ISSN 0147 9725 ^Buftatin of tfte cA^axyfancl Oznitfiol ogtcaf Society , Dnc. JUNE 1983 VOLUME 39 NUMBER 2 MARYLAND ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY, INC Cylburn Mansion, 4915 Greenspring Ave., Baltimore, Maryland 21209 STATE OFFICERS FOR MAY 1983 TO JUNE 1984 EXECUTIVE COUNCIL President: Martha Chestem, 10850 Faulkner Rdg Cr, Columbia 21044 739-1527 Vice Pres.: CDR Anthony White, 5872 Marbury Rd., Bethesda 20817 229-1641 Treasurer: Richard Cleveland, 19108 N. Pike Cr. PI, Gaithersburg 926-7109 Secretary: Helen Ford, 408 Beach Drive, Annapolis 21403 267-8417 Exec. Secy: Mary Love, 10735 Cordage Walk, Columbia 21044 596-3148 Past Pres.: John Cullom, 437 Paradise Avenue, Baltimore 21228 747-5870 STATE DIRECTORS Allegany: ’Robert Paterson Howard: ’Jane H. Farrell Robert Hiegel Joseph B. Byrnes Kendrick Y. Hodgdon Roy Trudel Paul Zucker Anne Arundel: ’Dorothy Mumford Emily Joyce Kent: ’Stephen B. Hitchner Gary Van Velsir Margaret Duncan Baltimore: ’Robert F. Ringler Montgomery: ’Paul O’Brien John Cullom Margaret Donnald John Eckard Philip A. DuMont Edwin Gosnell Lola Oberman Eleanor Jones Robert Lyon Patuxent: •Virginia Kuykendall Jane Myzur Chandler S. Robbins Jean Worthley Talbot •Terry Allen Caroline ’Steve Westre Lucille Spain Marianna Nuttle Kathleen Trevor Carroll: ’William D. Ellis Washington ’Mary Corderman Robert Rasa Robert Keedy Alberta Thurmond Frederick: ’David H. Wallace Norman Chamberlin Wicomico: ’Chester J. Ross Lee Meinersmann Harford: ’Kermit Updegrove Joyce Sherman Sarah Standiford •Denotes Chapter President Active Membership (adults) 5.00 plus local chapter dues Student Membership (fulMime students) 2.00 plus local chapter dues Junior Membership (under 18 years) 1.00 plus local chapter dues Family Membership (Mr. & Mrs.) 6.00 plus local chapter dues Sustaining Membership 10.00 plus local chapter dues Life Membership 200.00 (4 annual installments) Member-at-Large 5.00 Cover: Red-tailed Hawk. Drawing by Jon E. Boone MARYLAND BIRPLIFE VOLUME 39 JUNE 1983 NUMBER 2 STATE- WIDE BIRD COUNT, MAY 7, 1983. James Stasz The 35th annual “Bird Day” was blessed by the best weather in a number of years. Morning lows ranged from 40°F in the western part of the State to 50°F on the Lower Eastern Shore; by late afternoon the entire state reached the low 80's. One observer found a few clouds, no one reported precipitation, and a couple complained about the warmth. Afternoon southwest winds caused problems for those observers who traditionally put in a full day. For the 5th time every county in Maryland had some coverage, and for the first time the District of Columbia is included in the report. The 373 observers in 184 parties traveled a total of 1282 hours (including 942 on foot, 322 by car, 14 by boat) covering a cumulative 4624 miles (662 foot, 3921 car, 27 boat); 233 species (plus 2 hybrids) were found among the 142,385 individual birds. This year I am breaking from the tradition of including a chart ranking the. counties from highest to lowest. Not only is the same information obtained by checking the summary table, but also it is a source of embarrassment for the counties on the tail end of the list. Of note, however, is the total for the highest county list: Baltimore with 158 is far below the record of 200 it had a few years ago. In part this can be explained by the lateness of the Count; most of the waterfowl had departed from Chesapeake Bay. For the past few counts I tabulated the “equitability" of species, but this year, due to the great uneveness in coverage, I will dispense with that chart also. Only 19 species were found in all 23 counties, with an additional 16 species in 22 counties; this is far below an expected 50 species common to all counties. Twenty-seven species were reported from only one county, and 18 from only 2 counties. Three species were added to the May Count list, at least one of which is a species which has bred in Maryland. Mary Humphreys found a male Anhinga at the trailer park ponds near Berlin. Although this species appeared on a past May Count list, no verifying details were supplied for this rare vagrant. The 1983 bird was found again the next day and photographed; details of this sighting will appear in a future issue. Jeff Effinger did not have a camera, but sent a nice sketch of a Chukar that was spotted in Talbot County. Although probably a released bird (like Baltimore’s Ringed Turtle-Doves), it is a species that might become established; future May Counts will chart its rise. At the other end of the state, in Garrett County, Fran Pope found a Northern Saw-whet Owl; a thirty-minute tape recording was an unusual form of documentation. Other usual birds that made the list because of substantiating details from the observers include: Rough-legged Hawk (Marvin Hewitt, Caroline Co., the latest ever in Maryland), Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (Robert Paterson, Flo Giffen, Mary Twigg, Allegany Co.), Willow Flycatcher (Wayne Sieck, Montgomery Co.), Brewster’s Warbler (photographed by Richard & Barbara Johnson, Allegany Co.), Lawrence’s Warbler (David & Seth Brandes, with a nice line drawing by a third un- identified observer), and 2 Lincoln’s Sparrows (1 banded at, Adventure, Montgomery Co., and 1 seen by Paul Nistico in Charles Co. (excellent details). Not unexpected were reports of species that are rare or difficult to identify. ..and no details. I have omitted several Philadelphia Vireos, Connecticut Warblers, and 32 Vol. 39, No. 2 Table 1. Statewide Bird Count, May 7, 1983 Species Garr Alle Wash Fred Carr D.C. Mont Howa Ball Harf Cecl Common Loon 5 1 28 2 Pied billed Grebe 2 _ _ . 2 Anhinga - - - _ _ _ _ Double-cr. Cormorant - - - _ 5 _ _ 7 American Bittern — _ _ _ Least Bittern _ _ 1 Great Blue Heron 3 1 3 1 _ 1 6 4 21 7 30 Great Egret — _ _ _ 1 Snowy Egret - - _ _ _ I Little Blue Heron - 1 - - - - - _ i Tricolored Heron _ _ _ Cattle Egret - 2 1 _ . _ _ 2 c Green-backed Heron 4 10 7 7 _ 1 14 10 11 •J A Black-cr. Night Heron — _ _ _ 1 45 □ 4 7 Yellow-cr. Night Heron - - - - - - 1 5 Glossy Ibis _ _ _ 1 Tundra Swan _ _ _ _ 1 — Mute Swan _ _ 1 _ ] _ Snow Goose _ _ _ Canada Goose 17 3 8 7 4 4 122 76 5 10 283 Wood Duck 15 65 68 25 _ 4 73 10 20 1 0 Green-winged Tea! — _ _ _ _ _ 3 I L Am. Black Duck - 1 4 _ _ _ 2 1 6 Mallard 28 45 44 42 2 13 118 191 117 22 9*3 Common Pintail - 2 - - - - - LO Blue- winged Teal 1 1 5 _ Gadwall — _ _ _ _ Ring-necked Duck - 1 _ _ _ _ _ - _ Lesser Scaup 4 - _ _ _ _ 1 1 Oldsquaw - - - - - - - - Surf Scoter _ _ _ _ White-winged Scoter _ _ _ _ _ 1 Common Goldeneye _ _ _ _ _ _ Hooded Merganser 1 - 1 _ _ Common Merganser - - 1 - - - _ _ _ _ _ Red-breasted Merganser 6 _ _ _ _ _ 1 6 - 7 Ruddy Duck 3 _ _ _ _ _ 4 _ _ Black Vulture - _ 5 11 _ _ 2 41 11 4 9 Turkey Vulture 22 78 78 65 1 88 99 86 35 62 Osprey - 2 4 4 1 - 9 2 8 5 1 Bald Eagle (ad, im) _ _ _ _ _ 2.1 Northern Harrier _ _ 1 _ _ 1 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 2 2 2 _ 3 3 2 3 Cooper’s Hawk 1 2 1 _ _ _ 1 1 1 _ Red-shouldered Hawk 4 1 - 2 - - 36 35 15 2 2 Broad winged Hawk 17 17 9 1 _ _ 5 6 7 9 1 Red-tailed Hawk 4 14 4 7 \ _ 12 11 9 9 7 Rough-legged Hawk - _ _ _ American Kestrel 4 4 9 7 \ _ 4 8 10 3 9 Peregrine Falcon - - - - - - - - Chukar _ _ _ Ring-necked Pheasant - _ 6 6 2 _ 19 30 36 7 1 Ruffed Grouse 22 3 2 _ _ _ Wild Turkey 10 4 3 _ _ 4 _ Northern Bobwhite 3 1 13 - - - 32 19 18 7 29 Black Rail _ _ Clapper Rail _ _ _ King Rail - - _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Virginia Rail _ _ Sora - - _ _ _ _ _ 1 - 1 June 1983 Maryland Birdlife 33 Pr.G AnAr Calv Char Si.M Kenl QuAn Caro Talb Dorr Wico Somr Wore TOTAL Cos. 1 33 - - 2 - - 4 8 - - - 84 4 8 - 2 10 10 1 2 22 80 10 50 15 119 1 - 171 1 1 502 1 12- 1 . 3 _ _ _ _ I I 1 1 _ _ _ 5 J 3 40 IS 10 550 11 52 2 19 60 29 3 21 1 893 22 - _ - 1 _ _ 1 _ 4 18 _ 1 3 29 7 - - 3 - - _ 10 22 - 15 2 53 6 - - 2 - - - - - - - - 3 2 _ 2 _ : 8 : — S 1 155 3 57 1 10 6 259 2 12 8 16 5 6 10 4 - 6 24 5 1 16 - 177 20- - 2 - - - - - - - 8 - - - 63 5 - - - - - - - - - - - - 6 2 1 2 - - - - - - - 5 36 3 50 6 — — — — — — 1 — - - — - 2 0 - - i - - 3 4 - 5 - - - - 14 1 5 1 123 2 i 6 - 474 14 - 26 30 13 15 6 1 1250 1 20- 20 3 3 21 1 2 1 1 11 9 4 - - - 372 1 19 - 1 13 2 10 _ l _ 4 7 3 3 l 36 _ _ _ 4 77 35 51 6 33 12 465 6 5 24 86 32 25 1 70 6 1499 9 23 3 10 _ _ _ 1 1 _ 4 11 ■> _ 36 9 - - - - - - “ - 3 4 - - - 7 2 1 3 1 - - - - - - 1 - - - - 1 10 1 1 1 5 1 1 - 1 - 1 - - - - - — - 1 1 3 1 1 3 3 - - . ■> 1 - - - - - - - 7 4 10 - - 9 - - - - ■> 1 - - - 40 Q 7 I 3 1 14 2 13 1 7 42 10 _ 184 0 17 25 53 5 33 12 226 8 329 207 60 73 7 1 11 1747 23 10 22 1 27 23 52 5 5 69 24 - 7 - 281 20 1,2 2.0 2.1 3.1 2.0 4.2 - 3.2 9.5 _ - 1.0 44 9 2 1 _ _ _ _ 1 1 2 8 - 2 — 20 10 l 1 1 1 - 3 _ 1 - 3 - - - 29 15 _ 2 1 - _ 1 1 _ 2 - - - 14 11 10 10 2 8 - 2 - 0 1 1 - - 133 16 _ 2 _ _ _ 1 _ _ 3 _ 1 _ 79 13 10 3 1 8 8 7 - 21 14 2 7 6 - 165 21 2 8 1 1 - - 3 - 1 3 5 1 - — - 81 1 1 16 1 1 17 37 6 32 12 54 8 65 112 ! 48 22 52 1 110 27 21 588 9 3 4 21 _ 3 : : — — : 8 7 — 6 : 11 13 2 2 - - - - 1 - _ 2 - 5 - 11 3 - 7 - . - 13 - - 1 103 - 6 - 130 5 — 9 — _ . I _ _ _ 5 _ - — 10 5 34 Vol. 39. No. 2 Species Gair Alle Wash Fred Carr D.C. Mont Howa Balt Hart Ceel Common Moorhen American Coot _ 2 _ _ _ _ _ Black-bellied Plover _ _ _ _ _ _ Semipalmated Plover _ _ _ . . _ _ 1 _ Killdeer 32 17 20 26 1 2 6 10 21 5 5 Am Oystereatcher _ _ _ _ _ Greater Yeliowlegs ? 2 1 8 _ _ _ _ 6 _ 19 Lesser Yeliowlegs 11 1 — _ _ _ 1 10 8 _ 7 Solitary Sandpiper 12 24 2 11 1 23 16 18 6 8 Willet - - - - - - - - - Spotted Sandpiper 29 16 10 21 _ 6 27 44 48 3 6 Upland Sandpiper 4 - 2 - - - - - - - Ruddy Turnstone - — - - — — I — - Sanderling - - - - - - - Semipalm Sandpiper - 2 - - - - 2 50 - Least Sandpiper 13 - 33 - - 3 1 108 4 18 Pectoral Sandpiper - - - — - - - - 7 - - Dunlin - - — — — - — — — Short-b. Dowitcher — — _ — — - _ - Common Snipe - - 1 - - - - - - American Woodcock 3 3 _ - - 1 2 3 - 2 Laughing Gull - - - - - - - - 82 - 5 Bonaparte's Gull - - - — - — — — - Ring-billed Gull 4 — — — — 20 — 4 646 56 1.86 Herring Gull 1 2 - - - - - 3 60 - 12 Gt. Black-backed Gull _ _ _ _ _ 1 _ _ 15 16 1 Caspian Tern - - - - - - - - 3 - - Royal Tern — - - — - - - — — — Common Tern — — — — — — — — - — — Forster’s Tern - - - - - - - - - - Least Tern _ _ _ _ 5 - - Rock Dove 44 107 128 147 2 80 265 191 307 50 92 Ringed Turtle Dove - - - - - - - - 1 - - Mourning Dove 73 127 137 68 8 5 187 273 306 43 63 Black-billed Cuckoo 1 3 4 - - - 2 2 - - 1 Yellow-billed Cuckoo 2 10 16 3 1 17 3 5 2 11 Common Barn-Owl _ _ _ _ _ _ . 1 - 1 Eastern Screech-Owl _ 1 3 _ _ _ 1 1 8 Great Horned Owl 1 1 1 2 _ _ 1 1 3 23 Barred Owl 2 1 1 2 - - 10 10 1 - 17 Northern Saw-whet Owl 1 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ - - Common Nighthawk - 6 1 - - - 2 - 1 - 1 Chuck-will's- widow - - 2 . _ _ _ _ - — Whip-poor-will 5 6 12 1 - - 9 - 10 Chimney Swift 32 96 147 155 5 4 11-1 83 98 55 27 Ruby-thr. Hummingbird 6 12 10 4 - - 20 21 13 5 7 Belted Kingfisher 15 7 6 8 1 15 12 11 5 7 Red headed Woodpecker 2 — 3 1 — — — 1 2 — — Red-bellied Woodpecker 8 35 64 46 3 4 154 111 82 25 50 Yellow-bell. Sapsucker - 1 1 - - - - - - - Downy Woodpecker 35 69 68 22 1 5 79 75 59 7 26 Hairy Woodpecker 12 13 16 3 - - 15 8 10 - 6 Northern Flicker 34 47 94 27 2 5 72 61 61 22 38 Pileated Woodpecker 2 28 29 7 - 2 26 7 3 2 - Eastern Wood-Pewee 6 18 6 28 1 - 41 26 10 8 12 Yellow-bell. Flycatcher 1 _ - - - - - - Acadian Flycatcher 3 13 23 11 - 84 49 13 10 9 Willow Flycatcher — - — — 1 — — — Least Flycatcher 8 1 4 - — - 2 1 - Eastern Phoebe 27 59 49 35 - 1 44 37 44 5 16 Eastern Kingbird 14 16 54 28 2 1 111 68 50 25 23 Great Crested Flycatcher 24 36 52 12 7 66 15 11 2 16 Horned Lark 2 — 23 - — ■ 1 1 2 2 Purple Martin 60 - 57 29 - - 15 32 84 14 24 Tree Swallow 79 32 41 26 - - 91 49 19 15 30 ££ i June 1983 Maryland Birdlife 35 Pr.G AnAr Calv Chas St.M 9 2 6 7-53 27 1 - 1 36 2 - 1 56 - 14 2 1 3 68 22 12 19 4 2 - - - 70 1 8 6 18-2 - 2239 15 16 170 6 1516 13 185 23 - 438 - 1 24 _ 23 _ 1 _ 2 - - 2 2 9 195-6 69 146 20 118 48 3 1-71 12-2 3 1-1 10 - - 7 2 1 2 46 7 4 1 22 11 1 8 3 7 7 15 21 4 1 8 2 78 17 10 1 82 2 41 3 55 7 14 4 1 6 38 18 24 10 14 1 2 7 2 2 2 4 3 3 1 47 1 10 33 10 8 2 49 31 3 12 4 30 20 17 27 7 37 1 23 7 1 1 12 2 2 1 2 11 4 9 1 Kent QuAn Caro Talb Dorr Wico Somr Wore TOTAL Cos. - - - - 4 - — _ 4 1 - - - - - - - - 11 2 1 5 20 3 _ 28 46 _ I 2 98 7 - 19 19 6 13 8 5 243 21 + 10 2 59 35 2 27 3 20 1 2 229 1 17 5 _ 34 6 3 12 13 _ 150 15 3 — 6 11 - 19 1 3 191 19 + - - 1 34 - 51 3 93 6 8 1 7 8 1 1 2 8 - - 369 7 A 20 + 3 Q 9 _ 27 1 9 33 3 - 12 - H 9 216 0 1 10 164 4 13 96 350 135 26 _ 966 15 2 — — 2 _ - 3 — 20 5 2 - . 5 500 _ 132 - 639 4 1 - 1 - 1 - 3 - 4 4 2 4 3 _ 5 9 6 48 13 73 29 1009 2357 450 o 86 186 45 6762 2 14 1 318 4 15 48 £. 45 2 6 _ 3067 1 18 262 12 - 6 325 1 6 - 1155 14 35 - - 4 4 - 2 - 100 9 8 + 4 2 - - - 145 3 - 2 147 4 1 2 2 _ 27 _ 34 3 58 - 211 42 5 12 - 4 2255 1 19 ^ 1 171 13 118 1 111 36 29 22 2 1 2195 14 1 23 7 11 1 12 8 13 11 5 _ 143 20 1 - — 1 4 - - — 8 5 6 - 2 16 2 - - - 45 12 14 2 2 14 7 - 3 - 80 17 6 1 7 5 2 - - - 82 15 _ I 2 I : 1 1 18 1 10 9 - 2 36 8 - - - 67 8 5 - 12 4 5 1 - - 84 14 146 - 63 181 22 70 10 6 1506 22 - 19 1 10 21 3 6 3 _ 203 21 1 - 9 4 1 2 1 - 130 20* — — — — 5 2 — — 21 11 33 3 43 60 13 12 1 - 919 22* 1 - - 1 - - - - 6 5 17 6 12 36 8 11 9 1 631 22 * 2 1 4 9 1 - 1 - 108 17 33 1 18 55 12 13 15 — 689 22 - - 1 9 2 3 4 1 - 142 18 * 17 - 31. 25 5 6 11 - 304 20 6 3 22 5 1 5 - - 1 293 1 1 20 1 1 6 2 29 9 _ 3 _ O QO - Wood Thrush 37 35 65 44 1 4 90 172 86 27 74 American Robin 286 357 182 227 16 10 212 542 549 132 298 Gray Catbird 127 94 113 96 IS 8 328 399 187 41 57 Northern Mockingbird - 41 46 61 1 3 118 179 105 37 51 Brown Thrasher 18 44 71 13 4 1 18 44 16 5 26 Water Pipit _ 6 _ _ __ _ __ 5 Cedar Wax wing - 7 117 12 5 47 118 35 106 20 17 Loggerhead Shrike 1 - - - - - - - - European Starling 195 276 224 410 50 62 1016 925 930 215 190 White-eyed Vireo 2 8 20 6 1 3 79 159 82 33 54 Solitary Vireo 8 1 1 _ 5 1 5 _ 2 Yellow-throated Vireo 1 12 6 3 1 25 26 10 2 7 Warbling Vireo - 5 59 4 ! - 31 6 10 6 Philadelphia Vireo - 1 - 1 - - - - - - Red-eyed Vireo 20 100 96 40 - 13 227 IS 2 107 44 108 Blue-winged Warbler 1 _ 3 2 _ 1 10 16 15 2 9 Golden-winged Warbler 25 16 4 - - - - _ - _ _ Brewster’s hybrid - 1 - - _ - - - _ Lawrence's hybrid 1 _ — — _ _ — _ _ Tennessee Warbler 1 1 3 1 - 4 14 8 3 1 Nashville Warbler 9 _ 12 _ _ _ 4 3 5 1 _ Northern Parula 17 13 24 8 3 126 82 33 15 27 Yellow Warbler 86 73 32 20 1 2 53 76 69 28 36 Chestnut-sided Warbler 70 4 7 - _ 1 10 7 4 1 3 Magnolia Warbler 16 10 3 - - 1 7 5 4 3 - Cape May Warbler 14 2 3 _ _ _ 22 9 3 1 1 Black-thr. Blue Warbler 28 _ 1 a 1 2 13 12 12 1 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler 77 42 51 25 7 66 394 258 107 49 80 Blk-thr. Green Warbler 83 3 7 — _ 4 11 6 13 6 Blackburnian Warbler 10 3 6 1 - - 2 3 1 1 Yellow-throated Warbler _ 3 12 1 _ _ 11 1 2 _ Pine Warbler _ 27 4 1 _ _ 1 1 4 _ 2 Prairie Warbler 4 27 30 _ _ _ 65 44 33 17 29 Palm Warbler - _ _ _ _ _ 2 _ _ _ _ Bay-breasted Warbler I - 1 - - - 1 1 - Blackpoll Warbler _ _ 2 _ 9 27 17 3 1 1 1 Cerulean Warbler i 19 31 5 _ 14 5 3 11 8 Black~&-white Warbler 10 4 3 _ 1 3 18 24 36 8 13 American Redstart 52 12 42 10 1 2 72 82 34 7 17 Prothonotary Warbler - - 7 6 - - 37 1 2 June 1983 Maryland Birdlife 37 Pr.O AnAr Calv Chas St.M. 19 37 _ 42 _ 2 26 - - 3 _ . — — — 90 415 22 279 85 191 1604 171 102 31 83 395 11 157 52 21 34 - 15 1 _ _ 30 187 8 92 38 26 122 4 120 25 2 - 7 - 1 1 56 3 33 15 9 47 1 1 - l 7 1 - 3 2 17 1 29 8 71 6 48 7 2 56 26 7 10 1 - 7 - 3 1 12 1 1 6 26 75 4 50 9 41 330 38 147 43 SI 129 6 34 6 31 132 11 67 43 6 31 - 22 7 10 9 - 30 1 161 761 53 343 111 39 63 5 71 15 1 8 1 1 1 1 8 46 118 1 21 177 1 11 3 23 1 1 30 2 66 5 17 21 3 19 2 _ _ 2 8 3 - - - 1 4 6 - 1 - 43 204 1 101 60 2 2 - 3 - 3 _ 1 1 3 4 _ 17 5 14 36 1 46 13 9 1 1 9 - 11 16 1 2 21 I 1 32 2 18 12 _ 12 9 1 - - 8 2 Kent UuAn Caro Talb Dorc 13 2 13 13 2 53 - 10 - 4 107 29 238 461 335 60 15 134 137 14 80 8 167 235 35 28 10 24 153 25 61 14 104 146 23 45 1 107 151 18 _ I 2 J 1 _ - : 3 1 4 i5 10 27 76 17 43 3 25 16 15 6 1 2 4 40 3 1 2 - 81 1 1 1 85 1 7 1 2 1 43 1 14 7 1 1 94 2 SO 2 1 204 17 900 11 263 532 110 56 13 28 29 13 44 6 90 84 14 24 1 37 22 5 27 - 30 19 59 393 24 1014 221 200 52 5 38 46 15 9 _ 3 1 6 3 1 4 1 - 82 6 1 6 72 120 27 1 1 - 1 2 - 19 2 14 46 5 127 8 5 6 31 6 - - 2 - 6 — 3 " — 1 4 - 1 2 1 - 115 12 46 165 40 7 6 - 1 4 1 1 6 1 _ 8 4 10 2 14 66 62 9 10 3 6 1 1 9 t 1 3 5 o - l 17 3 7 C- 13 9 18 - 3 7 2 8 2 35 9 7 Wico Somr Wore TOTAL Cos. 2 _ 402 18 + - - - 186 14 - - - 91 5 70 54 21 3577 23 + 44 19 2 6777 23 + 57 52 3 3459 23 + 54 21 - 766 19 + — - — 9 4 - — _ 283 5 44 39 2 1624 21 + 37 4 1 1707 23 + — _ - 2 2 2 - _ 180 14 + 1 3 - 11 4 2 1 - 20 9 28 43 2 619 21 + 9 34 - 958 21 + - 56 _ 146 13 - - - 74 14 23 4 - 1259 21 1 33 2 604 23 - - 160 16 + — _ - 5 4 + - - - 147 14 + - - - 23 7 26 8 _ 1230 22 + 190 76 6 5498 23 + 24 41 1 1899 23 + 30 40 6 1242 22 + 9 15 1 440 22 + _ - 11 2 19 23 - 711 1 19 + \ 900 120 26 1 8820 1 23 + 50 35 - 881 22 + _ _ _ 37 11 2 — - 124 17 + - - - 128 12 — — - 2 2 31 9 - 1657 21 + _ - 67 11 + - - ■ 46 1 4 1 _ — _ 1 41 1 11 + _ _ _ 39 10 5 - - 565 20 + 1 34 2 745 23 + - - - 119 12 + - - - 69 11 + _ _ 61 11 — — - 91 15 - 22 3 - 1968 22- - - - 153 14 + - - - 34 10 11 _ _ 65 14 32 30 - 285 IS 33 21 - 439 19 - — — 5 2 - - - 6 6 2 2 _ 137 16 - - - - 102 13 22 1 — 249 20 + 1 - _ 413 19 - 15 - - 140 14 + 38 Vol. 39, No. 2 Species Carr Alle Wash Fred Carr D.C. Mont Ilnwa Ball Harf CecI Worm-eating Warbler _ 23 13 2 _ _ 4 8 7 _ 3 Ovenbird 66 12 9 23 1 3 31 93 47 1 30 Northern Walerthrush — 5 9 4 _ . 19 4 10 1 3 Louisiana Waterthrush 3 30 45 9 _ _ 28 18 8 3 6 Kentucky Warbler - 1 6 2 - - 7 35 16 4 14 Common Yellowthroat 135 59 22 36 6 1 154 194 164 47 82 Hooded Warbler 5 4 4 _ _ _ 3 26 13 _ 2 Wilson's Warbler 1 _ 4 _ _ 2 2 _ _ Canada Warbler 10 _ _ 1 _ _ 3 1 _ 1 Yellow breasted Chat - 23 25 4 - - 39 46 10 6 17 Summer Tanager - - _ _ _ 1 _ _ _ _ Scarlet Tanager 27 38 26 28 - 9 60 68 35 18 23 Northern Cardinal 88 205 233 153 15 12 578 438 274 66 131 Rose-breasted Grosbeak 38 23 45 13 5 2 61 36 25 3 10 Blue Grosbeak - - 3 - - - 1 2 1 1 7 Indigo Bunting 24 85 74 30 5 166 91 55 23 32 Rufous-sided Towhee 182 118 66 55 6 3 157 216 136 19 46 Chipping Sparrow 266 166 92 45 - 2 29 67 60 21 49 Field Sparrow 63 49 63 26 9 — 103 55 44 13 42 Vesper Sparrow 2 - 18 2 - - 3 4 - - Savannah Sparrow 13 2 _ 4 _ _ 2 20 1 1 Grasshopper Sparrow 1 5 40 9 3 ■ 7 26 1 1 2 Henslow’s Sparrow - - — - - - - - - - Sharp-tailed Sparrow - - - - - - - - - Seaside Sparrow - - - - - - - - - Song Sparrow 241 85 109 155 2 8 195 189 189 26 54 Lincoln's Sparrow - - - - - 1 - - - Swamp Sparrow 27 7 2 2 - - 12 6 25 1 7 White-throated Sparrow 41 102 78 48 8 6 173 122 66 33 28 White-crowned Sparrow 4 11 6 11 - - 2 1 1 1 - Dark-eyed J unco 8 3 3 - - _ _ _ _ 2 1 Bobolink 52 5 46 — — 24 618 347 87 57 Eastern Meadowlark 55 -13 48 67 - - 16 56 22 7 17 Red-winged Blackbird 334 246 118 326 10 5 256 492 761 61 207 Rusty Blackbird - 1 2 - - - - - - - 3 Boat-tailed Grackle _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Common Grackle 309 328 438 419 20 13 522 604 557 196 559 Brown-headed Cowbird 95 98 106 100 10 1 177 232 86 44 72 Orchard Oriole - 5 17 6 1 - 26 7 4 6 18 Northern Oriole 25 48 108 36 5 4 82 52 69 23 25 Purple Finch 27 50 308 52 _ _ 4 31 10 2 1 House Finch 32 86 51 29 — 8 24 51 85 10 23 Pine Siskin - - 2 - - - - - - - American Goldfinch 283 341 543 294 11 40 1725 470 645 112 69 House Sparrow 141 112 226 266 20 75 137 190 502 26 85 Total Species 131 140 150 122 55 76 137 138 158 121 139 Total Individuals 5594 5709 7009 5171 337 782 13214 12316 11761 2832 4809 Coverage and Weather Party-hours: fool 75 52 42 40 5 6 108 133 98 13 43 car 35 21 16 12 0 0 10 21 12 13 17 boat 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 other 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 total 110 74 61 52 5 6 118 154 no 26 60 Party-miles: foot 67 37 38 26 2 4 103 105 60 15 17 car 409 141 193 194 0 0 148 290 172 132 206 boat 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 other 2 0 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 total 478 178 240 220 2 4 251 395 232 147 223 Starting Time 0500 0500 0500 0530 0730 0630 0600 0330 0530 0430 0115 Ending Time 2200 1930 2000 2100 1130 1400 1640 2115 2100 1600 2200 Total Observers 22 29 21 13 4 2 48 52 29 20 8 Total Parties 12 16 9 7 1 1 24 22 17 3 6 June 1983 Maryland Birdlife 39 I’r.C AnAr Calv Chas St.M Kent QuAn 5 - - 5 _ 3 _ 19 41 5 49 4 20 - - 2 — 1 — 1 _ 4 2 1 16 - 2 _ 2 3 3 14 - S 110 132 178 9 54 17 87 20 7 22 7 17 - - - 13 38 3 33 1 15 5 1 16 37 2 5 36 2 14 _ 72 334 A 5f- 147 1 54 271 33 6 16 3 4 9 12 9 6 o 35 1 74 9 17 2 36 118 5 47 5 53 15 27 69 5 78 23 48 2 19 113 1 48 11 71 4 3 1 37 2 1 1 17 5 - 9 4 1 7 1 32 109 15 20 I 8 25 1 I 3 _ 1 1 _ 5 _ 27 83 3 51 24 29 20 - 1 - - - 6 - 2 110 399 — _ 1 1 _ 9 7 5 16 26 17 - 292 653 46 363 155 1111 61 - - - - 10 5 - 208 438 35 483 214 1333 48 17 72 28 66 19 112 16 10 15 4 5 16 22 2 5 16 - 8 - 26 - 1 6 _ _ _ 5 _ 6 28 o 7 - 64 - 112 383 40 133 14 167 14 41 269 50 124 34 141 - 131 150 81 124 94 152 89 3223 13891 902 5647 1799 9764 633 30 65 6 30 36 18 8 6 12 0 27 4 26 0 9 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 45 77 8 57 40 44 8 24 30 3 18 15 12 6 47 124 0 288 74 308 ■j 20 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 91 154 7 306 89 320 8 0515 0400 0630 0530 0530 0200 0530 2015 2030 1300 1900 2030 1800 1330 9 23 2 15 5 9 2 5 8 2 7 4 5 Talb Do re Wico Somr Wore TOTAL Cos. 13 4 15 _ _ 111 14 45 23 48 34 1 667 22 - 1 1 _ _ _ 62 14 3 - o - - 185 17 13 - 3 1 - 152 17 74 75 47 no o 1651 23 - 1 - 5 - - 117 14 — — — — — 9 4 — — _ _ 16 5 7 14 2 2 - 322 20 10 8 2 _ 39 7 23 4 47 — 543 19 - 200 35 40 78 ; 3724 23 * 5 — - — _ 278 14 - 29 13 7 - - 148 17 * 30 5 8 6 _ 822 21 - 78 22 34 41 — 1546 ■» _ 23 7 7 13 _ 823 22 3 1 - - - 52 13 - - - - - 38 7 9 ■ 2 o _ o 102 17 4 4 - - 162 19 - 5 - - 5 1 1 5 - 60 - 104 - 166 3 37 3 19 43 - 1579 ■> ■H . ■1 2 4 - - - 104 14 38 6 14 8 1 1090 23* 3 1 - - - 52 13 _ _ _ _ 20 7 121 45 - 1 - 2041 15 39 33 2 22 3 521 >1 * 540 750 300 187 11 7715 23 f - - - - - 21 5 _ 6 _ 12 3 21 3 3059 600 1200 190 29 13213 23 - 337 110 263 84 11 2397 23 + 75 35 10 11 - 347 21 8 1 4 - - 582 19 -t- 1 _ 4 _ _ 502 14 12 - 3 - - 543 17 * _ — — — 2 1 293 17 11 25 7 5919 23 ■+■ 405 30 81 19 10 3524 22 + 154 147 102 99 47 233 13313 6141 4724 3043 285 142385 38 12 15 22 3 942 23 8 13 11 5 322 0 0 0 2 0 14 0 0 0 0 0 4 61 20 28 35 8 1282 24 2 12 IS 0 663 389 1SS 110 75 30 3921 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 13 413 190 122 95 30 4624 0301 0000 0545 0530 0700 0000 1940 2030 2000 2030 1500 2200 12 1 11 5 1 373 Caro 3 62 1 5 19 46 1 19 12 30 213 4 23 48 88 40 4 5 ■> 16 14 81 4 125 11 430 1411 241 52 35 22 170 540 128 9426 43 30 1 1 75 25 401 1 2 429 0130 2130 30 17 1 3 40 Vol.39, No. 2 a Bewick’s Wren. A Long-eared Owl reported from Talbot County almost made the list as well as a report of a singing Bachman’s Sparrow from the same area; although attempts were made to corroborate these two finds and the initial details satisfactory, I chose the path of caution and left them off the main list. In this “almost good" category is a report of a “Spotted" Towhee from Washington County. This year’s count was the first of five that coincide with the Breeding Bird Atlas Project. Because of a late request for species “confirmed” as breeding during the count, I will not include a detailed report this year, but note the following species which were confirmed this year: Great Blue Heron, Canada Goose, Mallard, Wood Duck, Black Vulture, Red-shouldered Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk, Osprey, Peregrine Falcon, Killdeer, Woodcock, Mourning Dove, kingfisher, hummingbird, phoebe, Tree Swallow, rough-winged swallow. Barn Swallow, Purple Martin, Blue Jay, American Crow, Carolina Chickadee, titmouse, robin, bluebird, mockingbird, catbird, Loggerhead Shrike, starling, White-eyed Vireo, Warbling Vireo, Ovenbird, House Sparrow, Common Grackle, and House Finch. A special note on this year’s count comes from Garrett County: Fran Pope found an egg of a wood- cock and used this to confirm the species for the Atlas, but could not use it to add this species to the May Count List! I would like to thank each of the county compilers for their efforts in making the count tabulation easier for me. Two compilers were out of State on count day and two participated on counts they were not compiling, but did the job anyway. OBSERVERS Garrett County: David & Seth Brandes, Charlotte Folk, Mike & Sandi Gregory, Jeff & Liz Griffith, Sheila Hughes, Martha Meek, Elizabeth Peachy, Bill & Nick Pope, Fran Pope (compiler: 503 F Street, Mountain Lake Park, Md. 21550), Barbara Schrock, Connie Skipper. Sallie Thayer, Ed Thompson, John Willetts, Brad & Gary Yoder, Irene & Marvin Yoder. Allegany County: Nora Auker, Bill Devlin, Tuddy & William Eichelberger, Harvey Funk, Flo Giffen, Ken Hodgdon, Jon Jansen, Barbara & Richard Johnson, Ray Kiddy, Dorothea Malec (compiler: 36 Robinhood Drive, La Vale, Md. 21502), Mark Malec, Lamar Minnick, Mary Minnick, Paul Nazelrod, Dr. Robert Paterson, Bob Peterson, John Pfeiffer, Bob Ringler, Teresa Simons, Anne & Paul Smith, Molly Summerville, Ed Taylor, Mary Twigg, Harriet & Jim Williams. Washington County: Laura Arant, Richard & Theodore Banvard, Genevieve Beck, Dan Boone (compiler: 12123 Dove Circle, Laurel, Md. 20708), Mary Corderman. Barbara Dowell, Beulah Green, Carl Hull, Bob & Mary Keedy, Alice Mallonee, Robert Moss, Jean Neely, Nancy Pierce, Dorothy Ridenour, Doris Ruthrauff, Frank Sturgis, Mr. & Mrs. C. Webster, Petrea Williams. Frederick County: Serene Collmus, Edward & Sonia Dapper, Lalie Eskay, Ken & Carolyn Maize, William G. Meredith, Charles L. Mullican (compiler: 503 Lee Place, Frederick, Md. 21701), Linda Smith, David Wallace, Michael Welch, Phyllida Willis. Carroll County: Russell Dick (Bill Ellis: non-participating compiler: 6012 Snowdens Run Road, Sykesville, Md. 21784), Margaret Stevenson, Beulah Zander. District of Columbia: Susan Drake, Byron Swift (compiler: 1725 17th Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20009). Montgomery County: Louise Berry, Chip Bonde, Larry Bonham, Joy Bowen, Michael Bowen, Holly Carlson, Ellen & Robert Caswell, David Chatham, Grace Choy, Richard Cleve- land, Morrill Donnald, William Elliott, Denise Gibbs, Rob Gibbs, Delores Grant, Evan & Ives Hannay, Robert Hilton, Marjorie Hobdey, Les Holtschlag, Marilyn Hopkins, Vince Jones, A1 Kenneke, Ruth Klein, Stuart MacClintock, Lynn Marks, Minette McCullough, Gloria & Irving Meade, David Mehlman (compiler: 1601 E. Jefferson Street, Apt. T-3, Rockville, Md. 20852), Mieke Mehlman, Ann & Scott Mitchell, Phyllis Morrow, Lola Oberman, Ella Pfeiffer, June 1983 Maryland Birdlife 41 Marie Plante, Cecile Roth, Bill & Joy Shafer, Margaret Sickels, Wayne Sieck, Eleanor Stewart, Keith Van Ness, David & Diane Weber, Paul Woodward. Howard County: Bob Bogdan, Jon E. & Jon K. Boone, Marty Chestem, John Clegg, Carole & George Cleland, Florence Donahoo, Bob Doyle, Chuck Dupree, Jane Farrell, Aelred Geis, Anne & Ken Hart, David Holmes, Mary Janetatos, Alice & Terry Kretz, Mike Leumas, Clarence Loomis, Christopher Ludwig, Pat McAleary, Grazina & Mike McClure, Linda McDaniel, Pat Morris, Frances Nahrgang, Elaine-& Dave Pardoe, Glenda Pollack, Jan & Don Randle, Dorothy Rauth, Nan & Fred Rhinelander, Eleanor & Chandler Robbins, Irv Robinson, Jo Solem, Linda & Chuck Sirrat, Earl Strain, Eva'Sunell, Mark Wallace, Martha & Don Waugh, Cathy & Leroy & Alexandra & Thea Williamson, David Zucker, Paul Zucker (compiler: 12008 Kerwood Road, Silver Spring, Md. 20904). Baltimore County: John & Peg Barber, Peggy Bohanan, Martin Brazeau, Lettie & John Cullom, Bob Dixon, JoAnn Dreyer, Graham Eggerton, Kerry Fitzpatrick, Gail Frantz, Shirley Geddes, Betty Iber, Margaret Markham, Alice & David Nelson, Patsy & Rick Perlman, James Poultney, Mike Resch (compiler: 9142 Covered Bridge Road, Baltimore, Md. 21234), John Robinson, Alan & Barbara Ross, Stephen Simon, Chris & Eddie Slaughter, Charles Swift, Pete Webb, Jim Wilkinson, Jean & Waiva Worthley. Harford County: Richard Banz Jr., Richard Banz Sr., Tom & Nancy Congersky, Ruth Danielson, Charlie Delss, Danny Douthart, Chuck Graham, Michelle Hutchins, Dean & Artha Klein, Dennis Kirkwood ( + 20 anonymous students), Tim Potter, Gertrude Rich, Phil & Joan Schaeffer, Spike Updegrove, John Wortman (compiler: 110 Springlake Way, Havre De Grace, Md. 21078), Harold Youngman. Cecil County: Leland Devore, Kerry Fitzpatrick, Alex & Helene Hammer, Clarke Jeschke (compiler: 400 Patleigh Road, Catonsville, Md. 21228), Jim Wilkinson. Prince Georges County: Steve Cardano, Wayne Crist, Rich Dolesh, John Gregoire, Gary Hensler, Sam Lyon, Elwood Martin, Paul Nistico, (Bob Patterson: non-participating compiler: 12601 Buckingham Drive, Bowie, Md. 20715), Michael Sorensen. Anne Arundel: Charles Buchanan, Carol Belton, Pat Chiles, Amelia Cochran, Ginger Darling, Dee Deson, Phil DuMont, Laddie Flyger, Ellen Gizzarelli (compiler: 549 Maple Ridge Lane, Odenton, Md. 21113), Bunty Haines, Sally Henderson, Jack Hollis, Joanne Hollis, Emily Joyce, Debbie Mignogno, Dotty Mumford, H.G. Stevenson, Sally Symington, Ben Tappan, Gary & Sue Van Velsir, Hal Wierenga, Jan Wright. Calvert County: John Fales (compiler: 2809 Ridge Road, Huntingtown, Md. 20639), Cdr. John Gregoire. Charles County: Fred & Karen Burgraff, Mark Allen, Carol Ghebelan, Polly & Brian Hancock, Pat & Paul Nistico, Cal Posey, Olive Sorzano, Ray & Alden Taylor, Andrew Wilmot. George Wilmot (compiler: 401 Amherst Road, Bryans Road, Md. 20616). St. Marys County: Anne Bishop, Patty Craig, Bradley Dorf, John Horton, Ernest Willoughby (compiler: 6 Hartman Drive, Lexington Park, Md. 20653). Kent County: Bill & Enid Busse, Jim Gruber, Page Hartman, Steve & Mariana Hitchner, Floyd Parks (compiler: 129 Washington Avenue, Chestertown, Md. 21620), Pat Wilson, Patricia Young. Queen Annes County: (David Holmes: non-participating compiler: 5643 A Harpers Farm Road, Columbia, Md. 21044), Roland Limpert, Wilbur Rittenhouse. Caroline County: list lost. A.J. Fletcher (compiler: Rt. 1, Box 201, Denton, Md. 21629). Talbot County: Terry Allen, Lester Coble (compiler: Rt. 1, Box 43-B, Trappe, Md. 21673), Dottie and Jeff Effinger, Chris Handley, Richard Kleen, Donald Meritt, Rev. & Mrs. Ivan Morrin, Jan Reese, Lucille Spain, Kathleen Trever. Dorchester County: Henry T. Armistead (compiler: 28 E. Springfield Ave.. Philadelphia, Pa. 19118). Wicomico County: Miriam and Maurice Davis, Carol & Donald Broderick, Ruth Denit, Christine & Hellen Ferrand, Sally & Hugh Hanson, Gail Vaughn, Charles Vaughn (compiler: 1306 Frederick Ave., Salisbury, Md. 21801). Somerset: Paul Bystrak, Polly Batchelder, Laura French, George French, Bob Reynolds, Charles Vaughn (non-participating compiler: 1306 Frederick Avenue, Salisbury, Md. 21801). Worcester: Mary Humphreys (Peggy Bohanan: non-participating compiler: 907 Tyson Street, Baltimore, Md. 21201). Audubon, N.J. THE SEASON WINTER SEASON, DECEMBER 1, 1982— FEBRUARY 28, 1983 Robert F. Ringler This winter was marked by a warm trend, which continued into early January, and a heavy snowstorm on February 11. Precipitation had been below normal before that date and the ground was clear and water open in most areas. Many ground birds and waterfowl probably stayed farther north as a result. The massive storm that dumped up to two feet of snow over most of the State (less on the Eastern Shore) occurred when many species were beginning to migrate northward (waterfowl, icterids, woodcock). The confused birds were not hard-pressed, as the temperature rose and melting began immediately and proceeded quickly. Thus the storm probably caused little mortality. The warm weather of December kept alive what birds lingered beyond their usual departure times. But these were apparently few, as not many stragglers were tallied on Christmas Counts. Only a few unseasonal passerines were noted this winter. The brisker weather early in the fall may have accelerated the migration at that time and few birds were left to take advantage of the early winter conditions. The American Woodcock responded noisily by performing display flights on several of the CBCs. The ponds at Deal Island Wildlife Management Area remained open and the tall waders took advantage and made a good showing into January (see Table 1); shorebirds also were notably late or overwintering. Contributors: Maurice Barnhill, Larry Bonham, David Czaplak, Leontyne and Truman Doyle, Sam Dyke, Jeff Effinger, Ethel Engle, Hans-Joachim Feddern, Roberta Fletcher, John Gregoire, Jim Gruber, Floyd Hayes, Marvin Hewitt, Dennis Kirkwood, Kathy Klimkiewicz, Wayne Klockner, Alicia Knotts, Walter Kraus, Alice Mallonee, Debbie Mignogno, Paul Nistico, Mariana Nuttle, John, Michael, and Paul O’Brien, Bob Schutsky, Connie Skipper, Jo Solem, Jim Stasz, David Wallace, Mark Wallace, Robert Warfield, John Weske, Hal Wierenga, Jim Wilkinson, Ernie Willoughby, Erika Wilson, and Paul Woodward. Table 1. Egrets, Herons, and Ibis at Deal Island WMA, Dec. 1982 and Jan. 1983 Date Observers 12/4 DM 12/8 HW 12/20 DM 12/31 DM 1/4 DM 1/13 DM 1/15 DM.HW Great Egret 3 3 3 _ Snowy Egret 2 8 3 1 — — 2 Little Blue Heron — — 1 1 1 — — Tricolored Heron 9 2 — 3 3 — 3 Black-crowned Night-Heron — 10 - ■ - Glossy Ibis 2 - - - - - 1 Loon, Grebes, Cormorants. Red-throated Loons were reported to be numerous at Ocean City on Jan. 15 (Effinger + ) but only single birds were seen on Feb. 5 (Bonham) and Feb. 28 (Feddern). Another was seen off Bay Forest Road in St. Marys County on Feb. 28 ( Wilson). The high count of Pied-billed Grebes for the season was 8 at Mardela Springs on Jan. 30 (Ringler). The only Red-necked Grebe reported for the season was 1 at Point Lookout on Jan. 29 (Wilson). Stasz saw a sub-adult Great Cormorant at Ocean City on Jan. 13 and there were 9 at Point Lookout on Feb. 28 (Wilson). Double- crested Cormorants are quite rare in winter but 1 was flying up the Potomac River past St. George Island on Dec. 21 (Wilson) and another was at Ocean City on Jan. 29 (Ringler + ). June 1983 Maryland Birdlife 43 Herons , Ibis. In addition to the birds in Table 1 there were other notable mid- winter herons. An American Bittern was at Hughes Hollow near Seneca on Jan. 13 (Woodward). A Great Blue Heron remained at Deep Creek Lake through Dec. 28 (Skipper) and Schutsky’s high count at Conowingo Dam was 113 on Feb. 10. Stasz noted a Great Egret at Irish Grove Sanctuary near Marion in early February and Czaplak saw 3 Cattle Egrets in a field along US 50 east of Salisbury on Dec. 22. Stasz also saw a Glossy Ibis at Rumbly Point on Pocomoke Sound on Jan. 13. Swans, Geese. Wilson counted 122 Tundra Swans on Feb. 28 in St. Marys County. A Mute Swan was at Williston in Caroline County on Jan. 20 (Hewitt). The Greater White-fronted Goose continued into the winter at its traditional location in Harford County (Kirkwood + ). Dyke found thousands of Snow Geese milling around in the skies over Salisbury on the night of Dec. 2, apparently disoriented by the unusually heavy ground fog. The birds were probably having difficulty finding their regular feeding areas and Sam found them on various unlikely water areas the following morning. A “Blue” Goose was in southern Cecil County on Dec. 11 (Barnhill, Sean McCandless) and 7 Snow Geese, including 6 “Blues” were at Merkle WM A on Feb. 26 (Gregoire). The Snow Goose flock feeding in fields in Caroline and Queen Annes counties was estimated variously from 5,000 to 10,000 during the winter. Mark Wallace had a high count of 2,887 Canada Geese wintering in Howard County this year. A heavy flight of swans and both species of geese passed over Chestertown on Feb. 22 (Gruber). Ducks. There were 70 Mallards on Deep Creek Lake on Jan. 17 before the lake froze over completely on the 20th (Skipper). The 14 Northern Pintails at Rumbly Point on Feb. 1 (Stasz) may have been early spring migrants gathering for the flight north. Wilkinson found 2 Northern Shovelers at Piney Run on Jan. 25, a good mid- winter record. There were 5 Gadwalls on Deep Creek Lake at Turkey Neck on Dec. 28 (Skipper) and a flock of 60 was at Wye Mills on Jan. 30 (Ringler). The 900 Canvas- backs off Kent Island on Feb. 19 (Gruber) were a definite sign of spring migration. Two Redheads on Lake Kittamaqundi on Feb. 23 (Marty Chestem) were unusual. A mid-winter high for Ring-necked Ducks was 60 at Mardela Springs on Jan. 30 (Ringler). Single Common Eiders were reported at Ocean City on Dec. 23 (Czaplak), Jan. 27 (Klockner), and Feb. 6 (Bonham) while 8 (including 1 adult male) were there on Feb. 19 (Barnhill + ). Interspersed with these were the King Eiders at Ocean City beginning with 2 on Dec. 10 (Wierenga), also 2 on Dec. 23 (Czaplak) and Jan. 15 (Effinger + ), 3 on Jan. 28-30 (Ringler + ) and Feb. 5-6 (Bonham), and 4 on Feb. 28 (Feddern). Either there was a frequent turnover of the eiders or considerable dis- agreement on their identification. Wilson counted 97 Surf Scoters and 62 White- winged Scoters in St. Marys County on Feb. 28. The 6 Hooded Mergansers at Perry- ville on Feb. 26 (Barnhill + ) were a good number for Cecil County. Common Mergansers are rare on the Eastern Shore but 1 was near Fruitland in Wicomico County on Jan. 30 (Ringler) and 2 were on the Tuckahoe River in Caroline County on Feb. 17 (D. Brown). Diurnal Raptors. Stasz and Dyke observed 8 Black Vultures in apparent courtship flight over Nassawango Creek in Wicomico County on Feb. 8 and Dyke also saw 2 pairs of Red-shouldered Hawks courting over the creek near Wango on the 13th. Klimkiewicz reports that 3 Bald Eagles wintered in the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center area this year and Schutsky’s high count from the Conowingo area was 14 (5 adults, 1 sub-adult, and 8 immatures) on Jan. 29. An adult Bald Eagle was seen over Rocky Gorge Reservoir above Laurel on Jan. 1 1 (Paul Zucker) and a pair in courtship at Tanyard on Feb. 7 (Engle). Wierenga noted his last fall migrant Red-tailed Hawk at 44 Vol. 39, No. 2 Sandy Point State Park on Dec. 7. Rough-legged Hawks were widely reported including 3 wintering at Irish Grove (Stasz) and 2 along Little Monie Creek, both localities in Somerset County (Dyke). The highest tally was 7 at Deal Island WM A on Dec. lO(Wierenga) with others at Rocky Gap on Dec. 3 (Klockner), 2 at Denton on Jan. 25 (Fletcher), 1 in southern Frederick County on Feb. 26 (D. Wallace), and 2 over the Wicomico County marshes opposite Vienna on Feb. 28 (Feddern). The only Golden Eagles reported were an immature at Blackwater Refuge on Feb. 5 (Bonham) and an adult at the mouth of Octoraro Creek in Cecil County on Feb. 10 and 22 (Schutsky). Single Merlins were reported at Tanyard on Dec. 4 (Engle), Rumbly Point on Feb. 19 (Effinger + ), and Hughes Hollow on Feb. 21 (Bonham). A Peregrine Falcon was also at Rumbly Point on Feb. 19 (Effinger + ). Shorebirds. A flock of 250 Black-bellied Plovers was in a field in West Ocean City on Jan. 15 (Effinger + ) proving that they do not spend all their time on the sand. A Semipalmated Plover was a very rare winter sighting on the north end of Assateague Island on Jan. 2 (Hayes). An early spring migrant in Garrett County was the Killdeer at McHenry on Feb. 22 (Skipper). American Oystercatchers continue overwintering at Ocean City with a high of 10 seen on Jan.28(Ringler)and at least 1 through Feb. 19 (Barnhill + ). Greater Yellowlegs remained through the winter at Irish Grove, with 6 there on Jan. 14 and 8 on Feb. 19 (Effinger + ). A Red Knot was on the jetty at Ocean City on Dec. 22 (Czaplak). A Least Sandpiper and 3 Dunlins were in the impoundment at Hart-Miller in the Baltimore County part of Chesapeake Bay on Jan. 1 (Blom, Ringler, Bob Stanhope); and 2 more Least Sandpipers were seen at Ocean City regularly through Jan. 27 (Klockner). A Purple Sandpiper was at Sandy Point from Jan. 2 (Wierenga) through the 11th (Klockner). Gruber found 6 Dunlins on Kent Island on Feb. 17. Dave Wallace found up to 9 Common Snipe in the Lilypons area in January and February and 1 was at Hughes Hollow on Jan.23(Wilkinson). Jaegers , Gulls. Single unidentified jaegers were seen at Sandy Point on Dec. 5 and off Assateague on Dec. 29 (Wierenga). All the Little Gull sightings were from Dec. 23 30 with 5 adults on the former date (Czaplak) and 4 adults with 1 immature on the latter date (Klockner). The only Black-headed Gull was reported at Ocean City on Dec. 22 (Czaplak). Warfield noted his first migrant Ring-billed Gull over Germantown on Jan. 24. An immature Thayer’s Gull was photographed at Howard County’s Alpha Ridge Sanitary Landfill on Dec. 20 and 24 (Blom, Ringler) and another off Ocean City on Jan. 30 (Wierenga + ). Iceland Gulls were fairly numerous with 3 different first-winter birds at Alpha Ridge from Dec. 20 through Feb. 17 (Blom, Ringler + ), though Jan. 15 was the only day all 3 were seen together. Another was on Liberty Lake on Dec. 18 (Blom + ), 1 at the Laytonsville Landfill on Jan. 8 and Feb. lO(Wierenga), 1 at Ocean City Jan. 28-29 (Ringler + ), and 1 at Salisbury on Jan. 29 (Stasz + ). Lesser Black-backed Gulls were again the most numerous and widespread of the rarer winter gulls, including 4 at Alpha Ridge on Dec. 20 (Blom, Ringler) with at least 1 through Feb. 17, 2 adults at Liberty Lake on Dec. 18 (Blom + ), another at Salisbury through Jan. 29 (Stasz), 1 all winter at Wittman and 2 there on Jan. 6 (Effinger), and the regular birds at Hains Point through Jan. 6 (Czaplak + ) and at Fort McHenry through the season. An immature Glaucous Gull was on Liberty Lake on Dec. 18 (Blom + ), another at Alpha Ridge from Dec. 24 through Jan. 28 (Blom, Ringler + ), and 2 there on Jan. 14. A Great Black-backed Gull was flying up the Potomac River near Hughes Hollow on Jan. 25 (Woodward) and 5 were up the Choptank River at Denton on Feb. 21 (Hewitt). Other counts of Great Black-backs inland were 27 at Laytonsville on Dec. 23 and Feb. 24 (Wierenga), 40 at Alpha Ridge on Dec. 24 (Blom, Ringler), 570 at Conowingo on Jan. 5 (Schutsky), and 5 at Triadelphia Reservoir on Feb. 10(M. Wallace). June 1983 Maryland Birdlife 45 Terns, Skimmers, Dovekie. Czaplak estimated 200 Forster’s Terns at Ocean City on Dec. 22; Klockner estimated 150 there on Jan. 14, and birds were still present on Feb. 19 (Barnhill + ). Black Skimmers at Ocean City decreased from 8 on Dec. 22 (Czaplak), 7 on Dec. 24 (Bonham), and 5 on Jan. 14 and 27 (Klockner), to 1 on Jan. 30 (Ringler). A Dovekie was at Ocean City inlet on Dec. 10 (Wierenga). Owls. Wierenga counted 5 Common Barn-Owls at Deal Island WMA on Dec. 8, found a Long-eared Owl on Assateague on Dec. 28-29, and a Saw-whet Owl on Assateague on the 28th also. Another Long eared Owl was at Piney Run on Jan. 28 (Wilkinson). Short-eared Owls included 8 at Irish Grove through the season (Stasz), 2 at Deal Island WMA on Dec, 8 (Wierenga), up to 4 wintering in Frederick County (D. Wallace + ), 1 on Assateague on Jan. 15(Effinger + hand 1 at Hughes Hollow on Feb. 22(Woodward). Phoebes, Larks, Ravens. February Eastern Phoehes were at Salisbury on the 12th (Dyke) and Denton on the 22nd (Knotts). The largest flocks of Horned Larks reported were 150 200 in southern Frederick County through the season (D. Wallace + ) and 300 near Keysville in Carroll County on Feb. 19 (Ringler). The only Northern Raven reported was along Cherry Creek in Garrett County on Dec. 4 (Skipper). Wrens, Thrashes, Pipits, Shrikes. A House Wren was in Annapolis on Dec. 6 (Wierenga) and a Marsh Wren at Sandy Point on Jan. 11 (Wilkinson). A Wood Thrush visited Anne Walsh’s yard in central Howard County from Dec. 24 through Jan. 16. The observation was confirmed by Marty Chestem. The only flock of Water Pipits reported was at Sandy Point on Dec. 15 and numbered 22 (Wierenga). Three reports of Loggerhead Shrikescame from Caroline County, with single birds at Bethlehem on Dec. 2, Preston on Dec. 4 (Engle), and Burrsville on Dec. 18 (Nuttle). Others were also singles in Baltimore on Jan. 1-6 (Bill Ellis + )and at Lily pons on Jan. 23 (Bonham). Vireos and Warblers. A White-eyed Vireo was extremely rare in Rockville on Jan. 5 and 8 (Paul and John O’Brien). In St. Marys County Wilson noted 15 Pine Warblers on St. George Island on Dec. 21, 2 at Point Lookout on Jan. 29, and 2 singing on Bay Forest Road on Feb. 28. A Palm Warbler was in Baltimore County near Woodstock on Dec.2(Wilkinson). Sparrows, Longspurs, and Snow Buntings. A Lincoln’s Sparrow was at Oxon Hill on Dec. 17 (Czaplak). A migrant Fox Sparrow was at Piney Creek Road in Queen Annes County on Feb. 28 (Feddern). Lapland Longspurs were present in southern Frederick County from at least Jan. 9 through Feb. 28 with a high of 8 on the latter date (O’Briens + ). Others were a male near Boonsboro on Feb. 14 (Doyles), another male near Hagerstown on Broadfording Road (Doyles, Cutchalls), and 4 near Keysville in Carroll County on Feb. 19 (Ringler). Up to 20 Snow Buntings were in the Horned Lark flock in southern Frederick County from Jan. 9 through Feb. 26 (O’Briens + ). Others were at Sandy Point through Dec. 2 (Wierenga) and 7 at the Hart-Millerimpoundmenton Jan. 1 (Ringler, Blom, BobStanhope). Blackbirds, Orioles, and Cardueline Finches. An adult male Yellow-headed Black- bird was seen near St. Marks Church in Somerset County on Dec. 16 (Stasz). A “Baltimore” Northern Oriole was in Columbia on Feb. 15 (Frances Dawson) and 2 wintered in Bowie through Mar. 13 (Feddern). Purple Finch was the only one of the northern finches to be common this winter. They were present in large numbers in several places with an overwhelming preponderance of brown-plumaged birds, probably indicating a heavy migration of immatures. Few Evening Grosbeaks were reported, though 9 were at Hughes Hollow on Jan. 1 (Woodward). The exception in Garrett County was where Connie Skipper had 20 at her feeder on Bray Hill on Jan. 6, 45-50 on Feb. 2, and 20-30 through the rest of the season. 3501 Melody Lane, Baltimore, MD 21207 46 Vol.39, No. 2 Annual Report of the Treasurer Maryland Ornithological Society, Inc. Fiscal Year Ending April 30, 1983 Operating Fund 1982-83 Budget Actual Balances Dues $ 7,200 $ 8,199.50 $19,151.35 Transfer from SEF for Life Members 350 360.00 (4/30/82) Interest from pooled funds 1 2,700 2,304.39 Convention Income 950 1,244.00 Income on Publications 300 87.40 Contr. from Balto. Chap, for Mail Permit 20 20.00 Gifts - General 0 550.00 Gifts - Atlas Program 0 1,082.59 Unrecorded Income 2 0 30.77 11,520 13,878.65 13,878.65 33,030.00 Birdlife Printing 3,300 3,153.01 Birdlife Postage 250 513.57 Yellowthroat Printing 1,600 1,760.00 Yellowthroat Postage 375 424.30 Yellowthroat Phone Bill 0 67.15 Executive Secretary Stipend 3,000 0 Postage General 200 20.00 Bulk Mail Permits 40 80.00 Bulk Mailings 80 80.00 Printing & Duplication 170 0 Office Supplies & Misc. Safe Deposit Box 22.50 Checking Account 8.47 Stationery 119.50 Treasurer - misc. 94.68 301 245.15 Atlas Committee 3,000 2,782.00 Education Committee 100 3.50 Library Committee 75 0 Research Committee 750 0 Convention Committee 550 739.89 Affiliations & Membership 300 150.00 Verification Committee 100 0 Contingencies Oriole Proj. Return 200.00 Auto Insurance 78.00 Broker 392.17 200 270.17 Purchase of MOS Decals 250 322.47 Computerized labels for bulk n aiiings 570 539.70 15,211 11,150.91 11,150.91 21,879.09 (4/30/83) June 1983 Maryland Birdlife 47 Sanctuary Fund 1982*83 Budget Actual Balances $24,423.30 2 Contributions $ 3,500 $ 2,346.54 (4/30/82) Transfer from Sanctuary Endowment Fund 1,650 1,716.22 Interest from Pooled Funds 2,600 2,938.73 Sale of Sanctuary Signs 200 220.01 Gal & Oil Lease 150 52.30 User Fees - Irish Grove 200 370.00 User Fees - Carey Run 0 12.00 User Fees - turn Suden 0 24.00 8,300 7,679.80 7,679.80 32,103.10 Sanctuary Endowment Fund 1982-83 Income Life Memberships 225 (4/30/82) 0 31,880.00 Investment Interest & Dividends 2,000 2,020.97 Interest from Pooled Funds 0 55.25 Contributions 0 20.00 2,225 2,096.22 2,096.22 Disbursements Transfer to Operating Fund 350 360.00 33,976.22 Transfer to Sanctuary Fund 1,650 1,716.22 2,000 2,076.22 2,076.22 31,900.00 (4/30/83) ^Included 1982 Helen Miller Scholarship payment of 575.00 5/11/82 which should have been charged to 1981 82 budget. ^Included 1982 0-C.M. Scholarship payment of 575.00 5/14/82 which should have been charged to 1981-82 budget. O ^Scholarships budgeted at 575. 00@ turned out to actually be 640.00@ due to rising costs. See next page for Reconciliation of Accounts AUDITING COMMITTEE I have examined the financial records of the Maryland Ornithological Society for the year Apri. 30, 1982 through April 30, 1983. In my opinion the aforementioned records accurately present the financial position of the Society. Rodney B. Jones, Chairman 48 Vol. 39, No. 2 Reconciliation of Accounts at End of Fiscal Year Fund Balances, April 30, 1983 Operating Fund MOS Scholarship Fund Sanctuary Fund Sanctuary Endowment Fund $21,879.09 18,270.49 27.458.68 1 31,900.00 99,508.26 Fund Assets, April 30, 1983 Checking Account, Maryland National Bank 738.14 2 Savings Account, Loyola FSLA 3.717.14 2 T. Rowe Price Prime Reserve Fund 42.883.14 2 Southwestern Bell Co. Bond 10,171.25 s Dayton Power & Light Bond 3.012.67 3 Virginia Electric Power Bond 3.992.04 3 Loyola CD #168238 3.500.00 3 T. Rowe Price Growth Stock Fund 9,500.00 4 Loyola CD #168239 6,820.00 4 General Telephone Co. Southeast Bond 5,129.92 4 Niagara Mohawk Power Co. Bond 4,983.15 4 Ohio Bell Telephone Co. Bond 4.987.81 4 Uncashed checks awaiting deposit 73.00 2 99,508.26 includes restricted Anne Arundel Chapter gift of $5,202.10 ^Pooled Funds Q ^MOS Scholarship Fund investments at cost 4 Sanctuary Endowment Fund investments at cost 5 Operating Fund in investment at cost June 1983 Maryland Birdlife 49 Annual Reports of Local Chapters Anne Arundel Chapter The Anne Arundel Chapter had an eventful year. The schedule called for 23 field trips of varying length prior to the MOS convention. Nineteen of these have been carried out to places as close as Sandy Point State Park and as far afield as Chinco- teague. Snowy weather and other odd problems accounted for the cancelled trips. Our cumulative trip list for the 19 trips comes to over 200 species, a total we consider quite acceptable. In addition to the field trips, the Anne Arundel Chapter had a picnic to open the season, six regular meetings, and a special fund-raising program. Speakers included BobRingler on the MOS Atlas Project, our own Gary VanVelsir on Alaskan flora and fauna, Jim Stasz on Nassawango Preserve, John Taylor on bird life and the artist, and David Holmes on Africa. We also enjoyed the movie “Why Birds Sing.” Our Richard E. Heise, Jr., Annual Wildlife Lecture featured the film "Birds of the Indian Monsoon”, which told of the Indian sanctuary near Bharatphar and the bird life which inhabits it during the year. The program netted approximately $400, which was divided between the MOS Sanctuary Fund and the MOS Scholarship Fund. A highlight of the club year was the beginning of the atlas project. A program given by Bob Ringler in October stimulated a great deal of interest in atlasing, and several members have become involved on statewide atlas committees. Jim Cheevers assumed the role of county coordinator for Anne Arundel County, and under his guidance the project has been launched with a great deal of enthusiasm. A training meeting by Chandler Robbins generated additional interest and attracted additional volunteers. At this writing, all blocks have been assigned and within each quad a number of volunteers are already at work. Still on the agenda are four Geld trips, one of which is a weekend jaunt to Carey Run, and the season’s end picnic, which will be held at the Chesapeake Environmental Research Center on the Rhode River in Edge water. More than 15 talks have also been given by members to a total audience of over 400 persons in school and club groups. As the season draws to a close, I would like to express my appreciation to the officers of the club, all of whom have contributed a great deal to the success of the club during this year. Those officers are: Dotty Mumford, first vice president; Jim Cheevers, second vice president (program chairman); Jo Izak, treasurer; Marilyn VanScyoc, corresponding secretary; Pam Lee, recording secretary; and directors Gary VanVelsir and Rhonda Brown. Emily D. J oyce, President 50 Vol. 39, No. 2 Baltimore Chapter Baltimore Chapter activities branch in many directions. Workshops, lectures in ornithology, and audio visuals scheduled monthly add to the cultural background of appreciation of the avian element in the web of life. This year our imaginative Program chair injected the study of avian evolution and evolution in general into the Program, a departure from our usual ornithological fare. These proved to be popular subjects. The personal satisfaction discovered in these pursuits seems to generate a strong desire to share such knowledge with the questioning public. With education as one of our primary objectives we open all our activities to the general public, with strong emphasis on young people. The procession of school children through Cylburn is still led by a solid coterie of volunteers. MOS volunteer leaders can also be found at Irvine Natural Science Center and the new Oregon Ridge Nature Center. Extending our services out from nature centers to churches, senior citizen centers, libraries and schools has also reached hundreds of people of all ages. J unior Nature Camp in its 23rd year was directed by John Robinson, who himself had been a camper and more recently a popular leader of spider study. Fifty campers were led by 25 expert volunteer leaders in bird study, pond and stream study, insect study and all the varied kinds of nature that Camp Hashawha in Carroll County has to offer. Having a Director who has received his love and knowledge of nature by way of MOS Junior Nature Camp did much to ensure the continuation of this project. Publicity has been sought by our Publicity Chair in many media, and where it has been used has generated a noticeable increase in participation by the public. Publicity was linked with a desire for a rise in membership, resulting in the design of a new MOS brochure. Responsibility for its distribution was put in the hands of a new Membership Committee which passed the responsibility for the major distribution to the shoulders of the current membership, each receiving 2 brochures to pass among friends. Our membership continues to hold at 650 plus as it has for the past few years. Of this, 16% is new, the larger percentage being long time members with strong commitment to MOS. The new Membership Committee has also established a Members’ Interest File to be used by the nominating committee. Cylburn continues to be the focus of our attention as a meeting place and as a place for study and bird observation. Our museum is visited by a delighted portion of the public on many occasions — Cylburn Open House, Market Day, etc. There are at these scheduled occasions always MOS members on hand to interpret the exhibits. Our competent Curator has sent out a plea for additions to the spring warbler collection. The specimens now on display are losing their colors after many years. New birds when found should be put into a plastic bag and placed in a freezer before contacting Cylburn. Our relationship with the Cylburn Arboretum Association thrives in the friendly liaison maintained by our representative to their board. The MOS Bookstore now housed at Irvin Natural Science Center at Greenspring Avenue north of Cylburn prospers in its new location. Call 484-2413 for information and book lists. It maintains its standing as the best collection of nature books on sale in Baltimore. June 1983 Maryland Birdlife 51 Conservation of Maryland’s natural environment has always been uppermost on our list of objectives. Often this must be through political action and we have not hesitated to make our voices heard in Annapolis. Letters, phone calls, testimony at hearings were all carried out when alerted to action by our Conservation Committee chair. We are lucky to have the chair of the MOS State Conservation Committee as our leader in these pursuits. See her report for details. Participation in statewide activities by Baltimore Chapter members has always been noticeable. The new thrust to complete the Maryland Atlas Project in 5 years involved many of us in the planning stages as well as in the actual field work. Our Coordinator, Bob Dixon, Sparks, MD, 472-2224, is assigning areas in Baltimore County for further survey after our 1978-81 effort. Though our data for these years will be accepted, we welcome this unexpected chance to augment our findings, as well as the chance to lend our experience in other counties. Work Days at the Sanctuaries have enjoyed strong participation from Baltimore Chapter. We have found them good times and places to accomplish the assigned tasks as well meet MOS members from around the state. The best place for mixing with MOS members statewide continues to be the Convention where Baltimore Chapter was again represented by field trip leaders and participants, officers and chairs of many committees, topped off by a busy Bookstore. Sadly we voted to discontinue the Audubon Wildlife Lecture Series. Diminishing audiences and increasing prices were only part of our reasons for this action. For 15 years we had provided this outstanding service to the Baltimore public. Several projects were funded from the interest earned by our investment. The Dorothy Blake Martin Fund: publication of the new membership brochure; assistance to the Nature Conservancy in the publishing of the Proceedings of the Endangered Species Symposium, Towson State University. 1981; assistance to the bluebird project at Robert Moton School. Carroll County; and contribution to the MOS Eleanor C. Robbins Scholarship Fund. When asked for ideas for goals looking to the future, the Board mentioned expanded junior programs, more Audubon Scholarships, more political action, more visibility among the citizenry, more effort toward the Atlas Project. None of these is easy, but with thecommitment traditional amongour membership, we will prevail. Joy Wheeler Caroline County Chapter The Caroline County Chapter met on the second Friday of the month in the educa- tional building of St. Luke’s Methodist Church in Denton. Our programs included a talk on Eastern Neck Wildlife Refuge by manager Paul Daly. A representative from Stanford Seed Company talked on feeding birds and the virtues of their seeds. We made plans for a bird seed sale after the meeting. Joe Hughes, a master basket maker, demonstrated the steps, tools, and skills you need to make a basket out of split oak. Dr. Robert Trever’s presentation on “Strange Creatures of Australia" lived up to its billing. Bob Schall and Linda Densmore talked about local Indian arti- facts and left us wondering if we shouldn’t spend at least a little time looking down at our feet when out walking. 52 Vol.39, No. 2 We have started two fundraising activities that we hope to continue in future years. We had a bird seed sale in January, but will have it earlier next year because many people had already stocked up at the beginning of cold weather. Our second activity was building and selling bluebird houses. A club member, Ollie Smith, sold over twenty houses at the Smith Ford Garage in Denton. We already have the wood to build about 100 houses next year. An offshoot of the sale of bluebird houses was the start of bluebird trails in our surrounding area. Once we got set up for making houses it wasn’t difficult to make a few extra. We put out twenty-five houses including sixteen at Tuckahoe State Park. We plan to add more next year, working toward establishing several respectable trails. We went on fall field trips to the Little Creek area and to Blackwater. Almost everyone added the White-fronted Goose to their life list on the Blackwater trip. After regretting not having seen the Gyrfalcons near Lancaster last year we lost little time planning a trip when they were reported back at the same location and were lucky enough to see both birds. The club’s membership stood at forty-nine at the end of the season, a new high. STEVE W ESTRE, President Carroll County Chapter The Carroll County Chapter is the smallest chapter in the MOS, but with only 15 members, it’s not unusual to get more than 50% turnout at meetings and bird walks. We have meetings only four times a year, in September, November, February, and April. This past year, slide lectures by the Chapter President on raptor identification, and by Chan Robbins on birds of Maryland were included in our meetings. The chapter sponsors the Liberty Reservoir Christmas Bird Count, which involved the efforts of 48 birders this year. The chapter has also sponsored the Breeding Bird Atlas in Carroll County for 2 years, and will continue its support as the statewide atlas gets underway. A highlight of last year’s atlasing effort was a Golden-crowned Kinglet singingon territory in a spruce grove near the Pennsylvania line. Walks by the chapter during the past year included Piney Run County Park, Hawk Mountain (Golden Eagle), the National Arboretum (Saw-whet Owl!), and Liberty Watershed in Strawbridge Estates. We hope that the statewide atlas effort publicity will attract more lone birders to our mini-chapter; we have made a lot of new contacts with county birders already. BILL Ellis, President Frederick County Chapter The main activity of the chapter, as in past years, was the montly meeting, which drew an average attendance of about 40 or slightly more than half the membership. The highlight was the annual Christmas dinner meeting which attracted a record 79 people to feast at the Araby United Methodist Church and hear Jean Worthley’s beautifully illustrated talk on wildflowers. Speakers at the monthly meetings included Bob Ringler (“Winter Birding in New England”), David Thorndill (“American Birds: Some Prosper, Some Perish"), Kitty Marconi ("Birds of Prey and Their Uses"), Kathy Klimkiewicz (“Florida Wildlife”). Ed Seligmann (“The Nature June 1983 Maryland Birdlife 53 Conservancy”), Mr. and Mrs. Donald Cutchall (“Developing a Backyard Sanctuary”), and Anneke Davis (“Maryland Wildflowers”). The chapter’s meeting place was changed, in mid year, from Hood College to Frederick High School. Field trips took members to Gambrill and Washington Monument State Parks, Lilypons, Lake Linganore, the C and 0 Canal at Seneca and at Nolands Ferry, a private bluebird trail east of Emmitsburg, and two private sanctuaries on Braddock Heights. For the first time in many years the Catoctin Christmas Count participants (24 of them) were not led by John Richards of Mount St. Mary’s College and fed by Ruth Richards, but Bill and Frances Shirey of Frederick maintained the traditions of the Christmas Count in fine style. The day-long count was one of the least uncomfortable in recent memory, thanks to relatively mild weather, but this did not inspire the birdsto turn out in record numbers. The 1983 May Count was also blessed with good weather. The final accounting is not ready as this report is written, but the species count was well over 100. Frederick County’s participation in the Maryland/D. C. Breeding Bird Atlas project was taking shape toward the end of the chapter year. David Wallace volun- teered to serve as local coordinator for Frederick County and attended several planning meetings at Patuxent during the winter. On April 21 Chan Robbins conducted an Atlas training session in Frederick for 36 interested people. At the moment about 40 of the county’s 70 blocks have been assigned to volunteer observers. Chapter members participated in the fall and spring raptor watches at Monument Knob and in the International Shorebird Survey (at Lilypons and along New Design Road), contributed to the seasonal reports published in Maryland Birdlife and American Birds, and participated in a Spring Nature Festival organized by chapter member Elinor Miller to stimulate awareness of our endangered natural heritage and to raise money to send 10 children to the Baltimore Chapter’s junior nature camp at Camp Hashawa in Carroll County. Chapter members’ dues and some extra income from the sale of sunflower seed made it possible for the chapter to make donations to the Camp Hashawa Scholarship Fund, the MOS Sanctuary Fund, the Swan Research Fund ofthe Wildfowl Trust, the Maryland/D.C. Breeding Bird Atlas, and the Costa Rican National Parks Foundation (through The Nature Conservancy). At the April meeting the current officers and committee chairs were re-elected to serve for the 1983-84 year. David Wallace, President 54 Vol. 39, No. 2 Howard County Chapter 1983/1983 was a good year for our Chapter. We increased our membership by 58 to reach a total of 242 members (93 new); initiated several new activities, recorded some birds new to the County; continued work on old projects; and tried through varied activities to reach birders and potential birders at all levels of expertise. In June, we participated in the Howard County Recreation Exposition, held in the Columbia Mall. Our exhibit, which features our mounted bird specimens, is popular and presents the Chapter with opportunities to recruit, educate, and dispel “why did you kill that pretty bird" fears. In August, for the first time, we participated in the Howard County Fair and again our exhibit focused on the mounted bird specimens. This activity provided the opportunity to meet new Howard County birders and potential birders and generate good will for our Chapter. The ultimate accolade was accorded the Chapter — we had to “talk our way in” and after our presentation, were invited back! The Fair Chairman said that many people commented on our Exhibit and the Chapter partici- pants had a good time too. Our programs, ably organized by Nicholas Short, were well attended and each program attracted a different audience, reflecting the range of interest of our Chapter’s members. We reinstituted a hospitality table and name tags both for members and visitors. The Hospitality Committee and other members sought out our visitors to make them feel at home. A really popular feature of our monthly programs was the Bookstore headed by Jan Randall. The name Bookstore does not describe the wide variety of stock carried: Pelican pouches, records, and our new Howard County MOS T-shirts and sweatshirts. Now we can attend a free evening program and go home broke! Eva Sunell, Field Trip Chairman, did a splendid job arranging trips to attract all levels of birders. Of special interest were the trips labeled “for beginners” which concentrated on a small area or home feeders with identification tips and advice on binocular use. Our annual potluck dinner (postponed by snow) and the May Count tally dinner were well attended and enjoyable, both for the company and the food. In the area of identification, seven birds new to the County were identified: Baird’s Sandpiper, Red Phalarope, European Widgeon, and Lesser Black-backed, Glaucous, Iceland, and Thayer’s Gulls. As you can see by the gulls, Howard County’s new landfill is known for its high class garbage. Our thanks to all who identified and shared. We took advantage of our new Central Library’s Meeting Room to present two “drop-in” workshops. The first was in the Fall and was a Birding Weekend which featured identification tips, slide presentations, binocular/scope/camera demon- strations, discussion of field guides, bookstore, feeder and seed table, and our mounted bird specimens. A Spring Wildflower Workshop was the second library presentation and featured field trips, identification, discussions of field guides, and the bookstore. The Wildflower Workshop resulted from the continuing project to catalog the wildflowers of Howard County. This project was conceived and is flourishing under the leadership of Bob Solem along with Jo Solem and Chuck Dupree. June 1983 Maryland Birdlife 55 Our semi-annual seed sales continue to generate revenue for our Chapter and enable us to maintain our low membership fee and to donate to worthwhile projects. This year Chairman Eileen Clegg again did a stupendous job. Since education is a goal of all, club members made over 25 presentations to approximately 600 people. We continue to co-sponsor trips with the Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks and are co-sponsoring a Bluebird Project in several County parks. Our newsletter, produced by Jo Solem, continues to inform, unite, and entertain our Chapter; her other contributions are too numerous to mention. In closing, it is a pleasure to be president of a chapter with contributions by so many members that I am unable to list them all by name: So, THANK Y OU! J ANE H. FARRELL, President Kent County Chapter The Kent County Chapter entertained 6 guest speakers in this our 25th year. They were: John V . Dennis, who brought his two books on feeding birds: A Complete Guide to Bird Feeding, and Beyond the Bird Feeder; Margery Plymire shared her experiences of her work with the Puffin Project; Dr. J. William Oberman presented the Identification of Sparrows and Finches; Tad Eareckson covered “Wintering Waterfowl’'; Kathy Klimkiewicz showed slides about her work with Purple Martins; and Anneke Davis was the dinner-meeting speaker with her slides on the Pine Barrens. Each of the six speakers brought great enthusiasm and glorious experiences which they shared from their encounters with birds and the out-of-doors. About 300 persons participated in the 13 activities and the membership grew by several new members. While the program committee continues to provide excellent speakers and opportunities for learning and expansion of interests, the growth of the Kent Chapter seems to suffer the same ills as most of the chapters — too few people to do all the necessary jobs and outreach. Basically the Chapter held its own with 62 adult members and 3 juniors. Pat Wilson, President Montgomery County Chapter Our season began on a sad note when members learned of the death of Carl Carlson, founder and first president of our Chapter and a constant source of guidance and support. Many members made contributions in his honor to our Memorial Scholarship Fund, established a year ago. Awards from this fund enabled two of our members, Katy Meade and Mary Thomson, to attend summer Audubon camps, and we heard inspiring reports from both of them. The Chapter continued to meet at the Chevy Chase Public Library, grateful for rent-free quarters spacious enough to accommodate our numbers, which average 75 at a meeting and often exceed 100. The library was not available to us in November and December, and we survived the confusion of having to move those meetings to Woodend, the headquarters of the Audubon Naturalist Society, with which we have a close working relationship. 56 Vol. 39, No. 2 Our programs, arranged by Claudia Wilds and John Malcolm, were outstanding. Bill Clark enlightened us on “The Identification of Eastern Raptors.” Rich Rowlett, our long-time member back from one of his pelagic adventures, held us spellbound with his accounts of "Birding the Antarctic,” accompanied by his stunning photographs. Luther Goldman, with equally impressive photography, took us on a tour of refuges in the western United States. Jeff Swinebroad gave an innovative presentation on "Birds of Germany,” with musical sound-track to accompany his magnificent color slides. Proving that birders broad interests, a record crowd turned out to hear Doug Morton speak on “Earthquakes and Faults in Southern California.” Don Messersmith, with characteristic wit and insight, shared with us his experiences on a birding trip to China; and another of our members, Daphne Gemmill, took us to a remote island off the coast of Australia for close-up views of the Shy Albatross. For our final meeting of the season, we were highly entertained by the Smithsonian’s Roxie Laybourne who spoke on “The Use of Feathers in Law Enforce- ment.” Our Annual Social, moved from snowy January to balmy March, was held at the National 4-H Center and ably chaired by Gary Nelson. John Malcolm organized a highly successful raffle, with prizes contributed by merchants, which added zest to the occasion and more than $300 to our coffers. Paul O’Brien gave us a season of 21 well-planned and (usually) well-attended field trips. One was cancelled because of a blizzard, and two were held in weather so disagreeable that only one sturdy birder showed up to join the leader. Average attendance was 12 per trip, with a high of 28 for the traditional Cape May weekend in the fall. Once again, our “behind the scenes” tour of the Smithsonian Bird Division, led by Roxie Laybourne and limited to 15, was oversubscribed. Our “first annual picnic" combined with birding trip was undersubscribed, but those who attended voted it a great success and worth trying again. Bill Oberman fielded an enthusiastic team for the Seneca Christmas Count, with a final report of 99 species, in spite of the heavy snow that began at noon. Again, the Tally Rally was held at Adventure and superbly managed by Delores Grant. Dave Mehlman coordinated our May Count again this year, recruiting 45 enthusiasts who found a total of 135 species, a slight drop from last year’s 138, but with remarkable numbers of warblers, Scarlet Tanagers, and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks. A number of our members are involved in the Breeding Bird Atlas and our coordinator, Keith Van Ness, anticipates that all the blocks in the County will soon be assigned. A training session was held at Seneca Creek State Park, led by Chan Robbins and attended by about 40 birders who promptly signed up for territories. The banding station activities at Adventure, under Margaret Donnald’s administration, attract many birds, volunteers, and visitors. This year, Margaret was assisted by 11 sub-permittees and 28 aides, most of them Chapter members. The total new birds banded during the spring and fall seasons of 1982 was 5,346. Seven new species were added to the list this year, bringing the total to 132 species over a ten-year period, with a total of 47,000 birds. Demonstrations were given to 32 groups, comprising 460 people, and to 183 additional individual visitors. Two special projects have been undertaken this year: the color banding of chickadees and titmice June 1983 Maryland Birdlife 57 to study flocking patterns and to observe behavior; and the initiation of a program to put bird banding records on computer to facilitate data analysis and report preparation. We were pleased to have the MOS Board hold its March meeting at Adventure, in spite of a fire in February that damaged the building, which is under the jurisdiction of the Park Service. The Chapter has undertaken a project to compile a bird list for Montgomery County, with Harvey Mudd charing the committee in charge. Bob Caswell, who serves as a self-appointed committee of one to sell birdseed at our meetings, declared a profit of $229 this year, bringing the total earnings over the past 11 years to about $1500, all of which goes to the MOS Sanctuary Fund. At the March meeting, the following officers were elected for 1983-84: Paul O’Brien, President; Gary Nelson, Vice-President; Vincent Jones, Treasurer; David Mehlman, Secretary; Margaret Donnald, Philip A. DuMont, and Lola Oberman, Trustees Lola Oberman, President Patuxent Chapter The inspiring speakers at our monthly meetings included Dr. Donald Messersmith, who, in March 1982 took us on a "Belize Expedition" and in November 23, 1982 took us “Birding in Northeast China (formerly Manchuria)”. In April, Lola and Ted Oberman showed slides they took on their spring trip to Point Pelee National Park, Ontario. Here exhausted migrants rest and search for food. At our May 1982 Members Night, Paul Bystrak showed slides of the work day at Irish Grove Sanctuary and the one at Carey Run. At the latter he photographed the state butterfly, the Baltimore checkerspot, Turks cap lily, and ragged fringed orchid. Danny Bystrak took us on a spring trip to Block Island with Paul Leifer to see the gull colony, the Upland Sandpipers and Grasshopper Sparrows. Joe Ondrejko and Dale Braeuninger also showed slides. In September Kathy Klimkiewicz told us about her 10-year Purple Martin banding project. In January Dan Boone explained our Maryland Natural Heritage Program. This is one of the 29 such programs in the U.S. and Costa Rica which Nature Conservancy launched. After 3 years in Nature Conservancy, the Maryland Heritage Program moved to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Here the location of each rare plant and animal is entered on a computer. Dan, also an excellent ornithologist and photographer, with a good knowledge of the geography of Maryland, is employed as the botanist. His slides ranged from a Wilson’s Plover nest on Assateaguel.toseldom seen bog plants in logs in western Maryland. C. S. Robbins in October showed slides about the International Ornithological Congress in August 1982 in Moscow and the post-Congress trip to Lake Baikal in southern Siberia. On the 1-day field excursion Chan went to their sound recording lab in the new city of Pushinoon the Oka River 60 miles from Moscow. On February 22, 1983 Chan Robbins launched our 5-year Maryland Breeding Bird Atlas Project. He explained that the ATLAS OF BRITISH FLORA inspired preparation of ATLAS OF BREEDING BIRDS IN BRITAIN AND IRELAND, and 58 Vol. 39, Vol. 2 of several similar projects in European nations and in many of our states. In fact Montgomery and Howard Counties have taken such surveys and Washington and Prince George’s were in the process. Since the rest of the State is now joining, these counties will make new surveys. In March 1983 William L. Murphy spoke about the Sutton’s Warbler. Eleanor Robbins continued to publish a column in the weekly LAUREL LEADER. Her Activities Fund earned $229 in 1982 from which a small contribution was made by help pay the heat bill at St. Philip’s Church where we have been meeting for more than 10 years, and to MOS Scholarship and Sanctuary Funds. Our officers for 1983-84 are: President, Virginia Kuykendall; Vice President, William L. Murphy; Treasurer, Dale Braeuninger; Secretary, Jean Jonkel, and MOS Director, Chandler S. Robbins. V IRGINIA KUYKENDALL, President Talbot County Chapter Once again the Talbot chapter had a busy year. Membership increased from 73 to about 100. In the usual areas of field trips, regular meetings and conservation activities, we have had a very good year with a large percentage of the membership participating. In respect to regular meetings we’ve had programs by many talented persons on a variety of subjects. Highlights were as follows: “Nassawango Nature Conservancy” by Jim Stasz, “Naturalist on the Nanticoke” by Robert Hedeen, "Birds of the U.S . A.” by Robert Ringler, and two lectures featuring Peru given by our own member, Dr. Robert Tre ver. During our meetings this year efforts were made to get our members interested in the new "Chickadee Checkoff - or Senate Bill 158 - which will provide funding for conservation programs for nongame animals and plants. Persons may provide, through individual income tax forms, for voluntary contributions to such fund. Our club has also elected a member, Donald Merritt, to be head of our Breeding Bird Atlas project in Talbot County. A regional meeting was held on March 30 in Easton for the purpose of explaining and recruiting volunteers for the project. Although the response was poor at this meeting, I’m confident that when our people are familiar with the duties involved, the Atlas will be underway this summer. From monies granted by the annual Waterfowl Festival in Easton, the chapter has almost completed the producing and assembling of 20 Wood Duck nesting boxes in Talbot County. A few more locations and boxes are to be assembled. Funding from the Festival also makes possible our Audubon Wildlife Screen Tours. There were four lecturers presenting afternoon school programs and the evening films for the general public. Average attendance was 121 and the subjects of the films were: "A Naturalist Afield,” by Karl Maslowski; "Bird of Freedom”, by Herman Kitchen; “African Adventures and Adventures in the American West”, by Tom Diez; and “Ranch Life and Wildlife”, by Albert Wool. Our Field trips saw new places and new faces. They continue to find “good birding” for those who attend. Bombay Hook, Chincoteague, Blackwater, Hawk Mountain, Carey Run are the favorites. This year a new location was the Bay Bridge Tunnel, near Cape Charles, Va., where the group enjoyed birding on Fisherman’s Island June 1983 Maryland Birdlife 59 National Wildlife Refuge. The Sunday Morning bird walks are very popular and we usually have 25 participants both in spring and fall. We have 7 bird walks in both seasons, followed by a breakfast served by members. Those attending give a contri- bution toward the cost of the food. Our regular monthly meetings are held September through April at 7:30 P.M. in the Maryland Room of the Loyola Federal Savings & Loan Building in Easton. Elections were held this year and Mr. Donald Terry Allen was elected our new president. I intend to remain as active as my health problem will permit. Rev. IVAN MORRIN, President Washington County Chapter This was an active and productive year. Our membership is at an all time high of 116. Inquiries arrive at our house weekly on various aspects of birding. The bluebird still is No. 1 in this area. In 1982 we implemented our new by-laws. It was the first time ever to have a program and field list published and delivered before the fall season started. We manned a booth at Boonsboro Days and find that an excellent way to promote what MOS is about. We hope to expand our interest there this year. This is the third year for sponsoring the Outdoor School Weekend. If this project is to survive we must interest others than our own membership. The fall hawk watch started in mid-August and continued until mid-December. We spent 73 days, 334 hours with a total of 4,761 raptors. There were several days of symphonies of snow geese and loons also. The Christmas Bird Count took place on December 18, 1982. There were 38 observers in 17 parties, making this a successful count day. The City of Hagerstown asked us to assist the management of the City Park in developing a wildlife preserve there. An able committee was appointed and has met with the city. A bird checklist is being prepared and we supplied Fort Frederick with a checklist for there also. The largest undertaking of the whole year was laying the groundwork for the start of the MD-DC Breeding Bird Atlas. We now have an excellent chairman, Ted Banvard. Our first training session had 25 people in attendance and all blocks have been assigned. Both of these were first in the state. This spring we started our first spring hawk watch and find many birds using the ridges. We also had our first Christmas tree trim for the children at Hagerstown Junior College. We adopted a swan. The society pledged $100 to the World Wildlife Fund for the support of efforts to preserve the habitat in South America for our migratory birds. A recycling project has been started, hopefully, to raise funds for the Sanctuary Fund and several landfills. Our chapter was asked to do the mailing of the Yellowthroat. We are successfully doing this new project at this time. MARY CORDERMAN, President Wicomico County Chapter This was a good year for the Wicomico Chapter. Monthly meeting attendance was up 35%, and there was more member participation in club programs and activities. The “bird profile” presented at the monthly meetings has been well received. Each month a member will present a talk on a bird; its habitat, feeding habits, distinguishing characteristics, breeding, migration and various facts. 60 Vol. 39, No. 2 Attendance at field trips averages about 14 persons per trip, the same as last year. The best attended trip was led by Jim Stasz, with 27 persons. This trip specialized in the observation of various species of gulls and markings. Our group is going to miss Jim, for while he lived at Irish Grove he attended our meetings and field trips and we all enjoyed his knowledge of birds and plants and nature in general. Another highlight was the fix-up day at Irish Grove when various members of our club prepared a turkey and other foods for the workers who came from other parts of the state as well as the Eastern Shore. Our Mrs. Lee Meinersmann was chairman of the Committee that rewrote the by-laws, that were recently adopted. An unusual sighting for our area was made by Mary Humphreys who sighted an Anhinga in a clump of bushes near Ocean City during the May Count. We are hoping that this coming year we will see an increase in member participa- tion in field trips. We have one of the greatest birding areas in the state on the Eastern Shore as can be verified oy those clubs from other parts of the state who plan weekend visits here. Chester J. Ross, President CONTENTS, JUNE 1983 State-wide Bird Count, May 7, 1983. ...James Stasz 31 The Season — Dec. 1, 1982-Feb. 28, 1983... .Robert F. Ringler 42 Annual Report of the Treasurer. ...Roger Herriott 46 Auditor’s Report. ...Rodney Jones 47 Annual Reports of Local Chapters. ...Chapter Presidents 49 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Published Quarterly by the Maryland Ornithological Society, Inc. to Record and Encourage the Study of Birds in Maryland. Editor: Chandler S. Robbins, 7900 Brooklyn Bridge Road, Laurel, Md. 20707 (725-1176) Assoc. Editor: Jon E. Boone, 9505 Good Lion Rd., Columbia 21045 Asst. Editor: Robert F. Ringler, 3501 Melody L., Baltimore 21207 Production: Lettie Cullom Mailing: Barbara Larrabee and committee Headings: Schneider Design Associates, Baltimore