ISSN 0147-9725 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE JUNE 1979 VOLUME 35 NUMBER 2 MARYLAND ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY, INC. Cylburn Mansion, 1*915 Greenspring Ave., Baltimore, Maryland 21209 EXECUTIVE COUNCIL, 1979-1980 President : 1st Vice Pres: 2nd Vice Pres: Treasurer: Secy /Exec Secy: Immed Past Pres : Mr. James W. Cheevers, 2855 South Haven Rd. , Annapolis MD 21401 224-2061 Miss Martha Chestem, 10850 Faulkner Ridge Circle, Columbia MD 21044 730-1527 Dr. Benjamin Poscover, 302-A Garden Rd. , Baltimore MD 21210 823-2548 Mr. W. Gordon MacGregor, 5009 Greenleaf Rd. , Baltimore MD 21210 Mrs. Helen Ford, 4o8 Beach Drive, Annapolis MD 21403 LT COL Wm. G. Bodenstein, Indian Landing Bozman MD 2l6l2 535-3044 267-8417 Mrs. Dorothea Malec, 36 Robinhood Drive, LaVale MD 21502 Mr. Norman Chamberlin, 1502 W. 10th St., Frederick MD 21701 Mr. Ellis Porter, 4l5 Roberts Way, Aberdeen, MD 21001 Mr. Joseph BlAir, R.D. #3, Box 307, Chestertown MD 21620 Mrs. Emily Joyce, 1550 Ellsworth Ave . ,. .Crofton MD 21114 Dr. Frank Witebsky, 9912 Brixton Lane, Bethesda MD 20034 Mr. Samuel Droege, 6710 W. Park Drive, Hyatt sville MD 20782 729-4936 662-1812 778-4133 721-2239 365-2944 422-2316 COMMITTEE AND PROJECT- CHAIRMEN Auditing: Mr. Rodney Jones, 207 Oak Ave. j Baltimore MD 21208 Bluebird: Dr. Lawrence Zeleny, 4312 Van Buren St.., Hyatt sville MD 20782 Budget: Mr. Charles N. Mason, 6432 31st St., N.W., Washington DC 20015 By-Laws: Mrs. Lee Meinersmann, 305 Central Ave., Laurel DE 19956 Conservation & LT COL Wm. G. Bodenstein, Indian Landing Cons. Easement: Bozman MD 2l6l2 . Convention: Miss Martha Chestem, IO85O Faulkner Ridge Circle, 'Columbia MD 21044 Education: Dr. Benjamin Poscover 302-A Garden Rd. , ■ Baltimore MD 21204 Investment: Mr. Elting Arnold, 4914 Dorset, Chevy Chase 20015 Library: Mrs. Joy Wheeler, 531 Hampton Lane,' Baltimore 21204 Long Range Planning: Mr. John Cullom, 437 Paradise Rd. , Baltimore. MD 21228 Nominating: Mr. Robert Ringler, 3501 Melody Lane, Balto 21207 Publications: Mr. Chandler S, Robbins, MBHRL, Laurel 7902 Brooklyn Bridge Rd. , Laurel MD 2l8l0 Research: Mr. Charles Vaughn, 1306 Frederick Ave., Salisbury MD 21801 Sanctuary: Mr. Barclay E. Tucker, l4l7 Grafton Shop Rd. , Bel Air MD 21014 Scholarship: Dr. Mildred E. Gebhard, 1170 Avenue D, Box 33, Perry Point MD 21902 486 -: 927-: 3442 3971 202-362-6243 302-875-5058 730-1527 823- 652 - 825- 747- 655- 776-4880 725- 742- 838- 642- -2548 -7344 -1204 -5870 -5738 x28l -1176 7221 6269 6749 Cover: Horned Grebe picked up at Cumberland on Jan. 8, 1979- Photo by G. Philander Beeman. MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Volume 35 June 1979 Number k ON THE FALL STATUS OF ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWS IN MARYLAND Paul W. Woodward According to Stewart and Robbins (Birds of Maryland and the District of Columbia, N. Am. Fauna No. 6 2, 1958, p. 213) the normal fall migration period of Rough-winged Swallows (Stelgidopteryx ruficollis ) in Maryland is June 25 - July 5 to August 25 - September 5 with late dates of September 11 and lh . More recently, Robbins and Bystrak (Field List of the Birds of Maryland, Md . Avifauna No. 2, 1977, p. 28) show the normal end of the fall migration as mid-September with some occurrences in late September and a late date of October 31. Observations at Lily Pons Fish Hatchery in Frederick County, however, indicate that Rough-winged Swallows regularly remain in Maryland later in the fall than is generally known. On September 30, 1971 » Rowlett saw 170 Rough-wings at Lily Pons (Am. Birds 2 6 : hh , 1972). By October 7 none were present (Woodward, pers. obs.). In 1972 when I was making weekly counts there, the progression of fall migration after mid-September was 50 Rough-wings on Sept. 15 and 22, h 0 on Oct. 2, 115 on Oct. 7, and none on Oct. Ik . Then, on Sept. 30, 1978 and 1979, and Oct. 1, 1977, I recorded 30, 15, and 75 Rough-wings, respectively. I made no observations after these dates . These records show that Rough-winged Swallows are pre- sent, at least at this one location, until the end of Septem- ber, often in relatively large numbers. A survey of 1970 to 1978 fall migration reports in American Birds and Maryland Birdlif e reveals that, this- may also be true for other areas of Maryland, because October departure dates were recorded in 1971 (Dorchester County), in 1975 (Talbot and Anne Arundel Counties), in 1976 (Calvert and Talbot Counties), in 1977 (Anne Arundel, Kent, and Montgomery Counties), and in 1978 (Anne Arundel County). 4117 Virginia St.., Fairfax, Va. 22030 32 MARYLAND BIRD LIFE Vol. 35. No. 2 COMMON EIDER ON POTOMAC RIVER AT POINT LOOKOUT Ernest W-illoughby .On October 7, 1978, a birding party at Point Lookout, St. Mary's County, consisting of Mark Allen, May and Ruth Gardner, Paul Nistico and me observed a Common Eider ( Somateria mollisima) in female (uniformly brown) plumage. This observation is noteworthy because Robbins and Bystrak (1977) indicate that this would be an unexpectedly early fall date, and the locality and habitat are unusual for sightings of the species in Maryland. Our diagnosis is made by the following criteria: We immediately recognized the bird as an eider rather than a scoter by the uniform rich dark brown coloration — distinctly more reddish-brown than in scoters — and by the slender, horny bill process extending high onto each side of the forehead in front of the eye. We identified it as a Common Eider, rather than a King Eider ( S . speatabilis ) , by the clearly observed posi- tion of the nostril, less than half the distance frcm bill tip to the proximal (posterior) end of the bill process. The profile was long and flat, like that of a Canvasback. However, we did not notice either dis- tinct dark barring of the plumage, supposed to be characteristic of the Common Eider, or dark crescentic markings characteristic of the King Eider (Johnsgard, 1975 J- The bird was first observed at 10:30 a.m. on the water near the swimming beach at Cornfield Harbor on the Potcmac River. The sun was shining and a wind of about 20 knots was blowing from the north. The bird preened and drifted southward within 20 meters of shore, and we were able to follow it and observe it intermittently with one 25X and two 20X spotting scopes at distances from less than 50 meters to about 150 meters until about 10: Uo when we stopped following it along the beach as it continued to drift southward toward Chesapeake Bay. We referred to the field guides of Peterson (19^7) and Robbins et al. 11966) as we observed the bird, and made our species diagnosis. REFERENCES Johnsgard, Paul A. 1975* Waterfowl of North America. Indiana University Press, Bloomington and London. Peterson, Roger T. 19^7- A Field Guide to the Birds. Second edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. 290 p. .Robbins, Chandler S. and Danny Bystrak. 1977- Field List of the Birds of Maryland. Maryland Avifauna Number 2, Second edition. Maryland Ornithological Society, Baltimore. Robbins, Chandler S. , Bertel Bruun, Herbert S. Zim, and Arthur Singer. 1966. A Guide to Field Identification, Birds of North America. Golden Press, Western Publishing Company, Inc., Racine, Wis. 3^0 p. St. Mary's College, St. Mary's City, Md. June 1979 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 33 ■ PRESIDENT'S REPORT / As you will read in the following reports of Committee Chairmen and Chapter Presidents, the 1978-79 Maryland Ornithological Society year has been full of serious considerations and activities . Paramount in the councils of the Society were a long, hard, intensive re-examination of our Sanctuaries and, in particular, their present and future maintenance, and deliberations toward a complete revision of our By-Laws. . These considerations and their resolutions are not easy tasks in an all- volunteer organization. They, along with other matters, shall continue to involve our interests and labors into the forthcoming year. The input by any and all members of the Society is invited and urged. We need your continued expertise, advice, physical labor, and financial and moral support. The more members who come forward to help, the lighter the burden will be on the few who have worked and continue to dedicate much of their valuable time to the MOS. All of the Society's dedicated workers deserve recognition and credit for their services, loyalty and accomplishments. Two outstanding examples are Mrs. Helen Ford and Mr. Charles Vaughn. As our Secretary and Executive Secretary Mrs. Ford has spent many long hours at her desk preparing and updating membership records, preparing envelopes for mailing Bivdlife preparing meeting notices and minutes, and replying to a significant load of correspondence. She is the backbone of the Society. Her initiative, efficiency and dedication have contributed the most to the operation of the MOS. Always present in our councils and always outspoken is Charlie Vaughn who is retiring as our First Vice President. He also serves as chairman of the Convention Arrangements Committee and the Research Committee. He has made significant contributions in many areas including the establishment of the Long Range Planning Committee and research grants. I hope he will continue to keep active among us. I would like to recognize and thank all of our Committee Chairmen who will continue to serve until September 1. Special commendation is made to Barclay Tucker, Sanctuary; Lee Meinersmann, By-Laws; John Cullom, Long Range Planning; and Charles Mason, Budget, who have had a particu- larly active and burdensome year. I know that each has spent much time and effort for the MOS. I would also like to thank John C. Guercio of the Baltimore Chapter for stepping forward to help resolve our tax problems and John Workmeister of Allegany for his report on Sanctuary insurance coverage. Bob Lyon of the MOS Bookstore continues an outstanding job in providing a wider variety of literature of interest to the members. Very deserving of the appreciation of the entire Society are all the Chapter Presidents and Directors who have guided us during the year and provided their advice, resolutions and sound judgments. We will miss those who depart our company through retirement from their elected offices , but look forward to working with those that relieve them along with those that remain for continuity. James W. Cheevevs MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol . 35. No. 2 3U MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL MEETING, MAY 12, 1979 The 32nd annual membership meeting of the Maryland Ornithological Society was called to order by President James W. Cheevers promptly at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 12, 1979- Site of the meeting was the Plim f Plaza Hotel, Ocean City, Maryland. A large number of members were present, evidence that a quorum was at hand. The President extended a warm welcome to all convention participants. Cited for traveling the longest distance was Mr. Denis Mardle of England. Appreciation was expressed to Mr. and Mrs. Gibbs, who has traveled from Amsterdam, New York to represent Birding, an optics firm, and to Mr. Robert Lyon of the Baltimore Chapter for the fine MOS Bookstore' display. A motion was introduced by Mr. Tucker, seconded and passed, that reading of the Minutes of the May 1978 annual meeting be waived, and they be approved as printed in the June 1978 supplement to Maryland Birdlife . Treasurer's Report . Mr. MacGregor's complete report will be printed in this supplement to Maryland Birdlife , reflecting the stable financial condition of the Society. A motion to accept the Treasurer's report was presented by Mrs. Borsodi, seconded and passed. Membership . At the close of the 1978-1979 MOS year, there were 1981 members of the Society, down slightly from past years. Chapter totals were as follows: Allegany, 7^; Anne Arundel, 109; Baltimore, 678; Caroline, 31; Dorchester, 25; Frederick, 67; Harford, 118; Howard, 111; Kent, 68; Montgomery, 25U; Patuxent, 8l; Talbot, 117; Washington, 87; Wicomico, 6l; Member s-at-Large, 75; Maryland Birdlife subscribers, 25; total 1981. Committee, Project Reports . Chairmen of the Bluebird Project and standing commitees briefed the membership on last years's activities. Their complete reports will be printed in this supplement to Maryland Birdlife. President's Message . President Cheevers spoke of actions taken in support of environmental issues of concern to the Society. He briefed the membership on preliminary plans for a fund raising drive for the benefit of our sanctuaries. His remarks included a summary of Chapter visits made and meetings held. He honored the outgoing Chapter presidents and trustees, and expressed appreciation to some members who has served the MOS in an outstanding manner — Charles Vaughn for the fine convention arrangements, Helen Ford for secretarial assistance, John Workmeister for guidance with our insurance problems, and John Guercio, who handles out taxes. Mr. Cheevers' President's Report will be printed in its entirety in this supplement to Maryland Birdlife. June 1979 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 35 Election of Trustees . The Secretary read names of those nominated by the chapters to serve as trustees for the forthcoming year (chapter president indicated by an asterisk): Allegany - Mrs. Dorothea Malec*, Mr. Robert Hiegel, Mr. John Workmeister; Anne Arundel - Mrs. Emily Joyce*, Mrs. Carol Swartz, Mr. Tad Eareckson; Baltimore - Mr. John Cullom* , Mrs. Raymond Geddes, Jr., Dr. Roger Herriott, Mrs. Martin G. Larrabee, Mrs. Edward A. Metcalf, Dr. Benjamin F. Poscover, Dr. Alan Ross; Caroline - Mr. Oliver Smith*, Mr. A. J. Fletcher; Frederick - Mr. Norman Chamberlin*, Mr. Charles L. Mullican; Harford - Mr. Ellis Porter*, Miss Roenna Fahrney, Mr. Eldred Johnson; Howard - Ms. Eileen S. Me Cormack-Clegg , Mr. John Clegg; Kent - Mr. Joseph Blair*, Mrs. Dorothy Mendinhall; Montgomery - Dr. Frank G. Witebsky*, Mr. Philip A. DuMont, Miss M. Kathleen Klimkiewicz, Mr. Edgar H. Smith; Patuxent - Mr. Samuel Droege*, Dr. Lawrence Zeleny; Talbot - Mrs. David S. Spain*, Mr. G. Curtis Engel, Dr. Robert Trever; Washington - Mrs. Alberta J. Thurmond*, Mr. Truman Doyle; Wicomico - Mrs. Lee Meinersmann* , Mr. Karl Zickrick. Mr. Tucker's motion was seconded and passed, approving these trustees. Election of Officers . Nominated to serve as officers of the Society for the forthcoming year were: President, Mr. James W. Cheevers ; First Vice President, Miss Martha Chestem; Second Vice President, Dr. Benjamin F. Poscover; Treasurer, Mr. W. Gordon MacGregor; Secretary, Mrs. Helen M. Ford. Two motions were presented, duly seconded and unanimously approved — the first by Mrs. Meinersmann that nominations be closed, the second by Dr. Zeleny that these officers be elected. Oiled Birds Committee . The Oiled Birds Committee is organizing, and will require assistance in the event of a spill in the Bay or ocean. Mr. David Mosher reported that volunteers are urgently needed, both to train as workers, and to provide housing for workers in an emergency situation. Unanimous approval was given to Mr. Fletcher's motion, thanking the Convention Committee for their successful convention arrangements. There being no further business, a motion was introduced by Mr. Ringler, seconded and passed, adjourning the meeting at 9:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Helen M. Ford , Secretary 36 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol. 25, No._2 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE TREASURER MARYLAND ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY, INC. Fiscal Year Ending April 30, 1979 OPERATING FUND Fund Balance April 30, 197 8 Receipts : Dues Convention Income Sale of Publications Sale of Private Sanctuary Signs Interest on Savings Account From Guests at Irish Grove Sanctuary Assistance on Mailing Permit (Baltimore Chapter) Expenditures : Maryland Birdlife , Printing and Mailing Other Printing Convention Expenses Executive Secretary Compensation Administrative and Office Expenses Affiliation Fee (National Audubon) Research Grants Various Memberships Fund Balance April 30, 1979 $ 9,838.93 $ 6,795.00 742.00 482.41 341.99 1,050.42 104.00 - 20.00 9.535.82 19,374.75 $ 3,517.32 835.00 80.00 2,750.00 1,356.45 50.00 830.00, 40.00 ' 9.458.77 $ 9,915.98 SANCTUARY FUND Fund Balance April 30, 1978 Receipts : Contributions Interest and Dividends from Sanctuary Endovment Expenditures: Taxidermy; Property Tax Insurance Tax and Deed Recording Utilities Repairs: Carey Run Bridge Irish' Grove Bam Miscellaneous Fund Balance April 30, 1979 $ 14,030.73 $ 2,478,85 1,904.82 4,383.67 / 10 ,4l4 .40 ' $ 158.OO 1,931.50 846.65 135.78 559.33 1,268.20 1,510.00 2.89 6,412.35 $ 12,002.05 SANCTUARY ENDOWMENT FUND Fund Balance April 30, 1978 Receipts : Interest Earned Fund Balance April 30, 1979 •Includes Anne Arundel Chapter Restricted Gift of $5,472.45 $ 30,333.86* 454,31 $ 30,788.17* June 1979 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 37 HELEN MILLER SCHOLARSHIP ENDOWMENT FUND Fund Balance April 30, 1978 Receipts: Contributions Interest on Bonds Interest on Savings Expenditures : Scholarships Fund Balance April 30, 1979 $ 11,355.22 $ 1,791.25 585.00 273.88 2,650.13 14,005-35 1,500'. 00 $ 12,505.35 Reconciliation of Accounts at End of Fiscal Year Fund Balances: Operating Fund Helen Miller Scholarship Endowment Fund Sanctuary Fund Sanctuary Endowment Fund $ 9,915.98 12,505.35 12,002.05 30.788.17 $ 65,211.55 Certif. of Dep., Loyola Federal Certif. of Dep., Loyola Federal Niagara Mohawk Power Co. Bonds Gen . Telephone Co . , S . E . Bonds Ohio Bell Telephone Co. Bonds T. Rowe Price Growth Stock Fund Certif. of Dep. , Loyola Federal 229.36 16,768.1+3 3,012.67* 3,992.04* 3,500.00* 6,820.00** 4,983.15** 5,129.92** 4,987.81** 9 , 500 . 00 ** (7.500#) 6,288.17* ** Fund Assets: Checking Account, Maryland National Bank Savings Account (Pooled Funds) Loyola Federal Dayton Power & Light Bonds (8.000#) Virginia Electric & Power Bonds (8.625#) (7.750#) (7.750#) (7.375#) (7.750#) (7.875#) 65,211.55 * Helen Miller Endowment Fund Securities , at cost ** Sanctuary Fund Securities, at cost *** Special A. A. Chapter Sanctuary Fund with restricted principal $5,472.45 at cost plus accrued interest SANCTUARY INVESTMENT Carey Run Mill Creek Irish Grove $ 49,290.15 14,446.86 86 , 289.20 Pelot Mandares Creek turn Suden 13,019.88 3,544.00 25,000.00 Sanctuaries are listed at cost (or at appraised value, if an outright gift) plus the cost of subsequent improvements AUDITING COMMITTEE REPORT We have examined the financial records of the Maryland Ornithological Society for the year May 1, 1978 through April 30, 197 9- In our opinion the aforementioned records accurately present the financial position of the Society. (Signed) Rodney B. Jones, Chairman 38 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol. 35, No. 2 COMMITTEE AND PROJECT REPORTS BLUEBIRD PROJECT REPORT Fifty collaborators in the MOS Bluebird Project who maintained 2,201 nesting boxes reported an estimated total of 3,192 young Eastern Bluebirds fledged in Maryland during the 1978 nesting season. The ^ number of bluebirds fledged under the project has increased each year since its inception in 1969, largely because of an increase in participa- tion and in the number of nesting boxes maintained. The Prince George's County Council and Executive issued a formal proclamation this year designating the first full week of March each year as "Bluebird Week" in view of the Eastern Bluebird having been previously declared the official county bird. The Montgomery County Council and Executive proclaimed the months of March and April as "Befriend the Bluebirds" time, and urged the citizens of that county to participate in the bluebird conservation movement. Public interest in the cause of bluebird conservation has been further stimulated on a broader scale during the year by articles in Exxon USA, Defenders of Wildlife, Reader’s Digest, and numerous news- papers throughout the country, as well as by radio and television. This widespread interest, initiated in substantial part by our project, is reflected in the 'rapid growth of the North American Bluebird Society with which the MOS project is cooperating closely. This new organization, just over a' year old, now has more than 1,000 members from nearly all states and several Canadian provinces. More information concerning the North American Bluebird' Society may be obtained from the Society, Box 6295, Silver Spring, Maryland 20906. Lawrence Zeleny, .Chairman BY-LAWS COMMITTEE REPORT The By-Laws Committee began work in October, and agreed on what the basic changes were to be. Each member made her own version, and the Chairman attempted to put it together as a single document. There were committee illnesses and a death to a family member of one of the commit- tee, so the work was slowed. There is now a single document, but there is a range of disagreement and refinement that still has to be worked on. The committee would like then to present it to some selected members of previous By-Laws Committees before presenting it to the Board of Directors as a whole We are not certain when' the total document will be ready for presentation, because of the conflicts on which compromises must be made. As the committee serves until September, we believe we will have the By-Laws completed by then. Lee Meinersmann , Chairman June 1979 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 39 CONSERVATION COMMITTEE REPORT The MOS added its voice to a number of important conservation issues during 1978-79* Last summer a long set of proposals were made for so-called "improvements" at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and Assateague National Seashore. One of the major proposals was a waterfowl and waterfowling museum to be located on the Refuge. The sites being considered would have destroyed valuable wildlife habitat. Through the auspices of the Committee to Preserve Assateague the MOS voiced its disapproval of this and other measures considered not in keeping with the purposes of the Refuge. Letters were written to U.S. Senators Charles Mathias and Paul Sarbanes urging and gaining their support for maintaining a strong Endangered Species Act which had come under attack because of the Tellico Dam/Snail Darter problem. The MOS continued its opposition to the use of Hart-Miller Islands for the dumping of dredge spoils from Baltimore Harbor despite pressure from the State Department of Natural Resources to change our view. President Carter was informed that the Society supported him taking actions, which he later did, with regard to the Alaskan d2 lands. Several Chapters also dealt with conservation matters and the outstanding work of Aneke Davis in -Baltimore and the Anne Arundel members who wrote the DNR and got funding restored for a shorebird sanctuary at Sandy Point State Park should be noted. William Bodenstein , Chairman CONVENTION COMMITTEE REPORT The 31st Annual Convention was held for the second year at the Plim Plaza Hotel in Ocean City. Attendance was down approximately 10# from last year. Some people cancelled when it looked as though gasoline might be scarce. This year 226 MOS members and 7 non-members registered. For the first time in many years Chan Robbins was not leading the "dawn chorus" field trip to the Pocomoke Swamp. One wonders how many birds we may have missed as a result. Despite this handicap, convention birders perservered and found 176 species for the weekend. A visit to Deal Island Wildlife Management Area was a new addition to our list of field trips and it added a few birds to the cumulative total. As in the past, trips to nearby Delaware and Virginia were included and each produced unique species. Each person probably had his or her own favorites among the birds seen and it is hoped everyone will be back for another exciting series of field trips next year. Charles Vaughn , Chairman 1*0 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol . 35, No. 2 EDUCATION COMMITTEE REPORT / Again this year 12 Chapters submitted their programs for exchange. On our third fall listers' trip, 38 listers from 7 Chapters found 151 species. John Scarborough, a 9th grade student at Towsontown Junior High School in Baltimore County, was a winner of one of this year’s Outstand- ing Achievement in Ornithology awards. His project, "The Effects of Temperature, Sunlight and Precipitation on Eastern Regional Birds" was displayed at the Johns Hopkins Science Fair where it also won awards for photography and meteorology. . The Irish Grove Weekend, scheduled for May 26, 27 and 28, will afford members a chance to visit one of our sanctuaries and if they want, to become a part of a group of participants in a breeding bird Atlas project. This should complete the atlas project for Irish Grove. The Carey Run Weekend, scheduled for June 30 and July 1, will be our first visit to this sanctuary 'as a planned activity by this Com- mittee. We want visitors to become familiar with Carey Run and to participate in the Garrett County Atlas project. Plans for 1979-1980 include: Program exchange; Listers' trip, October 6, 7 and 8; Outstanding Achievement in Ornithology Award, we would like to see a nominee from each Chapter; Carey Run Weekend, July U, 5 and 6 , to expand the number who visit this sanctuary and to continue with the breeding bird Atlas . At the last meeting of the Directors, the Education Committee was given the following tasks: (l) The Committee is asking the Chapters to complete a form in which they will list possible speakers from their Chapters. The Committee will then construct a speakers' list from this. (2) A Texas MOS trip is being investigated through World Nature Tours. Don Messersmith is a member of this Committee and is coordinating this activity. Bob Ringler expressed interest in designing a trip just for MOS members . Ben Posaover , Chairman LIBRARY COMMITTEE REPORT The Library Committee has been involved in several ongoing projects. We continue to receive the exchange journals at Cylburn and maintain the collection in the third floor closet. One journal has been added to the collection: The Ring } the International Ornithological Bulletin , pub- lished in Poland by Dr. W. Rydzewski; this series extends from 1958 to 1973, and arrangements are being made to fill in the missing volumes. One request was made during the year to use our collection of exchange journals. Mrs. Pat Diestel, a student in Stephen Simon's June 1979 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Ul Ornithology course at Catonsville Community College, asked for permission to use a copy of The Wilson Bulletin . I mention Mrs. Diestel because one of the outcomes of her successful search for the particular copy of The Wilson Bulletin was a developing interest in the MOS library project it- self. To fulfill a requirement for Mr. Simon’s course, Mrs. Diestel is spending 30 hours working on our Library Catalog, arranging alphabeti- cally the titles of the books at MOS Headquarters, Cylburn Mansion, and at Carey Run, Irish Grove, and turn Suden Sanctuaries. This will provide a major boost to our plans to compile and publish a list of books and journals owned by MOS. Four books were reviewed for library at Cylburn. Maryland Birdlife and placed in the Joy Wheeler , Chairman RESEARCH COMMITTEE REPORT Four proposals were reviewed, all from college graduate students. Of these, three were awarded grants — Pen Chu of the University of Maryland, $250 for a Carolina Wren study, and $165 each to Kimberly Titus of the University of Maryland to do raptor research at Frostburg and Kathy Tiene of the University of Rhode Island for a study of the popping behavior of blackbirds . The two students awarded $165 each could not qualify for the maximum amount because of a restriction created by a motion passed at the January 2b , 1976 Executive Council meeting, stipulating that at least one-third of the Committee's annual budget be spent for research performed at the MOS sanctuaries. After discussion by the Board, a motion was passed that this restriction by waived at the discretion of the Research Committee. Charles Vaughn , Chairman SANCTUARY COMMITTEE REPORT The Sanctuary Committee met on September 30, 1978 and jointly with the Long Range Planning Committee on April 7, 1979- The Committee recommends that additional sanctuaries not be accepted unless there is a financial plan to operate them and they are tax exempt. This latter qualification would apply only in Somerset County where our property is not tax exempt. At the joint meeting with the Long Range Planning Committee, a motion was passed to catagorize each sanctuary as to how extensive its use should be. At the same meeting Chan Robbins advised that The Nature Conservancy has developed a very good master plan for the operation of sanctuaries. Chan distributed literature about the plan. At the joint meeting a motion was passed to require $2 per night or $10 per week for the use of sanctuary houses at Irish Grove, Carey Run, and turn Suden. U2 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol . 35, No. 2 Following the joint meeting, John Cullom, Chairman of the Long Range Planning Committee, contacted The Nature Conservancy for further information on their practices concerning operation of the sanctuaries. The Nature Conservancy was very cooperative and forwarded slides to John which he showed at his home. He also secured a copy of their loose leaf booklet Stewardship — a very comprehensive guide for Preserve Committees. It was decided to use the turn Suden Sanctuary for our first Master Plan along the lines of those that The Nature Conservancy uses. Budgeting for the operation of our sanctuaries has becomes more realistic because the Sanctuary Committee decided that a realistic approach to operation of the sanctuaries has to recognize that more than volunteer effort is needed. Maintenance of the barn at Irish Grove consisted of roof replacement and repair of the sides . The sanctuaries are serving a valuable function in the field of education. The following quote from a faculty member of Towson State University to Gladys Cole is testimony to this fact: " Thanks, Gladys , for all of your assistance! You were really helpful both in the operation of the house and in giving us valuable pointers to interesting features in the area. As you noted, the students in my class (General Ecology) were interested not only in the birds, but many other biological areas as well — and Irish Grove is an ideal base for their individual explorations. I, certainly, had a very enjoyable experience for my first visit, and would like to bring another class over in the fall (probably October). Hopefully, you'll be able to be there again also!" The only conclusion concerning a way to get tax exemption in Somerset County was that we might try getting more Somerset County citizens in MOS and possibly have a chapter there. Under these conditions the voice of MOS to the County Commissioners would- be more effective. President Cheevers asked John Workmeister, a member of the Allegany Chapter and of the Workmeister Agency, Inc., to review the insurance policies of the Society. In his report to President Cheevers, Mr. Workmeister stated that our General Liability Policy appears to be adequate. He further stated that he is certain that Irish Grove and Carey Run are under-insured. I want to thank all MOS members who served on local Sanctuary Committees, or in other capacities, for their cooperation and effort. Finally, let me say that we need more members using our sanctuaries. Many members do not know the gold mine that we have in them. In June 1979 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE ^3 line with this need, our brochure on the sanctuaries is being revised by Gladys Cole with the help of Paul and Linda Bystrak. Barclay Tucker , Chairman, Sanctuary Committee John Cullom , Chairman, Long Range Planning Committee SCHOLARSHIP COMMI TTEE .REPORT Every year when the members of the Scholarship Committee return their ratings there is always a plaintive note — We have so- many good candidates and so few scholarships. It is with particular pleasure then that the Scholarship Committee announces the acquisition of a new scho- larship. This scholarship is sponsored by the World Nature Association of which our own Don Messersmith is president. It is to be known as the Orville Crowder Memorial Scholarship. Mr. Crowder was founder of the World Nature Association which is widely known for the nature trips it organizes to all parts of the world. We are very grateful to Don and to the World Nature Association for this new scholarship. From a bumper crop of seventeen candidates drawn from four MOS chapters the Scholarship Committee has chosen the following winners: Sister Ellen Eugene Callaghan, O.S.F., biology teacher at Catholic High School in Baltimore, Md. , is winner of the Helen Miller Scholarship and will be attending the Audubon Workshop in Maine. Miss Jane Mazur, biology teacher at the Pikesville High School, Pikesville, Md. , is winner of the scholarship sponsored by the Amateur Gardeners' Club of Baltimore and also will be attending the Audubon Workshop in Maine . Mr. David Mosher, instructor in ecology at the Baltimore City Bureau of Recreation, Baltimore, Md. , is winner of the MOS Scholarship. He will also be attending the Audubon Workshop in Maine. Mr. Dennis Kirkwood, science teacher at Fallston High School, Fallston, Md., is winner of the Orville -Crowder Memorial Scholarship. He will be attending the Audubon Workshop of the West in Wyoming. The Committee expresses its appreciation to the various chapters for their efforts in promoting candidates for these scholarships. We feel these recipients will be able to make excellent use of their opportunity to attend these reknowned Audubon Society summer workshops. Mildred E. Gebhard , Chairman □ MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol . 35, No. 2 hb ANNUAL REPORTS OF LOCAL CHAPTERS ALLEGANY' CHAPTER Again this year the Allegany Chapter joined the Community Services Department of Allegany Community College in sponsoring five programs of the Audubon Wildlife Series. For the past two years this series has been beset by unusually severe winter weather and receipts have fallen short of program expenses. However, both sponsors feel the series provides a useful community educational service and we have entered into a joint contract to sponsor programs again next season. We hope for better weather. It was necessary to cancel our annual one-week Bird Camp for area youngsters. Our usual dates in June at the Pleasant Valley U-H Center were pre-empted by the Allegany County School system for their Outdoor School. This was necessitated by the extension of the school year to make up for days lost during the severe winter of 1977-1978. Efforts to reschedule our camp in August were not successful. However, the camp will be run this year. As usual the Allegany Chapter was a full participant in both the spring and winter bird counts under the leadership of Kendrick Hodgdon and John Willetts. Complete data on these counts have been submitted. More recently, considerable local publicity has attended a spring hawk watch on Dan's Mountain led by Paul and Ann Smith of the Allegany Chapter. Over a seven-day period in April, 1,706 birds of prey were observed in their northward migration. Included in the total were 7 eagles and k6 Ospreys. The big news is that the new bridge on the access road is now in place so that users can travel safely in and out of Carey Run Sanctuary. We wish to express our gratitude to the State organization for their financial assistance in keeping Carey Run in a usable condition not only for our local membership but for our many visitors from chapters through- out the state. Picnics were scheduled at Carey Run in June and August. The annual Chapter dinner meeting was held at the Penn-Alps Restaurant in Grants- ville. All of the above activities were very well attended. ■ Robert Heiget President ANNE ARUNDEL CHAPTER Weather extremes affected, or attempted to affect, several trips for the Anne Arundel Bird Club this year. A hurricane threatened our pelagic trip off the coast of North Carolina in September, but an undaunted group of 7 attempted the trip anyway. The land birding was very good, with everyone getting at least one life bird, but all the boats had gone to safer harbors so there was no pelagic trip. June 1979 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE U5 The Blizzard of '79 struck during our winter weekend trip to the Eastern Shore and a three-day trip stretched to four, but the Anne Arundel Birders birded on. Other special trips included Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, Ellen Gizzarelli's "goodie" trip for spring migrants, the C & 0 Canal trip led by the Fords, Gude's Nursery for owls, Sandy Point with Hal Wierenga, and the Lily Pons — New Design Rd. trip led by Jim Cheevers. A total of 25 trips were listed on the program and all of those scheduled to date have been held. A total of 36*+l miles was covered by car and another 65 on foot with a cumulative total of 217 species recorded on club trips. Forty members and guests enjoyed a picnic at the home of Mrs. Hazel Keith to herald the start of the birding year. Another picnic is sche- duled for June at the home of Col. and Mrs. W. G. Bodenstein. Seven programs were presented during the year. David Holmes spoke on "The Little Brown Birds"; Claudia Wilds presented "Shorebirds at Chincoteague" ; Chandler Robbins talked on "Birding East Africa"; Tad Eareckson told of "An Adventure in Florida"; Col. W. G. Bodenstein did his "Guess the Bird" program; and a film, "A Great White Bird" was shown. The annual lecture featured Jim Brett, educational director at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, who told some of the history of the sanctuary and showed a number of slides on the area. He also brought along a Red- tailed Hawk that had been injured and is in the care of the sanctuary staff. The lecture was one of our most successful ones. Proceeds from the lecture were divided between the MOS Sanctuary Fund and the Helen Miller Scholarship Fund. Our Christmas Count was coordinated by Hal and Harold Wierenga. In spite of a cold rainy day, 60 observers counted 103 species ( 56,22*1 individuals). The only new high count was for Brown Creepers (86), and the only new species was the Black-and-white Warbler. Conspicuous by their absence were Turkey Vultures. Manderes Creek Sanctuary received several bundles of trees and shrubs, which provide food for wildlife. Autumn olive, dogwood, crab- apple, and Scotch pine trees were planted as well as bush honeysuckle. The plants were provided by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. The club expressed support for several conservation issues this year by means of a letter-writing campaign. Among the issues that received our support were the wetlands area for Sandy Point and protec- tion of Alaskan wilderness areas. The 108 members. of the Anne Arundel Bird Club look forward to another year of good birding in 1979-1980. Emily D. Joyce , President U6 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol . 35 , No. 2 BALTIMORE CHAPTER The Baltimore Chapter enjoyed another good year. The rare birds of the past two winters failed to show, but we still enjoyed the field . trips, the Audubon Films and the other activities. We have also completed the first year of a Baltimore County Breeding Bird Atlas and are looking forward- to- the’ next two years. I would like to recognize several people who have completed their first full year as committee chairmen and as such have shaped the Chapter activities enjoyed by the rest of us. Eleanor- Jones , as Program Chairman, supervised the planning of field trips and meetings and the printing of the program books. . Walter Greenhouse planned and presented the Audubon Films. . Mr. and Mrs. Francis Schreiber, as Hospitality Chairmen, served as host and hostess at all of our social functions. . Anneke Davis kept us all informed about conservation matters at meetings and through the newsletter. . Donna Selway, as Editor of the monthly newsletter, has reached every member of the Chapter. . Gladys Cole spread the word of the MOS and the Joys of birding to many outsiders as Chairman of the Extension Committee. I would like to recognize two very special people, Nancy Rowe and Martha Schaffer. Nancy and Martha retired from the Executive Board of the Baltimore Chapter in April- after almost twenty years of faithful service. Nancy has served in several official positions — vice presi- dent, four years as president, program chairman, and lately as state trustee. Nancy has done a great deal to determine the stature of the Baltimore Chapter and has served as unofficial council to several succeed- ing presidents. Nancy and Josh are selling their large house aiid moving to Broadmead in order to have more time for themselves and hopefully for birding. Martha has been Chairman of the Junior Activities Committee for almost twenty years. Under her leadership, the Junior Program has exposed tens of thousands of children to the wonders of nature. The program has grown to include six organized branches, namely. Junior Nature Club, Junior Nature Camp, the Bird Museum, the organized school nature tours, the Saturday nature classes, and the collection of stuffed birds which are used by teachers and lecturers. Patsy Perlman will take over for Martha as Junior Activities Committee Chairman. Martha will split her time between her home in Baltimore and her daughter's home in New Hampshire. We will miss them both and wish them well. John Cullom\ President June 1979 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE UT CAROLINE COUNTY CHAPTER The Caroline County Chapter concluded a very successful season with a field trip to the. Choptank -marsh lands on Sunday, May 20. Meetings - were well attended starting with the September 15 meeting, which featured our own Steve Westre discussing his color slides of his Norway trip last summer. Two other meetings featured programs given by our own ■ members - Doug Pyles shoved slides .and talked on Puerto Rico, Ed Unger related his experiences birding with Dick Kleen in Arizona last July. Other programs featured Kathy Riddle and her activities nursing injured wildlife back to health. A live raccoon accompanied Kathy to the meeting. Dr. Robert Trevor showed slides of his Peru trip. Ellis Porter delighted us with slides of Aberdeen Proving Ground wildlife. Lastly , Stuart Engle related his experiences on a Coast Guard ice breaker while showing his slides. The club furnished bird seed for winter feeding of birds at the Caroline County Nursing Home in Denton. A copy of Jon E. Rickert's " A Guide, to North American Bird Clubs" was donated to the Caroline County Public Library. The highlight of the season's conclusion was a field trip to the Choptank River marshes and hearing and observing Marsh Wrens. A special thanks for the cooperation and help given the chapter by Vice-President Ed Unger, Secretary Marvin Hewitt, Treasurer Roberta Fletcher, Sanctuary Chairman Jerry Fletcher and Program Chairman Tom Robbins. Many thanks also to all members who participated in and attended our programs . Total paid membership reached 31. Participation in Christmas and May bird counts produced 87 species observed in December and 136 species in May. Ollie Smith, President FREDERICK COUNTY CHAPTER The opening of the 78-79 program featured Dave Hansroth, with films, slides and turkey calls. Dave is one of the founders of the Maryland Chapter of the Native Wild Turkey Federation. Everyone enjoyed the audible portion of the presentation and it attracted several passers-by as the weather was warm and at Hood College outsiders could hear the turkey calls and joined our meeting. Our first field trip was to Lilypons in September and it held the usual variety of species plus an unusual Glossy Ibis. After years of trekking to Washington Monument State Park, near Boonsboro, for migrating hawks and other raptor species, we had a most successful day on Sep- tember 23. We have found the day must be clear with a nice breeze from the Northeast. One doesn't have to start his watch until around 10 a.m. MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol. 35, No. 2 48 On October 5, Shannon Hiatt spoke about his. experiences with "Homing and Racing Pigeons." Shannon started birding at the age of 10 and gave a most interesting lecture, supported with slides, on the history of diis subject. Everyone was suprised at the number of people racing pigeons (30,000+) and the 1 6 million racing birds banded each year. Shannon’s description of training and details of actual racing events were most enjoyable. Club members learned about the preciseness required for measuring distance and time for a racing bird to return to his own roost. Frederick club members asked many questions of Shannon on how birds were able to find their way home. He gave interesting insights into land marks, magnetic attractions and sun marks among his answers. Outings in October, 1978 included trips to Adventure Sanctuary for bird banding and a trip to Tresselt's fish ponds. January 1979 arrived with cold and snow in Frederick, but on the 4th the slides and talks by members of the chapter ushered in the bird- ing year. The February meeting, with a long cold winter continuing; was marked by a reminder of summer. The subject of the meeting was a slide show and talk by Patty Benner on her raft trip through the Grand Canyon in the summer. It was a good show on wild water, with a bit of bird and wildlife mixed in as well. An outing was held on February 3 with bird- ing from the windows at Howard and Phyllis Hodge’s home on Linganore Road. It has become a popular annual event. Frederick nature photographer, Robert K. Hoffman, presented a slide' lecture on "Seashore Life in Tidal Zone" on March 1. Hoffman showed slides and talked about the diversity of plant and animal life found along the rocky and sandy shores of the United States. He showed many close-up and magnified photographs of the life forms to reveal their form and beauty. The chapter's March trip to turn Suden Sanctuary had to be cancelled because of heavy rains and shortage of gasoline. The April meeting had Susan Munch of Hood College contribute slides and talk on "Flowers and Pollination." Susan, a most gifted young lecturer, high- lighted her talk by defining roles various birds have on the pollination processs for flowers. This talk was supported by many beautiful illus- trations of ecology and flowers. "Birding through the USA" was the topic of the May meeting. Our speaker for the slide lecture was Robert F. Ringler , an experienced bird-watcher who has covered the United States for elusive and interesting species of birds. Ringler 's slides were outstanding and gave chapter members a comprehensive view of birds to be found in our national parks and refuges. The varied and interesting bird sanctuaries that are owned and operated by M0S was the subject of the June 7 meeting. Jim Cheevers, M0S President, was well qualified to discuss our sanctuary program. He had slides on sanctuaries in virtually all parts of the state and in all kinds of habitats from the rugged mountains of Western Maryland, to the waters of the Eastern Shore, and to urban settings around Baltimore. Thanks to my fellow officers, our speakers, and field trip leaders, we had a most successful and enjoyable year. Norm A. Chajribevl'ln , President June 1979 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 49 HARFORD COUNTY CHAPTER The Harford Chapter had an enjoyable year. The Committee meetings, the varied programs, the field trips and the other activities have brought the membership closer together, resulting in more group and individual interest and effort. The officers and committees met in August just before the first meeting in September and discussed plans for the year. Some of the ideas have been implemented and hopefully others will be accomplished later . Fifteen field trips were planned and most of them were attended. Some of the areas covered were: Hawk Mountain, Rocks State Park, Muddy Run, Philadelphia Zoo, Bombay Hook, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Dragon Rian, Cacapon Park in West Virginia and Ocean City. Again, one of the outstand- ing trips was to Aberdeen. Sixty-five of our members visited the off- limit area of the Post. The viewing of a nesting Bald Eagle and her young was the highlight of the day. The turn Suden sanctuary, although not used nearly as much as we would like, has created interest among the members. There is a close relationship between the Board of Education of Harford County and the workers at the sanctuary. Certain members of Harford MOS have accepted the responsibility to help maintain the buildings and grounds and pre- serve the natural habitat for wildlife. They participate in "Clean-Up" days and make regular visits to feed the birds and check the property. Some memorials have been designated for the sanctuary and several hundred dollars have made it possible to purchase suitable items in honor of the former members who have died. Our bird displays are steadily increasing. A history of the club is being prepared for distribution to the members at the May meeting. We are looking forward to more information about our former as well as our present members. Hopefully, this history will continue as long as the club is active. Some members took an active part in the Christmas Count, the January (special) Count and the May Count. Our present membership is 122. Approximately 70 attend the regular meetings. Eldred D, Johnson , President HOWARD COUNTY CHAPTER The past year has been a highly productive period in the history of the Howard County Chapter. Our membership has reached an all time high of over 110 members and it continues to grow. This represents almost a 100# increase over this time last year. The reason for this significant increase is our active involvement with the community. Our chapter- sponsored lectures, slide shows and demonstrations have reached over 1200 people. As a result of our introduction to ornithology and natural- history, several schools, from elementary to high schools, have set up 50 MARYLAND BIKDLIFE Vol . 35. No. 2 follow-up programs of their own. One secondary school has even estab- lished a collection of bird specimens. The members of our education., committee have burdened most of the responsibility and deserve most of the credit for the success of these programs. Our monthly programs and field trips have attempted to appeal to the broadest interests of our members. We like to think we have been extremely successful in meeting their desires. Our programs have run the gamut from professional travelogues to our annual members' slide night, from a lecture by Dr. Zeleny on bluebirds to a presentation and discussions with a Master Falconer on hunting with hawks. Our field trips have covered topics from the ground up, with wildflower and am- phibian walks in the spring and migratory hawk watches in the fall. Several trips on discovery of the natural world around us have been co- sponsored with the Howard County Department of Parks and Recreation. Next year's activities show all indications of eclipsing this year's efforts. Plans are in the works for exhibits at the Columbia Mall that should reach several thousand people, and two programs for cable TV have been produced and will be seen on the local cable TV channels. Our hope is to expose and involve as many people as possible in the existence and operation of the MOS. John Clegg , President KENT COUNTY CHAPTER The Kent County Chapter had an active and interesting birding year. Our normal activities were well attended. These included our Lower Kent Christmas Count yielding 119 species, including a Snowy Owl, a Lesser Black-backed Gull, a White- fronted Goose, a Golden Eagle and lU Bald Eagles. Our Spring Count yielded l6l species on a windy and difficult birding day. We also met for four coffee watches at various members' homes during the winter and these served to give continuity to our activities at a season when little birding is done by many people. Three speakers' meetings were held. Margery Plymire, who received a scholarship to the Maine Audubon Camp, gave a most interesting illus- trated talk about the camp. David Holmes presented a program on "Lists, Listers and Listing," which was very well received. Jeffrey Kuhn narrated his excellent film, "Wings Over the Eastern Shore." Finally, at a joint meeting of our Chapter with the Friends of the Kent County Library, Virginia Weineland gave her interesting presentation, "From Flower to Seed." Banding continued at Dorothy and' Ed Mendinhall' 1 s station at "Damsite,' and Floyd Parks, with the help of others in the chapter, compiled arrival, and departure dates for Kent and North Queen Anne's County. Field trips included a trip to Eastern Neck Refuge, which coincided with the arrival of the Whistling Swans; an all day swan collar hunt resulted in 15 collars being read for Dr. Sladen at Johns -Hopkins University. Floyd L . Parks , President June 1979 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 51 MONTGOMERY COUNTY CHAPTER Only gradual modification of the program of the chapter was made or planned during 1978-79* The number of members, and their participation in the program, was much the same as in the previous year. Seven of the eight chapter meetings planned were well attended, but for the first time in chapter history a meeting was all-but-lost when snow kept the scheduled speaker and all but 11 members (and 3 intrepid guests!) away from the February meeting. We -visited India and Nepal with Don Messersmith, and Manitoba including Churchill with Ray Prybis. But to improve our skills and appreciation of nature in Maryland Chan Robbins persuaded us that sonograms are the key to -warbler songs. Jay Sheppard told us all about owls, and Joanne Solem, (with photographic support from her husband) showed us that it is worthwhile to pause from our searching for birds to notice the flowers at our feet . In a still more serious vein, George Gee told us about the research being done on problems of endangered species, and Tom Dwyer gave us an account of his work on the impact of the Alaska pipeline. We are still adjusting the field trip program to the highly variable interest of our individualistic members in gathering together — occasion- ally — to look for birds. The predictability of owls previously staked- out at Gude's Nursery brought 30 out in February. The predictability of gasoline at the prices of yesteryear brought l6 to Garrett County last May, 22 to Cape May in September, 20 to see migrating hawks at "the Pulpit" in Pennsylvania in October, and 15 to the Outer Banks at Thanks- giving. Partiicipation in 9 other trips ranged from 2 to 20. The challenge of "counts" brought 39 Montgomery participants in the 1978 MOS Statewide May Count; over 100 participated in the Seneca Christmas Count, well organized as usual by Bill Oberman; over 1+0 of the Seneca counters came to the Tally Rally held (again) at the Bowens'. The January Social brought 107 of us together for a highly congenial evening, with the usual high standard of members' slides, appetizers, desserts, and drinks. Banding operations at Adventure flourished again under Margaret Donnald's leadership, with about 40 loyally staffing the station; about 600 visitors were given demonstrations of the work. An expanded educa- tional program at Adventure is contemplated, made possible by modifica- tions of the house on the property to provide all-season facilities for visitors. Farther in the future, there is a threat that a major road "improvement" through the Park Lands across Glen Road from "Adventure" proper will seriously degrade the up-to-now relatively unspoiled large tract of bottomland woods owned by the Park Department, vitally important in attracting nesting and migrating birds to Adventure and vicinity. Evan Hannay , President 52 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol. 35, No. 2 PATUXENT CHAPTER The Patuxent Chapter enjoyed another successful program year during 1978-1979 • We held eight regular monthly meetings with live speakers and slide shows, plus a club picnic in June. I would like to take this chance to publicly thank the speakers who gave freely of their time in making our programs educational and enjoyable. We also had a number of field trips to favored birding spots such as Sandy Point and Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge. We raised money to donate to the Sanctu- ary Fund and the Helen Miller Scholarship Fund, primarily through the efforts of Eleanor Robbins. Finally, members participated extensively in statewide activities such as Christmas Counts and the May Count. Paul Bystrak , President TALBOT COUNTY CHAPTER In the fall of 1978 we had field trips to Chin cote ague , Cape May and Hawk Mountain. There were eight fall breakfast hikes. We met at 7:00 a.m. and went to Blackwalnut Point at the very tip of Tilghman Island, and then at 10:00 a.m. we went to the home of a member for breakfast and for a count of birds seen. (Everyone makes a guess as to the number of species recorded that day and the winner receives a jar of preserves, courtesy of former President Erica Woodman.) Our average attendance at these hikes is 25. Each birder contributes 50^ toward the cost of the breakfast. v We recorded 93 species on our Christmas Count. The day was con- cluded with a supper, held at St. Michaels High School. On February 18, ten hardy souls made a field trip to Irish Grove and Ocean City in bitter cold and snow, and returned liome to Easton late that day in the first falling snow flakes of the blizzard of 1979- We had a marvelous time! In March we had a field trip to Bombay Hook, and a trip to Brigan- tine is scheduled for late May. Our 6 spring breakfast hikes began on the first Sunday in April. For these, we meet at the Courthouse in Easton at 7:00 a.m., and visit likely spots around the Easton country- side. These also are followed by breakfasts at members' homes or at our sanctuary at Mill Creek. The Spring Count will be held on the weekend of May 5. Our regular monthly meetings, third Wednesday of each month at 8:00 a.m. in the Maryland Room of Loyola Federal Bank Building, Easton, presented to our members a number of excellent programs. A special highlight was our own Bob Trever's pictures, with lecture, of his bird- ing trip to Venezuela. Another of special interest was a program on bird carving by Ed and Esther Burns, two of our members who are artists and teachers of bird carving. Our four Audubon wildlife lectures were well attended. A large group of our members is making plans to go to Ocean City for the MOS Convention. Luoile C. Spain , President June 1979 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 53 WASHINGTON COUNTY CHAPTER The Washington County Ornithological Society has had a very active, enthusiastic and interesting year. The. meetings are held on the fourth Tuesday of „ the month at 7:30 PM at the Emma K. Douh school in Hagerstown. To begin the season in September 1978 » we were privileged to have Mr. Douglas Cook of Baltimore and Mr. Harold Morrin of Millersville , Pa. They presented a program, "Birds of Mexico," featuring the Azure-rumped Tanager . Dr. William J. L. Sladen came to us in October telling of his experiences with Whistling Swans. At this meeting our chapter gener- ously contributed toward the Adopt-A-Swan program, so if you see a swan with a blue neck collar Akl2 while you are birding, remember, WCOS adopted this bird. Dr. Sladen tells us that this swan was banded on the North slope of Alaska in August 1977 by the Johns Hopkins University team. In November, much needed and worthwhile information was given to the group by Mr. Tom Minnick who is the district coordinator for the Soil Conservation Service. The Christmas Count on Saturday, December 30, proved to be very worthwhile; 77 species were reported by 33 participants who were divided into 10 parties. "Islands of the Sea," a beautiful film, was the program for January. The traditional "Members Own Slides" program was enjoyed in February. Once again we welcomed Dr. Frank W. Sturgis, head of the science department at Shepherd College, who presented a slide program entitled "Birds I have Known at Home" at the March program. The April meeting featured Dr. John Clatterbaugh of the Hagerstown Junior College staff. He explained the principles of residential land- scaping, emphasizing those plants that provide shelter, food or nesting materials for birds. He also distributed a two-page list of the names of such plants. Harold and Dinnie Winger, members of the Washington County Orni- thological Society, will have a special display and demonstration on the carving and painting of birds at the May meeting. Many of us are looking forward to the convention in Ocean City, and immediately following this, we will begin planning for the 1979-1980 season. Alberta J. Thurmond ^ President MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol . 35, No. 2 WICOMICO CHAPTER The Wicomico Bird Club made a determined effort to get more of its members to go on field trips; therefore it began the program year with an introduction to birding, including a song identification game and a film called "Looking at Birds." We tried to emphasize the practical aspects of birding throughout the year, gauging the. programs to new members and old members who had not been on field trips for a long time. We were more successful with the new members. Particular highlights of the year were the talks by John Dennis on feeding birds, the annual dinner (which was held in January instead of November because of building schedule conflict), with our President James Cheevers as speaker. The field trips were made as announced- in our program, with the addition of January 27 (omitted on original copy), which was held in the backyard of Gail and Charlie Vaughn’s home and the emphasis was on banding; March 3 was spent at the property of Randy Stadler in Somerset County with a side trip to Upper Fairmont waterfront; and May 5 was spent in canoes on Trussum Pond in Sussex County, Delaware. It was at this last that a Yellow-throated Vireo was both seen and heard — a new bird to the entire club. The club conducted its annual Irish Grove cleanup, and noted some of the damage that had occurred because of the severe winter. The club voted to spend $600 on repairs to the electrical system and to the plumbing. It was an interesting experience to go out there for the first time, as this president did, and to learn first-hand what had been discussed for several years. Probably more of an effort should be made to have someone stay at Irish Grove to do a better job of overseeing its management . We hope to follow through on some of the activities that members had indicated they especially liked, in a questionnaire put out by the president. ANNOUNCEMENT— MARYLAND BIRDLIFE PUBLICATION SCHEDULE Maryland B'irdlife is turning over a new leaf. The March 1981 issue will be published on schedule. Material for the March issue must be re- ceived by Jan. 20, 1981, and fall migration records for the period Aug. 1 through Nov. 30, 1980, must be in Bob Ringler’s hands by Dec. 15- The September and December 1979 issues will be mailed by Dec. 1, 1980. The four 1980 issues will be published in 1981, without interrupt- ing the schedule of 1981 issues. In order to maintain a current schedule in 1981 it is essential that all officers, co mmi ttee chairmen, compilers and authors submit material promptly. Out of fairness to other members and subscribers, we shall not delay publication for late or incomplete reports. Compilers of Christmas or Statewide May Counts please note that reports lacking party-hours, party-miles or names of observers will be rejected. — Ed. June 1979 v MARYLAND BIRDLIFE WINTER SEASON, NOV. 1, 1978 - FEB. 28, 1979 Robert F . Ring lex 3 The winter of 1978-79 will probably be best remembered for the bliz- zard of mid-February that brought the area to a standstill. However, the season did not start that way, as December showed a continuation of the mild weather of late fall. Temperatures for the month averaged about 3 degrees above normal while precipitation was 1-1.5 inches above normal. The mild conditions ended January 3-^ when bitter cold, gripped the State. By that time the Christmas Bird Counts (CBCs) were completed with same remarkable sightings having been turned in as a result of the weather. During January most parts of the State averaged 2 degrees below nor- mal, but in Western Maryland the temperatures were 5 degrees below normal. Precipitation continued with only short breaks and averaged 4 inches above normal. Most of the precipitation in the eastern part of the State fell as rain, but the mountains had a foot of snow on the ground by the end of the month. In February the weather turned frigid about the 10th. Temperatures averaged 11 degrees below normal across the State for the entire month! On the 19th one of the worst blizzards ever to strike the area left the human population paralyzed and the ground-feeding bird population without a source of food. Plowed roadways attracted birds like a magnet. On the Eastern Shore hundreds of small land birds feeding along cleared highways were killed by autos. Vaughn estimated more than 100 dead Common Grackles per mile on several days along US 13 near Princess Anne. Many others no doubt perished from starvation while the fortunate vacated the region in order to survive. A strong warming trend followed the storm and rains washed away all the snow within a week from everywhere but the western mountains. Precipitation for the month averaged about 3 inches above normal. The ultimate significance of this period cannot be judged at this time. Results frcm future Breeding Bird Surveys and winter bird counts may prove enlightening. In the ensuing text reference will be made to the 23 CBCs held in Maryland. Rather than repeat the dates of these counts I will list them all here. 56 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol. 35, No. 2 Dec. 16 Garrett Co. Denton Dec . 26 Elkton Southern Dorchester Dec. 17 Salisbury Lower Kent Dec. 27 Crisf ield Seneca Catoctin Dec. 29 Ocean City St. Michaels Dec . 30 Bowie Baltimore Dec. 19 Port Tobacco Baltimore Canyon (pelagic Ac cokeek Dec. 23 Allegany Co, Liberty Reservoir Washington County Rock Run Dec. 2h Triad elphia Dec. 31 Jan. 1 Annapolis Pt . Lookout Contributors: Catherine Adams, Henry T. Armistead, Irene Bilbrough, Rick Blom , - Margarethe Butenschoen, Paul G. DuMont, Jeff Effinger, Ethel Engle, A. J. and Roberta B. Fletcher, I. Glime, Steve Gniadek, Marvin W. Hewitt, Hank Kaestner, Alicia Knotts, Paul Nistico, Mariana Nuttle, Floyd Parks, Jim Paulus, Fran Pope, Jan Reese, J. Reinhart, Mike Resch, Bob Ringler, Thomas Robbins, Richard A. Rowlett, Oliver Smith, Jim Stasz, Diane and Sallie Thayer, I. Todd, Robert W. Warfield, Steve Westre, Hal Wierenga. Loons , Grebes . The only inland Red -throated Loon was on Loch Raven into early January. , An exceptionally high count of Red-necked Grebes in winter was 18 for the Ocean City CBC. A late movement of Horned Grebes into the state was noted in two locations. After a sleet storm on Jan. 6-7 forced many birds to the northwest of us to take flight, 75 that had been grounded were picked up near Cumberland, Jan. 8 (Ken Hodgdon); see photos on pages 29 and 57. Thirty-five appeared on Loch Raven, Jan. 8 (Ringler), where none had been the day before; they were gone the follow- ing day. Pelagic s . The first CBC held off the coast of Maryland was along the Baltimore Canyon on Dec. 30. Among the rarer finds were a Northern Fulmar and a Manx Shearwater. A total of 332 Northern Gannets were also counted on this trip. On a Feb. 3 boat trip 315 of the latter were counted (Rowlett). Cormorants . The Ocean City CBC found 2 Great Cormorants and 26 Double-crested Cormorants, The totals for Pt. Lookout were 5 and 7 re- spectively. Other Double-crested Cormorants were 2 for Salisbury and 30 for Port Tobacco. Other than the Christmas Counts, none was reported. Herons . A Green Heron was seen by Mark Wallace near Lake Kittama- qundi in Howard County on Feb. 25. One wonders where this bird had spent the previous week during the snow. Cattle Egrets are becoming more evi- dent into the winter season. At Blackwater NWR Gniadek reported 17 on June 1979 MARYLAND BIKDLIFE 57 Teacher Mrs. Cynthia Graham, Ken Hodgdon and 2nd grade students at Cresap- town Elanentary School study Horned Grehes. Photo by G. Philander Beeraan. Dec. 5* 12 on the 10th, and 3 on the lLth. Three were near Easton, Dec. l4-l8 (Frances and Robert Price). Another was at Denton, Dec. 17 (Nuttle). Gniadek also reported a single Snowy Egret at Blackwater, Dec. 13, and a Great Egret there, Jan. 10. Great Egrets on CBCs totaled 5 Tor Southern Dorchester and U for Crisfield. An extremely late Great Egret was at Den- ton, Feb. 2 (Fletchers). Four Snowy Egrets were at McDaniel, Talbot Co., Dec. 15 (Effinger). The only Louisiana Heron found attempting to winter was on the Ocean City CBC. At least 3 Black-crowned Night Herons wintered in Baltimore Harbor (Ringler). __ Vat erf owl . According to Reese, waterfowl on upper Chesapeake Bay suffered losses frcm starvation, poison -treated corn, disease, and lead poisoning, contributing to low counts in that part of the region. Brant were in short supply this winter, with only 286 on the Ocean City CBC. Unusual inland were 3 Brant at Denton, Dec. l6-l8 (Nuttle). The Greater White-fronted Goose with its Canada Goose mate remained at Blackwater far the CBC with 6 hybrid young. Another White-front continued to be seen regularly in Kent County and 3 were on the ice of the Chester River near Chestertovn on Feb. 8 (Parks). Four thousand Snow Geese, mostly "Blues", were at Blackwater for the CBC. A Barnacle Goose was observed there on Jan. 9 and 10 by Paul Julian and Gniadek. The origin of this bird is un- known. Seven Blue -winged Teal on the Port Tobacco CBC was a good count for west of the bay. A drake Tufted Duck was banded at Bay Ridge, Anne 58 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol. 35, No. 2 Arundel Co. on Feb. 6 (Mike Haramis); after release it was seen in that area at least through Feb. 11 in company with a female of the same spe- cies. As always with exotic .waterfowl occurring in Maryland, the account- ability of these birds is questionable as their origin ronains unknown. A Harlequin Duck was at Ocean City frcm Dec. 29 through mid-January (Row- lett). Diurnal Raptors . The Black Vulture, which is expanding its range northward in the East, was found on 18 Christmas Counts this year with the high of 62 at Liberty. In Grantsville, Garrett Co., Fran Pope banded a second-year female Cooper's Hawk that had flown through the glass win- dow of a garage door and was captured uninjured on Feb. 2. Five Christmas Counts found Rough-1 egged Hawks with 11 at Southern Dorchester. Single Golden Eagles were noted on the Lower Kent and Crisfield CBCs , with 2 at Southern Dorchester. Others were $een on Dec. 18 over the Wye River, Talbot Co. (Dr. Shepard Krech) and on Feb. 6 at Centreville, Queen Annes Co. (Parks). Bald Eagles were seeq on 12 CBCs with 25 at Southern Dor- chester. Others were noted at Charlestown, Cecil Co. on Dec. 1 (Blorn, - Ringler), at Loch Raven, Jan. 5-6 (Paul Noell), and at Gunpowder State Park through the season. A Peregrine Falcon was reported near Wittman, Talbot Co. , Dec. 7 (Effinger). . A total of 6 Merlins were seen on 4 CBCs. Rails . Single King Rails, were found at Port Tobacco and Ocean City, while the Crisfield count had 3. Only one Clapper Rail was found this year, at Ocean City. Five counts turned in Virginia Rails, with 25 at Southern Dorchester the high, and 5 at Annapolis the only ones west of the bay. The only Sora this year was also at Annapolis. Shorebirds. A Common Snipe at the Piscataway Sewage Plant, Feb. 11, was unusual in mid-winter. A Marbled Godwit was seen at Blackwater Refuge in December (Resch). The following shorebirds were noted on Christmas Counts: Greater Yellowlegs numbered 45 at Southern Dorchester, 4 at Ocean City, and 1 at Crisfield. The only Lesser Yellowlegs were 3 at Southern Dorchester and 6 at Ocean City. There were 3 Long-billed Dowitchers at Ocean City as well as 3 Red Knots .and 22 Least Sandpipers. Unusual on the bay were the 16 Dunlins at Lower Kent and the astounding 1,065 at Southern Dorchester. Skuas , Gulls . Seven Great Skuas were seen off Ocean City on Dec. 30, a record count. The only white-winged gulls noted this season were a first-year Glaucous Gull at Bay Ridge on Feb. 10 and two unidentified birds near Rockville on Jan. 27 (Wierenga). Three Lesser Black-backed Gulls wintered in the Baltimore area. Others were seen on Dec. 4 at Locust Grove, Kent Co. , Dec. 29-31 at Ocean City, and Jan. 13 at Easton. One Ring-billed Gull on the Catoctin CBC was a bit out of place, though 25 were at Emmits burg the previous day (Warfield). An immature Black- headed Gull was at Back River, Jan,. 5-9 (Blorn, Ringler). An adult was there, Jan. 8-27 (Blorn, et al. ), and another adult was at Sandy Point, Jan. 6 (Wierenga). Laughing Gulls were found on 6 Christmas Counts with a high of 15 at Port Tobacco. Most unusual were the single Bonaparte's Gulls on the Denton and Triadelphia counts, An immature Little Gull was seen at Ocean City from mid-December to mid-January (Rowlett). On pelagic trips 227 Black-1 egged Kitt-i wakes were counted off Ocean City, Dec. 3Q, and 88 on Feb. 3. June 1 1979 MARYLAND BIRDUFE 59 Terns , Alcids 1 . Twenty-five Forster’s Terns at the Ocean City CBC were not unexpected, "but the 2 for St. Michaels were a surprise. Two Razorbills were seen off Ocean City on Dec. 30 and 6 were found on Feb. 3 (Rowlett). An incredible 759 Dove kies were seen on the Dec. 30 trip, another record count. Owls. The only Snowy Owl reported this year was near Fairlee, Kent Co., Dec. 16-27, at the farm of Herman Spencer who first noted its pres- ence. Long -eared Owls were found on 6 Christmas Counts this year. Others were noted at Gude's Nursery, Rockville, Montgomery Co., with 2 on Jan. 21 (Wierenga), and 1 at Gunpowder State Park, Feb. 6-l8 (Blom). The largest roost was of k at Piney Run Park, Carroll Co, , through the period. Short- eared Owls also were seen on 6 Christmas Counts, with a high of 12 at Southern Dorchester. In the Piedmont there were 2 for the Seneca count and 1 at Triadelphia. Others were seen in northern Baltimore County in mid-January (Kaestner), Frederick County, Jan. 1 (David Wallace), and 4 in Kent County, Feb. 6 (Parks). Saw-whet Owls on CBCs were 2 each for Lower Kent, Southern Dorchester, and Ocean City, and 1 for Bowie. Row- lett reports that a Saw-whet Owl on Assateague Island roosted on the same spot of the same branch in the same tree frcm Dec. 29 to mid -Feb- ruary. Four Saw-whets were at Gude's Nursery , Jan. 21 (Wierenga). Woodpeckers , Phoebes . The Bowie Christmas Count circle contained national high totals for three woodpeckers: 458 Common (Yellow-shafted) Flickers, 355 Red-bellied and 382 Downy Woodpeckers. Eight CBCs turned in Eastern Phoebes this^year, with Ocean City having the State high of 10. Another was seen at Loch Raven through Jan. 9 (Noell). and one was in Frederick County, Feb. 8 (Carolyn Maize). Swallow , Corvids . Tree Swallows occur sporadically on Christmas Counts and this year was no exception as Lower Kent got 12 and Crisfield 2. A sign of the times was observed by Armistead near Galena, Kent Co. : several Blue Jays were feeding on a dog road kill on Feb. 18. A North- ern Raven observed by Stasz at the Triadelphia CBC constitutes the first Howard County record. Chickadees , Nuthatches , Creepers . Black-capped Chickadees did not move significantly from their breeding range, as the only out landers noted were on the Ocean City and Bowie counts. Nuthatches showed a rather interesting distribution on the Christmas Counts as shown in Table 1. Table 1. White-breasted and Red-breasted Nuthatches on 1978 CBCs Section No. of CBCs WBNs RENs Allegheny Mountain 1 96 7 Ridge & Valley 3 172 4 Piedmont 6 278 71 Coastal Plain: Western Shore 5 72 .45 Eastern Shore (except 0C) 6 7 23 Ocean City 1 53 10 60 MARYLAND BIRD LIFE Vol. 35, No- 2 White-breasted Nuthatches vere strongest in the mountains with their abundance decreasing approaching the coast, with the exception of Ocean City, which has a resident population along the Pocanoke. Red -breasted Nuthatches appeared to be only locally canmon in the Piedmont and Western Shore sections. Bowie claimed another national high count with 136 Brown Creepers. Wrens . House Wrens appeared on seven Christmas Counts with a high of 9 at Ocean City and 2 upland birds for Seneca. Carolina Wrens suffered a mod.est setback canpared with last year's devastating losses. As can be seen in Table 2, none was found on the Garrett County CBC this year. Table 2. Carolina Wrens on Christmas Bird Counts in 1978 Section No. No. of of Carolina CBCs Wrens Party- Carolina miles Wrens /Party- % Decrease on foot mile on foot 1977 to 1978 Allegheny Mtn. 1 Ridge & Valley 3 Piedmont 6 Coastal Plain 12 / 0 90 , 57 173.5 341 710 1,087 l,04l. 5 0 0.33 0.48 1.04 100.0 36.5 27.3 0.1 In the Ridge & Valley and Piedmont sections the numbers were not consider- ably less than in 1977. On the Coastal Plain the, population remained stable. See Maryland Birdlife , June 1978, Vol. 34, No. 2, p. 83 for the 1977 data. The overall decreases by section for the period from the 1976 to the 1978 Counts is 100 % for the Allegheny Mtn. section, 83 . 6 # for the Ridge & Valley, 18 . 9 % for the Piedmont, and 58.3# for the Coastal Plain. Through it all Annapolis maintained its national high in 1978 with 232 birds. Marsh Wrens were found on 7 CBCs including birds at Port Tobacco and Annapolis on the Western Shore. Sedge Wrens numbered 2 for Southern Dorchester and 1 each for Crisfield and Point Lookout. Mimids , Gnat catcher , Shrikes , Vireo . One species that lingered prominently into the Christmas Count period was the Gray Catbird, which was found on 17 counts this year. Ocean City had the high with 16. One was still present near Cumberland, Allegany Co., on Dec. 24 (Paulus). A Brown Thrasher was at Seneca on Feb. 10 (Warfield). A Blue-gray Gnat- catcher was at Stoney Beach, Anne Arundel Co., on Jan. 9 (Blom, Ringler), only the second record for that month in the state. Six CBCs turned up Loggerhead Shrikes. Through January and February the only others that were reported were by Parks on the Eastern Shore. A White-eyed Vireo was at Gunpowder State Park, Dec. 11 and 12 (Blom, Ringler). Warblers . Eight species of warblers made the Christmas Counts this year. Annapolis got a Black-and-white Warbler at Swan Pt. on the Severn River (Ringler). It was foraging with a group of Golden-crowned Kinglets. The Ocean City count got an Orange-crowned Warbler and a Black-throated Green Warbler. > The latter, seen by Woody Martin, is the first winter record for Maryland. E. T. McKhight reported a Blackpoll Warbler for Accokeek. Ten counts, all on the Coastal Plain, got Pine Warblers j with June 1979 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 6l a high of 21 at Point Lookout. Palm Warblers were seen on six counts; Ocean City had an overwhelming 79, while 2 birds at Seneca were unusual for the Piedmont. Coninon Yellowthroats appeared on ten counts, with Ocean City high again with 1 6 . A Yellow-breasted Chat was at Turkey Point, Cecil Co., Dec. 1 (Ringler, Blom). Chats on the Christmas Counts numbered 2 for Ocean City and 1 each for Triadelphia, Southern Dorchester, and Annapolis. let er ids . Yel 1 OW-headed Blackbirds appeared at feeders this winter. A female at the Kretz' feeder in Columbia, Jan. 28 to Feb. 7, was seen by many people. Another female was at Parks’ feeder in Chestertown, Feb. 10. Parks also reported a male Yellow-headed Blackbird at other feeders in Chestertown, Feb. 18-27. Northern (Baltimore) Orioles were unusually con- spicuous in the early part of the winter as they were found on nine Christmas counts, all ones and twos. Interesting reports were 1 in Greensboro, Dec. 1 to Jan. 30 (Bilbrough), 1 at Sandy Point, Jan. 5-9 (Wierenga), 3 feeding together in a pine tree at Back River, Jan. 6 (Ringler, Stasz), and a group in Columbia at Sheila Glanz’ feeder begin- ning with one on Jan. 12, a second on Jan. 20, and 2-5 birds during Feb- ruary. The only Brewer*S Blackbirds reported were 7 on the Crisfield CBC. The Port Tobacco CBC was rewarded with 5 Boat-tailed GrackleS, rare on the Western Shore. Reese estimated 400,000 Common Grackles coming to roost at Kent Narrows, Jan. 11. This is probably a large part of the birds that had been tallied on the Lower Kent CBC in December. Tanagers , Finches . Glenda Weber, who is familiar with Scarlet Tan- agerS frcm banding operations, had 2 tardy individuals of these tropical migrants at her feeder in Baltimore during the period Dec. 19 to Jan. 2. Annapolis garnered a national high 1,438 Northern Cardinals for the Christmas Count. A Rose-breasted Grosbeak was reported from Denton by Roberta'! Fletcher , Dec. 1 6 . A fern ale -plum aged Dickcissel was at a feeder near Sparks, Jan. 13, (Kaestner), and John Fales had another at his feed- er at Plum Point, Calvert Co. , after the February blizzard. Paulus found 95 Evening Grosbeaks at Oldtown, Dec. 30, the highest total for the sea- son. St. Michaels always scores the biggest number of House Finches on the local CBCs. This year was no exception, as observers there counted 765 . One wonders why such large flocks have taken to the St. Michaels area for the winter, and where they come frcm. Pine Siskins were ex- tremely scarce this winter. They were found on only 9 Christmas Counts, a total of 46 birds, with Triadelphia tops with 15* Ocean City was the only count to get Red Crossbil Is (3). The only other individual of this species to be reported was near Butler, Baltimore Co. , in early February by George Griffith. No White-winged Crossbills or redpolls were seen this winter. Sparrows , Long spur , Bunting . Bowie was the local sparrow capital this year, with national high counts for three species: 4,915 Northern (Slate-colored) Juncos, 757 Field Sparrows, and 4,458 White-throated Sparrows. A Grasshopper Sparrow in Kent County, Feb. 28 (A. Delario), was a rare wintering bird. The only Lincoln's Sparrow found this winter was on the Ocean City CBC. A single Lapland Longspur was observed at Sandy Point, Dec. 2 and 24 (Wierenga). The Ocean City count got 16 . At least 2 were seen in Kent County by Parks from Jan. 28 to Feb. 23; his 62 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol. 35, No. 2 high count was 5 on Feb. 1**. Ocean City tallied 121 Snow Buntings. Other reports were singles at Sandy Point, Jan. 6 (Rystrak), and in Kent County, Jan. 28 (Parks). 3501 Melody Lane, Baltimore, 21207 M.O.S, STATE TRUSTEES 1979-1980 ALLEGANY *Mrs. Dorothea Malec - 36 Robinhood Dr., LaVale, MD 21502 Mr. Robert Hiegel - 208 Forest Dr., LaVale, MD 21502 Mr. John Workmeister - 555 N. 1st St., LaVale, MD 21502 ARNE ARUNDEL *Mrs. Emily Joyce - 1550 Ellsworth Ave., Crofton, MD 2111*1 Mrs. Carol Swartz - 793 Fairview Ave., Annapolis, MD 21**03 Mr. Tad Eareckson - 311** Landfall Lane, Annapolis, MD 21 **03 BALTIMORE *Mr. John Cullom - **37 Paradise Ave., Baltimore, MD 21228 Mrs. C. Lockard Conley - 120 E. Lake Ave., Baltimore 21212 Mrs. .Raymond Geddes, Jr. - 503 Overbrook Rd. ,Balto 21212 Dr. Roger Herriott - 50** Highland Ave., Baltimore 2120** Mrs. Martin G. Larrabee - **227 Long Green Rd Glen Arm 21057 Mrs. Edward A. Metcalf - 906 Wellington Rd. , Balto 21212 Dr. Benjamin F. Poscover - 302-A Garden Rd. , Balto 2120** Dr. Alan Ross - 308 Thornhill Road, Baltimore, MD 21212 CAROLINE *Mr . Oliver Smith - 305 S. Second St., Denton, MD 21629 Mr. A. J. Fletcher - Route 1, Box 201, Denton, MD 21629 CARROLL Mrs. Geraldine Newton Mr. William D. Ellis FREDERICK *Mr. Norman Chamberlin - 1502 W. 10th St., Frederick MD 21701 Mr. Charles L. Mullican - 503 Lee Place, Frederick, MD 21701 HARFORD *Mr. Ellis Porter - *+15 Roberts Way, Aberdeen, MD 21001 Miss Roenna Fahrney - **00 Singer Road, Abingdon, MD 21009 Mr. Eldred Johnson - Franklin & Chapman Rds., Upper Falls , MD 21156 HOWARD *Ms. Eileen S. McCormack-Clegg - 909** Lambskin Lane, Columbia Mr. John Clegg - 909** Lambskin Lane, Columbia, MD 210** 5 KENT *Mr. Joseph Blair - R.D. 3, Box 307, Chestertown, MD 21620 - Mrs. Dorothy Mendinhall - Damsite, R.D. 3, Chestertown, MD MONTGOMERY *Dr. Frank G. Witebsky - 9912 Brixton Lane, Bethesda 2003** Mr. Phillip A. DuMont - **ll4 Fessenden St., N.W. , DC 20016 Ms. M. Kathleen Klimkiewicz - 13117 Larchdale Rd. #2, Laurel, MD 20811 Mr. Edgar H. Smith - 1001 Wilson Blvd. , #108 ‘ Arlington, VA 22209 PATUJCENT *Mr. Samuel Droege - 6710 West Park Drive, Hyattsville, MD Dr. Lawrence Zeleny - 1*312 Van Buren St., Hyattsville, MD 20782 TALBOT #Mrs. David S. Spain - Westerly, Bozman, MD 2l6l2 Mr. G. Curtis Engel - P.0. Box 966, Easton, MD 21601 Dr. Robert Trever - Dutchman's Lane, U.S. 50, Easton 21601 WASHINGTON *Mrs. Alberta Thurmond - 1**7 Donnybrook Dr., Hagerstown 217**0 Mr. Truman Doyle - RFD 1, Box 97, Boonsboro, MD 21713 WICOMICO *Mrs. Lee Meinersmann -.305 Central Ave., Laurel, DE 19956 Mr. Karl Zickrick - Box 186, Upper Fairmont, MD 21867 ^Denotes Chapter President June 1979 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 63 BOOK REVIEW WORKING BIBLIOGRAPHY OF OWLS OF THE WORLD Richard W. Clark, Dwight G. Smith,, Leon Kelso. 1978. Raptor Information Center, National Wildlife Federation, lkl2 Sixteenth Street, N. W. , Washington, D. C. 20036 319 pp. $9*00. When I received an advertissnent about this publication, I sent a check by return mail. Mainly, I wanted to see what a "working bibliog- raphy" looked like. I've been compiling what should be a "working bibli- ography" of books in the MOS libraries and can under stand some of the problens. Whenever I get a list of anything I scan it immediately for familiar names. Though it didn't occur to me that I would recognize any of the authors among the 6,950 entries, I began with the A's and laboriously read through the first few pages of title listings. I found myself try- ing to pick out the word for "owl" in the French, German, and Scandina- vian titles, allowing my fantasies to play with an occasional title ("Unusual owl -loon aerial, collision'’ ) , and marveling at all the places where the appearance of a Snowy Owl had inspired someone to write about it. By then it came to mind that I do^ know someone who's written about owls... Jan Reese, with his Maryland Birdlif e article about all those Saw-whet Owls in his nets one morning in 1966. Sure enough, there in the R's were two articles by Jan, the one I just mentioned and one in Auk about the Chesapeake Barn Owl population. Another name. . .David Lee. There he was in the L's along with Norden and Rothgaber and their 1972 Maryland Birdlif e article about the owls of Irish Grove. Content with the knowledge that Maryland owls and authors are rep- resented, I turned back to the beginning to be more systematic in my review. First the Preface, an announcement by Thomas L. Kimball, Exec- utive Vice President of NWF, that "Owls of the World" is the beginning of a series of scientific /technical books to be offered in the coming years, an eagle bibliography being next. The Foreword, complete enough to stand by itself, is by Kai Curry-Lindall , Senior Advisor of the Uni- ted Nations Environment Programme, who discusses the habits of owls, their status world wide, their importance to man, and who presents a list of extinct owls with a plea for continued research. There are four ways to extract references: (l) by genus, (2) by geographic area, (3) by subject, and (4) by cross reference. The well organized charts begin in Chapter II with owl taxonomy outlined under scientific and common names, distribution and habitat. Another table lists the common names of owls in English and several other languages. Lists of literature cited are at the end of each chapter. The authors solicit additional papers with a\promise to include them in future printings. Their honest acknowledgment of the problans they met in compiling this book furnishes insight into the vast amount of work involved in getting it ready for publication. It's easy to see why it took eleven years to complete. Among the many names listed as 64 MARYLAND BIKDLIFE Vol. 35, No. 2 having provided support for the project is William S. Clark, Director, Raptor Information Center of the National Wildlife Federation. We hope that the forthcoming eagle ‘bibliography takes less time in preparation, for if it is anything like "Working Bibliography of Owls of the World", it too will deserve a prominent place on the shelf of the best ornithol- ogy libraries, our Baltimore Chapter MOS library shelves at Cylburn in particular. If you are researching seme of the finer points of owls, this volume can be a valuable guide. Joy Wheeler CONTENTS, JUNE 1979 On the Fall Status of Rough-winged Swallows Paul W, Woodward 31. Common Eider on Potomac River at Point Lookout Ernest Willoughby 32 President's Report j mes w. Cheeoers 33 Minutes of the Annual Meeting, May 12, 1979 Helen M. Ford 34 Annual Report of the Treasurer W. Gordon MacGregor 36 Auditing Committee Report Rodney B. Jones 37 Bluebird Project Report Lawrence Zeieny 38 3y-Laws Committee Report Lee Meinersrnam 38 Conservation Committee Report William Bodenstein 39 Convention Committee Report Charles Vaughn 39 Education Committee Report Ben Poscooer 40 Library Committee Report - j 0 y Wheeler 46 Research Committee Report Charles Vaughn 4l. Sanctuary Committee Report Barclay Tucker 4l Scholarship Committee Report Mildred E. Gebhard 43 Annual Reports of Local Chapters Chapter Presidents 44 Announcements 54 Winter Season, Nov. 1, 1978 - Feb. 28, 1979 Robert F. Ringler 55 M.O. S. State Trustees 1979-1980 62 Book Review: Working Bibliography of Owls Joy Wheeler 63 of the World by R. W. Clark et al. MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Published Quarterly by the Maryland Ornithological Society, Inc. To Record and Encourage the Study of Birds of Maryland Chandler S. Robbins, 7900 Brooklyn Bridge Road, Laurel, Md. 20810 (725-1176) Robert F . Ringler , 3501 Melody L . , Baltimore 21207 William N. Schneider Lettie Cullom, Barbara Dowell, Kathleen Klimkiewicz Barbara Larrabee and committee Editor: Asst. Editor: Art Editor: Production: Mailing: