Clements Morony Gruson Binding Cloth Cloth Unbound Cloth Measurements of book (inches) 6%x9h 0SC05 8%xll Scientific names Yes Yes Yes Yes English names Yes Yes No Yes Geographic range Codes Countries No Codes Code number for each species Yes No No No Columns for checkmarks 0 0 2 0 Space for writing locality/date 0 3 in. 0 0 Taxonomic sequence, ending with Weavers Sparrows Crows Crows References cited General General Specific Specific Index to genera Yes Yes Yes . Yes Index to English names (Order /Family) 0/F F No F Number of species recognized 8908 890H 9016 1 A review copy of Gruson resides in the Irish Grove Sanctuary library. C.S.R. March 1977 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 49 THE WEB OF ADAPTATION, BIRD STUDIES IN THE AMERICAN TROPICS David Snow. 1976. Quadrangle/New York Times Book Co., N.Y. $8.95. David Snow, Curator of Birds at the British Museum, and his wife spent many months in the American tropics studying how some of the world's most bizarre birds have adapted to their surroundings. It is amazing to the casual student of evolution to realize how one factor, the practice of eating fruit, has caused such striking variations in behavior. To the birder confined to eastern North America, these strange South American birds are delightful to consider: bellbirds, cock-of- the-rock, manakins, oilbirds , the Crimson Fruit Crow. Naturalists have only begun to study their behavior, just when their habitats are being threatened by encroaching agriculture and industrial development. We hope these studies will make the South American countries more aware of the value of their bird resources. This book will be placed in the library at Carey Run Sanctuary, as will "The American Robin" by Len Eiserer which was reviewed in the Janu- ary 1977 Newsletter of Baltimore Chapter MOS. Joy Wheeler BIRD SOUNDS Gerhard A. Thielcke. 1976. Ann Arbor Science Library, Univ. Mich. Press, Ann Arbor. $2.95 (paper), $6.95 (cloth). If, the next time you're at Irish Grove Sanctuary you find yourself confined to the house by the heat, mosquitoes or rain, you may have to open the windows and do your birding entirely by ear. There's now 'a book there which will give you some assistance. Bird Sounds gives a good textbook treatment of what you'll be hearing, or not hearing as in the case of the owl flying. The structure of the bird's sound-producing .. organs, the variations in sounds, bird songs and calls, how birds learn sounds, are all thoroughly written of in this book. Suggestions for further study are presented. Joy Wheeler * CURLEW SANDPIPER IN DORCHESTER COUNTY, MARYLAND Carl W. Carlson and Josephine Walker On November 19, 1976 we drove into Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge from the east on Key Wallace Road and about noon crossed the tidal creek just east of Headquarters. Seeing a shorebird flock on the tidal mud, we stopped within 20 to 50 feet of the scattered birds. Re- maining in the car we checked them and found a few Killdeer and Common Snipe, but the solid, massed flock consisted entirely of Dunlin. In checking them out we spotted a different bird at the edge of the flat, about 10 feet from the flock. Our attention was caught by its somewhat more slender (longer?) body-shape and its definitely taller, more erect posture. The bird remained 20 to 35 feet from us and fed busily for perhaps 5 minutes, allowing a careful check (book in hand) of field marks, and comparison with the nearby Dunlin. These marks are summarized below: 50 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol • 33, No. 1 Bill - Slightly downcurved in an arc for its full length. It seemed thinner than the Dunlin bills, and had no vestige of the drooping end. Mantle - Darker and more strongly patterned (scaled) than the Dunlin. The back was distinctly brownish gray and darker than the Dunlin. Breast - The "bib" was paler and composed of lines of light streaks coming down from the face and throat. Both the bib and streaks therein were lighter than in the Dunlin. This plus the darker back made a color pattern so different from the Dunlins' that it was easily noticed without glasses. The lower underparts also appeared lighter (or whiter) than in the Dunlin. Behavior - The bird fed busily, pecking rapidly but walking rather slowly, and seemed to examine the mud closely before pecking. This was in marked contrast to the Dunlin, which ran about furiously and pecked in what could be termed a frantic manner. (But perhaps birds feeding in a compact flock have to move faster to compete?) The bird maintained a gap of 8 to 12 feet between it and the flock, moving away as the Dunlin , came closer. In contrast, any Dunlin that strayed from the flock's in- visible boundaries seemed to hurry back rather promptly. Posture - Standing and walking, the bird showed an erect posture, with a comparatively long neck. While feeding the bird kept its neck extended whereas the Dunlin when pecking displayed hardly more neck than when resting. The erectness emphasizes the comparative length and slen- derness of the neck, while the longer legs make the bird taller. Legs - Black, and visibly longer than those of the Dunlin. Rump - Definitely white; seen clearly at close range on take-off. We had the bird in view by itself from 20 to 35 feet for at least 5 minutes, using a 10-30X B&L scope and 9X binoculars. Finally, when the bird was some 30 feet away and feeding tail-toward us, an eagle swooped down and every bird took flight. Since we both had the bird in perfect focus in bright sunlight at short range and "tail-to," we both saw clearly the white rump as it flew. The flock flew wide out over the marsh, scattering and regrouping; finally about half returned to our mudflat, but our bird was missing and could not be found again. A large number of birders searched unsuccessfully for it on the weekend of November 20-21. On the basis of the field marks observed, it appears that the bird was a Curlew Sandpiper {Calidris ferruginea) . The immature pictured on page 129 of Bruun's Birds of Europe closely resembles our bird. This is the only plate we have found that shows the erect posture and "long-necked" look. Luckily, just about it on the plate are pictures of the Dunlin to permit comparison of typical profiles and postures of the two species. These field marks seem neglected in American guides, but European works specifically remark on them (e*g. , Bruun and Ticehurst as quoted by Bannerman on page 249 of Volume IX of Birds of the British Isles). These differences are very similar to those of the erect, attentive Golden Plover as compared with the bull-necked Black-bellied Plover. While the profile/posture are not diagnostic, they are most helpful. This is the third time in six years we have spotted a bird by these marks that on close study proved to be a Curlew Sandpiper. 5706 Lone Oak Drive, Bethesda, Md. 20014 and 1543 N. Falkland Lane, Silver Spring, Md. 20910 March 1977 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 51 WORLD NATURE TOURS, INC. P.O. BOX 693, WOODMOOR STATION SILVER SPRING, MD. 20901 , U.S.A. (301)593-2522 - WORLD NATURE TOURS, INC. is pleased to offer its 1978 program. These tours are designed to see as many birds as possible in the areas visited, while still observing all aspects of natural history. Groups will be small and expert leaders will be used including Ben King, Len Robinson, Doug Pratt, Phil Bruner, Steve West, Luther Goldman, Max Thompson, Dan Tallman, Phil Agland, Don Messersmith and others. Write for specific tour bro- chures. FEA TURE AREAS: MICRONESIA, CAMEROONS Leaders for MICRONESIA will be Doug Pratt and Phil Bruner who have been studying the birds of the Pacific for several years and are preparing a field guide to the birds of the area. Doug is also an artist whose magnificent bird paintings have appeared in sever- al recent natural history and birding journals. This is your chance to be on the first birding tour we know of to these remote islands with their rare, endemic species. CAMEROONS in West Africa offers many endemic birds, unspoiled rain forests and rare mammals. Phil Ag- land, the leader, has thoroughly scouted the country and promises a very rewarding experi- ence for a small group of adventurous travelers who will be among the first American birders to visit this fascinating country. TEXAS COAST TEXAS— BIG BEND ARIZONA CAMEROONS HAWAII MICRONESIA EUROPE NORWAY GALAPAGOS— ECUADOR PUERTO RICO— VIRGIN ISLANDS DOMINICAN REPUBLIC— JAMAICA PANAMA— GUATEMALA MALAYSIA— HONG KONG TRINIDAD— TOBAGO AUSTRALIA April 1-14 April 1 6-24 April 26-May 1 0 April 1 0-May 3 May 23-June 6 June 8-27 May 20-June 3 June 14-30 June 18-July 9 June 25-July 9 July 11-25 July 27-August 1 5 August 3 1 -September 24 September-October October 23-November 20 52 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol . 33, No. 1 CONTENTS , MARCH 1977 Evidence, of Winter Mortality from Christmas Committee of Count and Subsequent Intensive Coverage Biologists 3 Impact of the Severe Winter of 1977 on Woodland Birds in the Maryland Piedmont Chandler S. Robbins 8 Oiled Birds Seen at Ocean City, Maryland Paul G. Dul4ont 12 Effect of Winter of 1976-1977 on Bluebirds Lawrence Zeleny l4 Announcement: Gull and Tern Counts Needed l6 Herons and Rails Victims of Severe Freeze Guy W. Willey 17 Some Effects of the 1977 Freeze on Talbot County Birds Jan G. Reese 17 Songbird Mortality in Prince Georges County M. Kathleen Klimkiewicz l8 Editorial - Disaster Issue Chandler S. Robbins 19 The Maryland Christmas Counts of 1976 Danny Bystrak 20 A Non-storm-blown Bridled Tern off Maryland Richard A. Rowlett 31 Large Flight of Vultures in Montgomery Co. Paul and Joan Woodward 33 Telling Hawks from Vultures Jim Peters 3*+ The Season — October, November, December, 1976 Chandler S. Robbins 35 Coming Events 47 Book Reviews: Check Lists of Birds of the World Chandler S. Robbins 1+8 The Web of Adaptation by David Snow Joy Wheeler 1+9 Bird Sounds by Gerhard A. Thielcke Joy Wheeler 1+9 Curlew Sandpiper in Dorchester County, Md. Carl W. Carlson and Josephine Walker 1+9 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Published Quarterly by the Maryland Ornithological Society, Inc. to Record and Encourage the Study of Birds of Maryland Editor : Chandler S. Robbins, 7900 Brooklyn Bridge Road, Laurel, Md. 20810 (725-1176) Asst. Editor: C. Douglas Hackman, 3033 Woodside Ave., Balto. '21234 Art Editor: William N. Schneider Production : Romell Decker Mailing: Barbara Larrabee and committee c Atlantic Ocean Pelagic Trips 00 1977-78 marine birds , whales, a dolphins Sailing from Ocean City, Maryland, to the edge of the Continental Shelf. Sty 10. Sty 18. Oct t. Oct Zl . Dec f. Jaw 14. Feb *. Mur 4. Apr IS, Hu 7. Hu 14 . 4 Hu SB for INFORMATION and to maie RESERVATIONS . ■ contact! RICHARD A. ROWLETT 715 Main Street, #5 Laurel, Maryland 20810 301 — 1*98-6091 (phone direct)