MARYLAND BIRDLIFE ^Buttzhbi of tfiz czA/[axjj[anA o h ic.a[ 856 individuals. Four apparent new high counts for this area. First Oldsquaws since before 1965- 9- ELKTON - 10 observers., 37 party-hours (26 on foot). 55 species , 19*243 individuals. Seven high counts. White-crowned Sparrows are increasing here. Barred Owl during count period is new to the count list. 10. BOWIE - 44 observers, 186 party-hours (134 on foot). 89 species . 35,577 individuals. A new count including some choice March 1973 MARYLAND .BIRD LIFE T territory (the Agricultural Research Center at Beltsville , Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, and much of the undeveloped portion of Fort Meade). It is also an interesting inland Coastal Plain comparison, snuggled between Annapolis (with its extensive Bay and estuarine front- age) and Triadelphia (which is entirely in the Piedmont). Three Balti- more Orioles, a Lincoln's Sparrow, and the State's only Saw-whet Owl are notable . 11. ANNAPOLIS - 47 observers, 129 party-hours (75 on foot). 88 species , 31,611 individuals. Eight -year -high counts on 20 species — someone must have done a lot of foot work. A Baltimore Oriole and a Yellowthroat are interesting December finds. Also fun in the fog! 12. ACCOKEEK - 4 observers, 32 party-hours (all on foot as always). 55 species , 3,329 individuals. The 4lst consecutive count. Bonaparte's Gull new to overall list. Black Duck count very high (450). The compiler reported very little bird activity as a result of high winds. 13- POINT LOOKOUT - 21 observers, 136 party-hours (6l on foot.). 112 species (highest ever for a Western Shore count), 34,474 individuals. 7,900 scoters of all three species are 30 times the numbers on any other Maryland count. The only Red-throated Loons outside Ocean City. Pigeon Hawk and Lesser Yellowlegs were single birds in the State. Great Cormo- rants and Pine Warblers were reported nowhere else. Fig. 1. Locations of 1972 Christmas Counts 14. LOWER KENT COUNTY - 55 observers, 100 party-hours (48 on foot). 99 species , 106,349 individuals. Eleven 8-year-high dounts. Only Golden Eagle in the State. State high counts on Whistling Swan, Canada Goose, six different ducks, and coot. 15. DENTON - 13 observers, 65 party-hours (35 on foot). 64 species , 48,648 individuals. Nine counts were 8-year highs. 1,182 Whistling Swans and 933 Canada Geese on this inland count are remarkable. Seventeen additional species seen during the count period. 8 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol. 2 Q n No. 1 16. ST. MICHAELS - 27 observers, 118 party-hours (39 on foot). 97 species , 58,408 individuals. Six counts were 8 -year highs. Mute Swan count doubled over last year. Many low counts, probably resulting from strong winds . 17. SOUTHERN DORCHESTER - 21 observers, 91 party-hours (68 on foot). 118 species , 185,366 individuals. High counts recorded on 7 species but countered by many unusually low counts. Snowy Egret, Goshawk, and House Finch new to the count. Only Blue Geese and Short-eared Owls in the State. 18. SALISBURY - l4 observers, 43 party-hours (19 on foot). 72 species , 10,924 individuals. High counts on only 3 species but cov- erage was lowest in 5 years . Double-crested Cormorant and 4l Canvasbacks are interesting in this location. 19. CRISFIELD - 12 observers, 86 party-hours (60 on foot). 115 species » 30,0l4 individuals. Even with this poor coverage, 11 counts were new highs. Best rail spot in the State. Nine Louisiana Herons are really amazing. 20. OCEAN CITY - 32 observers, lk5 party-hours (105 on foot). l40 species , 86,989 individuals. Four new high counts. Many sparrows were very low. Yellow Rail new to the count. Other unmentioned single birds for the State include Seaside and Grasshopper Sparrows. Two each of Piping Plovers and Forster’s Terns are also notable. The only MOS Sanctuary count submitted was from Mill Creek, where Dick Kleen found 8,572 birds of 4l species in 3 hours on Dec. 24. Next year we hope to publish representative counts from all MOS Sanctuaries. Each year Christmas Counts seem to raise more questions than they answer. Some are answered when national results are compared — e.g . , New England birders had been wondering at the nearly complete absence of Purple Finches and were delighted to find these birds vere somewhere else. Some questions just do not get answered — like why Baltimore does not get White-crowned Sparrows when they occur regularly both to the east and the west. And hopefully each year, we counters learn Just a little more about our own areas and even now have plans to do just a bit better next year. Good birding! 9635 White Acre Road, B-4, Columbia BARN SWALLOW COLONY IN A TOWSON GARAGE Janet Ganter The Bara Swallow (Hirundo rustica) is a familiar bird to the farm folks and is now locally common in the suburbs when nesting sites are available; modern garages, carports, and bridges are utilized frequently. Nevertheless it was quite a surprise to learn of a growing colony of Barn Swallows nesting in a garage within sight and sound of sprawling Eudowood Shopping Center near Tovson, Maryland. With the owner's per- mission a project was started to learn more about the activities of the colony and to make nest record cards. March 1973 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 9 Back in 195^ Mr. Richard Cole became concerned about the future of some Barn Swallows nesting in a soon-to-be-demolished shed on property across the road from his new garage. Advised by a member of the Fish and Wildlife Service, he moved one nest which contained 2 eggs to his garage at 625 Valley Lane. The nest and eggs remained, but a new nest was built near the old one. With great excitement and joy, Mr. and Mrs. Cole found that the swallows returned the next year and nested in their garage, and they have returned every year since. The garage where the birds were located was closed on three sides, but had a wide opening approximately 7 feet high and 25 feet long. All the nests were located from 12 to 15 feet back from the entrance. The nests were the typical mud bowl, constructed resting on top of the cross- beams, and lined with mostly white feathers. Just where the Barn Swal- lows traveled for such nest material was a good question. Apparently chicken feathers were still available somewhere in the Towson area. In 1971, nest cards were kept and there were 19 active nests (num- bered 1 through 19), probably the most ever, according to Mrs. Cole. In the summer of 1972, l8 nests were used, 6 of them being new ones added that year. Of the old nests, 7 were not reused. In the following table, first brood nests of 1972 are marked "a", second brood, ’V'. Numbers indicate the number of eggs believed to have been laid and the number of young believed to have fledged. When the total number of eggs in a clutch was not definitely known, the number is in parentheses. Most nests already contained young at the time of my first visit. Table 1. Summary of Eggs Laid and Young Fledged Nests Used in 1971 New Nests in 1972 Nest No. 1 2 4 6 7 9 11 13 Ik 16 17 1 9 20 21 22 23 2k 25 Eggs /a: ( 5) (2) (M k (U) (5) (3) 2 (5) (k) 5 k (5) 5 (5) Laid Lb: k h 2 9 3 W (k) 5 (2) (3) 1+ 00 Young ra: 5 2 k 0 k 0 3 0 5 h h 3 5 1+ h ^Hedfrprlib : 2 1+ 2 0 h 3 5 2 3 3 k It Beginning on June 2, 1972, the nests were checked about every two weeks with a flashlight and mirror, care being taken to disturb the birds as little as possible. There were 15 first-brood nests and 13 second-brood nests. The first check found 13 nests to be in use: and by the second check on June lU, there were 12 in use. On July 1, only 7 nests were active, but by July 13 there were again 13 nests in use, 2 of which were new. By the July 13th check there were 36 eggs and 13 young. It was noticed then that nest no. 6 contained 8 eggs. When checked on July 1, that nest had contained only 1 egg: the question was asked, was the nest used by two females? Such a possibility was pointed out by Bent (19^2, p. UU7). This nest must ultimately have contained 9 eggs, because on July 28, there were 5 young in the nest, and after the young left I 10 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol. 29, No. 1 counted 4 unhatched eggs. Nest IT appeared to be the most productive, with 4 young fledged in the first brood and 5 in the second. From the nest card data apparently one nesting period ran from mid- May until late June, and the other from roughly July first to mid-August In the 15 first clutches the number of eggs ranged from 2 to at least 5- If all eggs laid were seen by me, the total was 62 (average of 4.1 per nest), of which 53 (86$) hatched. In the 13 second-brood nests, the number of eggs ranged from 2 to 9 (average 4.0) and totaled 52; 44 (85$) of these hatched. Known losses of young totaled 6 in the first brood and 3 in the second. Assuming there were 13 nesting pairs, and elimi- nating the 6 known dead from the total of 88 nestlings, the average pro- duction was 6.8 young per pair. We can be fairly sure that the weather around the time of Hurricane Agnes influenced the nesting success. Papers by Tate (1972) and Hall (1972) pointed out that the birds which relied upon flying insects were probably hardest hit by the prolonged rainy period of June 19-25. In the Towson colony no dead adult birds were found, but on June 24, there were 5 dead young near nest no. 11, and 1 young was dead in nest no. 20 on July 1. According to Griffin (1964), nesting Barn Swallows are widely dis- tributed over the United States, Canada and Alaska, and may winter as far south as southern South America. Some birds of the Towson colony were banded from time to time and were known to return. One of the most recent was an adult female banded on May 26, 1970, that returned on May 5, 1971, and was trapped and processed again on July 28, 1972. Where these par- ticular birds spend the winter is open to speculation but they have always returned to Towson between the 9th and 25th of April; by the middle of August (August 19, 1972) they have departed. Apparently the eggs laid in nests nos. 6 and 7, and counted on August 9, were never incubated; the parent birds "knew" time was manning out. In future years, will the colony continue to grow or will it reach a certain number and hold its own? Or will it decline as the surrounding area becomes more con jested? A banding recovery from somewhere in the south- ern hemisphere could solve the riddle of where some birds spend the winter. One question leads to another, but April 1973 will offer a new chance to add to the information on at least one colony of "suburbanite" Barn Swallows. Special acknowledgement is made to Mrs. Gladys H. Cole for information, inspiration, and personal assistance in this project. Bent, A. C. Griffin. D. Hall, G. A. Tate, J. L. References Cited 1942. Life Histories of North American Flycatchers, Larks, Swallows, and Their Allies. U.S. National Museum Bull. 179 R. 1964. Bird Migration. Sci. Study Ser. N.Y. Doubleday. 180 p 1972. Nesting Season, Appalachian Reg. Am. Birds 26(5) : 857 - 858 . Jr. 1972. The Changing Seasons. Am. Birds 26(5): 830. 301 Oakdale Rd. , Baltimore March 1973 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 11 THE PRESIDENT’S PAGE BIRDS AND THE MARYLAND MOSQUITO CONTROL PROGRAM The Maryland mosquito control program is operated by the individual Counties of the State under the general supervision of the State Govern- ment. Any community wishing to participate in this program may obtain the service from its County Government by paying a specified percentage of the cost. In 1972 approximately 1,200 communities in 20 Counties participated. The program consists of spraying the entire community, usually every two weeks, during the summer months. Spraying is done by high- powered spray machines mounted on trucks and virtually the entire areas are covered with the spray. The spray used is usually a 1.5 percent solution of malathion sprayed at the rate of approximately 0.1 pound of pure malathion per acre. Many MOS members believe that our Society should vigorously oppose this program on the basis of its injury to the bird life of the State. Whether or not any serious injury occurs is controversial. Malathion is less toxic to warm-blooded animals, including birds, than many common insecticides, and unlike DDT and its relatives it is non- persistent. Available scientific evidence, although somewhat meager, seems to indicate that no harm to bird life is likely to result from this spray operation. Nevertheless various uncontrolled observations have been made that cast doubt on the safety of the operation. MOS members residing in localities where this spraying is done are urged to make careful, objective, and unemotional observations of any effects the spraying operation seems to have on the local bird life. Following are the types of observations that can readily be made by careful observers and that should provide useful information on the effect of the spray: 1. Are excessive numbers of dead or sick adult or fledgling birds found within a day or two after spraying? Poisoning, if it occurs , could be the result of direct contact with the spray or by eating poisoned insects. 2. Do nestlings known to be alive shortly before the spraying survive the heavy dosages of the spray obtained near the roadsides where the spray trucks operate? 12 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vo3 . 29 . No . 1 3. Do eggs in nests receiving heavy dosages of the spray hatch in normal numbers? 4. Are eggs or nestlings knocked out of nests by the mechanical force of the spray? This could quite conceivably occur in the case of nests in low trees, shrubbery, and underbrush close to the roads where the spray trucks operate. Any careful observations along these lines should be reported in detail by local Chapters to the MOS Conservation Chairman at the end of the season regardless of whether or not the observations indicate any harmful effect on the birds. We should then be in a better position to know what attitude MOS should take toward this widespread spraying operation. It is true, of course, that birds could be injured by the spray in some obscure manner not readily detected by any of the above- mentioned observations. Any property owner in a sprayed community may prevent his own prop- erty from being sprayed by submitting a written request to the proper County office. LtaDrence Zeleny A NESTING OF THE LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE IN MARYLAND Paul W. Woocfoard On May 25, 1972 I saw three recently fledged Loggerhead Shrikes (Lanius ludovicianus) with an adult near the intersection of River and Elmer School Roads in Montgomery County, Maryland. Searching the area carefully, I found what I believe to be their nest about 13 feet off the ground in a Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana ) . The nest site was along a row of widely spaced Red Cedars surrounded by fields, many of which were overgrown. This is typical nesting habitat for Loggerhead Shrikes . I was first aware that shrikes might nest in the area when on March 24 I saw two perched together on a fence. Usually Loggerhead Shrikes are solitary except when nesting, so it seemed likely that these would nest here. I saw shrikes in this area periodically between this date and the day I found the young birds. Stewart and Robbins ( Birds of Maryland and the District of Columbia , 1958, p.259) list the breeding status of the Loggerhead Shrike in Mary- land as "Uncommon in the east-central portion of Prince Georges County; rare and local elsewhere in the Western Shore section and in the Eastern Shore, Upper Chesapeake, Piedmont, and Ridge and Valley sections." How- ever, no active nest of this species has been reported in Maryland since 1931. 2433 Southgate Square, Reston, Va. March 1973 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 13 FIRST MARYLAND SPECIMEN OF AUDUBON'S SHEARWATER Richard A. Rowlett One day this past simmer while rummaging through the freezer at the headquarters of Assateague Island National Seashore, examining a variety of salvaged animals being saved for possible future use by the park, I stumbled onto a small black and white tubenose which I identified as an Audubon's Shearwater (Puffinus Iherminieri ) . The specimen had been buried in the freezer for over two years, but was tagged as being found, "dead on the beach with car tracks around it," on August 1, 1970, one mile north of the Virginia state line, by R. E. Fawley, a park employee. Audubon's Shearwater. Photo by the author. Based on external examination, I suspect the shearwater was killed or had died on the beach where it may have landed from exhaustion. The perfect condition of the specimen indicated it had not died at sea, and washed ashore; it certainly was not a "gunky," foul smelling, sticky mess which a bird soaked and afloat in salt water would show. Autopsy at the U.S. National Museum, Washington, D.C. , revealed that the shear- water was greatly emaciated, and had sustained bruises and a hemorrhage on the left side under the wing, suggesting that it was a victim of a beach vehicle on Assateague. Audubon's Shearwater is normally a warm oceanic species, common in mid-summer off Cape Hatteras, N.C. , and south, in the nearby Gulf Stream. Its status at the Maryland latitude is at least presumed casual to rare, though more accurately, it should probably be regarded as of uncertain status, owing to the virtual total lack of field work at sea in this area. The occurrence of Audubon's Shearwater following a tropical storm or hurricane is certainly a reasonable explanation. However, upon ex- amination of Daily Weather Maps up to a month prior to August 1, no significant weather disturbances were in evidence anywhere off the U.S. MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol. 29, No. 1 lU Atlantic coast. The fact that the shearwater was emaciated (weakened from lack of food) might indicate the bird had wandered far from its fa- vored food source in the warm waters of the Gulf Stream to the south and east . The specimen, a non-breeding male, now preserved as a study skin, USNM #566272, represents the first specimen record for the State of Maryland. There are two previous Maryland sightings. The first was on June 3, 1963, flying through the Ocean City Inlet, following a storm with gale for^ce winds (Samuel H. Dyke, Maryland Birdlife 19 ( 3 ) : 67 » Sept. 1963). Another single individual was seen 17 miles off Ocean City, on August 27, 1967, by Jan Reese, and party of six observers who chartered a boat to pursue sea birds. Since this latter record was not influenced by any weather disturbances, I believe further field work may show this species to be more numerous than present records indicate. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel 23rd ANNUAL NEST CARD SUMMARY, 1971 Danny Bystrak Nest records for Maryland have been kept since the late l800's when such pioneers as Frank Kirkwood and John Sommer were about the only people in the State seriously interested in birds. In 19^9, not long after the formation of the MOS, Chandler S. Robbins compiled the first yearly summary of nesting records for the State, making Maryland one of the first states to make a unified effort to gather data on bird nesting. In the early 1950's a crude nest card was devised to malte storage of and access to the data easier. Many ideas for improvement resulted from the use of these cards and in 1963 the official "Maryland Nest Card" was born. Also in 1963 the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology first distrib- uted North American Nest-record Cards for use locally and then in 1965 on a nation-wide basis . Marylanders stayed with the Maryland card be- cause it was more specifically suited to the local area. Both cards were found to be lacking in certain respects, the major of these being that they were not in a form that could easily be transferred to punch cards or tape for use on computers. As the computer age progressed, Cornell, in 1968, designed a revised card compatible with key-punching. Maryland adopted these new cards in order to cooperate with the continent-wide project. The hope of the project is that the easily accessible data from the entire continent will be used by researchers to investigate as- pects of bird natural history not before possible — including the moni- toring of environmental quality. The larger the sample from which researchers can draw, the greater the opportunity to draw meaningful conclusions. This is why it- is just as important to follow through on a Robin nest as it is on a Worm-eating Warbler nest. A stupendous year for nest cards 1971 was not, but the 72 species reported ties the 1970 total and still hovers one above the record low. March 1973 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 15 Nests of four species on the "not reported in five years" list in the 1970 nest card summary were reported, as was a new breeding species for the State. First was an American Oystercatcher nest found by Mitchell Byrd in Sinepuxent Bay on May 15 containing 6 eggs which is suspected to be the result of two females. Elwood Martin found an adult Great Horned Owl with a young bird and two Barred Owl nests containing 1 and 3 young at Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. The fourth species was White- breasted Nuthatch. Eleanor Robbins observed a pair active around an in- accessible nest hole at Milburn Landing State Forest. After proving in 1970 that coots nest in Maryland, Henry Armistead is responsible for another new breeding species for Maryland in 1971* He found a Green-winged Teal nest at Deal Island Wildlife Management Area in Somerset County. Since this species has been known to breed in Dela- ware for quite some time, as has the Shoveler, it seems the possibility of finding a Shoveler nest in Maryland is more than good. Jan Reese's Osprey survey continues to add invaluable records of species rarely otherwise reported. Jan observed 204 active Osprey nests of which 157 were accessible. Of these 157, only 46 percent were success- ful in rearing young. Jan also- found seven Mute Swan nests and many Mal- lard and Black Duck nests. The increasing commonness of Mallards breed- ing in the State as a result of stocking programs is rather remarkable. There are few places in the State east of the mountains where the bird does not nest now and it seems to have replaced the Black Duck as the marsh-breeding duck of Maryland. Inspecting offshore duck blinds for Osprey nests also yielded 12 Barn Owl nests. The only other Barn Owl nest was that of the Irish Grove birds. Brooke Meanley is to be congratulated on the Dickcissel nest, which he found in a hay field near Adamstown in Frederick County. The nest contained 1+ eggs on June 22. This is only the third Maryland nest record of this rare and local bird. The species for which the most nest cards were submitted this year was again Eastern Bluebird with 123 cards! This is obviously not because it is the most common species in Maryland, but it is rather a reflection of the tremendous effort being made by people who care enough for the future of this beautiful bird to erect and follow the success of nesting boxes. Dr. Lawrence Zeleny submitted 79 bluebird cards from his Belts- ville Agricultural Research Center trail. In nine nests, House Sparrows were successful in evicting the bluebirds. One bluebird nest was de- stroyed by a human and several others were lost to unknown predators. Altogether about 192 young were fledged. Only one pair laid white eggs this year, with one nest of 5 and one of 4 successfully fledged. In one nest one young was found dead and three limp, cold and almost dead. Dr. Zeleny was able to keep these alive and they successfully fledged. For some strange reason Baltimore Orioles have been knpwn to nest on the Eastern Shore section of the Coastal Plain for years, but not so on the Western Shore {Birds of Maryland). The four nests of this species found by Rena Bishop on Fort Meade and the one reported by Morgan Jones l6 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol . 29, No. 1 at Montpelier near Laurel, "both localities well on the Coastal Plain, were of note and certainly a pleasant surprise. The Maryland mountains were again not done justice; the only Garrett County specialty submitted consisted of some Tree Swallow nests in boxes at Carey Run Sanctuary. Tree Swallows also breed in the tidewater zone of the Eastern Shore, and Irish Grove Sanctuary produced five Tree Swal- low nests in bluebird boxes as well as several Barn Swallow nests in the barn . The Breeding Bird Atlas project, which was started in Montgomery County in 1971, contributed almost nothing to the nest card program — a pity when one object of the project is to confirm the breeding of as many species as possible in each Atlas block. This is obviously best done by finding a nest! Hopefully, the 1972 Atlas will add substantially to the nest card effort. In 1971, 18 of Maryland's 23 counties were represented by nest cards. Help is still lacking in Carroll, Cecil, Harford, St. Marys and Wicomico Counties — does MOS really have chapters in two of these five counties? Table 1 shows the distribution of the records received by counties . Table 1. Summary of Nest Cards Received by Counties Spp. Obs. Cards Spp. Obs. Cards Garrett 12 2 25 Charles 2 1 2 Allegany 7 1 ’7 Calvert 2 2 2 Washington 2 1 15 Kent 9 1 11 Frederick 3 2 10 Queen Annes 6 1 13 Howard 21 11 70 Caroline 8 5 13 Montgomery 11 2 17 Talbot 16 2 55 Baltimore 8 4 28 Dorchester 9 2 13 Anne Arundel 12 1* 27 Somerset 11 k 32 Prince Georges 17 9 109 Worcester 12 2 17 Please remember that a crude hand drawn map showing location of a nest site in relation to the nearest intersection of two roads or a road and a named stream would help to impart a higher degree of accuracy to the nest cards. With such a map I could check given coordinates and elevations as well as enter them on the cards of those who have no way of determining them. Also, if the nest has been parasitized by cowbirds please remember to enter the number of non- cowbird eggs in the "eggs" column and write " plus 1 (or 2, etc.) cowbird egg(s)" or "3 host, 1 cow- bird" in the "Comments'' column. So far I have had a tremendous response for 1972 nest cards , hope- fully the beginning of an upward trend. I have not, however, received cards from several people to whom I know I sent many blank cards. Please drop me a line if you are still "holding out" and let me know how soon I can expect your cards. I would like to be able to have the 1972 summary ready as soon as possible. Nobody has submitted a Purple Martin or an March 1973 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE IT American Goldfinch card for 1972, although I have received records of over 90 species for that year. Finally, a small plug for 1973. This will be our 25th year of nest card summaries — let's make it a big one and see if we can break that magic 100 mark again! ANNOTATED LIST Brief notes on all 72 species reported have been included in the following list. The number following the species name is the number of Maryland nest cards submitted in 1971. Underscored dates are new records for the State . PIED-BILLED GREBE, 1. One nest in Somerset County with 3 eggs on June 5 , four other nests in same area (HTA) . GREAT BLUE HERON, 3. Colonies in Queen Annes, Dorchester, Talbot and Prince Georges Counties . GREEN HERON, 10. 60 nests in Talbot, Dorchester and Queen Annes Counties. Eggs from May 9 to July 3 (JGR). LITTLE BLUE HERON, 1. About 100 pairs on island south of South Point in Worcester County (MAB). CATTLE EGRET, 2. Colonies in Queen Annes and Worcester Counties. Incubating in Q.A. Co. on May 28 (JGR). COMMON EGRET, 1. About 200 pairs on a Worcester County island (MAB). SNOWY EGRET, 2. Colonies in Worcester and Dorchester Counties. Incubating on Aug . 7. in Dorchester County (HTA). LOUISIANA HERON, 1. About 210 pairs on a Worcester County island (MAB). BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON, 1. About U0 pairs on a Worcester County island (MAB). LEAST BITTERN, 1. Three eggs on June 6 in Charles County (EHS). GLOSSY IBIS, 1. About 510 pairs on a Worcester County island (MAB). MUTE SWAN, 7. Eggs from Apr. 11 to May 20 in Talbot County ( J GR ) . CANADA GOOSE, 1. Three broods raised at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge (HTA). MALLARD, 23. Eggs from Apr. 11 to July 10 in Talbot County (JGR). BLACK DUCK, 15- Eggs from Apr. 13 to July 3 (JGR). GREEN-WINGED TEAL, 1. Nest with 5 eggs on June 5 . First nest record for State (Armi stead, Md. Birdlife 27(3) : 111-114 ) . RED-SHOULDERED HAWK, 16 . Nests along Patuxent River between Laurel and Bowie. Young in nests from Apr. 29 to June 6. Ten nests successful (EMM) . OSPREY, 2. 20l nests observed in Talbot, Queen Annes and Dorchester Counties. Earliest egg on Mar . 27, earliest young on May 9 (JGR). For further details see Reese, Maryland Birdlife 27:151, 1971. B0BWHITE, 2. Nest with 1 eggs on Oct . 3. in Talbot County (JN). AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER , 1. Nest on a Worcester County island (MAB). KILLDEER , 1 . Four eggs on Apr . 7 in Baltimore County ( FBP ) . WILLET, 2. Downy young on June 5 in Somerset County and July 11 in Dorchester County (HTA). HERRING GULL, 2. Twenty nests with eggs on the very early date of May 17 in Worcester County (MAB). 18 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol. 29, No. 1 LAUGHING GULL, 1. Some nests contained first egg on Robin's Marsh on May IT , also very early (MAB). COMMON TERN, 2. Talbot County colony still had eggs on Aug. o.ne day short of record (JGR). MOURNING DOVE, 9- In Montgomery, Howard and Prince Georges Counties. YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO, 1. Garrett County nest with two young apparently unsuccessful (LMB). BARN OWL, 12. Eggs from Apr. 13 to July h (JGR). GREAT HORNED OWL, 1. Adult with young on May 9 at Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (EMM) . BARRED OWL, 2. Young on May h in two Prince Georges County nests. EASTERN KINGBIRD, 2. Nests too high to be checked in Denton and Highland. EASTERN PHOEBE, 8. Not one under a bridge! ACADIAN FLYCATCHER, 4. Nests in Howard and Calvert Counties. EASTERN WOOD PEWEE, 1. An inaccessible Garrett County nest on May 23 (IMB) TREE SWALLOW, 7. Last young in Irish Grove nest on July 27 (VEU). BANK SWALLOW, 1. Colony in gravel pit in Dorchester County (HTA). ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW, 1. Parents feeding young on May 20 in Kent County (DAM). BARN SWALLOW, 23. Very early eggs on May 6 at Irish Grove and late eggs in Towson on July 28. PURPLE MARTIN, 1. In Kent County. BLUE JAY, 5- In April, May and June in four counties. FISH CROW, 1. At least two young fledged on July 12 in Talbot County (JGR) CAROLINA CHICKADEE, 7. Possible eggs on early date of Apr. 13 in Denton. Seven eggs all hatched and all young fledged in Kent County. TUFTED TITMOUSE, 2. Six eggs hatched but only two fledged in a Prince Georges County nest (NCJ). WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH, 1. Male and female visited nest hole every five minutes in Worcester County nest (ECR). HOUSE WREN, 30. Eggs from May 11 to Aug 1. A wren entered a Howard County nest with 5 eggs on Aug. lk , but the eggs never hatched — pos- sibly sterile (DJR). An Aug. 20 nest had five punctured eggs (DDB). CAROLINA WREN, 3. All in the usual ridiculous places — a cottage cheese tub, a flower box, and behind a window left open a crack. MOCKINGBIRD, 8. Clutches of 3 and k eggs as late as Aug. 5- CATBIRD, 10. Clutches of 2, 3 and 1» . BROWN THRASHER, 7. Nests varying from 2.5 to 7 feet high. ROBIN, 13. One nest was on the rafters of a shed. WOOD THRUSH, 3. No contents seen. EASTERN BLUEBIRD, 123. Eggs from Apr. 11 in Washington County (DDB) to Aug . 15. in Washington (DDB) and Prince Georges (NJ) Counties. Young from May 6 to Sept . 10 in Washington Co. (DDB). Two other very late young dates — Sept. 3 "~TdDB) and Sept, h (NJ). Mean clutch size of 96 nests was ^. 27 , ranging from 2 to 6 eggs. BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER, 1. Inaccessible nest on Fort Meade (RBH). CEDAR WAXWING, 1. Young in nest as late as Oct . l8 in Howard County (DJR). STARLING, 2. Late young in Talbot County unable to fly on July 25 (JGR). WHITE-EYED VIRE0, 1. Four young in Howard County nest on July 20 (EFC). RED-EYED VIRE0, 1. Three eggs in cowbird parasitized nest on June 19, 20 in Montgomery County. Nest was unsuccessful (JCL). March 1973 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 19 YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT, 1. A Garrett County nest contained 1 cowbird and 3 chat eggs (LMB). HOUSE SPARROW, 12. All in bluebird boxes. RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD, 7. 46 nests in four counties. ORCHARD ORIOLE, 3. Three very late young were about ready to leave a Talbot County nest on Aug , l4 (HTA). BALTIMORE ORIOLE, 9- No contents visible. COMMON GRACKLE, 1. Late young in Dorchester County on July 4 (HTA). BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD, 3. Hosts— Catbird, Red-eyed Vireo, Yellow-breasted Chat. SCARLET TANAGER, 1. Male seen fighting with male Summer Tanager over nest site (RHB). CARDINAL, 8. Eggs from Apr. 24 to July lk . DICKCISSEL , 1. Female flushed from k eggs (BM). AMERICAN GOLDFINCH, 2. Two nests with eggs on Aug. l6 (PC). RUFOUS-SIDED TOWHEE, 4. All nests in May. CHIPPING SPARROW, 8. Late young in Talbot County nest on Sept, k (HTA). FIELD SPARROW, 4. Clutches of 3 and 4 eggs. SONG SPARROW, 2. Clutches of 1+ and 5 eggs — both unsuccessful. Thanks are extended to the 44 observers who participated in the 1971 nest card program. The numbers following the observers' names are the number of cards submitted followed by the number of species represented. Exceptional numbers of cards or species are underscored: Henry T. Armi stead (21-16 ) , E.O. Bauer (2-2), Juanita M. Bean (l-l), Lydia M. Beiler (21-11), Rena H. Bishop (17-9), Daniel D. Boone (25-2), Hervey G. Brackbill (2-l), Mitchell A. Byrd (l6-ll) , Danny Bystrak"T"4-3) , Paul C.arlson ( 2—1 ) , Ernest B. Cole (l-l), Edward F. Conner (* 4 - 3 ), E. Cook (l-l), Shirley M. Coon (l-l), Ronald D. Coon (l-l), C.T. Fletcher (l-l), Roberta B. Fletcher (8-7), Lynn E. Fowler (13-9), Janet E. Ganter ( 28-11) Neil C. Jennings (2-2), Carol Lynn Jones (l-l), Morgan V. Jones (2-2), R.J. Leggett (2-1), Joan C. Lusby (9-5), Elwood M. Martin (20-4), Brooke Meanley (l-l), Dorothy A. Mendinhall (ll-9), James Newcomb (l-l), B.W. Poe (l-l), Frances B. Pope (3-2), Dorothy J. Rauth (40-l6) , Jan G. Reese (67-13) , Chandler S. Robbins (3-2), Eleanor C. Robbins 121-7), George C. Robbins (24-7), Ed H. Schell (2-2), Myrtle B. Sowers (3-l), Isabel R. Todd (l-l), V. Ed Unger (2-2), Willet T. Van Velzen (2-2), M.C. Welsh (2-1 ) , Heather J. Worthley (l-l), Anne B. Wylie (l-l), Lawrence Zeleny (19-1). 582 Rita Drive, Odenton A.O.U. RECLASSIFIES SOME MARYLAND BIRDS The AOU Check-List Committee has announced ( Auk 90;Ij 11-U19) some bird classification and name changes that will appear in the next edition of the Check-List. Of most interest to Marylanders are the following: Blue Goose is lumped with Snow Goose (as merely a color morph) European Teal is combined with Green-winged Teal; the three flickers become Common Flicker; Traill's Flycatcher is divided into two species, the more northern Alder Flycatcher (fee-bee-o song) and the Willow Flycatcher (fitz-bew song), both of which breed in Maryland; Audubon's Warbler is lumped with Myrtle to become Yellow-rumped Warbler; Bullock's and Baltimore Oriole become Northern Oriole; Ipswich Sparrow is lumped with Savannah; and the Oregon and White- winged Juncos are merged with the Slate-colored, to be known as the Dark -eyed Junco. There will be many other changes in both scientific and common names. 20 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol . 29, No. 1 OCTOBER, NOVEMBER, DECEMBER, 1972 Chandler S. Robbins An already wet year continued to be wetter than normal in the last three months, with measurements 0 to 3 inches above normal in the various Sections of the State in October, 2 1/2 to 1+ 1/2 inches above normal in November, and 1/2 to 3 inches above normal in December. November Joined June as being the wettest for that month in Maryland's history. A snow- storm in western and north-central Maryland on Oct. 19 "was the earliest since 19^0; but despite the over-abundance of precipitation, no more than a trace of snow was reported in any of the three months in central or southern Maryland or the Eastern Shore. Even Garrett County was remark- ably snow-free; there were only 6 days in the entire 3-month period when there was one-tenth of an inch or more of snow on the ground at more than one station. October temperatures in Maryland were 3° to 5° below normal, with a severe killing frost a*t almost all stations on Oct. 20 and 21, on the heels of the record-early snowfall in the west and north. November tem- peratures averaged slightly below normal, but with relatively few sub- freezing nights except in the mountains. December was exceptionally cloudy (average of 82# overcast at Friendship Airport), and this helped to produce an unusually small number of nights with freezing temperatures. Although average temperatures were not quite as high as in 1971, they ranged from to 6° above the norm. Migration proceeded about on schedule in October and November, but a fine scattering of half-hardy birds lingered throughout December, thanks to the generally mild late-autumn conditions and the absence of snow in most Sections of Maryland. Underscored dates in the text are new extremes for the State or Section. Underscored dates in the tables are for banded birds examined in the hand. Table 1 gives a summary of the first arrival dates, by counties, for those species that arrived in Maryland during October, November, and December; and Table 2 summarizes the latest departure records reported. A "W" indicates that presence of wintering individuals prevented detec- tion of the latest departure. The great majority of the dates in these March 1973 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 21 two tables were received from the following observers: Garre tt County — Mrs. William Pope, Kendrick Hodgdon; Alleg any — James Paulus, Dorothea Malec, Kendrick Hodgdon; Washi ngton — Daniel Boone, Mrs. Lloyd Mallonee ; Frede rick — Dr. John W. Richards, Charles Mullican; Balti more City and County — C. Douglas Hackman, Mr. and Mrs. Walter Boh an an , Mrs. Robert E. Kaestner, Bruce Beehler, Marion Glass, Janet Ganter, Mrs. Richard D. Cole, Mrs. Joshua Rowe; Howa rd — Mrs. Robert Solem, Mrs. Harry Rauth, Mrs. G. Colin Munro, Morris R. Collins; Montg omery — Paul Woodward, Dr. Robert Pyle, Joan Lusby, Nancy MacClintock, Dr. Fred Evenden, Mr. and Mrs. M. B. Donnald, Robert W. Warfield; Prince Georges — Kathleen Klim- kiewicz, David Holmes, Chandler S. Robbins, Danny Bystrak; Anne Arundel — Prof. Harold and Hal Wierenga, Paul G. DuMont, Danny Bystrak, Mark Hoffman Prof, and Mrs. David Howard; Calve rt — John H. Fales, May Gardner; Kent — Mr. and Mrs. Edward Mendinhall, Mrs. James Plymire; Carol ine — Mr. and Mrs. A. J. Fletcher, Mrs. Wilber Engle, Marvin Hewitt; Talbo t — Jan Reese, Richard L. Kleen, Harry Armistead, Jeff Ef finger; Dorch ester — Harry Armi- stead, Edward Schell, Paul G. DuMont; Some rset — Mrs. Richard D. Cole, Charles Vaughn, Paul Bystrak; Worce ster — Charles Vaughn, Mr. and Mrs. T. H. C. Slaughter, Denny Quirk, Richard L. Kleen. Loons , Grebes , Cormorants . Three Common Loons, 13 Horned Grebes and 3 Pied-billed Grebes were still present on Deep Creek Lake on Dec. IT (Christmas Count). A Red-throated Loon appeared on the post pond at Fort Detrick on Nov. 16-19, the first Frederick County record for this species; the photograph taken by Albert T. McManus appeared on the cover of the December 1972 issue of Maryland Birdlife (28: 121). The first 5 Great Cormorants of the season were sighted at St. Georges Island on the early date of Oct. 7 (Dr. Harvey Mudd). Another was seen at Ocean City Inlet from Nov. 19 to early December (Paul DuMont and Richard Rowlett). Herons and Ibis . Late dates for various Sections of Maryland were as follows: Green Heron in Allegany County on Sept. 21 (James Paulus), at Sandy Point State Park in Anne Arundel County on Oct. 26 (Hal Wierenga) at Deal Island in Somerset County on Dec. 2 (Charles Vaughn), and on the Kent County Christmas Count on Dec. 17; Little Blue Heron at Deal Island on Dec. 2 (Vaughn); Cattle Egret at Sandy Point on Sept. 29 (Hal Wierenga) and Denton on Oct. 10 (Marvin Hewitt); Common Egret at Bowie on Dec. 28 (Glen Smart); Snowy Egret (2) at Bucktown on Dec. 26 (George Robbins), and on Assateague Island on Dec, 29 (Christmas Count); Louisiana Heron on the Crisfield (9 birds) and Ocean City (l) Christmas Counts; and Glossy Ibis in Kent County on Nov. 10 (Edward Mendinhall, compiler), and at Deal Island on Dec. 2 (Vaughn). Swans and Geese . Most of the Whistling Swan arrivals were during the period Nov. 11-13- A flock of 50 at Neavitt on Oct. 20 was early for this many birds (Richard L. Kleen); and an even earlier flock was sighted at Piscataway National Park in Prince Georges County on Sept. 30 (Kathleen Klimkiewicz ) . Canada Geese again wintered in spectacular num- bers. A major movement occurred on the early date of Oct. 12, when Ethel Engle estimated 15,000 at Tanyard in Caroline County. After a second consecutive nesting failure, Brant were very scarce this fall; nevertheless, a few strayed to the western shore of the Chesapeake and I\) ro Table 1. Fall Arrival Dates for Late Arriving Species, 1972 Species Garr Alle Wash Fred Balt Howd Mont Pr . G Anne Calv Kent Caro Talb Pore Somr Wore Whistling Svan 11/21 0 0 0 — 11/15 11/13 9/30 10/21 11/ 4 10/20 11/11 10/20 11/12 11/18 Pintail — — 0 — 12/ 2 0 0 — 0 10/ 1 11/11 9/24 — 10/ 1 — Green-winged Teal — 10/31 0 8/20 0 9/17 — 10/ 7 0 10/ 4 11/ 7 0 9/ 1 American Widgeon 11/ 9 — 0 0 — 10/ 1 10/ 7 0 10/ 1 0 10/ 1 9/ l Ring-necked Duck 11/ 9 10/17 0 0 10/30 11/17 — 11/18 0 0 0 0 11/12 0 — Canvasback 11/17 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11/ 4 10/11 — 0 9/24 11/12 12/ 2 11/19 Bufflehead 11/16 11/12 0 10/17 10/20 11/17 — 10/ 8 10/20 0 11/10 10/30 11/11 11/12 11/19 — Oldsquaw — 0 0 0 10/20 0 0 10/16 0 11/ 6 12/22 11/11 11/12 12/ 2 — White-winged Scoter 0 0 0 0 0 11/20 0 10/19 11/15 11/ 8 11/17 ' 0 10/ 1 11/19 Ruddy Duck 11/17 10/17 0 0 10/20 0 12/ 2 10/19 10/16 0 10/22 0 12/17 — 12/ 2 — Goshawk 0 0 11/12 0 0 0 12/17 0 11/21 0 0 0 10/29 0 0 0 Rough-legged Hawk 11/29 0 0 10/29 0 0 12/17 0 11/18 0 0 12/16 0 11/12 10/21 12/29 American Coot 11/ 7 9/21 0 10/17 11/11 0 10/ 9 — 8/ 7 — 0 0 — 11/12 0 — Saw-whet Owl 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 10/22 0 0 10/27 0 11/ 2 0 11/18 0 Winter Wren — 9/30 10/ 8 — 9/25 10/29 10/ U 10/ 1 10/13 10/ 8 — — 10/19 — 10/ 2 — Hermit Thrush — — — 10/22 10/ 8 10/17 10/ 8 10/8 10/17 — 10/ 2 — 10/22 — Eastern Bluebird 10/ 1 — 10/14 10/26 10/20 — 10/ 5 11/ 1 — 10/ 8 — Orange-cr . Warbler 0 0 0 0 10/10 0 0 0 10/ 4 0 9/29 0 0 0 0 0 Rusty Blackbird 10/20 10/21 0 0 10/ 9 10/19 10/ 9 10/19 — 0 10/13 10/ 1 Evening Grosbeak 10/ 9 10/27 10/10 11/13 11/19 10/23 10/22 10/27 10/31 10/25 10/18 10/15 11/11 11/12 10/22 — House Finch 0 0 10/22 0 - 11/ 1 10/24 11/ 5 10/22 0 11/12 11/ 1 11/11 12/26 10/22 — Pine Siskin — 10/27 10/29 11/ It — 10/29 10/18 11/ 4 0 10/22 10/15 11/12 0 — Red Crossbill — 0 10/29 0 12/18 0 11/26 0 11/18 0 0 0 11/11 11/12 12/27 12/29 Tree Sparrow — 11/13 — 11/28 11/12 11/18 11/16 1/ 8 11/29 0 0 — 12/ 2 — White-cr. Sparrow 10/18 10/15 10/12 — 10/14 10/13 10/18 10/13 10/17 0 10/11 10/16 0 10/14 10/15 Fox Sparrow — 10/27 0 0 10/26 10/17 10/20 10/23 — 0 — 11/18 — as o MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Table 2. Latest Fall Departure Dates, 1972 Median Species 10-yr 1972 Garr Alle Wash Fred Balt Howd Mont Pr.G Anne Calv Kent Caro Talb Pore Somr Wore Green Heron 10/ 2 9/2h 9/21 9/22 8/21 9/ 5 10/ 9 10/26 9/17 12/17 9/21 12/ 2 9/25 Little Blue Heron — 10/ 1 0 0 0 8/25 9/ 6 0 — 0 10/ T 0 0 10/10 0 — 12/ 2 9/25 Cattle Egret — 9/29 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9/29 0 0 10/10 9/ 7 — 10/ e 9/25 Common Egret — 12/ 2 0 — 0 9/22 0 0 9/29 12/28 — 9/30 0 0 — 12/26 12/ 2 12/29 Snowy Egret — 10/ 7 0 0 0 8/20 0 0 0 0 10/ 7 0 0 10/ 2 10/ 1 12/26 10/12 12/29 Glossy Ibis — — 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11/10 0 0 12/ 2 9/25 Blue-winged Teal — 10/ 2 9/ 3 0 0 10/ 2 0 0 0 12/27 10/ 8 0 12/17 0 9/21+ 9/ 3 Broad-winged Hawk 9/30 9/23 — 9/23 9/17 — 9/21 — 10/ 1 9/23 0 0 9/ 9 0 10/ 1 0 10/ 1 0 Osprey 10/ 5 10/ 1 0 10/ 1 9/17 10/25 — 0 10/29 10/ 7 10/16 — 9/23 9/26 10/ 1 11/23 9/25 Semipalmated Plover — — 0 9/16 0 10/ 7 0 0 0 0 9i 28 0 0 0 0 0 0 9/25 American Woodcock — 10/26 10/26 10/ 6 — 10/22 — — 12/17 — 12/17 w w w Spotted Sandpiper — 9 /2b — 9/20 9/ 2 8/25 — 0 — 0 9/29 0 0 10/30 10/ 1 Solitary Sandpiper — — — 9/21 0 10/ 7 9/ 6 0 — 0 — 0 0 — 0 0 — — Greater Yellowlegs 10/26 11/10 10/11+ 0 0 11/ 9 0 0 11/ 5 0 11/ 8 0 0 11/25 11/12 11/18 11/20 w Lesser Yellowlegs — 10/16 0 8/ 2 0 11/ 9 8/21 0 — 0 10/21 0 0 — 0 11/18 10/11 — Pectoral Sandpiper — 10/ 2 0 10/15 0 11/ 2 9/ 6 9/30 10/ i+ 0 11/ 9 0 0 0 — 9/23 9/25 Least Sandpiper — 9/25 0 9/16 0 10/ 2 — 0 91 3 0 10/30 0 0 0 0 — — 9/25 Dunlin — 11/ 9 0 10/15 0 11/ 9 0 0 0 0 10/21+ 0 0 0 0 12/10 12/ 9 w Semipalmated Sandpiper — — 0 9/16 0 10/17 — 0 0 0 10/21+ 0 0 0 — 11/18 — — Laughing Gull — 10/15 0 0 0 0 12/ 2 0 0 10/ 5 12/ 3 10/11 10/19 0 10/ 1 11/12 10/9 Bonaparte’s Gull — — 11/ 9 0 0 0 12/ 2 0 0 0 11/18 0 0 0 12/17 0 w w Common Tern — — 11/ 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9/29 0 12/17 0 9/25 Royal Tern — — 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11/H+ 0 0 0 10/ 8 0 9/25 Caspian Tern — — 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11/18 10/ 9 0 0 — — 0 10/29 Yellow-billed Cuckoo 9/30 10/ 2 — 10/ 1 9/17 11/ 9 10/26 9/15 10/27 9/21+ — 10/ 2 10/ 2 0 10/ 8 9/25 Black-billed Cuckoo — — — 0 9/ 2 0 — — 9/17 0 0 9/25 9/29 0 0 0 0 Whip-poor-will — — — 9/23 9/10 9/23 — 0 Common Nighthavk 9/l*» 9/16 8/20 9/ 5 9/ 1 — 9/15 9/18 9/16 9/30 10/12 0 0 9/ 3 9/ 2 0 10/11 9/25 Chimney Swift 10/ 8 10/ 8 — 10/ 3 10/ 6 10/ 8 9/26 10/ 3 10/17 10/12 10/18 10/ 8 — 10/ 9 9/25 Ruby-thr. Hummingbird 9/ 18 P/25 8/22 9/ 30 91 26 — — 9/26 10/ 1+ 91 16 10/ 2 9/16 91 ** P/23 ?/2l+ 10/ 9 Yellow-shafted Flicker ll/ll 12/17 11/23 — 10/28 10/27 — 12/ 6 11/ 6 w w w w w w Red-headed Woodpecker — 10/29 9/ 5 9/22 — 0 — 0 IO/29 0 11/19 0 11/ 3 — 11/12 0 0 9/21+ Yellow-bellied Sapsucker — 11/12 — 12/17 11/12 w 10/26 w w 11/23 W 10/29 w 12/11 W 0 10/26 w Eastern Kingbird 9/ 8 9/18 — 9/ 6 9/ 9 9/12 — 9/28 9/17 9/18 — 10/ 1 — — 9/25 Gt. Crested Flycatcher 9/1** 9/ 9 — 9/11 11/18 — 10/dr 9/ 2 9/ 5 9/17 — — 9/20 9/ b 9/ 9 Eastern Phoebe 10/21 10/29 10/11+ 11/27 10/29 — 10/21+ 11 / 5 10/29 10/22 10/26 — 12/19 — — 11/19 w ro March 1973 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Table 2. Latest Fall Departure Dates, 1972 (cont.) Species Acadian Flycatcher Yellow-bellied Flycatchr Traill’s Flycatcher Least Flycatcher Eastern Wood Pewee Median Garr Alle Wash Fred Balt Hovd Mont Pr.G Anne Calv Kent Caro Talb Pore Somr Wore BIRDLIFE Vol. 29, No Species Myrtle Warbler Black-thr. Green Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler Bay-breasted Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Pine Warbler Prairie Warbler Palm Warbler Ovenbird Northern Watferthrush Louisiana Waterthrush Kentucky Warbler Connecticut Warbler Yellowthroat Yellov-breasted Chat Hooded Warbler Wilson’s Warbler Canada Warbler American Redstart Bobolink Orchard Oriole Baltimore Oriole Scarlet Tanager Summer Tanager Rose-breasted Grosbeak Blue Grosbeak Indigo Bunting Rufous-sided Towhee Savannah Sparrow Vesper Sparrow Chipping Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Fox Sparrow Lincoln's Sparrow Swamp Sparrow Median Caro Talb Pore Somr Wore w 9/27 W 10/ 8 W 0 10/29 ToTt W 10/15 9/28 10/ 1 0 10/ 8 0 0 0 0 0 — 9/13 10/ 1 0 0 — ro vn March 1973 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 26 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol . 29. No. 1 even up the Potomac River. Hal Wierenga saw Brant at Sandy Point State Park on five dates from Oct. 26 to Nov. 11, and Miss Klimkiewicz watched a flock flying up the Potomac River from Charles into Prince Georges County on Nov. 5 — the ‘first record for both counties. The Brant tally on the Ocean City Christmas Count was 1,057, the fourth lowest in 25 years. A flock of 21 Snow Geese was spotted over Piscataway Park on Oct. 8 (Miss Klimkiewicz), and estimates of 350 Snows and 550 Blue Geese were made at Blackwater National. Wildlife Refuge on Nov. 12 by Harry Armistead. An adult White-fronted Goose was discovered at Blackwater Refuge on Dec. 2 (Rowlett), and 2 were seen near Mill Creek Sanctuary in Talbot County on Dec. 5 (Paul G. DuMont). Ducks . Late ducks of interest included Redhead, Canvasback, Lesser Scaup, Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead, Ruddy Duck and all three mergansers on Deep Creek Lake, Dec. 17 (Garrett County Christmas Count); Blue-winged Teal on the Kent County Christmas Count, Dec. 17, and at Bowie on Dec. 27 (Smart); and Wood Duck in Baltimore on Dec. 30 (Mr. and Mrs. Walter Bohanan). Rarities, locally or otherwise, were a drake European Widgeon on the Westinghouse Pond at Sandy Point, Oct. 22-24, for the fourth con- secutive year at about that time (Hal Wierenga), 2 Oldsquaws at Denton on Dec. 22 (second county record — Marvin Hewitt), a "queen" (female King) Eider by the new jetties at Sandy Point, Nov. 18-28 (Prof. Harold and Hal Wierenga, Paul DuMont , and Richard Rowlett), and an immature male Common Eider and 2 Harlequin Ducks at the Ocean City Jetties in December (Christmas Count and numerous other observers). Goshawk . This species migrated south in record numbers into the eas- tern and central United States this fall. Being at the fringe of the in- vasion, Marylanders sighted only a very few individuals — yet these totaled more than the reports of the previous ten years. The first was an adult at Wittman on Oct. 29 (Jeff Effinger). The first immature bird was iden- tified at Washington Monument State Park on Nov. 12 (Frances Cutchall, Margaret Long, and Washington County Chapter). An adult was seen at Sandy Point, Nov. 21 and 22 (Hal Wierenga). Other single birds were found on the Garrett County Christmas' Count , Dec. 17 (Dr. and Mrs. William Pope), Seneca Christmas Count, Dec. 17, Honga River on the Southern Dorchester County Count, Dec. 26 (Clay and Tommy Andres), and Sandy Point, Dec. 27 (Hal Wierenga). Other Hawks . Bald Eagles were reported only from Sandy Point and the Eastern Shore. An adult Golden Eagle with a broken wing was found at Conowingo Dam on Oct. 10 and taken on Oct. 12 to Dr. Prescott Ward for treatment. Another Golden Eagle was found at Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge on Nov. 9 (Philip DuMont), but the bird customarily seen at Blackwater Refuge was seldom sighted. A late Osprey was seen along the Pocomoke River in Somerset County on Nov. 23 ( fide Vaughn), over a month after the others had departed in search of warmer waters. The rarity of the period was a Gyrfalcon, a new species for Maryland's Hypothetical List. It was discovered on Nov. 30 at Blackwater Refuge (Refuge Manager William Julian) and was subsequently sighted on Dec. 3 (Robert Hahn), Dec. 4 (identification confirmed by Carl W. Carlson), Dec, 5 (Paul G. DuMont), Dec. 6 (Rowlett), and Dec. 8 (Philip DuMont). March 1973 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 27 Unfortunately, no one was able to obtain photographs, so the Gyrfalcon cannot be admitted to the official State List. Dr. Prescott Ward, whio has been monitoring the Peregrine Falcon migration for the past three years at Assateague National Seashore ( J . Witdl. Mgmt. 36 (2): U84-U92), banded only 8 birds this fall as compared with 35 in 1971 and 23 in 1970. The decline was attributed to unusually severe weather in the east Arctic, which prevented most of the adults from rearing young. Only 3 of this year's 8 banded birds were young ones, as compared with 89^ young in 1971 and 80% young in 1970. Rails . During the Ocean City Christmas Count on Dec. 29, John H. Buckalew and Wayne Reichardt flushed a Yellow Rail from the Spartina patens marsh on Assateague Island just north of the causeway — the first winter record for the State. Qystercatchers , Plovers , Sandpipers , and Ph alar opes . An American Oystercatcher at Ocean City on Nov . 19 (Paul DuMont) broke the State departure record. The only October Golden Plover was seen at Sandy Point on the 12th by Hal Wierenga, who also saw a Purple Sandpiper there on Nov. 21. The Purple Sandpiper is rarely found anywhere in Maryland other than the Ocean City Inlet area. Four were found on Assateague Is- larfd on the record-early date of Oct . 21 (Warfield) . Late departure dates for the Greater Yellowlegs in various Sections of the State were Nov. 9 at Lilypons (Paul W. Woodward), Nov. 8 at Sandy Point (Hal Wierenga), and Nov. 25 at Tanyard on the Choptank (Ethel Engle). Also late at Lilypons were Lesser Yellowlegs and Dunlin on Nov. 9 and Pectoral Sandpiper on Nov. 2 (all by Woodward). The ^50 Knots reported in the December 1971 issue of Mainland Birdlife (27: 191) by Charles Vaughn were seen on the Virginia portion of Assateague Island, not in Maryland. Two storm-blown Red Phalaropes met disaster at inland locations. One flew into a gas station at Fruitland in Wicomico County and was taken to the Salisbury Zoo (specimen now in the MOS collection) i Hal Wierenga saw the other fly into a power line at Sandy Point on Oct. 19 during a strong northeast storm with heavy rain. Jaegers and Gulls . A Pomarine Jaeger seen off the south jetty at Ocean City Inlet on Oct. 28 constituted a new late departure record for Maryland (Armi stead) until Paul DuMont and Richard Rowlett saw one from a boat off Ocean City on Nov . 19 . A single Parasitic Jaeger was seen off Assateague Island on Oct. 28 (Armistead), and 2 sighted from the Nov . 19 boat trip broke the State record. Southeasterly winds twice brought good numbers of Bonaparte's Gulls to the upper Chesapeake. Mr. and Mrs. Harry Armistead counted 65 at Bellevue on Nov. 11, and Hal Wierenga noted over 250 over the Bay in the vicinity of Sandy Point on Nov. 26. An adult Black-legged Kittiwake was discovered at Ocean City Inlet on the record-early date of Nov . 19 (Richard Kleen and Denny Quirk), while 75 kittiwakes and an immature Black-headed Gull were seen from the offshore boat trip the same day (Paul DuMont and Rowlett). Terns . A Royal Tern at the Bohemia River on Oct. 20 is a new spe- cies for Cecil County (Kleen and Effinger). Other non-coastal observa- tions were from Sandy Point on Nov. l4 (Hal Wierenga), and Talbot County 28 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol. 29, No. 1 on Oct. 1 (Armlstead) and Oct. 8 (Jan Reese). A late Common Tern for western Maryland was seen in Garrett Cotmty on Nov. 9 by Fran Pope. Parrots , Cuckoos , Nighthawks . Monk Parrakeets were reported in Laurel from late July to mid-November (Mr. and Mrs. Michael Sorensen and Paul Bystrak), and in Essex on Dec. 19 (fide Alice Kaestner). There were three late observations of Yellow-billed Cuckoos: Nov. 9 near Lilypons and Oct. 27 at Hughes Hollow (both by Woodward), and Oct. 2 6 in Baltimore (Alice Kaestner). Most nighthawks leave Maryland by the end of September, but 2 were spotted at near record-breaking dates: 1 at Irish Grove Sanc- tuary on Oct. 11 (Mrs. Richard Cole), the other in Anne Arundel County on Oct. 12 (Hal Wierenga). H nmmi ngbirds , Owls , Woodpeckers . Three very late Ruby-throated Hu mm ingbirds were sighted: 1 in Anne Arundel County on Oct. 2 (Hal Wierenga), 1 in Silver Spring on Oct. 4 (Nancy MacClintock) , and 1 at Irish Grove Sanctuary on Oct. 9 (Mrs Richard Cole). Very few of the northern owls were found in Maryland during these three months. Single Saw-whets were banded at Damsite (Dorothy Mendinhall), Piscataway (Kathleen Klimkiewicz) and Irish Grove Sanctuary, and a road kill was picked up near Easton (Jane Offutt). Only one Saw-whet was found on a Christmas Count (Jay Sheppard on the Bowie count). This was a good season for Red-headed Woodpeckers. The best count was of 20 at Milepost 25 (above Seneca) on the C & 0 Canal on Oct. 29 (Warfield). Extraordinarily late for Garrett County was a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker on the Dec. 17 Christ- mas Count. Flycatchers . There were six reports of Western Kingbirds, all from mid-October to mid-November: 2 near Sandy Point on Oct. 13 (Paul DuMont), 2 along Route 113 about 1 1/2 miles north of Shad Landing State Park on Oct. 22 (Robert Werrlein, Herb Ainyx, and Marv Rogul), 1 at Quindoqua Church below Marion on Oct. 29 (Vaughn), 1 at Conners Corner almost within sight of , Irish Grove Sanctuary on Nov. 11 (Vaughn and V. Edwin Unger), 1 at Eastern Neck Refuge on Nov. 12 (Philip A. DuMont), and 1 on Kent Island, Nov. l8 (Paul DuMont). An extraordinarily late Great Crested Flycatcher was found dead in western Washington County along the C & 0 Canal 4 miles southwest of Hancock on Nov. l8 by Arthur Alexander; the skin was preserved by Eleanor Robbins. Other late members of the tyrant flycatcher family were a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher banded at Dam- site on Oct. l6, a Traill's banded there on Oct. 4 and an Eastern Wood Pe- wee seen there on Oct. 26 (Mr. and Mrs. Edward Mendinhall), and an Acadian Flycatcher at Greensboro on Oct. 4 (Hewitt). Eastern Phoebes attempted to winter as far up the Potomac as Seneca (Christmas Count) and the West Virginia shore opposite North Branch, just below Cumberland ( Christmas Count ) . Jays , Wrens . Although almost all Blue Jays emigrated out of north- ern and central New England, the flight through Maryland was no better than normal. The highest counts received were 1,025 at Bellevue on Oct. 1 (Armlstead' s best local count) and 592 from Banners Overlook on Green Ridge Mountain between 9:45 and 10:40 a.m. on Oct. 2 (James Paulus). Carolina Wrens continue to benefit from Maryland's mild winters of recent March 19 T 3 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 29 years. Numbers are increasing at low elevations, and 2 individuals were seen on the Dec. IT Garrett County Christmas Count, 1 as high as the village of Accident (elevation 2^00 ft., C. Robbins). Winter Wrens were found in greater numbers than usual, both during migration and on into the winter. Hal Wierenga counted l6 at Sandy Point on Oct. 10, and Richard Kleen squeaked up 8 along his 1,000 ft. lane near Bozman on Oct. 19. Thrushes , Kinglets . There was a fine migration of Swainson's Thrushes, and scattered individuals remained as late as Oct. 23-27 in five counties. At the time Birds of Maryland and D. C. (1958) was writ- ten, there were only two State records as late as this. There were con- flicting reports on the abundance of Ruby-crowned Kinglets. Janet Ganter's banding total in Baltimore dropped from 51 in 1971 to 7 in 1972 with equal netting effort; yet Marion Glass, who began banding in Baltimore this season, captured 67 individuals, 26 of them on Oct. 1 (a day Mrs. Ganter was not netting). At Piscataway Park, Kathleen Klimkiewicz banded only half as many Ruby-crowns per net-hour as in the autumn of 1971 » while at Irish Grove Sanctuary Mrs. Cole banded Ul in each of the two years. At Tilghman, a famous concentration point for migrants, Kleen and Ef finger estimated more than 100 Ruby-crowned Kinglets on Oct. 1, the same day that Mrs. Glass captured her peak number. Vireos . There were a few late departure dates for vireos as follows: a White-eyed was seen in the Piedmont on Oct. 13 (Howard County by Jo Solem) ; and a Yellow-throated in the Piedmont on Oct. 2 (Howard County by Dorothy Rauth). The last Solitary Vireos were detected in the Ridge and Valley Section on Oct. 21 (Allegany County by James Paulus), in the Piedmont on Oct. 31 (banded at Chevy Chase by Robert Pyle), on the West- ern Shore Coastal Plain on Oct. 2b (Sandy Point on Oct. 2b by Hal Wierenga), and on the Upper Eastern Shore on Oct. l4 (banded at Damsite). Late Red-eyed Vireos were captured on the Western Shore Coastal Plain on Oct. 20 (repeat of a banded bird at Piscataway Park by Kathleen Klim- kiewicz) and seen on the Upper Eastern Shore on Oct. 26 (at Damsite). Warblers . The latter part of the warbler migration was quite rou- tine except for the large number of Sectional departure records broken. Yellow-breasted Chats lingered into October in only three counties in 1972 as compared with seven counties in 1971* The Myrtle was the domi- nant warbler in October, especially on the Lower Eastern Shore. At Irish Grove Sanctuary, 95 percent of the 1,073 warblers banded in October by Mrs. Cole and assistants were Myrtles. At Piscataway National Park, on the other hand, only 70 percent of the 7^ warblers banded by Kathleen Klimkiewicz were Myrtles, and there were no Myrtles among the 21 warblers of 8 species banded during October at the Baltimore station of Marion Glass. Noteworthy departure dates were: a Black-and-white Warbler at Milburn Landing on Nov. 19 (Kleen and Quirk); a Nashville banded at Piscataway Park on Oct . 29 (latest ever for the Western Shore — Miss Klimkiewicz); a Magnolia seen in Howard County on " Oct . 2b_ (Piedmont record — Jo Solem) and 1 banded at Damsite on Oct . 25 (Upper Eastern Shore record — Mendinhalls ) ; Cape May seen at Federalsburg on Nov. 1 (V. Edwin Unger); Black-throated Green in Garrett County on Oct . 28 (Allegheny 30 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol. 29, No. 1 Mountain record — Fran Pope); Bay-breasted banded at Damsite on Oct . l4 (Upper Eastern Shore record); Prairie banded at Irish Grove Sanctuary on Nov. l8, one day short of the State record (C. Robbins); Northern Water- thrush banded at Piscataway Park on Oct . 29 (Western Shore record — Miss Klimkiewicz ) ; Louisiana Waterthrush watched from a distance of 30 feet at Greensboro on Dec . 16 (2 1/2 months past the latest Eastern Shore re- cord (Marvin Hewitt); Wilson's Warbler at Emmitsburg on Oct . 12 (Ridge and Valley record — John W. Richards); and American Redstart at Severna Park on Oct. 23 (Mark Hoffman) and at Sandy Point State Park on Nov . 25 (second-latest State record — Danny and Paul Bystrak). Finches . Evening Grosbeaks appeared first in the mountains , but quickly spread into the other parts of the State. Small numbers visited favored feeding stations earlier than usual, but few large flocks re- mained through the period. It was an excellent winter for Purple Finches; and House Finches continued to be locally common in the eastern and cen- tral counties and also in Hagerstown. Pine Siskins occurred almost every- where, but, like the Evening Grosbeaks, flocks were not as large as in recent winters. The only Pine Grosbeaks were 1* at Gude’s Nursery at Rock- ville on Nov. 26 (Paul DuMont), 1 at Halfway, just south of Hagerstown, on Dec. l4 (Frances Cutchall), and 2 on the Garrett County Christmas Count, Dec. 17 (Fran Pope). Red Crossbills infiltrated the State in mid- November and were seen by almost all active field observers; although they thinned out a bit in December, at least small numbers were seen on the majority of the Maryland Christmas Counts. The highest tally was 50 on the Southern Dorchester County count on Dec. 26. Sparrows . Chipping Sparrows stayed late in all parts of Maryland, as shown by the following depart ure dates: Nov. 2 in Allegany County (Paulus), Nov. 28 in Howard County (Jo Solem), 2 on Nov. 25 at Sandy Point State Park (Hal Wierenga) , 5 on Nov. 19 at Denton (Roberta Fletcher), 1 on Nov. 17 at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (Danny Bystrak), and Christmas Count observations at Triadelphia and Seneca as well as several Eastern Shore areas. Another late departure of special note was a Sharp- tailed Sparrow at Sandy Point State Park on Oct. 25 (Hal Wierenga). A well-marked Oregon Junco and a Swamp Sparrow on the Garrett County Christ- mas Count, Dec. 17, by Richard Rowlett were the first and second winter observations, respectively, of these two species on the Allegheny Plateau. Snow Buntings and Longspurs . The fall arrival date for the Snow Bunting was broken by nine days when Dr. Prescott Ward obtained one on Assateague Island on Oct . l8 ; he saw 2 others there on Oct. 22. Their chronology at Sandy Point , from the combined records of Harold and Hal Wierenga, was as follows: 5 on Nov. 15, 21 on Nov. 19, 30 on Nov. 23, peak of 1+5 on Nov. 24, and 3 on Dec. 8. With them on Nov. 18-23 were 2 Lapland Longspurs (Paul DuMont and Harold Wierenga), the only ones seen in Maryland during this period. U. S. Bureau of Sport Fisheries and. Wildlife , Laurel March 1973 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 31 NESTING SUCCESS OF CHESAPEAKE BAY OSPREYS IN 1972 Jan G. Reese Chesapeake Bay Osprey nesting studies I began in 1963 received financial assistance from MOS and its members in 1972. There are 3 areas of study; the primary area of interest is a delimited segment of tidewater Talbot County where all active nests are intensively studied throughout the reproductive season. Areas of comparable size are sur- veyed twice annually in both Queen Annes and Dorchester Counties as control checks against the Talbot area. For a description of areas, methods used for study and data obtained see: Reese, J.G. 1968. Breeding Osprey survey of Queen Annes County, Maryland. Maryland Bird- life 2k: 91-93; Reese, J.G. 1970. Reproduction in a Chesapeake Bay Osprey population. Auk 87: 7^7-759; and Reese, J.G. 1972. Osprey nest- ing success along the Choptank River, Maryland. Chesapeake Science 13: 233-235* Also, comprehensive annual reports for individual areas of study are available from the author. The purpose of this note is to present a brief summary of productivity for the three areas in 1972. In the Talbot County study area, I located 131 active nests, 101 of which were accessible for study (contents could be seen). I found 112 large young in 58 accessible nests containing young, for an average of 1.9 fledglings per productive nest (nests in which at least one young was successfully reared). This value was up from 1.7 in 1971* When the unproductive nests are included the average number of fledg- lings per active accessible nest in 1972 is 1.10 , the highest average observed since 1965. It is amazing that productivity was this high in the accessible nests, considering that hurricane Agnes damaged 12 nests, destroyed 3 others, caused the loss of 5 eggs and death of 26 nestlings. In the Queen Annes County study, I located 26 active nests in the same area surveyed annually since 1966. Of this total, 20 were access- ible for study. I found 17 large young in 8 accessible nests contain- ing young, for an average of 2.1 fledglings per productive nest, the same as in 197JL. The average number of fledglings per accessible active nest in 1972 was 0.^0 . Productivity in Queen Annes County has dropped substantially each year since 1969* To maintain stability the popu- lation should be producing at least one young per active nest. The future of Ospreys nesting in Queen Annes County is presently in serious jeopardy . In the Choptank River area, which I have surveyed since 1968, I located 27 active nests of which 2k were accessible for study. I found 23 large young in 13 accessible nests containing young, for an average of 1.8 fledglings per productive nest. This value was up from 1.6 in 1971. The average number of fledglings per accessible active nest was 0.96 in 1972, up from 0.73 in 1971. St . Michaels 32 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol . 29, No. I AUDUBON CAMP IN WISCONSIN Barbara Bothgaber Canoeing, spruce bogs, restored prairie, and a host of nev birds were the highlights of my stay at Hunt Hill Sanctuary in Wisconsin. The July session is late for most nesters and early for migrants, therefore not as popular with birders, but we managed to see many Common Loons, Yellow-headed Blackbirds, Red Crossbills, Sand- hill Cranes, and even a Prairie Falcon in the course of the two weeks. Avid botanists, zoolo- gists, and geologists in the group had no such complaints, however, and on most field trips there were as many people looking down as there were looking up. Several fortunate rock hounds found beautiful agates and later polished them in the camp workshop; a lucky herpetologist found a Prairie Skink, a Blandings Turtle, and a Mink Frog; happy botanists enjoyed Blue-jointed Prairie Grass and deli- cate Coral-root orchids. The Audubon Camps are not oriented primarily to birders, unless it is to broaden their horizon. Emphasis was placed on becoming acquainted with local birds, plants, aquatic animals, and glacial geology, but ecological relationships were constantly stressed and conserva- tion was the key theme. For those of us who are teachers there were many tips on ways to utilize the outdoors as a class- room and to inspire in children a sense of environmental ethics. Teachers or retired engineers, only a few of the campers were experienced in any field of natu- ral history. But all were enthusiastic students, whether learning to maneuver a canoe around a rock while trying to watch a porcupine, or learning that bog plants are adapted for reserving water — while trying not to sink through the wet sphagnum. My sincere thanks to the Baltimore Chapter of MOS for the scholar- ship that made possible a delightful and enlightening stay in the north woods . 1521 Bolton St., Baltimore March 1973 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 33 FEBRUARY NESTING OF MOURNING DOVES NEAR LAUREL, MARYLAND Brooke Meanley The Mourning Dove (Z enaidura macroura ) is one of our earliest nest- ing "birds. Stewart and Robbins (Birds of Maryland and the District of Columbia, 1958, p. 172) report the earliest Maryland egg date as March 10, 1953 (J. A. Madden), and the earliest nestling date as March 29, 1950 (W. B. Tyrrell). More recently, a clutch of two eggs was found as early as February 17, 1965, at College Park, Maryland, by Vernon M. Kleen (Van Velzen , Maryland Birdlife 22: 71-76) and a nest with one egg and one young on February 26, 1968, at College Park by Paul G. Bystrak (D.Bystrak, Maryland Birdlife 25: 1*3-50). During February 1973, I located three active nests and found addi- tional evidence of nesting at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Prince Georges County near Laurel. Incubating females were observed at nests on February 10 and 20, respectively; and a nest with a female brooding young was found on February 25. The two young successfully fledged from this last nest on March 1, and on March 8 a dove was incu- bating a remarkably early second clutch in this same nest. Further evidence of February nesting was the discovery of two egg shells on the ground, at locations far removed from the above nest loca- tions, and from each other. At a sixth location, a pair of doves was seen copulating on February l 6 . This earlier than usual nesting activity of Mourning Doves near Laurel was apparently a result of the relatively mild February weather. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel LATE FALL DEPARTURE OF SLATE-COLORED JUNCO FROM MARYLAND Danny Bystrak While banding birds at the Chesapeake Bay Center for Environmental Studies near South River, Maryland, from November 23 through December 20, 1969, I noticed an unusually large number of Slate-colored Juncos (Jimco hyemalis) in the woods. They were most common on November 27, when I caught 22 individuals. After this there were fewer birds, although they -were still more common than one would expect in winter in a mature deciduous forest. By December 20 there were almost none left. This pat- tern led me to suspect a rather late movement of juncos through the area. The next spring, I was surprised to receive a card from the Bird Banding Laboratory telling me that one of the three juncos I banded on December 20 had been recovered on February l4 , 1970, in Reidsville, North Carolina. Stewart and Robbins (Birds of Maryland and the District of Columbia, 1958, p. 361 ) list a December 5 record from the Patuxent 3k MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol . 29, No. 1 Wildlife Research Center in Prince Georges County as the latest departure date for the State. For this species, as for so many others that breed or winter in large numbers in the State, it is difficult to ascertain extreme migration dates. Perhaps closer watching of local population fluctuations, particularly in habitats not maximally suited for wintering or breeding, could improve considerably our knowledge of the migration period of such species. U.S. Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife, Laurel YELLOWTHROAT SINGS LIKE PINE WARBLER Henry T. Armistead On April 29, 1972, I stopped where Wildlife Drive makes a T with Key Wallace Drive at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, a place where White-crowned Sparrows sometimes turn up in the low growth. I did not see any, but among the small gum trees I was surprised to hear the clear, lanquid, warble-trill of what sounded like a typical slow song of a Pine Warbler (Dendroica pinus) . I checked the singer, since it is strange for this species to sing at a height of only about a yard. It turned out to be a male Yellowthroat (Geothlypis tviahas) , which I watched as it sang perhaps 5-6 times. The song sounded similar to Pine Warbler number 3 on the record "Warblers" by Borror. I later saw and heard presumably the same individual at the same locality on May 6, 1972. My wife, Liz, and I saw it again on May 13, 1972. We never heard it sing any other song except the Pine Warbler one. Perhaps it will re- turn to the same place this coming spring. It seems to be a resident breeding bird. Mimicry by Yellowthroats has been recorded previously in Chapman (1907) and Bent ( 1963 ). In Chapman the birds imitated were Swamp Spar- rows, a species also noted as being imitated by Chestnut-sided Warblers. In Bent Swamp Sparrows and Short-billed Marsh Wrens were imitated in Ontario in 1933 and 1936 respectively. In these cases the species imi- tated nested near to and in habitat similar to that preferred by Yellow- throats. Pine Warblers nest commonly all along Key Wallace Drive in Lob- lolly Pines just across the road from Yellowthroat habitat. The Pine Warbler song is somewhat like the drawn out, chipped, slow "trill" of a Swamp Sparrow, It is therefore not too far removed from the previously recorded repertoire of the Yellowthroat. References Cited Bent, Arthur Cleveland. 1963 , 1953* Life histories of North American wood warblers , part 2. (N.Y. , Dover) . p. 555-55^- Borror, Donald J., and William W--H . Gunn. "Warblers." {Don Mills, Ontario, Federation of Ontario Naturalists), "Sounds of nature," v. k. 33 1/3 r.p.m. phonodisc. Chapman, Frank M. 1907. The Warblers of North America . (N.Y. , Appleton), p. 256. 39 Benezet Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 19118 March 1973 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 35 COHING EVENTS Apr. 24 PATUXENT Monthly Meeting. Avian Architecture by Jerry Longcore. 2k BALTIMORE trip to Lake Roland. R.E.Lee footbridge, 9 a.m. 26 BALTIMORE trip to Cylburn , 9 a.m. See Apr. 5. 26 BALTIMORE trip to Rock Run area. Towson Plaza self-serv PO, 8 am. 28 ANNE ARUNDEL trip to New Design & Lilypons Rds . , Frederick Co. Meet Riva Rd. entrance to Parole Plaza, 7 a.m. 28 BALTIMORE trip to C & 0 Canal. Great Falls parking lot, 7:30 a.m. 28 HARFORD trip to Rock Run Sanctuary. 29 TALBOT Breakfast Hike at Mill Creek Sanctuary; bring breakfast. 29 HOWARD trip to Patapsco State Park. Meet Swansfield Elementary School, Cedar Lane, Columbia, 7:30 a.m. D. Holmes. 30 BALTIMORE trip to Lock Raven. Towson Plaza self-serv PO, 8 a.m. May 1 BALTIMORE Bird Song Trip, Lake Roland. Lee footbridge, 8 a.m. 3 BALTIMORE trip to Cylburn, 9 a.m. See Apr. 5. 3 BALTIMORE trip to Loch Raven, 8 a.m. See Apr. 1. 3 FREDERICK Monthly Meeting. Warblers by William Corliss. Win- chester Hall, E. Church St., 7:30 p.m. 5 STATE-WIDE BIRD COUNT . Everyone's participation is solicited. Check with local chapter or with coordinator C. Douglas Hackman, 3033 Woodside Ave., Baltimore 21234. 6 BALTIMORE Wildflower talk & walk at Cylburn . Advance registra- tion necessary, 1+35-8229 by Apr. 30. 9 a.m. 6 TALBOT Breakfast Hike. Easton Library, 7 a.m. W. McCord. 8 BALTIMORE trip to Lake Roland. See Apr. 3- Mr. & Mrs. W. Bohanan. 9 ANNE ARUNDEL trip to Fort Meade. Riva Rd. entr. Parole Plaza, 8: 30 10 HOWARD Monthly Meeting. 10 BALTIMORE trip to Cylburn, 9 a.m. See Apr. 5. 10 BALTIMORE trip to Woodstock. Meet Woodstock bridge, 9 a.m. 11-13 MOS STATE CONVENTION , Ocean City. Headquarters Hastings-Miramar . 12 BALTIMORE trip to Loch Raven. Towson Plaza self-serv P0, 8 a.m. 13 BALTIMORE trip to Horsehead Woods. W side McDonogh Rd RR bridge, 8. 13 HOWARD picnic & evening Woodcock walk. Call A.D.Geis, AT6-2400. 15 BALTIMORE trip to Lake Roland, 8 a.m. See Apr. 3- 17 BALTIMORE trip to Cylburn, 9 a.m. See Apr. 5. 18- 20 BALTIMORE trip to Cape May with N.J. Audubon. G.Naumann, 377-9032. 19 HARFORD trip to Elk Neck. Call John Wortman, 939-3146. 19 BALTIMORE trip to Patapsco State Park. Meet headquarters, 7:30 am. 19- 20 BALTIMORE trip to Sapsucker Woods, Ithaca, N.Y. E. Wedge, 664-3581. 20 BALTIMORE trip to Gunpowder, Hereford Area. Towson Plaza, 7:30 am. 20 HOWARD trip to Sugarloaf & Lilypons. Call D. Holmes. 21 WICOMICO Monthly Meeting. Asbury Methodist Church, 8 p.m. Movie. 22 PATUXENT Monthly Meeting. Summer Birds of Poland by C. Robbins. 23 ANNE ARUNDEL trip to Corcoran Woods. Meet at Anglers, Rt.50, 7:30. 24 BALTIMORE trip to Cylburn, 9 a.m. See Apr. 5. 26 ANNE ARUNDEL Annual Picnic. Contact Chapter for details. 26 BALTIMORE trip to Lake Roland. Lee footbridge, 8 a.m. Boh an an s . 26-27 BALTIMORE Carey Run Weekend. Register with Mrs .R. Ganter , 889-4601. 27 WICOMICO trip to Shad Landing State Park. Meet at entrance, 8 am. June 2 BALTIMORE Picnic Supper at All Saints Convent, Catonsville, 4 p.m. 36 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol . 29. No. 1 June 2 ANNE ARUNDEL trip to Hancock's Resolution. Meet Pantry Pride parking lot behind Esso, Ritchie Hwy, Severna Pk,7:30 Annual Picnic at Fluharty's Blueberry Farm near Preston. Annual Picnic at Irish Grove Sanctuary, Marion Station. Annual Picnic at Dargen Bend Rec.Area. Meet Baker Pk , 2. Monthly Meeting. Contact Chapter for time, place, program, trip to Longwood Gardens, Pa. Phone Larry Hood ,730-9251 • Monthly Meeting. Swansfield Elementary School, 7:30 p.m. 10th Anniversary of Carey Run Sanctuary. Covered dish supper at 5p.m. followed by nature walk. N .Livingstone. Overnight Campout for Junior Members. Call J. Willetts. Annual Picnic at Supplee Lane Picnic Area, Rocky Gorge Reservoir off Brooklyn Bridge Rd ,Pr. Georges Co. 6:30pm. 3 CAROLINE 3 WICOMICO 3 FREDERICK 6 KENT 9 HOWARD l4 HOWARD 17 ALLEGANY 22-23 ALLEGANY 26 PATUXENT CONTENTS, MARCH 1973 Maryland Christmas Counts - 1973 Barn Swallow Colony in a Towson Garage The President's Page Nesting of the Loggerhead Shrike in Maryland First Maryland Specimen of Audubon's Shearwater 23rd Annual Nest Card Summary, 1971 AOU Reclassifies Some Maryland Birds The Season — October, November, December, 1972 Nesting Success of Chesapeake Bay Ospreys, 1972 Audubon Camp in Wisconsin February Nesting of Mourning Doves near Laurel Late Fall Departure of Slate-colored Junco Yellowthroat Sings Like Pine Warbler Coming Events David W. Holmes Janet Ganter Lawrence Ze leny Pau l W. Woodward Richard A. Rowlett Danny Bystrak Chandler S. Robbins Jan G. Reese Barbara Rothgaber Brooke Meanley Danny Bystrak Henry T. Armistead 11 12 13 14 19 20 31 32 33 33 34 35 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Published Quarterly by the Maryland Ornithological Society, Inc. to Record and Encourage the Study of Birds of Maryland. Editor t Chandler S. Robbins, Migratory Bird Populations Station, Laurel. Md. 20810 Asst. Editors C. Douglas Hackman, 3033 Woodside Ave. Balto. ,21234 Art Editor* William N, Schneider Production* Romell Decker, Shirley Geddes, Marion Glass, Linda Hackman, Frances Zapf Mailing: >ANTA jffflARIA Catering to Small Conventions & Banquets •SWIMMING POOL •ELEVATOR •DINING ROOM •AIR-CONDITIONED & HEATED OPEN ALL YEAR 101 ROOMS On the Ocean at 15th Street Ocean City. Md. 21842 MOTOR HOTEL Phone ATIantic 9-7192