Maryland birdlife

MARYLAND BIRDLIFE

^ulleiin of ike ^ariflan^ Omiikolo^ical Society

Of Rollon Slreelf ^aliimore vjj JiiaYijIanjd

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Volume V

March - April, 1949

Number 2

CONTENTS

Song Sparrow Nesting,

Eleanor Goole^r Robbins 16

Pood for Birds - by the Acre,

McDonogh Bird Club 18

Birds of Baltimore City Parks: I - Wymans,

William B. Green •... ..••••., 19

’’The Wood Thrush” for J anuary -February ,

Orville Crowder ••*••«•••••• 20

THE SEASON: January - February, 1949,

Chandler S. Robbins 21

Club Events, January - February, 1949,

Orville Crowder «••••* «••••• 24

He ad -of -Chesapeake Field Trip,

(Hiss) T. M. Sandy 26

Constitution, Maryland Ornithological Society ••••••*»»• 27

MARYLANT) birdlife

published bi-monthly except
July -August by

MARYLAND ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY
2101 Bolton Street
Baltimore 17, Maryland

Events of March 5c April are re-
ported in the May-June issue,
for which the closing date is
May 1, and the publication date
normally June 1< Send material
to Editor C. S# Robbins, Patux-
ent Research Refuge, Laurel, Md*

15

VQ1» V>

MARYLAM) BIRDLIFE

Mar, "Apr ^ 1949

SONG SPARROW NESTING

This is a report of one season’s work with one of the bird spe-
cies in the area near Lake Roland in which the club made a breeding-
bird census in 1946 and 1947 (1,2). The chief purpose of this report
is to point out some of the interesting phases of the life history of
one of the species that can be investigated in this study area. The
field notes were compiled largely by one person and were only inci-
dental to the main work in hand, viz.: spotting birds on a map as

rapidly as possible in order to cover the area for a breeding-bird
census. One or more persons banding and studying the life history of
the song sparrow or one of the two or three other abundant species in
the area could uncover many interesting facts. For many stimulating
suggestions as to problems that may be investigated see Joseph J.
Hickey’s Guide to bird watching (4).

Our census area is very attractive to spng sparrows (3). In
1947, 21 pairs were found in the 19.2 acre tract; this is the equiv-
alent of 109 pairs per 100 acres. Mrs. Margaret Morse Nice (5) in
her classic seven year study of song sparrows in a 40-acre tract in
Colximbus, Ohio, found from 62,5 to 130 pairs per 100 acres. Mrs.

Nice worked with color-banded birds and was able to recognize the
songs of individual males. She found territories ranging from one-
half to one and one -half acres. Subsequent nests of the same pair
were placed 9 to 50 meters from the proceeding nest. Since the
limits of territories cannot be accurately determined unless birds
are color banded and a great deal of field work carried out, the
sizes of the territories in our tract cannot be compared with these
Mrs. Nice obtained* She found that if a male lost his mate after
the nesting season was well started, he almost never obtained a new
one. Hence, by June there were two to ten unraatsd males singing in
the 40-acre tract. Unfortunately, the standard spot^mapping method
of determining bird populations, which we used, does not distinguish
unmated from mated males.

In Columbus some song sparrov/s are winter residents, some are
permanent residents, and others are transients. Mrs, Nice found that
if the temperature rose above normal in January or February, perma-
nent resident birds began to sing and stake out their territories#
’’singing and territory activity are well established the fourth week
in January at a mean temperature of 6^^ C. (43°F.)” (5). Cold windy
days usually caused temporary cessation of singing.

If the temperature in Columbus rose 17*^ to 28^. above normal in
late February, summer resident song sparrows began to arrive* Even

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Mai. V> No, 2

MARYLAND BIHDLIFE

Mar>*Apr» 1949

if the temperature remained normal, the main wave of migration began
by March 19 or 20# Since the mean temperature in Baltimore was at or
below normal from February 19 to March- 11, 1947, it is probable that
virtually no summer resident song sparrows appeared before March 12,

Males migrate before the females, and sing on the chosen terri-
tories* Transients follow and summer resident females arrive last*
Although most of the males, transients, and summer resident females
arrive in the main migration v/ave in March, at least one female did
not arrive in Columbus until April 22 (5),

Mrs* Nice (5) found that maximum singing occurs in March before
many females arrive. An individual male almost ceases his singing as
soon as he obtains a mate.

Young birds frequently have a warbling song, *^In late February
a young bird may warble in low situations on his territory, but when
he sits high in a tree proclaiming ownership, his songs are adult in
form* The young transient males that pass through in March warble
freely, but I have never heard a young summer resident male warble in
the spring on Interpont; upon the arrival at the nesting grounds the
bird reacts as an adult. With the young residents the warble is
given up in late February and never reappears, all of the late sum-
mer and fall warbling coming from young birds,** (5).

On March 31 I saw two song sparrows on the grass -covered ground
six inches apart. One sang very softly* I thought at the time that
they were mates, but since they were not banded, I have no proof.

They may have been locating a nest site, Mrs. Nice (6) describes
this activity as follows: **The Song Sparrow pair goes about together

searching for nest sites, twitching their wings and giving soft
notes,'*

On March 31, April V, and June 8, 1947, I listed the height at
which some of the song sparrows on our census area sang. On objects
varying from zero to 22 feet in height, the birds perched from zero
to 20 feet up. Nine of the 12 records were of birds singing at
heights of nine feet or lower. One time a bird sang at heights
varying from five to nine feet, although the sapling in which it was
perched was 15 feet tall.

The beginning of egg laying follows warm periods, Mrs* Nice hav-
ing found the first song sparrow egg between April 10 and 23 in dif-
ferent years. She established April 25 as the normal date for the
beginning of general egg laying in Columbus* Young left her latest
nest the first week in September. Mrs* Nice found that in nine-
tenths of the first attempts to nest, the nest was placed on the
ground, whereas the nest was on the ground in only two- thirds of the
second attempts and only one -third of the third attempts* The first
clutch of eggs almost always numbered four or five*

Probably no first nests were found on our census area. All of
those found were located above the ground. The earliest nest was
One which had five eggs on May 26, and on June 2 had young about six
days old. This v;as the only nest v/hlch had five eggs* Since only

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Vol. V* No. ki

MkEYLkm BIRDLIFE

Mar ♦ -Apr ♦ 1949

late nests were found, the average clutch size given in the table be-
low is abnormally low* Mrs# Nice found 4.05 eggs to be the average
clutch size of nests found in six seasons (1930-35). But late nests,
which have a high proportion of three egg sets, were recorded only
in 1930. Her average clutch size in 1930 was 3.9 eggs. She believes
that Gowbirds removed more song sparrow eggs in 1930 than she cor-
rected for, and hence that the figure 3*9 is slightly low. Mrs.
Nice^s average for 1930 includes three eggs in two nests which were
destroyed before the clutch was complete^ and the six-year figure
(total 854 eggs in 211 nests) includes seven eggs in five nests which
were similarly destroyed. The total also includes one nest which
was deserted before a single song sparrow egg was laid.

Table 1. Summary of 1947 Song Sparrow Nests

Number of nests found 13

Number of nests for which complete

clutch was known 10

Clutch size (extremes) 3 to 5

Average clutch (of 10 nests) 3.6

Egg dates May 15 to August 5

Height of nests 2 to 5-| ft.

The nests were located as follows, the number of nests
so located being given in parentheses: dead or nearly

dead black locust saplings--nests concealed by vines or
tall, erect weeds (5); smooth sumac (1); Japanese bar-
berry (1); Japanese hone 7 /'suckle-covered hickory stub
(1); spice bush (1); Virginia pine sapling (1); mulberry
sapling (1); rose tangle (1).

Literature Cited

1. Audubon Field Notes. ( Nov. -Dec. , 1946 ) :139.

2. ( Nov . , 19'47| : 2 18 -2 19 .

3. Cooley , Eleanor G. Breeding-bird census: shrubby field with

stream-bordered trees. Maryland Birdlife 3, No. 4(Sept.-
Oct.,1947 ) ;59-63.

4. Hickey, Joseph J. A guide to bird watching. N.Y., Oxford

Univ.(1943)262p.

5. Nice, Margaret Morse. Studies in the life history of the

song sparrow. I, Llnnaean society of New York. Trans.
4(1937):247p.

6. . Studies in the life history of the song sparrow. II.

Llnnaean society of New York. Trans . 6(1943)329p.

Eleanor Cooley Robbins

FOOD FOR BIRDS BY THE ACRE

Two of our teen-age members, James Ramsay and Don Pickering,
wrote to the Cooperative Corn Growers Association last spring and se-
cured seed corn. They then secured the use of a tract of land from
the farm manager at McDonogh and planted and cultivated a fine stand
of hybrid corn. Part of this tv;o-acre tract will be left standing in
the field to provide winter food and shelter for grain-eating species
such as the bob-white, of which we have a good population. The rest
will be harvested to feed the birds in the J. Rulon Miller Wildlife
area. This project was conceived and executed entirely by the boys
involved. - 18 - McDonogh Bird Club

Vol. V> Ko, 2

}KkKYLkm~mm

Ma rT - ^~rT 19 4^

BIRDS OF BALTIMORE CITY PARKS: I - WYIM'S

The field trip program of the Maryland Ornithological Society
is very complete both as to season and habitat — in fact so complete
that by virtue of it many of us are prone to overlook a source of
most interesting field work that is accessible every day of the year*
I refer to the parks of the city of Baltimore*

Distributed throughout the city are 14 parks of varying size*
Each of these offers an excellent opportunity for year-round study*
While the results often are not spectacular and the numbers involved
are not large, most of these parks duplicate in some degree all the
interesting phases of the various migrations of land birds observable
under the best of conditions anywhere in this vicinity* Many of us
are not able to participate in the census and field work of the So-
ciety, and these parks provide for us the best means of contributing
something concrete to the knowledge of the State’s birds*

An example of the work that can be accomplished in this manner
is the survey that I made during the past (1947) spring. My area
included Wyman Park and the campus of The Johns Hopkins University.
This section is bounded by University Parkway, Twenty-ninth Street,
Charles St., and the Md . and Pa, Railroad track. The major part of
this territory is open grassy land with frequent large trees, though
a small portion of the University land to the northwest of the cam-
pus is covered with underbrush. Two intersecting streams, partly
through this underbrush, are a major attraction to the birds*

My records extended from March 15, the date of the arrival of
the first robin on campus, until the end of the crest of the migra-
tion in May, During that short period I recorded 82 species of
birds including, for example, 7 types of sparrows and 16 kinds of
warblers. The most noticeable difference between this particular
work and the migrations usually seen in the field was that the dis-
tinct ’’waves” of individual species were much more pronounced. For
example, I recorded my first towhee on April 20; on the 22nd there
were 8 present, and on the 23rd 15 were seen, but by the 27th none
were to be found.

Perhaps the most spectacular and unusual records were provided
by the thrushes. The first arrivals were 10 hermit thrushes late in
March, Within about a month all five species had made their appear-
ance, The gray-cheeked thrush, usually not plentiful, remained for
about three weeks; during this period there were occasionally more
than a dozen of them to be found in a few hundred square feet of
underbrush* Throughout this time thrushes were unusually tame, even
to the extent of a “wood thrush investigating my shoes as a possible
source of food.

Other migrants such as the rose-breasted grosbeak, scarlet
tanager, and most of the warblers proved much less cooperative,, and
with some exception stayed in the tops of the trees. The range of
possibilities of types that may be seen is indicated by the fact

- 3.9

Vol. V, No. 2

MARYLAJib BIRbLIPte

Mar . -Apr . 1949

that a solitary sandpiper remained for two weeks by a small pool in
the woods hack of the campus, and a covey of better than 12 quail
stayed all through the winter and early spring.

Vfnile my notes ended with the last of the spring migrants,
breeding bird censuses are not only desirable but very practicable.
Here again, as was the case in the migratory flights, results are
not so exciting as in the less frequented areas; but notwithstanding
this, they concern sufficient niunbers and species to provide more
than enough work for the average individual. Though my work did not
include a breeding census, I noticed that thrashers, blue jays,
mockingbirds, towhees, wood thrushes, a red-headed woodpecker, and a
red^eyed vireo anpeared to be nesting, and a Louisiana water-thrush
which stayed in the vicinity for several weeks gave hopes that that
species might remain likew^ise.

The desirability of greater numbers of such locality surveys is
emphasized by C. 3. Robbins in his article ’’Do You Keep a Bird List?’*
(Md. Eirdlife, 3;77) in which he suggests that lists be kept and
turned in for any section that can be regularly observed.

I am certain that there are man^^ others in this organization
who are interested, as I am, in the census work of the Society but
who for lack of time or transportation do not take part in the
scheduled field trips, and it is to these that I suggest that the
parks of Baltimore are an excellent place not only to improve field
skill but also to contribute valuable Information to the accumulating
knowledge of the birds of our State.

Wm. B. Green

"THS WOOD thrush" for JANUARY-PSBRUARY

The Audubon Society of the District of Columbia has put its
club magazine. The Wood Thrush, far beyond the usual quality of a
local bird club publication. Offset-printed from beautifully pre-
pared copy, rich with valuable articles by a number of accomplished
ornithologists, and illustrated by photographs and attractive line
drawings, it seems to us to have stepped into the class of a re-
gional bird publication of the first order* Personally, I find it
far more useful than Audubon Magazine and, in spite of its less ex-
pensive format, equally attractive, Mixch of its charm lies in the
department headings and black-and-white illustrations by Editor
Shirley Briggs.

The January -February issue has an excellent and informative
article by John T. Mlchols, on the use of decoys in attracting
shorebirds for observation or photography. Our own Bob Stewart
contributes a splendid article entitled ’’Birds of the Marshes”, in
which he discusvses the bird species that inhabit marshes in our
area, and presents a very scholarly discussion of the typical marsh
plants and their relation to bird life.

A loan copy of the Wood Thrush is available from the secretary,
or you may join the A3DG {{}2 year) and receive it regularly#

Orville Crowder

20

?oI. V, Wo'." 2* ' ' MARYLA?m BIRDLIKS ' Ffb.-Kap. 19 49

January - February 1949

The winter of 1948-49 vjas most exceptional in that it was char-
acterized by mildness throughout. Ordinarily birds which are tricked
into remaining north of their usual range by abnormally warm weather
throughout the late autumn, suffer sev^'rely when the almost inevit-
able spell of frigid weather or snow and ice mrOkes it impossible for
them to find their customary food in sufficient quantity. It is a
well-known fact that feeding stations enable stragglers to survive
severe winter weather; but a great many of the half-hardy birds seen
far from the nearest feeding station in mid- or late December, nor-
mally succumb to the rigors of winter in January or February. This
time, hov/ever, the most severe T/eather came in late'; December and was
of short duration. Both January and February rated among the warmest
ever recorded, with an accumulated excess of 529^ (9^ per day) by
the close of February at ^"vashington, D.C. Coupled with this most
extraordinary high average temperature was the complete absence of
serious cold snaps or heavy snow falls. All these factors combined
to produce one of the most unusual winters ever experienced in this
region. Robins attracted the most attention hy their wide-spread
abundance; ruby-crowned kinglets were far commoner than previous rec-
ords show for this season; numbers and vapi^:ty of shorebipds were
higher than ever before recorded (although fev; comparative figures
are available except for recent yeaps). three species were found
wintering for the first time (little blue heron, pigeon hawk, and
lesser yellow-legs ) ; and several of our reaper wintering birds were
present in larger numbers than usual. Still more excitement was
interjected by the presence of such northern visitors as the American
eider, glaucous gull, dovekie, and hoary redpoll (details to he pub-
lished in The Auk ) , which appeared in spite of the mild weather.

Loons, Crehes, and Herons. Three field trips to Ocean City be-
tween Jan. 8"~ahcl" Feb. '20 each reported 35 red-throated loons, the
majority being found at the Ocean City inlet; a single bird at Mayo
Beach on Jan. 2 ( Stev/art and Robbins) is of interest only because of
the small number of winter records for this species in Chesapeake
Bay, Pied-billed grebes started migrating early, the first being
noted on Feb. 14 at Patuxent Refuge by P. M. Uhler. The first Mary-^
land winter record of the little blue heron was established on Feb.

2o when the D.C. Audubon Society found an immature at W. Ocean City.

Ducks * Most of the usual species of waterfowl were at least as
common as in the previous winter, and migration started early due to
the very open v/inter. Interesting high counts included; 80 green-
winged teal and 40 shovellers, Blackwater Refuge, Deb. 19 ( I. R. Bar-

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MAR^AND biRDLIFE

Feb, -Mar.' 1949

Yol, V, No,

nes); 1,000 eanvas-baoks, Morgantown bridge, Jan. 16 ( E.G. Baldwin ) ;
1,075 redheads, Kent Is., Feb. 5 (Stewart cand Springer); 330 Ameri-
can golden-eyes, lower Patuxent River, Feb, 5 (Leo Couch); and 6,880
ruddy ducks, southern Anne Arundel Co., Jan. 2 (Stewart, Robbins).

An immature male American eider found by the Audubon Societ^r, and
later studied by many M.O.S, members at Ocean City inlet on Feb* 20,
is the third record for Maryland. Especially early migrants at Pa-
tuxent Refuge included a ruddy duck on Jan. 27 (Stewart), 4 baldpate
on Feb, 13 ( l^'/ebster ) , and a green-winged teal on the 19th (Stewart).
Crowder reported much smaller rafts of redhefAds wintering off Car-
rol Is. this year. His estimate of 2,000 ducks in that area on Feb.
13 was typical of this winter; populations the tY/o previous winters
ranged from 18,000 to 25,000 ducks, largely redheads and baldpate,

Hav/ks, Shorebirds. The first mid-Y/inter record of the pigeon
hawk was established on Feb, 12, when John B, May and Crowder
watched one at close range for some time at Tilghmans; they repeat-
edly had good viev/s of the back and tail, and then watched the pigeon
hawk catch a small bird and dive into the woods to oat it. Black-
hellied plover were seen regularly at Ocean City, with a maximum of
7 on Feb. 20. Wilson^ s snipe were again recorded wintering west of
Chesapeake Bay; 1 was flushed at Patuxent Roftige on Jan. 14 (Rob-
hins), and 2 on Feb, 16 (Mitchell and Springer), Two wintering in-
dividuals were seen at Blackwater on the Feb. 20 trip, as were 2
greater yellow-legs and 16 lesser yelloY/-legs . The latter is the
first mid-Y/inter record for Maryland, The best count of wintering
red-backed sandpipers was 45 at Ocean City on Feb, 5 by Stewart and
Springer. These observers also found 30 sanderlings on the same
date and place* The first migrating woodcocks were heard at Patux-
ent Refuge on Jan, 25 ( A. C .Martin ) , and Towson on Feb. 12 (Kolb),

Gulls , Dovekie s , John B. May and Orville Crovrder spotted what
appears to be the first sight record of the glaucous gull for Mary-
land (since the observations listed by Hcmpe and Kolb pertain to
the District of Columbia); they saw the bird at very close range,
perched between herring gulls at the Tilgiiman packing Company pier,
Tilghman, on Feb, 12. It is interesting to note that more glaucous
gulls than usual vfere found in New England this winter. Great black-
backed gulls Y/ere seen several times at the Sandy Point ferry cross-
ing; the highest count was obtained on the Feb. 19 M.O.S. trip when
4 adults snd 1 immature v/ere seen at Sandy Point and 1 immature at
Matapeake. Bonaparte’s gulls at Ocean City rose abruptly from 13 on
Dec. 27 to 200 on Jan. 8, then dropped to small numbers in February.
With only 2 previous dovekie s on record from Maryland, Buokalew^s
report that commercial fishermen had seen thousands 10 to 15 miles
off the Delaware, Maryland and Virginia coasts during the first part
of January, and had caught hundreds of them in their mackerel nets,
is of very special interest. The only dovekie seen from shore was
at Ocean City on Jan. 8 (Stewart and G . G.Vvebster ) .

Dove s , Sv/allows , Phoebe , Raven . The first cooing of mourning
doves was noted on Feb, 26 at Tov/son (Kolb) and Feb, 27 at Woodside
(J.H.Fales). N. Shelton and T. Donnelly found a phoebe at Seneca
on Jan* 8. Stewart and Webster saw 12 tree sY/allows at Dames Quar-
ter on Jan, 8, one of the fe’w winter records for this species in

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Vol, V, noTT"

'MARYLArH) BIRDLIFE

FebV-»]'lar» 1949'

Maryland* John H. Pales had the rare good fortune of observing a
rcaven at Woodside on Jan* 9 (see Y/ood Thrush 4: 158 for details).

Nuthatches, ^Vrens, Thrushes. Red-breasted nuthatches wintered
in very small numbers^th rough the coastal plain. Another wintering
locality for the long-billed marsh wren was discovered by Leo Couch,
who found one on the lovjer Patuxent River on Feb. 5. Although the
hermit thrush was relatively scarce, the robin wintered in truly
amazing numbers. A single flock at South Point, \Yorcester Co., con-
tained an estimated 700 birds on Feb. 20. On Jan. 14, 157 were
noted on the Patuxent raid-winter census, where the highest previous
count had been 25, and the average of 8 years was 6; throughout the
winter, flocks of 50 to 100 birds were seen daily, Baltimore and
Chase observers also noted far more than usual, B,^r. and Mrs. Herman
Kuch first saw bluebirds enter nest holes at Pikesville on Feb. 16.

Kinglets, Pipits. Ruby-crowned kinglets smashed all records
for winter abundance. The highest count of 23 was reported on the
Jan. 14 Patuxent census; the previous high was 4, A glance at the
Christmas Counts published in Audubon Field Notes (April 1949) shows
unusually high numbers of ruby-crowns on nearly all Maryland counts.
The 6 recorded at Chase deserve special mention. Mrs. Roberta Flet-
cher found this species at Denton throughout the winter, with a peak
of 5 on Jan. 1. Pipits continued to be abundant on the Eastern
Shore, The last at Patuxent Refuge was seen on Jan, 12 by Stewart.

Shrikes, Blackbirds. Only 2 migrant shrikes were reported: 1

at Port Tobacco on Jan. 3, and 1 at Berlin, Feh* 5. Red-wings,
grackles, and cowbirds arrived at Patuxent Refuge on Feb. 16, and
the first rusty blackbird oh Feb. 25, Boat-tailed grackles probably
arrived along the coast at about the same time, but since we have to
depend on observers from other parts of the State to send in records
from the Maryland coast, the boat-tail was not recorded until the
following weekend; 43 were counted at West Ocean City and 10 at
South Pt. on Feb. 20 by the D.C. Audubon Society and M. 0. 3. trips.

Pinches and Sparrows. Haven Kolb noted the first singing of
cardinals in lS^tImore“~on Jan. 10, and Hampe detected the first mi-
gratory movement of this species at Halethorpe on Feb. 21, when new

birds began to enter his banding traps. Mrs. Fletcher recorded her

first towhee at Denton on Feb. 13, but since this is a full month

ahead of the normal migration period it is likely that the bird win-

tered nearby. The first full song of the field sparrow was recorded
at Beltsville on Feb, 23 (Pales). Another report of wintering white-
crowns in the Piedmont was received from Jane Tuttrup, who wrote
that 2 adults and 4 immature s were seen at an Olney feeding station
on Feb, 9. Fox sparrows began to appear in mid -February; Mr. and
Mrs. Kuch counted as many as 12 on Feb. 19 at Pikesville. Song
sparrows sang occasionally throughout the winter at Laurel, but
were heard regularly from Feb. 3 on (Eleanor Robbins); Kolb heard
the first song in Baltimore on Feb. 8. Hervey Brackbill, who keeps
dally watch for the return on his color-banded birds, found that the
first of his 1948 song sparrows returned on Jan. 30, 1949.

C. 3. Robbins

23

Voi: T."tfor~^

MA'R'aA'm 'BTSCI'ff'g'

Mar»»Apr» 1949"

/X ' > y

C L U B ■ E V E N T S

MONTHLY ^ffiETING> JANUARY 7. The new year got off to a fine
start, as far as meeting programs are conoerned, with Brooke Meanley*s
description of the bird life of the coastal plain. There ie a con-
tagious enthusiasm to Mr. Meanley's lectures which you must exper-
ience to appreciate. Tv^o years ago^ he got us all enthused over the
upland plovers of ^Worthington Valley (which have since been the sub-
ject of an arinual club pilgrimage), and this time he shared his
close interest in the birds that live between the fall line and the
tidev/ater. The Pocomoke Swamp received special attention, and the
Swainson*s warbler figured prominently in the discussion. This elus-
ive bird, rather plentiful in the cane brakes further south, reaches
its northern limit in the white alder habitat of the Pocomoke cypress
swamp. We have heard it sing there on two club trips, but have not
yet seen it. Mr. Meanley^s experience with the bird farther south
made good telling, and his slides aided the story materially,

HEAD- OF -THE - GHE 3APE AKE FIELD TRIP , JANUARY 25. A detailed ac-
count of this trip by Miss Sandy will' be found' eTsewhere in this is-
sue •

VISIT TO A CROW ROOST , JANUARY Col. Triplett, who led this

trip in conjunction with Dr. Lutz, has written an account which will
appear in the next Maryland Birdlife.

MONTHLY MEETING , FEBRUARY 4. Dr. David E. Davis, editor of The
Wilson Bulletin and member of tHe staff of the Johns Hopkins School
of Hygiene and Public Health, has been a member of the Society for
several years, but it took a little time to induce him to present a
meeting program. This one Was well worth waiting for.

Uisj^er the interesting title, '^The Communist Cuckoos Dr.

Davis described the curious territorialism of the four subfamilies
of Crotophaginae , with particular attention to the ani, whose habits
he studied for twelve months in Cuba, These anis disregard the
customary monagamouc pattern and also follow communal habits in in-
cubating and feeding. Dr. Davis told us that the birds* knowledge
of boundaries is intimate and definite, and that the boundaries are
recognized by the flock, just as we know them to be recognized by
individuals in other species.

The discussion was a scholarly one, and full of new information.
We hope to have Dr. Davis on the program soon again.

KENT ISLAND FIELD TRIP , FEBRUARY 6. As time goes on, we seem
to trend more and more t oward '"a nrniaT^*’ pilgrimage s ** to certain popu-
lar observing areas. Kent Island provides such a spot, fortunately

24 -

T/oI. V,

MrYIT^TO URDLIPE

a very fine one, and this year marked our fourth annual visit.

Under the leadership of Comi^ander Berry and Mr. Ramsay, we spent a
balmy spring-like day covering the island from end to end, turned
up 48 species in all, and digressed a little at one point to look
at the first spring flowers - chickweed and Whitlow grass. Among
the Interesting birds were red -throated loons, horned grebos, 600
swan, 300 canvasbacks, 600 coot, and more than 100 meadowlarks.

The popularity of the island as a wintering spot was emphasized by
the count of more than 50 tov/hees. At Sandy Point ferry terminal,
before crossing to the island, we had close observations of two
great black-backed gulls on the Jetties.

WILDLIFE SCREEN TOUR #1 - FEBRUARY n. Projection problems
plagued the arrangements committee at this first of three paid-
admission lectures, and the result was not good, to put, it mildly.
Dr. May is a fine speaker, and he has some excellent pictures.

He rose to the occasion nobly, did wh$t he could to overcome the
out-of-f oGUs, poorly lighted projection^ and was very kind in
sympathizing with us over our own troubles. We hope he will be
able to come back another year, when conditions are closer to what
we hope is normal.

BLACCTATER RSFU CE ATO OCEAN CITY, FEBRUARY 19-20. Ocean City
seems to be a sure-f ire"l)ird paradise at any season of the year,
and proved its dependability on this winter-time visit by provid-
ing a list of 107 species. Perhaps the leadership of Chan Robbins,
ably assisted on this occasion by Rockwell Smith, has more than a
little to do v/ith this result. Among the birds present were 2
species of loons, 2 species of grebes, gannets, American brant,
gadwalls, all three scoters, a red-breasted nuthatch and both
horned larks. There were 19 species of ducks in all, the prize
observation being that of the rarely seen American eider. Clapper
and Virginia rails were heard, a snow bunting was observed on the
sand flats at West Ocean City. Outstanding find of all, in this
wonderful week-end, was a redpoll, subsequently collected and since
then the subject of much discussion as to its subspecies.

There was much friendly competition with the contemporary field
trip of the Audubon Society of the District of Columbia, and Ocean
City residents were subjected to another lesson in the behavior of
bird observers, who have a way of taking the town over completely
these days.

DIGKEYVILLB & LEAKIN PARK , FEBRUARY £6. The Newell sisters,
who are growing up at a rate that ma'Ses "us fear to report that
they are still Junior members, took over the leadership of this
trip in Mr. Woodman’s absence, and discharged the duty admirably.
Tv/enty observers studied 19 winter species of birds, none of which
were unusual, but all of which combined to make a very pleasant
late-winter walk.

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V0l> V, No, 2

MARYLAND BIFDLIFE

Mar. -Apr, 1949

”liEAD OF CHESAPEAKE” TRIP - JATOARY 23

The first ornithological field trip after the annual Christmas
count was well attended, 'pjventy-one persons had sufficient en-
thusiasm to meet at 7 A.M. on January 23rd to participate in a
circuit of the upper Chesapeake and a niimber of Its tributaries.

The temperature was rather frosty, and the sunrise observed on
Pulaski Highv;ay seemed hopeful for sunshine. Still, binding isn^t
entirely dependent upon the sun, so, when showers appeared around
noon, we didn^t allow them to dampen our interest and fervor* More-
over, we were particularly interested in waterfowl on this occasion.

Our first stop was at Otter Creek where we found a few pintails
and mergansers. The first birds seen at Perry Point were several
horned larks. The duck rafts, however, were somewhat disappointing.
We did see a flock of 75 or 80 canvasbacks, a few scattered mergan-
ser, black, ruddy, mallard, scaup and ring-necked ducks. Swans and
geese were seen in the distance. While we were scanning the water,
two bald eagles came into focus, flying lov/.

Carpenter Point and vicinity presented swans and geese again in
the distance. Closer in, ring-necked, redhead, golden-eye and mer-
ganser ducks v/ere noted, but not in particularly large numbers of
either type. The land birds observed in this region were about 8 or
10 tree sparrows, and a fish crow was audible.

On our way to Chesapeake City and Cecilton several marsh, red-
shouldered, red-tailed and sparrow hawks were seen; also a flock of
about 50 cowbirds. Beyond Cecilton, at Rich Heck Farm on the Sassa-
fras River, numerous swans and geese were noted on the opposite, or
south, shore line. Turner ^s Creek, a part of this west shore line,
was filled with black ducks, and scattered on the Sassafras were
ring-necked, golden-eye, merganser and mallard ducks. The land birds
in this area v/ere cardinals, juncos, red^v/ings and grackles. Much to
our surprise, a nearby garden disclosed a lovely clximp of purple cro-
cus, and winter jasmine was in flov;er running up the brick wall.

In the drive toward Chestertown several American rough-legged
hawks were identified. The marsh waters outside Centreville revealed
several horned grebes and baldpates, also gulls* It v^as now about
5 P.M., the drizzle and fog began to close in, so we headed for
Sandy Point Ferry, reaching town about 7 P.M., having covered 185
miles.

We can truly say that the day was most interesting and worth-
while. Ho jaunt in the open is dull or useless, no matter what the
weather may be. Everyone had a good appetite, and there was much
fun and enjo^nnent.

(Miss) T. M. sandy

Vol» Vj 2 MARYLAjMD BIRDLIFJ Mar , *Apr . , 1949

C Q H STITUTION — Maryland Ornithological Society
(Adopted at iinnual Meeting, Gatoctin, May 14> 1949)

Article I . HAIvIS

The name of this organization shall be '’Maryland Ornithological Society”.

Section 1.

Section 2.

Section 1.
Section 2.
Section 3.
Section 4*
Section 5.

Section 6.

Section 1.
Section 2.
Section 3.
Section 4.

Section 1.
Section 2.

Article II. 03JXTS

The object of this Society shall be to record the observations of bird
life in Maryland; to disseminato in a popular manner the results of
such observations; to collate the scientific data furnished by bird
students throughout the state; to supply such information to other
groups as requested; to publish and distribute at established times
the official publication of the orgp.nization; to provide op jortuni-
ties for increased knowledge of bird life; and to promote the cultiva
tion of public sentiment in the preservation of our native wild life.

This oiganizution shall operate without profit and no part of itd in-
come shall inure to the benefit of any individual member.

Article III. F-tGUBjU'SHIP

The membership of the Society shall be of three classes: Sustaining,
Regular and Junior.

The dues of sustaining members shall be $5 a year; Regular Members, $1
a year; Junior Members, 50^ a year.

Junior membership shall be limited to persons under 18 years of age,
who shall not be entitled to vote at meetings of the Society,

Junior bird clubs may affiliate vdth the Society iTy taking out a single
Junior membership for the group.

The annual term of membership shall be from July 1 to June 30. Dues
received from members who join after April 1 shall be considered as
paid for the following membership year, Members whose dues remain
unpaid on December 1 shall be dropped from the roll.

Dues of affiliated members shall be collected hy the treasurer of the
local unit and responsibility for payment shall be that of the local
unit; dues of unaffilic.ted members shall be billed by the treasurer
of the Society/ and submitted direct to him.

Article IV, LOCaL UMTS

A Local Unit of the Society may be organized by not less than six mem-
bers of the Society in any area.

Such units may adopt by-laws and administer their own affairs, provided
such action is not in conflict 'with this Constitution.

Local units may choose any form of name, and may raise and administer
funds above and beyond the dues and funds of the Society.

Members of the Society v;ithin such areas may elect to remain direct mem
bers of the Society.

Article V. OFFICERS

The officers of the Society shall be a President, one or more Vice Pres
idents, a Secretary and a Treasurer. The offices of Secretary and
Treasurer may be combined at the discretion of the 2xeeutive Committee

The duties of these officers shall be those usually pertaining to their
offices. In addition, the President shall be ex-officio member of
the governing committee of each Local Unit.

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V, No. 2

iVlARYLAND BIRDLXF3

Mar. -Apr 1949

Section 3.

Section 4,

Section 1.
Section 2.

Section 3-

Section 4*

Section 3*

Section 1,
Section 2.
Section 3t

The President, Secretarjr and Treasurer shall be elected at the annual
meeting, shall assume their duties at the end of the meeting, and
shall hold office for a term of one year- or until their successors are
elected.

The president of each Local Unit shall be a Vice President of the Socie-
ty, and shall be elected in accordance with the bj^-laws of the Local
Unit. The order of succession of vice presidents shall be determined
by the executive Committee*

Article VI . EXi3CUTIV3 G0MITT.TS

The above officers, together with one representative from each Local
Unit, shall constitute the Executive Committee,

The representative of each Local Unit shall be selected in accordance
with the by-lrav 7 S of the unit, and shall hold office until a successor
is selected and certified to the Secretary of the Society.

The Executive Cemmitteo shaJ.1 have general charge of the affairs and
funds of the Society, It shall be its dutj^ to fill all vacancies a-
mong the officers, and to devise and adopt such measures as shall ad-
vance the interests of the Society.

The Tbcecutive Committee shall muet upon call of the President, or of any
four members thereof, upon due notied to all its members, and shall
meet at least once a year. At other times its duties may be dis-
charged by mail, provided all members of the Committee have an oppor-
tunity to vote on matters so presented.

Five members of tho Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum.

Article VII, COMMITTISS

The Sxecutive Committee shall make provision for Standing Committees.

Special Committees shall be appointed by the President as required.

The President shall be empowered to appoint Chairmen of all committees.

Article VIII, MEHTINGS

Section 1, A regular meeting of the Society shall be held during the months of May
or June each year, and shall be designated as the Annual Meeting,

Section 2. Special meetings may be called by the President on approval of the Ex-
ecutive Committee,

Section 3. The time and place of all meetings shall be designated by the Executive
Committee,

Section 4. .Fifteen members, not more than five of whom represent any one Unit,
shall constitute a quorum.

Article DC. PARLIAiMENTARY PROCEDURE

The deliberations of all Society and Dxecut.ive Committee mootings shall be governed
by Roberts* ’’Rules of Order",

Articlo X, AMEITOMENT5

This Constitution may be amended at any regular stated meeting by a two-thirds vote
of the members present, after the proposed amendment has been submitted in writing
to the Society membership at least thirty days prior to voting,

— 2ND OF C0M3TITUTI0N —

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