ISSN 0147-9725 JUNE 1978 VOLUME 39 NUMBER 2 MARYLAND ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY, INC. Cylburn Mansion, 4915 Greenspring Ave., Baltimore, Maryland 21209 « STATE OFFICERS FOR MAY 6, 1978 TO MAY 5, 1979 President: Mr. First V. P. : Mr. Second V.P.: Dr. Treasurer: Mr. Secretary: Exec . Secert ary : James W. Cheevers , 2855 So. Haven Rd, Annapolis 21401 224-2061 Charles Vaughn, 1306 Frederick Ave., Salisbury 21801 742-7221 Benjamin Poscover, 302-A Garden Rd. /’Baltimore 21204 823-2548 V. Gordon MacGregor, 5009 Greenleaf Rd. , Balto 21210 435-3044 Mrs. Helen M. Ford, 408 Beach Drive, Annapolis 21403 267-8417 Mr. Paul Bystrak Mr. Norman Chamberlin Mr . John Cullom Mr. Evan Hannay Mrs. Emily Joyce Mrs. Lee Meinersmann Mr. Floyd Parks EXECUTIVE COUNCIL - 110 Linda Lane, Millersville 21108 1502 W, 10th St., Frederick 21701 437 Paradise Ave. , Baltimore 21228 5504 Greystone St., Chevy Chase 20015 1550 Ellsworth Ave., Crofton 21114 305 Central Ave., Laurel, Delaware 19956 129 Washington Ave., Chestertown 21620 923-6875 662-1812 747-5870 656-5709 721-2239 302-875-5058 778-3040 Allegany : ' STATE TRUSTEES *Mr. Robert J. Hiegel Harford : *Mr . Eldred Johnson Mrs . Robert J. Hiegel Col . Leland Devore Mr. John Willetts Mr. John Wortman Anne Arundel: *Mrs . Emily Joyce Dr. William Battin Mrs. Carol Swartz Baltimore: *Mr. John Cullom Mrs. C. Lockard Conley Mrs. Raymond Geddes, Jr. Dr. Roger Herriott Mrs. Martin G. Larrabee Mrs. Edward A. Metcalf Dr. Benjamin F. Poscover Dr. Alan Ross Mrs. Joshua Rowe Howard: ■ *Mr. John Clegg Miss Martha Che stem Kent: ’ *Mr. Floyd Parks Mrs . Edward Mendinhall Montgomery: *Mr. Evan Hannay Mr. Philip A. DuMont M. Kathleen Klimkiewicz Mrs. Lola Oberman Patuxent:- *Mr. Paul Bystrak Dr. Lawrence Zeleny Caroline: *Mr. Oliver Smith Mr. A. J. Fletcher Dorchester: *Mrs. Morley Jull , Jr. Mr. Milton Webster Frederick: *Mr. Norman Chamberlin Mr. August Selckmahn * Chapter President Talbot: *Mr. G. Curtis Engel Mrs. Marian Delphey Dr. Robert W. Trever Washington: *Mrs. Marlin Thurmond Mr.' Edward Peters Wicomico *Mrs. Lee Meinersmann Mrs . Nancy Strahl Active Membership (adults) Student Membership (full-time students) Junior Membership (under 18 years) Family Membership (Mr. & Mrs. ) Sustaining Membership Life Membership Mem.be r-at-Large $ 5.00 plus local chapter dues 2.00 plus local chapter dues 1.00 plus local chapter dues 6.00 plus local chapter dues 10.00 plus local chapter dues 200.00 (payable in 4 annual installments ) Cover: Common Redpoll at Laurel, Md. , Feb. 23 Photo by Richard A. Rowlett. 5.00 1978. MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Volume 3^ June 1978 Number 2 WATERBIRDS ON A BALTIMORE CITY RESERVOIR Robert F. Ringler Druid Lake is a small reservoir on the edge of the Piedmont in the center of Baltimore City. During migrations and winter it attracts a large variety of waterfowl into this urban setting. It is bordered on the north by Druid Hill Park, on the west and south by residential areas, and on the east by the Jones Falls Valley. From the fall of 1975 to the spring of 1977 I had the opportunity to observe the changing waterbird population on the lake almost daily. During the 2l6 days from Oct. 10, 1975 to May 12, 1976 I made stops at the lake on 153 days (70.8/S). During the I 85 days from Sept. 21, 1976 to Mar. 2U, 1977 I stopped on lh2 days ( 76 . 8 $). On some days I was able to make a visit in both the morning and evening, discovering that there was often a turnover of birds during the day. Occasionally it was possible to identify an individual bird over a period of weeks. Since the reservoir is surrounded by a high fence human pressure is negligible. The following is an annotated list of the species I found at the reservoir during the above periods. HORNED GREBE - Uncommon migrant. In fall the earliest was on Oct. 30 both years, the latest on Nov. 13, 1975 with a high count of 3 on the latter date. In spring the earliest was on Mar. 6 , 1976 and the latest on May 3, 1976 with a high count of 5 on Apr. I*, 1976 . PIED-BILLED GREBE - Fairly common migrant. N In fall the earliest was on Sept. 26, 1976 and the latest on Nov. 12, 1975- In spring the earliest was on Feb. 28, 1977 and the latest on Apr. 2, 1976. The high count was h on Oct. 11, 1975. WHISTLING SWAN - Occasional migrant. One adult on May 11 and 12, 1976 was the only bird I saw. CANADA GOOSE - Occasional migrant. One bird from Feb. 7-9, 1977 was the only one I saw on the lake. Flyovers during the peak of migra- tion are expected. BRANT - Accidental. One adult on Oct. 20, 1976 in a rainstorm. 72 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol. 34, No. 2 MALLARD - Regular breeder at the lake, common migrant, abundant in winter. High count was 340 on Jan. 17* 1977. They were jammed into the 10 % open water at the west end of the lake as the remainder was ice-covered. AMERICAN BLACK DUCK - Fairly common in migration and winter. High count was 10 on Dec. 6, 1976. COMMON PINTAIL - Occasional migrant. One female was on the lake Oct. 17 and 19, 1976. GREEN-WINGED TEAL - Occasional migrant. One drake was on the lake Dec. 3, 1975- AMERICAN WIGEON - Occasional in migration and winter. Three on Dec. 3, 1975 and two during the period Nov. 7, 1976 to Feb. 23, 1977. NORTHERN SHOVELER - Occasional migrant. A pair on Mar. 13, 1976. WOOD DUCK - Regular breeder, common migrant, fairly common in winter. High counts were 44 on Sept. 21, 1976 and 42 on Nov. l4, 1976. REDHEAD - Uncommon in migration and winter. The only fall record was of 4 on Nov. 12, 1976. During the period Jan. 12 to Mar. l6» 1977 up to 10 were present, that number being seen on Feb. 4 and 10. RING-NECKED DUCK - Uncommon migrant. In fall the earliest was on Oct. 1 6 , 1975 and the latest on Nov. 11, 1976. In spring the earliest was on Feb. 17, 1977 and the latest on Mar. 23, 1977, which was the date of the high count, 5 birds. There were 4 on Mar. 4, 1976. CANVASBACK - Occasional in migration and winter. My five records are of 3 on Dec. 2 6 , 1975, 1 on Feb. 5, 1976, 3 on Jan. 17, 2 on Jan. 19, and 1 on Jan. 20, 1977- GREATER SCAUP - Accidental. A female on Mar. 16, 1976. LESSER SCAUP - Fairly common in fall, occasional in spring. In fall the earliest was on Oct. 10, 1975 and the latest on Nov. 17, 1976. High counts were 4 on Oct. 18, 1975 and 5 on Oct. 27, 1976. My only spring record was of 3 on Apr. 4, 1976. COMMON GOLDENEYE - Occasional fall migrant. The only birds I have seen were females: 2 on Oct. 31, 1975, 1 on Nov. 11 and 15, 1975, and 2 on Nov. 18, 1976. BUFFLEHEAD - Common migrant, uncommon in winter. Early arrivals were on Oct. 30 both years, the latest on Apr. 27, 1976. High American Wigeon, Feb. 19, 1977 June 19TB MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 73 counts were ll on Nov. 13, 1975 and 16 on Nov. 7, 1976. OLDSQUAW - Fairly common migrant, occasional in winter. In fall the earliest was on Oct. 28, 1975 and the latest on Nov. 2 6, 1975, with a high count of 12 on Nov. 13, 1975. Winter records were of sin- gles on Jan. 1 and Dec. 14, 1976. In spring the earliest was on Feh. 19, 1976 and the latest on May 1, 1976. WHITE-WINGED SCOTER - Accidental There were 3 on Feh. 2, 1976. Buffleheads, Nov. 7, 1976 BLACK SCOTER - Accidental. One female on Nov. 13, 1975. RUDDY DUCK - Abundant in fall, uncommon in winter, common in spring The earliest arrival was on Oct. 11, 1975 and the latest bird was there on Apr. 16, 1976. High counts each year were 82 on Nov. 20, 1975 and 68 on Nov. 8, 1976. HOODED MERGANSER - There were none during my first year of obser- vations. However, from Jan. 31 to Mar. 22, 1977, Hoodeds were present daily, usually in the afternoon, with a maximum of 21 on Feb. 8. COMMON MERGANSER - Occasional migrant. Single birds on Nov. 13, 1975, Dec. 7 and 9, 1976. RED-BREASTED MERGANSER - Accidental. A female on Dec. 10, 1975- AMERICAN COOT - Common migrant, occasional in winter. Earliest arrival was on Sept. 30, 1976 and latest departure on Apr. 12, 1976. The highest count was 8 birds on five occasions: Oct. 27, 1975, Nov. 12 13, lU, and 22, 1976. GREATER YELLOWLEGS - Accidental. One on Mar. 16, 1977. The water level at this time was low, exposing some shoreline. SPOTTED SANDPIPER - Occasional migrant. Two on Apr. 27 and one on Aug. 25, 1976, bobbing along on the rocks around the lake. ICELAND GULL - Accidental in winter. One first-year bird on Jan. 19, 1977- GREATER BLACK- BACKED GULL - Fairly common in winter. LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL - Accidental in winter. One adult in winter plumage on Jan. ll , 1977. HERRING GULL - Common in fall and spring, abundant in winter. MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol . 3b, No. 2 RING-BILLED GULL - Common in fall and spring, abundant in winter. LAUGHING GULL - Uncommon in late summer and fall. BONAPARTE'S GULL - Uncommon migrant . Any isolated body of water free from constant human activity can produce some interesting ornitho- logical observations if a person is willing to take the time to make repeated trips to the same location. I encourage anyone who lives in fairly close proximity to a pond or reservoir to take similar notes and in the process learn more about our waterbirds. The variety of birds will increase with the number of observations. In the above notes an abundant bird should be seen on every trip, common on most trips, fairly common on one third of the trips, uncommon on about 10 percent of the trips, and occasional on only a few visits . Lesser Black-backed Gull with Herring Gulls, Jan. ll*, 1977 3501 Melody Lane, Baltimore 21207 ☆ SONG SPARROW BATHES IN A TREE John H. Fates The weather in Southern Maryland from the advent of summer into early July 1977 was marked by extremely warm and humid days . The temper- ature reached 100° F. on July 6 . As the temperature rose to 9^° F. the next day, a midafternoon thunderstorm brought temporary relief. After the heavy rain had ceased I watched a Song Sparrow ( Melospiza metodia ) flitting about in jerky flight through a dogwood tree ( Comus florida) . This bird was excited about the droplets of water remaining on the leaves . It brushed against them and got thoroughly wet , and shook off the water as when taking a typical bath. This activity, which went on for more than a minute, was an interesting way for this bird to bathe. I had not observed tree bathing here previously. Bent (1968) mentioned that, "the song sparrow is one of many species that bathes in drops of water on grass and leaves by striking the foliage with the wings and body and thus throwing water on the plumage." Bent, A. C. 1968 . Life Histories of North American Cardinals, Grosbeaks, Buntings, Towhees, Finches, Sparrows, and Allies. U.S. Natl. Mus. Bull. 237, Part 3, 1889 p. 2809 Ridge Road, Neeld Estate, Huntingtown 20639 June 1978 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 75 BREEDING STATUS OF ROYAL TERN, Gill I -Bi ll FI) TERN, AND BLACK SKIMMER IN MARYLAND Glenn D. Therres , John S. Weske > and Mitchell A. Byrd The Royal Tern ( Sterna maxima ), Gull-billed Tern ( Gelochelidon nilotica) , and Black Skimmer ( Rynchops niger ) occur locally as breeding birds in the state of Maryland (Stewart and Robbins 1958). The Royal Tern reaches the northern limit of its breeding range here, the Gull- billed nests regularly as far north as southern New Jersey, and the Black Skimmer breeds north to southern New England (American Ornithol- ogists' Union 1957, Saveli 1972). In Maryland, the breeding range of these birds is restricted to Chincoteague and Sinepuxent Bays and a few smaller bays ^ all in coastal Worcester County. This region experiences heavy human recreational use at the time of year that these species are nesting, and there has been major alteration of the natural environment from building and other development. For this reason, the breeding status of these and other' beach-nesting species should be considered vulnerable. In areas of their range where human impact is low. Royal Terns, Gull-billed Terns, and Black Skimmers typically nest on sandy barrier islands, especially near ocean inlets. Colonies are most frequently located in sites above the normal high-tide line but low enough to be washed over and stripped of vegetation by surf from occasional winter storms. Nesting also occurs on bay islands that have sparsely vegetated sandy or shelly areas . In Maryland, the barrier beaches of Assateague Island- and Ocean City are so heavily disturbed that skimmers and terns, except perhaps for an occasional pair of Little Terns ( Sterna albifrons) , can no longer nest there successfully. Thus, potential colony sites are limited to natural islands in coastal bays and to man-made islands, the incidental by-product of spoil deposition from channel dredging. There are five islands that have been used by Royals, Gull -bills, or skimmers as nesting localities- during the past four years. Two of these are dredge spoil islands in Sinepuxent Bay, and the remaining three are natural islands in Chinco- teague Bay, each a salt marsh "tump" — as they are known locally — on which the dominant vegetation is the grass Spartina altemi flora. A small, shelly beach occupies a portion of one of these islands. ■ Royal Terns, in recent years, have nested on one of the spoil islands and also on the natural island with the beach. The species was first re- corded as breeding in Maryland in 1950 when two- nests were found on an island in Chincoteague Bay (Stewart and Robbins- 1958) . This site was abandoned in the early I960' s when it gradually became overgrown with Phragmites and bushes; it now supports a colony of herons, egrets, and ibis. The Royal Terns continued in most years to nest elsewhere in the coastal region, reaching a peak of l,l6o pairs in 1976. Table 1 shows MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol. 3 1 *, No. 2 76 the estimated "breeding population from 197^ through 1977- Broad fluctu- ations are not surprising, for the birds move readily between Virginia and Maryland from one year to the next (Weske, unpublished data). Nesting success was high from 197^ through 1976 , but the 1977 season was almost a complete failure. The reason for this situation is uncertain but is very likely related to habitat deterioration. In 1977, the spoil island used by Royals in preceding years had diminished in size because of erosion, and most of the part that remained had become thickly vegetated. Only a handful of Royals attempted nesting, and none were successful. Similarly on the natural island, the bare area of beach that served as a colony site for a thousand pairs or more in the two previous years was reduced in size by vegetational growth, doubtless fostered in part by heavy fer- tilization from the birds themselves. A clear area sufficient for at least a small colony remained, but the birds laid their eggs nearby on mats of dried, dead eelgrass that had washed up on the marsh during the winter. We know of no previous instance of Royal Terns nesting on wrack in a salt marsh. Most of the colony was abandoned at about the time of hatching, and only about four young fledged. Table 1. Breeding pairs of Royal Terns, Gull-billed Terns, and Black Skimmers in Maryland, 197^-1977 (estimates compiled from survey data from M. Byrd and J. Weske). Species 197^ 1975 1976 1977 Royal Tern 225 1000 ll 60 13^ Gull-billed Tern 1 1 1 0 Black Skimmer 35 150 136 182 The Gull-billed Tern in Maryland is near its northern limit for breeding; it nests uncommonly but regularly in southern New Jersey ( Saveli 1972) and in 1975 bred on Long Island (Buckley et al . 1975)- Stewart and Robbins (1958) described the breeding status in Maryland as fairly common locally in the coastal bay area. They reported a high breeding popula- tion of 25 pairs in Chincoteague Bay in 1951. The population has now declined to no more than a single breeding pair in any one year (Table 1) . Nesting success is unknown. During the past four years. Gull-bills were found only on the dredge spoil islands. It appears that they are less flexible than Royal Terns or skimmers in adapting to nesting habitat other than sparsely vegetated expanses of sand. At some time during the past four years. Black Skimmers have nested on all five of the islands mentioned. As in Virginia (Erwin 1977) and North Carolina (Soots and Parnell 1975), they frequently formed mixed- species colonies, particularly in association with Common Terns ( Sterna hirundo ) . On spoil islands the nesting substrate was sand, but on natural islands the nests were located on eelgrass wrack in the salt marsh. Frohling ( 1965 ) first’ reported salt marsh nesting by skimmers in New Jersey and pointed out the survival value for the species if it can successfully use this habitat, which attracts much less human disturbance than beaches. June 1978 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE TT Stewart and Robbins (1958) reported a high breeding population of about 250 pairs of Black Skimmers in 1951 and considered the species common in the Worcester 1 County coastal area. Its numbers have declined moderately since then but have been rather stable for the past three years, averaging 150-160 pairs (Table l). The low figure of 35 pairs in 197^ probably is not an accurate estimate, because of incomplete census- ing' of the area. However, the 197^ population was likely below average, for no colonies were reported from Chincoteague Bay, an area that was censused. Although the sizes of the Maryland breeding population for these three species differ considerably, their nesting habitat requirements are quite similar. Because of the limited number of available nesting sites and because of ever greater human use of the coastal area, these birds are likely to become increasingly scarce as breeding species. Moreover, habitat degradation occurs even in the absence of direct human influence. Because spoil islands, in particular, are subject to rapid alteration from erosion and vegetational succession, they supply sand-nesting species with optimum habitat for only a few years (Soots and Parnell 1975). On the other hand, these birds readily take advantage of suitable new sites. Management that enhances nesting habitat — protecting it from intrusion, controlling growth of vegetation, and periodically creating or renewing dredge spoil islands — will increase the likelihood that the Royal Tern, Gull-billed Tern, and Black Skimmer prosper as breeding species in Maryland . ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We thank J.W. Aldrich, R.C. Banks, D.Q. Thompson, and D.E. Wilson for reading the manuscript and making suggestions for its improvement. LITERATURE CITED American Ornithologists' Union. 1957- Check-list of North American birds. Fifth Ed. Amer. Ornithol. Union, Baltimore. Buckley, P. A., F. G. Buckley, and M. Gochfeld. 1975- Gull-billed Tern. New York State's newest breeding species. Kingbird 25:178-183. Erwin, R. Michael. 1977- Black Skimmer breeding ecology and behavior. Auk 9^:709-717. Frohling, Robert C. 1965 . American Oystercatcher and Black Skimmer nesting on salt marsh. Wilson Bull. 77:193-19^. Saveli, William E. 1972. Gull-billed Terns in New Jersey. Cassinia 53:U7_l+8. Soots, Robert F. , Jr. and James F. Parnell. 1975. Ecological succession of breeding birds in relation to plant succession on dredge islands in North Carolina. North Carolina Sea Grant Publ. UNC-56-75-27 , Raleigh, North Carolina. Stewart, Robert E. and Chandler S. Robbins. 1958. Birds of Maryland and the District of Columbia. North Amer. Fauna No. 62 . Washington, D.C. Maryland Wildlife Administration, Tawes State Office Building, Annapolis, Md. 2ll01; National Fish and Wildlife Laboratory, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C. 20560; and Department of Biology, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Va. 23185. 78 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol . 3k, No. 2 WINTER SEASON, DEC. 1, 1977 - FEB. 28, 1978 Robert F. Ringler Severe weather again plagued the region during the winter. Bird mortality among some of our hardier species was again evident. Carolina. Wrens among others were hard hit. Perhaps most indicative of the kind of winter we had was the impressive flight of redpolls. More Common Redpolls were seen in Maryland last winter than had been recorded in all past years. Many people entertained them at feeders. Large flocks occurred in weedy fields. For the first time nearly everyone was expe- riencing the Hoary Redpoll Guessing Game, for among the hordes of Common Redpolls there were a few that were described as Hoaries. The season began inauspiciously in December, when temperatures averaged near normal though precipitation was 2-k inches above normal, except in the mountains. Early snow in the western part of the state was dissipated by the mid-month thaw. An exceptionally heavy rainstorm settled in on the 18th and continued in some areas for 3 days. By the end of the year temperatures were falling steadily and the big crunch began in January with temperatures 3° to 8° F. below normal and precip- itation 3 to 5 inches above normal. Most of the precipitation was in the form of snow in the middle of the month. Until this time the number of redpolls was quite low with only a few scattered individuals reported. During the second half of the month numbers began to increase. In February temperatures averaged 8° to 12° below normal and precipitation was subnormal by 1.5 to 2 inches. A huge blizzard swept the Northeast on Feb. 6-7 and in front of that storm came the flocks of redpolls. Flocks numbering in the hundreds were seen, and groups in the dozens were common at feeders. Most of these birds re- mained throughout the month. Reports came from nearly every county though the birds were particularly scarce west of the Piedmont. Here is a run-down by county: Garrett - Feb. 22, 12 at feeders in Oakland through the end of the month ( Fran Pope ) . Allegany - Good numbers at LaVale and Cumberland from late January (John Willetts). Washington - Jan. 26 to Apr. 8 with a peak of 70 in mid-March (Don and Frances Cutchall). Frederick - Present from Jan. 28 (Anne Cherrington) . Carroll - At feeder in Westminster from before Christmas (Nate Webb). June 1978 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 79 Baltimore - Feb. 2, 150 in weeds along Perring Parkway, Parkville (Hank Kaestner). Harford - Oct . 30 , ■ record early arrival at feeder in Churchville (Chuck Graham). Cecil - No report. Howard - Present from Jan. 31 (Steve Simon). Montgomery - Jan. 1, 40 in a grove of ornamental birches at Gude's Nursery, Rockville (Rowlett). Prince Georges - Daily at Laurel feeders from Feb. 12 (12 birds. Chandler and Eleanor Robbins). At the end of February Rowlett counted about 150 near his feeder in Laurel. Anne Arundel - Feb. 28, 30 feeding on the ground with Pine Siskins in residential area of Odenton (Ellen Gizzarelli). Charles, Calvert, and St. Marys - No report. Kent - Feb. 19, 22 birds, location not given (Floyd Parks). Queen Annes - No report. Caroline - None seen. Talbot - Feb. 25, 10, location not given (Jan Reese). Dorchester - None seen. Somerset and Wicomico - No report. Worcester - Mar. 4, 1 6 roadside birds during a 90-mile drive (Rowlett). There were bound to be reports of Hoary Redpolls when so many birds were involved. The problem of field identification immediately became apparent. What is a Hoary Redpoll? In terms of field marks it is not easy to say. Museum specimens show a wide range of plumages overlapping those of the Common Redpoll, which has several confusing races to compli- cate the problem. Some birds are impossible to identify even in the hand. However, among the Hoary Redpolls are those that stand out because of their unstreaked rumps and undertail coverts. These are perhaps the key field marks for some, but not all. Hoary Redpolls. The remainder are probably indistinguishable in the field. There is only one previous Maryland record of the Hoary Redpoll. This was an adult male collected Feb. 20, 19^9 at South Point, Worcester Co. (Buckalew). At the time it was the only specimen of the species from south of New York City. Enumerated below are all the reports of possible Hoary Redpolls in the state this season: Jan. 29 - Parkville, Baltimore Co., a female found by Mike Resch, Feb. 5 and a male and female seen on Jan. 31 by David Holmes and Ringler . \ Feb. 5 - Hagerstown, Washington Co., up to 12 Hoaries watched at Mar. 23 3- foot range in mid-March while 50 redpolls at a time fed on porch feeder (Don and Frances Cutchall). Feb. 11 - Spencerville , Montgomery Co., a male at a feeder (Floyd Feb. 16 Murdoch, Rowlett, Robbins, et at.) Feb. 14 Churchville, Harford Co., 1 at a feeder (Spike Updegrove, et at.). Feb. 20 Lutherville, Baltimore Co., 2 at a feeder (Rose Gerringer). Feb. ? Rodgers Forge, Baltimore Co., 2 at a feeder (Eddie Slaughter). Feb. ? Ruxton, Baltimore Co., 2 at a feeder (Mrs. John Mulholland) . Feb. ? Westminster, Carroll Co., 1 at a feeder (Mrs. Nate Webb). Two of the birds (Parkville and Spencerville) were photographed and substantiate the identification. Needless to say, a great deal of care should be taken in trying to identify this rare species. 80 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol. 3l, No. 2 There were probably many more observations of redpolls throughout the state. Many of these deserve documentation, but without a report from each observer it is ' impossible . I urge everyone to send in notes about redpolls so that an update on the subject can be prepared and a more nearly complete picture of the invasion given. Loons , Grebes . A Red-throated Loon on Loch Raven, Baltimore Co. Dec. 20 (Rick Blom, Kaestner, Steve Sapper stein) was unusual in the Pied- mont. A single Red-necked Grebe returned to Baltimore Harbor on Feb. 9 (Blom). Three were there on Feb. 25 (Ringler) , and on the same date two were at Sandy Point, Anne Arundel Co. (Wierenga) . A high count of Horned Grebes in the mountains was 33 on Deep Creek Lake, Garrett Co., Dec. 19 (Pope) . Shearwaters , Gannets , Cormorants . Six Greater Shearwaters were found 50-60 miles east of Ocean City on a Dec. 3 pelagic trip (Rowlett). 1,100 Northern Gannets were estimated for the same trip. An immature Great Cormorant was on the jetty at Ocean City for the Christmas Bird Count (CBC), Dec. 29 (Rowlett, et al.). The Point Lookout CBC on Jan. 2 had the high count of 9. A Double-crested Cormorant on the Susquehanna River, Jan. 1 (Graham, John Wortman), and another flying into Baltimore Harbor, Feb. 25 (Ringler, Dwight Lee), seemed misplaced in this cold season. Herons , Ibis . Three hardy Green Herons were found this winter. One was on the Crisfield CBC, Dec. 27 (at Saxis, Va. , by Chandler Robbins), 1 on the Bowie CBC, Dec. 31 (Klimkiewicz) , and 1 in Talbot Co. that re- mained into January (Reese). Single Great Egrets appeared on three CBCs: Crisfield, Ocean City on Dec. 29, and Southern Dorchester on Dec. 30. A Snowy Egret was also present for the Ocean City count. Louisiana Herons numbered 3 on the ’Crisfield CBC, 3 for Ocean City, and 2 for Southern Dorchester. A B1 ack-crowned Night Heron was found on Aberdeen Proving Ground, Harford Co., on Jan. 1 by Graham and John Wortman. A Least Bit- tern on the Crisfield CBC (Danny Bystrak) was the latest state record by 15 days. Glossy Ibis on CBCs were 1 for Crisfield and h for Ocean City. Waterfowl . The first Garrett County record of Brant was of 7 on Deep Creek Lake, Dec. 8 (Pope). An immature male Harlequin Duck was found by Midshipman Giff Beaton at the Naval Academy, Annapolis, on Feb. 6. It remained through Mar. 19- A King Eider was at the Ocean City jetty for the Dec. 29 CBC. Exceptionally high counts of waterfowl on the CBCs were: 78,659 Canada Geese, Lower Kent, Dec. 18; 1^,783 Snow . Geese, Ocean City, Dec. 29; 1,508 Greater Scaup, Annapolis, Jan. 1; and 659 Buffi eheads. Point Lookout, Jan. 2. Diurnal Raptors . A high count of Black Vultures was 3^ at Tanyard, Caroline Co., Feb. 9 (Ethel Engle). Single Northern Goshawks were re- ported as follows: one below Pocomoke City on the Crisfield CBC, Dec. 27 (C. Robbins), one eating a rabbit while sitting on the ice of the Youghiogheny River, Garrett Co., Jan. lL (Pope), one at Sycamore Landing, Montgomery Co., Jan. 21 (Paul G. DuMont), and one flying over Town Hill, Allegany Co., Feb. 21 (Rowlett). An immature Cooper's Hawk that patroled a feeder in Mountain Lake Park, Garrett Co., from Dec. 31 to Feb. 19 was June 1976 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 81 seen to carry off a European Starling on Feb. 1 (Pope). The only Golden Eagle reported this season was an immature on the Salisbury CBC at Wetipquin, Dec. 26 (Henry Armistead). An immature Bald Eagle over 1-70 near Rt. 97, Howard Co., Feb. 2 (Holmes) was unusual. An adult Peregrine Falcon was seen in Druid Hill Park, Baltimore City, from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5 "by many people. It frequented the exotic waterfowl pool at the zoo, but fortunately was seen to take only Rock Doves during its tenure. Other Peregrines were at the Back River sewage plant, Baltimore Co., Feb. 9 to 12 (Blom, et at.) and an immature in Howard County, Feb. 26 (Paul Zucker) . Rails , Gallinules , Shorebirds . A King Rail was found in Tanyard, Dec. 22 by Engle, a Virginia Rail was near Annapolis, Jan. 20 (Wierenga), and a Common Gallinule was on a golf course pond in Talbot Co., Nov. 12 through Dec. 4 (Reese). Eight American Oystercatchers on the Ocean City CBC, Dec. 29 (Claudia Wilds, Armistead, Woody Martin) were the first on a Maryland CBC. Three were seen by Rowlett and Mark Hoffman on Jan. 3, only the second January record for Maryland; the other was on Jan. 22, 1977 at Ocean City (Ringler, Resch, James L. Stasz). Wintering in Harford County were a Black-bellied Plover and 3 or 4 Dunlins at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Jan. 1 (Wortman, Graham). A Marbled Godwit on the Ocean City CBC remained through Jan. 3 (Rowlett, Hoffman). Other interesting shorebirds on the Ocean City count were 2 WilletS and a Red Knot. Pope found 6 American Woodcock at the upper end of the Oak- land Golf Course on the early date of Feb. 19 • Jaegers , Gulls , Alcids . Most of the 38 Pomarine Jaegers on the Dec. 3 pelagic trip were 20-40 miles east of Ocean City (Rowlett). Two Glaucous and 2 Iceland Gulls were seen 60 miles east of Ocean City on the same trip. Other Glaucous Gulls were reported from the Baltimore area, with the first at Back River on Jan. 4 (Blom) and 3 there on Feb. 4; also, singles were at Hawkin' s Point on Jan. 12 and the Penning- ton Landfill on Feb. 19. All were second-year birds. Other Iceland Gulls were on the Rock Run CBC, Dec. 17 continuing through Jan. 2 at Conowingo, Harford Co. (Wortman, Graham), 2 at Back River on Jan. 3 with 3 first-year birds there on Feb. 4 (Ringler), and a second-year bird at the Pennington Landfill, Feb. 27 (Blom). Reports of Lesser Black-backed Gulls began with an adult at Back River on Dec. 6 (Blom), 2 adults there on Dec. 21, and a near-adult on Jan. 18 (Ringler). Another was near the Easton Bypass, Dec. 30 to Jan. 2 (Reese), for the first Talbot County record. Another was seen in the Magothy River on the Annapolis CBC, Jan. 1. An unidentified gull seen in Baltimore Harbor on Jan. 21 (Ringler, Blom) and perhaps the same bird again on Back River on Mar. 9 (stasz) may have possibly been a Greater Black-backed X Herring Gull hybrid. It was slightly larger than a Herring Gull and the mantle was slightly lighter than a Lesser Black-backed Gull. The head was heavily streaked, the bill was yellow with a large dark spot, and the legs were pink. Consideration should be given to possible hybrids in identifying any gull of unusual plumage. An immature Thayer's Gull was seen on Back River from Jan. 5 (Dave Abbott, et at .) through the end of the period. An adult of this species was seen there on Feb. 5 (Blom, Kaestner, Jim Orgain). Sightings of Mew Gulls at Back River were never 82 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol . 34, No. 2 satisfactorily confirmed by photograph and the species should best be placed on the hypothetical list for the state. Here are the winter reports: an immature on Jan. 3 (Ringler, Blom) and again on Jan. 4 (Blom); an adult on Jan. 5 (Ringler, Larry Bonham); an immature on Jan. 19 (Stasz, Resch); and an adult on Feb. 12 (Graham, Stasz, and Sherm Suter). A winter-plumaged adult Black-headed Gull with a distinct pink flush on the breast was found at Back River by Holmes and Knight on Jan. 1 and was seen there through Jan. 7. An unusually late Laughing Gull. was seen limping into flight at the sewage plant there on Jan. 3 (Ringler). Three Laughing Gulls were found on the Crisfield CBC. Black-legged Kittiwakes off Ocean City on Dec. 3 numbered 424 (Rowlett). A Razorbill was there on Dec. b (Rowlett). Owls . A pair of Barn Owl S was observed in courtship display near Loch Raven, Dec. 31 (Blom). The Long-eared Owl at Sandy Point was last seen on Jan. 1 for the CBC (Wierenga). Blom found a Long-ear at Piney Run Park, Carroll Co. Dec. 24; 2 were seen for the Liberty Reservoir CBC, Dec. 26; 4 were present at least from Jan. 2 through the end of the period. Another Long-ear was reported at Gude's Nursery from at least Jan. 1, and 2 were there occasionally until Feb. 4. Short-eared Owls on CBCs were 1 at Catoctin on Dec. 18, 3 at Liberty Reservoir on Dec. 26, 4 at Ocean City on Dec. 29 , and 7 at Southern Dorchester on Dec. 30. Others west of the Bay were 1 at Gude's, Jan. 22 (DuMont), up to 2 near Buckeystown, Frederick Co., during February (Rowlett), and 1 near Hillsmere, Anne Arundel Co., Feb. 5 (Helen & John Ford). Single Saw-whet Owls were noted on the Southern Dorchester CBC and at Gude's from Jan. 2 through Feb. 4, with 2 on Jan. 29 (Rowlett, Robert W. Warfield, Wierenga). Flycatchers , Larks , Chickadees . The only Eastern Phoebes on CBCs this year were 3 at Ocean City on Dec. 29 and 1 at Baltimore, Dec. 31. On Jan. l4 Wierenga reported 27 Horned Larks arrived at Sandy Point, indicating the continued movement of. birds as the severity of the weather forced them to go. In Garrett County Mrs. Pope reported that Horned Larks were present "especially on freshly spread mature. Since dairy farmers daily remove manure from their barns and either spread it on fields or dump it on a pile if the snow is too deep to get to the fields, many birds probably depend on this food source in the winter. Some farmers have reported the birds gathering at the barns at manure-removal time." Despite the harsh winter little movement by Black-capped Chickadees was noted. Observations outside their breeding range were few. On the other hand, a Boreal Chickadee was found at the Back River sewage plant on Dec. 9 (Stasz, Ringler) and remained throughout the period. Wrens , Thrushes . The only CBC House Wren was at Baltimore, Dec. 31. Once again the Carolina Wren became the martyr of the season. Table 1 shows a comparison of Carolina Wrens found on CBCs during 1976 and 1977 in Maryland. As can be seen the number of Carolina Wrens increases from the mountains to the Coastal Plain. Conversely, the percentage drop in numbers increases with elevation. June 1978 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 83 Table 1. Carolina Wrens on Christmas Bird Counts No. of Party- Carolina % de- No. Carolina miles Wrens /Party- crease of Wrens on Foot mile on Ft. in Region CBCs 19T6 1977 19W 1977 1976 1977 Wrens Allegheny Mtn. 1 14 1 70 122 0.20 0.01 95.0# Ridge & Valley 3 275 55 137 106 2.01 0.52 74.15S Piedmont 6 1,499 382 661 582 2.27 0.66 70.9# Coastal Plain 11 2,425 1,130 1,002 1,020 2.42 l.ll 54.15S Early migrating American Robins numbered 984 in Southern Dorchester County, Feb. 11 ( Armistead) . An adult male Varied Thrush was present at a feeder in Savage, Howard Co., Dec. 11-15 (George and Chandler Robbins, Holmes, Rowlett, et at.). This is only the third documented record for the state. Pipits , Warblers . Wandering flocks of Water Pipits during the win- ter included 50 at Williston, Caroline Co., Dec. IT (Edwin Unger), 20 at Noland's Ferry,' Frederick Co., Jan. T (Warfield), and 31 at Sandy Point, Jan. l4 (Wierenga). Warblers were scarce on Christmas Counts this year. The only exceptional birds were single Orange-crowned Warblers for Ocean City on Dec. 29 and Point Lookout on Jan. 2. High counts of other spe- cies were 21 Pine Warblers for Point Lookout; and for Ocean City, 7 Palm Warblers and 4 Common Yel lowthroats. Single Common Yellowthroats in the Piedmont were on the Catoctin, Triadelphia, and Bowie counts. Blackbirds , Tanagers . Brewer's Blackbirds were found in the great- est numbers and several different places last year. Reports included 1 on the Allegany County CBC, Dec. IT (Mary Twigg), a record high count of 24 on the Lower Kent CBC, Dec. l8 (Klimkiewicz , Droege) with 20 still present on Jan. 5 (Parks), 1 on the Southern Dorchester CBC, Dec. 30 (George Robbins), 3 on the Annapolis CBC on Jan. 1 (Stasz) with 1 male remaining to Jan. 3, and up to 3 at the Back River sewage plant, Jan. 4-29 (Blom, et at.). Brewer's Blackbirds have been occurring more fre- quently in the east. Care in identification should always be taken, but there is no reason there should not be more seen in Maryland. The ear- liest record for the state was a male and two females near Piney Run Park, Carroll Co., Nov. 13, 1976 (Stasz, Ringler, Blom) and the latest were on Apr. 8, 1956 with 3 near Easton and 4 at Blackwater Refuge (P. A. Buckley). Most records have come from December and January. A female- plumaged Western Tanager was found by Martin in an orchard two miles north of Colesville, Montgomery Co., Dec. 24, on the Triadelphia CBC. Finches . A Rose-breasted Grosbeak was banded on the Allegany County CBC, Dec. IT (Ken Hodgdon). Mark Hoffman found an Indigo Bunting on the Point Lookout CBC, Jan. 2. The only Dickcissel reported was one in Greensboro, Caroline Co., Dec. 15 (Hewitt). Pine Grosbeaks did not join the massive flight of other northern finches. Two males and a female were in Churchville on Feb. 8 (Graham), one at a feeder in Frederick County during an unspecified period, and one at a feeder in 8k MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol . 3k, No. 2 Baltimore County during December (David Williams). Red Crossbills appeared on several CBCs with 2 at Triadelphia Dec. 2k (C. Robbins), 3 for Bowie (Klimkiewicz) and 9 for Baltimore (Doug Hackman), both on Dec. 31, and 2 for Annapolis, Jan. 1. Others were noted at Gude's Nursery, 3 on Jan. 22 (DuMont), and 6 at Carey Run, Garrett Co., Feb. 20 (Rowlett). White-winged Crossbills appeared as follows: 11 on the Salisbury CBC on Dec. 2 6, 5 on the Southern Dorchester CBC on Dec. 30, 15 in Chestertown, Kent Co., on Jan. 13 (Robin Newlin), 1 to 2 in Parkville, Feb. 1-13 (DuMont, Graham), and 3 on Savage Mt., Garrett Co., Feb. 20 (Rowlett). Sparrows , Longspurs , and Snow Buntings . A Grasshopper Sparrow was near Henryton, Carroll Co., on the Dec. 26 Liberty Reservoir CBC (Wayne Klockner). Wintering Vesper Sparrows farther north than usual were singles in Churchville on Jan. 2 (Graham) and in northwest Baltimore County on Jan. 22 (Blom, Orgain, Steve Hardiman) . A Northern Junco of the meamsi race was present in Laurel, Prince Georges Co., from Jan. 19 to the end of the period (Rowlett). American Tree Sparrows staged an impressive flight throughout the state. High for the CBCs was a total of 309 at Liberty Reservoir on Dec. 26. Rowlett found them to be quite common among other ground-feeding birds along the roadsides on the Eastern Shore. Chipping Sparrows appeared on several CBCs, but one exceptional bird was at the feeder of Wilson Ford in Churchville, Jan. l6. Also in Churchville, variously at the feeders of Ford and Spike Updegrove, was an immature Cl ay-colored Sparrow from Jan. 15 through Feb. 15. One wonders what these extraordinary birds would be doing without the assistance of bird feeders everywhere. Wintering Lincoln's Sparrows were noted on the Triadelphia CBC on Dec. 2k (Stasz), the Ocean City CBC on Dec. 29 (Klimkiewicz), and in Parkville on Feb. 13 (Graham). Lapland Longspurs of note were one each on the Liberty Reservoir and Ocean City CBCs (Wierenga and Rowlett, respectively), 3 in Churchville on Feb. 7 (Graham), and in Kent County, 1 on Feb. 10, 3 on Feb. 18, and the last 2 on Mar. 2 (Parks). Snow Buntings were widespread. The last L departed Sandy Point on Dec. 21, but 31 new arrivals appeared there on Jan. lL (Wierenga). Several were at Sycamore Landing, Montgomery Co., Jan. 21 (DuMont). One was photographed at a feeder in Glen Arm, Balti- more Co., Jan. 22 (Nancjr Rowe). A single bird appeared in Kent County on Jan. 26; additional arrivals made a high count of 21 on Feb. 19, and the flock dwindled to a single bird on Mar. 5 (Parks). Corrigendum - Vol. 33, No, 3. The cover photo was taken on Pleasure Island, not Miller Island. 3501 Melody Lane, Baltimore 21207 O O o SAVE THESE DATES May 5, 1979 ANNUAL STATEWIDE BIRD COUNT in every Maryland County. Contact your local Chapter or Asst. Editor Douglas Hackman. May 11-13 ANNUAL M.O.S. CONVENTION, Ocean City. Watch for announcement. Reserve early for May 13 pelagic trip; send $^0 to Richard Rowlett, P.0. Box 579, Ocean City 2181+2. June 1978 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 85 THE MARYLAND CHRISTMAS COUNTS OF 1977 D. Charles Dupree Mild winters appear to have shifted away from the Maryland area during the Christmas counts. Cold weather didn't prevent Ocean City compilers from recording 157 species to tie for 3^th place nationally with such hot spots as Merritt Island NWR and West Palm Beach, Florida; Palo Alto and Parker-Colorado River, California; and Old River, Texas. Ocean City also reported 100 Screech Owls, the highest count in the entire CBC area. The 71 participants on the Annapolis count took several national high counts away from Seneca, which suffered from heavy rains all day: Red-bellied Woodpecker (3^8), Downy Woodpecker (h23 ) , Carolina Chickadee (1398) and White-throated Sparrow (U505). One Lesser Black-backed Gull, seen on the Annapolis count by Rick Blom, Steve Hardiman, and Jim Orgain, tied the national high. Ken Hodgdon caught and banded a Rose-breasted Grosbeak to give Allegany County the distinction of being one of eleven count areas nationwide to record one of this species. A surprising count of 1393 Turkey Vultures at Point Lookout not only led all Maryland counts but was also a national high count. Raptor numbers in general appear good. Perhaps the effects of the DDT ban are still showing. The appearance of 3 Common Redpolls on three counts was just a beginning. In January they were everywhere and a few Hoary Redpolls joined them. Brewer's Blackbirds, almost never reported on Maryland CBCs, surprised observers on four counts. Other surprise birds include a Grasshopper Sparrow on Liberty Reservoir by Wayne Klock- ner, a Western Tanager at Triadelphia Reservoir by Elwood Martin, a Northern Oriole on Washington County (many observers), an Indigo Bunting on Point Lookout by Mark Hofflnan, and a Least Bittern on Crisfield by Danny Bystrak. Now for the bad news, probably a result of the severe winter of 1976-77. Both kinglets continued to set new lows; this occurred on five counts for each species. Carolina Wren populations declined below pre- vious lows on eleven counts. Lows for the Belted Kingfisher were re- corded on four counts. While only one count set a new low for the Eastern Bluebird, total numbers continue to decline. The low number of duck species in some areas may be more a result of the frozen water than a decline in numbers. What effect the second consecutive extreme cold winter had following the CBC will not be apparent until the 1978-79 season. Observers at Seneca, St. Michaels and Catoctin Mountain will prob- ably talk about the heavy, continuous rains for years to come. What was amazing was that 96 tried and true observers counted at Seneca. Although individual counts of birds were down, knocking Seneca out of national contention, the species count was good and included two new ones. 86 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol. 34, No. 2 Table 1. Maryland Christmas Ocean Cris- So. St. Lower Salis- Den- Elk- Species City field Dorch. Mich. Kent bury ton ton Common Loon ^5 2 1 1 Red-throated Loon 123 loon sp. Horned Grebe 51 19 4 10 1 Pied-billed Grebe 8 3 2 1 1 6 Northern Gannet ■ 2 Great Cormorant 1 Double-cr . Cormorant 9 Great Blue Heron 59 45 93 16 16 18 8 11 Green Heron 1 * Great Egret 1 1 1 Snowy Egret 1 Louisiana Heron 3 3 2 Black-cr. Nt. Heron 1 13 4 Least Bittern 1 Am. Bittern 1* 1 4 Glossy Ibis 4 1 Mute Swan 4 1 35 2 Whistling Swan 142 106 1075 2893 2525 225 2820 5 Canada Goose 20875 1707 20790 60021 78659 3995 8826 12000 Brant 1555 Snow Goose 14830 8 49 2 4 7 Mallard 983 241 780 786 l4ll 300 181 287 Am. Black Duck 1250 526 563 134 64 58 12 Gadwall 7 1 3 Com. Pintail 25 2 50 12 94 11 8 Green-winged Teal 10 36 2 1 2 Blue-winged Teal 3 Am. Wigeon 12 1 4 2 28 2 N . Shoveler 1 1 1 Wood Duck 2 9 2 12 4 Redhead 8 1 8 9 10 Ring-necked Duck 9 5 29 6 Canvasback 15 949 287 1076 292 234 Greater Scaup 44 242 31 1 151 scaup sp. 63 45 28 47 13 4 Lesser Scaup 66 88 32 360 642 13 Common Goldeneye 69 138 65 39 35 6 1 Bufflehead 535 437 109 322 49 4 * Old squaw 340 288 7 1197 35 * King Eider 1 White-winged Scoter 18 1515 11 Surf Scoter 26 519 l4 « Black Scoter 27 20 75 5 Ruddy Duck 2 8 « 107 106 2 5 Hooded Merganser 9 5 23 24 1 Common Merganser 6 2 3 19 650 Red-br. Merganser 93 12 13 10 8 Turkey Vulture 675 661 134 86 99 357 291 50 Black Vulture 26 28 28 10 9 21 8 June 1978 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 87 Bird Count, 1977-1978 Point Anna- Ac co- Bo- Rock Sen- Tria- Balt- Liber . Cat- Wash. Alleg. Garr . Look. polis keek vie Run eca delph imore Res . octin Co. Co. Co. 5 1 1 « # 1 62 5 2 3 3 * 2 * 2 4 1 2 1 3 3 9 48 42 1 23 7 21 1 3 * 1 12 8 1 1 2 1 1812 556 11 16 178 22 23 1 1484 5167 350 1794 5279 90 1798 2044 222 4 1 1 1 153 1390 14 225 47 239 642 451 368 68 579 138 it 76 21 4 160 150 58 82 223 90 184 5 128 21 3 3 3 10 2 2 9 7 1 4 4 1 2 27 5 1 2 1 2 27 15 15 27 7 3 4 1 1 11 2 11 * 3 5 2 2 70 1 1 1 * 1 65 24 140 28 8 1 1529 9049 80 18 2 # « « 469 1508 3 1 376 444 33 118 353 400 13 1 31 25 6 3 * 670 1574 4 15 11 15 1 1 659 253 125 26 46 1 1 2417 1186 7 3 4 • 729 21 274 974 87 18 317 89 6 5 * 5 40 29 4 9 9 19 2 2 18 20 9 17 i4 44 39 89 6 5 25 12 1 * 1393 3 1 88 30 94 76 108 173 2 83 31 5 1 3 L. 4 84 52 88 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol . 3**, No. 2 Table 1. Maryland Christmas Bird Ocean Cris- So. St. Lower Salis- Den- Elk- Species City field Dorch. Mich. Kent bury ton ton Goshawk 1 Sharp- shinned Hawk 18 7 8 7 2 5 1 Cooper's Hawk 3 1 Red-tailed Hawk 60 21 34 5 21 20 5 30 Red-shouldered Hawk 17 3 18 1 9 4 9 Rough-legged Hawk 1 6 21 2 Golden Eagle * 1 Bald Eagle 3 38 * * 1 Marsh Hawk 34 56 98 1 5 18 12 7 Peregrine Falcon 1 Merlin 2 1 Peregrine /Merlin sp. Am. Kestrel 89 62 38 53 32 82 64 36 Ruffed Grouse Com. Bobwhite 244 81 222 90 43 117 76 33 Ring-necked Fheasant * 1 Wild Turkey Sandhill Crane King Rail 3 Clapper Rail 3 2 Virginia Rail 2 20 2 3 Sora 1 1 Am. Coot 35 12 1 3 2 Am. Oystercatcher 8 Semipal mated Plover 1 Killdeer 191 49 42 1 1 16 1 2 Black-bellied Plover 284 12 Marbled Godwit 1 Greater Yellowlegs 2 2 23 1 Lesser Yellowlegs 1 4 Willet 2 Ruddy Turnstone 96 Am. Woodcock 12 1 4 3 1 Common Snipe 38 35 44 2 11 1 1 Red Knot 1 Sanderling 39T 3 Western Sandpiper 43 50 peep sp. 1 Purple Sandpiper 82 Dunlin 793 162 90 Iceland Gull Gr. Blk. -backed Gull 86 26 33 14 59 8 3 70 Lesser Blk-backed Gull Herring Gull 2672 946 226 473 345 850 4 450 Ring-billed Gull 1740 443 353 1871 722 957 195 400 Laughing Gull 3 * Bonaparte's Gull 257 6 1 Forster's Tern 8 Rock Dove 121 99 18 71 150 82 198 259 Mourning Dove 1105 565 -35g- 367 285 645 407 256 June 1978 MARYLAND BIRD LIFE 89 Count, 1977-1978 (continued) Point Anna- Ac co- Bo- ' Rock Sen- Tria- Balt- Liber . Cat- Wash . Alleg. Garr . Look. polis keek vie Run eca delph imore Res . octin Co. Co. Co. 1 1 5 11 12 3 h 8 1 4 3 3 2 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 2 * 32 28 1 53 11 45 18 36 50 l4 30 10 10 ■ Ik 23 3 90 1 22 51 13 20 2 1 2 1 1 2 6 3 1 11 3 8 9 17 1 1 # 2 7 * 3 l 1 1 4l 35 1 54 37 53 42 47 39 32 30 14 10 1 2 39 56 252 2 95 28 57 74 13 79 26 20 23 3 19 4o 36 17 2 2 3 1 161 2 * 58 23 2 20 38 3 IS 9 16 10 3 6 2 6 3 2 7 5 3 1 2 1 60 171 10 3 1 123 1 4 * 886 2522 7 1781 203 43 38 403 53 2511 2374 55 3303 517 231 139 1140 91 1 18 17 1 1 60 1311 626 392 280 644 1501 1207 397 893 1U7 116 618 976 7 1211 162 1302 1019 685 1059 285 372 32 11 90 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol. 34, No. 2 Table 1. Maryland Christmas Bird Ocean Cris- So. St. Lower Sails- Den- Elk- Species City field Dorch. Mich. Kent bury ton ton Barn Owl 1 1 2 1 1 Screech Owl 100 3l* 19 3 16 9 1 Great Horned Owl 45 27 21 3 6 8 7 1 Barred Owl 5 1 1 1 2 1 Lons- eared Owl Short-eared Owl T 1* 7 Saw-whet Owl 1 Belted Kingfisher 22 30 23 8 17 9 4 Common Flicker 22T 73 122 42 28 109 70 22 Pileated Woodpecker 34 7 23 1 1 Red-bell. Woodpecker 123 Ul 34 42 23 49 28 35 Red-headed Woodpecker 2 Yellow-bell .Sapsucker 10 4 13 3 2 Hairy Woodpecker 67 13 22 9 1 8 7 15 Downy Woodpecker 150 82 114 21 13 48 27 53 Eastern Phoebe 3 * Horned Lark 79 2 30 5 6 72 Tree Swallow 1 2 Blue Jay 196 58 64 24l 60 229 290 147 Common Raven Am . Crow 152 731 470 1402 47 1*99 204 236 Fish Crow 3 399 326 84 4 5 5 Blk. -capped Chickadee 4 Carolina Chickadee 4l4 219 222 288 63 ' 157 106 140 Tufted Titmouse 151 33 54 94 12 61 53 71 White-br. Nuthatch 33 3 15 23 17 2 10 37 Red-breasted Nuthatch 27 5 1 36 10 16 23 11 Brown-headed Nuthatch 2 9 68 1*5 2 Brown Creeper 28 10 26 1 1 9 6 7 House Wren 1 1 Winter Wren 22 8 — r 1 Carolina Wren 216 104 102 30 6 51 13 12 Marsh Wren 3 11 14 Sedge Wren 5 7 7 N. Mockingbird l4o 53 68 111 42 98 63 64 Gray Catbird 16 7 3 1 3 Brown Thrasher 21 18 3 7 6 3 Am. Robin 17975 4l8 433 150 5 498 316 75 Hermit Thrush 25 29 36 2 2 16 11 Eastern Bluebird 36 9 13 * 5 32 55 7 Golden-cr. Kinglet 39 21 26 T 21 3 7 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 6 7 17 5 10 1 5 Water Pipit 950 76 5 350 Cedar Waxwing 131 2 75 63 216 103 8 Loggerhead Shrike 2 3 1 European Starling 15131* 1916 1013 3605 1215 2763 2275 2893 Orange-cr. Warbler 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler 2181* 1725 2207 98 9 177 * 9 Pine Warbler 19 7 5 3 3 1 Palm Warbler 7 1 June 1978 MARYLAND BIRD LIFE 91 Count, 1977-1978 (continued) Point Anna- Ac co- Bo- ■ Rock Sen- Tria- Balt- Liber , . Cat- Wash. Alleg. Garr . Look. polis keek vie Run eca delph imore Res. octin Co. Co. Co. 1 1 3 1 2 1 2 25 6 8 6 12 37 3 5 6 7 16 11 2 2 4 3 9 2 5 3 3 16 11 13 3 9 6 2 4 1 2 3 l 9 36 2 18 11 21 12 l4 16 11 15 9 15 242 10 225 24 119 88 29 76 7 8 21 1 12 45 32 16 4 11 1 24 14 7 61 348 10 310 18 179 147 92 129 39 22 49 2 2 1 1 1 9 2 2 4 1 1 l 16 7 20 1 16 8 6 6 2 l 8 81 1 68 12 16 46 29 31 11 13 20 29 37 423 7 316 10 222 178 191 190 52 78 93 106 1 1 500 15 3 20 6 171 50 58 42 25 691 20 825 271 553 589 443 475 132 176 375 288 8 55T 1197 30 2