MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 2Bulldlr~ o/t~ .24arq&nJ OrnLtnoloq~cal,/~ Socletq ~,o, ~Bolto. Street, 2Baltl,,wre '7, ../P/arqlanJ

J

i!Ii' :v i94~ Nos. i to 5 lIillillillllll The breakdown in the publication schedule of ?~LRYLAND BIRDLIFE has been described in get,oral complications to Society members several times in the past six months, but further reference to it here seems appropriate. The delay is the result of a combination of circumstances in no way the fault of the editors. In fact, Chan Rob~ins has repeatedly gone far beyond what he was asked to do, at personal inconvenience, to put copy into good shape on time. If any blame is due it can be placed on the President, who should have solved the various volunteer-work problems sooner than he did. The program at has been a very adtive one and club activities have been time-constuning. However~ the delay in ~RYLAND BIRDLIFE is especi~ ally regrettable, as the club publication is the one contact we have with the great majority of outlying member~. Fortunctely, solution of the problem now appears to have beau ~chleved. Th~ pr~a~.~ i~;u~ u~Anga ua up t~ the ~rst of 1949. ,w9 ~z~zunai is- sues (January-February 1949 and iv~rch-April 1949) are already nearly complete and should follow this one very closely. The present number differs from usual policy in one respect. All con- tributed articles on bird observations except those which are 'dated', such as the Season Reports, have been withheld and will appear in the first two 1949 issues. These include an article on bro~m thrashers by Hervey Braekbill, ad- ditions to the list of birds by Robert E. Stewart, an article on song sparrow studies at by Eleanor Cooley Robbins, a story of game bird propagation experiments at McDonogh by Ogden Ramsay, and a number of contribu- tions by other ~riters. Thus the next two issues will be more orthodox in content, from 'an ornithologica I point uf wiew. Nevertheless, the present issue is no mere chronology of club events. ~r. Robbins' excellent articles on "The Season" are packed with a year's in- teresting and valuable notes on Maryland birds, many of them published here for th~ first time. The report on the Christmas Count, in spite of its late- ness, is another outstanding paper on ~A~yland bird life. And some of the trip accounts include valuable observations. " We can now once again ask members te submit centributions to ~LRYLAND BIRD LIFE. All money saved by combined mailing of b~ek numbers is earmarked for future improvement of the physical aspects of the paper, and there ~ill be adequate space for notes from everyone. Please send in items for "The Season" or stories of any bird observations you feel m~y be of general inter- est; don't wait for something spectacular to turn up. Your "Season" notes for ~arch and April -- last departures, first spring arrival dates, peaks of migration, etc~ -- should be received before May 25; send them in now: All such notes should be directed to Editor Chandler S. Robbins, Patuxent Research Refuge, Laurel, ~d.

Orville W. Crowder, President Ch. e, 1949 I,A 'Y L A 3 8 I P,. D L t F E

Volume IV January - February, 1948 Numberll

THE SEASON November and December, 1947

Temperatures during November and December averaged close to nor- mal, and no unusually hot or cold spells were recorded. We had the wettest November on record for the State; nearly ~even inches of rain fell on Baltimore during that month, and there was even more in Sou- thern Maryland. In contrast, December was quite dry, and snowfall was below normal. Ducks and Geese. The first brant, a flock of 18, were seen at Ocean'-~ bn~Nbv' J~J'~ by I. R. Barnes and the D.C. ~udubon Society. The local duck flight exceeded all expectations; particularly excit- ing was the concentration of lO0,O00 canvas-backs witnessed by many M.O.S. members on Dec. 7 at Carpenter Point, and recorded again by Bob Jasse who flew over the area on the 17the Other counts higher than the ones shown on the various Christmas Counts were 28,000 scaup ducks in the upper Chesapeake on the Dec~ 7 M.O.S. trip, and 600 blue-wlnged teal and 3,000 green-wings at Blackwate~ ~ Hefuge on Nov. 16 (W.S. ~t~ebster, Barnes, et al.). Webster discovered a male Euro- pean widgeon at Blackwater in early November; it was identified by ~Do~ et al. on Nov. 16. and was still present in Christmas week.

Hawks, Shorebirds, T gernss. A late pigeon hawk at Beltsville was seen on Nov.-~, H, Fal-6s and W. H, Ball. Shorebird reports were few, but 2 semipa!mated plovers at Ocean City on Nov. 16(Barnes and party) were past their usual departure date. Late tern reports, all from Audubon trips, were as follows: 1 common tern at Sandy Point on Nov. l; 12 commons and 7 Caspians st Ocean City on Nor.e; and 2 Royal terns and i'7 ?orster:s terns at Ocean City on Nov. 16. Woodpeckers, Phoebe, Horned Lark~ Hervey Brackbill reports 3 adult red'headed wb-ed-p~ckers at Hills ale Park through Nov. 14; only l, a banded bird which bred there last s~unmer, was still present at the end of December. A phoebe at patuxent Refuge on Nov. 23 (Audubon 8celery) and Z near Halethorpe (R.M. Bowen) were very late migrants. Twenty northern horned larks seen at Ocean City on Nov. 16 by the Audubon Society represent our eallest arrival date for this race.

Thrasher, Robin, Warblers -• Mr. Fales last saw his thrasher on Nov, "J-~e s-a~-fo~ the SiLver ~pr~ng area; and the last Garrett

-1 - o0unty robin was seen on Backbane Nt. on Nov. 15 by Phyllls H. Wil- liams. A western palm warb!e~ at;Patuxent/on NOV. 14 (Robblns) is one of the latest on record a~ay ~rom the coastal a~eas,

Finches and S/~rrows. Not a singl~ northern finch wa~ reporte~ and e~fi-~e purp±o f~nch was very ;scarce, and late in arriving; the first recorded Were at :'Patuxent, Nov. 14 (Bobblns), and Narlboro, Nov, 18 (R.E. Stewart and• R.A. Grizzell). Towhee~ we-re Irregularly dlstributod through the southern part of the State, and 2 remained at Mrs. Alan Beerbower~s feeding station near Towson through December. An early arrival date for the Ipswich sparrow was recorded by Barnes and party, who found 3 at Ocean City on Nov. 18, Bowen co,Luted 8 vesper sparrows near Halethorpe as late ,s Nov. i, and 5 were seen ~t on the 8th (Stewart, Robblns). Bowen noted the first tree sparrow near Halethorpe on Nov. I; at other localities this bird Was late in.arrivlng; the next date reported was Nov. 13 ~t Beltsville (Ball). A Small flight of snow buntings occurred this winter, the first 4 birds being seen ~t Ocean City on the early date of Nov. ~, by~Ba:rnes ~nd ~ Party, ~-~ Ob~n~_er 8.- Robb!ns

DRCEHPER- NL; TIt'G FEATURES DR. ELLIOTT' S PICTURES Dr. Myron A. Elliott, physicist of Washington, was welcomed by a large and appreciative group of Ms~.yland Ornithological Society members and their friends when he gave his illustrated lecture at our meeting on December 12. Only a choice few of tho~e present could understand the extraordinary technical skill involved in the construction of Dr. Elliott~s 15", 30", and 50" lenses and in thei~ use in bird photography, For most Of us it was pure magic. The close-ups, taken so far away, gave us the pleasure of pee~Ing into the private lives of bird families from California and the Utah salt fl~tq tn Maryland. f~m the bank~ of Flo~idaWs Swannee River to the waters off Key West. ~ Many of us met the water ouzel of the West intimately for ~ the first time. The, Florida flamingoes in their vivid rose were accurately reproduced, but it was the shot s of bird~- on the wing which proved most truly amazing, Our President, ~. Orville Crowder, was not in his usual place, ~nd the Society missed his infectious enthusiasm. It was with real s0~.row that we learned that his brother ~, Mr. Newton Wrlght Crowder, passed away suddenly on the afternoon of our meeting. Dixie O, Sto!!enwe~'o2

KEEP A BIRD LIST THIS YEAR • This is a good time to remind our more casual birders of the value and pleasure of starting at least a chronological record of the species seen, beginning with January 1. The more observations an8 notes, the better, but record at least the first date on which each species was seen, and the locality, The Supplies Chairman has the four-page check llst, commonly used on club trips, ,nd suitable for daily lists; I0 for 15~, The "Blue List", 40 page Field List of birds of thi~ region, makes a Eood annual check llst; 25~ a copy, MARYLAND c mI as ;Bim CouNts, 194v During late December and ~ea~ly~anuary nea~y four score Ma~j- landers in 15 of the State's 23 counties :participated in the 48th annual Christmas Bird Qount sponsored by the National Audubon Socl- sty. All counts were made within ithe prescrlbed IS-mile diameter; although the ones from Ragerstow~, Patuxent~ Refuge, Port Tobacco, and (Kent Asiand) dld not meet all the requirements concern- Ing date ~nd time which entitle them to be published in the March issue of Audubon Field Notes. They are all presented here, however, as they rep~~t a~n~e cress section of the winter bird population of our State. The tremendous Increase in birding activity within our boundaries du~ing the past five years is shown by a compa~?ison of ~the present counts with those of recent years. In 1949, for example, 0nly two Maryland counts (Accokeek an~ Loch Raven) were published; the four observers Who participated identified a total of 1755 bi~ds of 50 species.~ This year with V8 participants (exclusive of the Washington, ~Do~., count), 127 species were identified, and the number 0f individuals was close to 328,500 -- nearly a third of a million'

Last year's ~u,~:~ry pointed out that in over 40 years only two Maryland Christmas Counts had be~n made west of Hontgomery County. A challenge to the westerners was well m~t; for this year three fine censuses were submitted from that area. At this rate we should have ~ ~eports f~om nearly all counties next year; will yours be included? The various counts are shown in tabula r form this year, for ready comparison of one area with another. They are arranged from northwest to southeast to show the progression of abundance across the State. The V~ashinEton, B.C., count (which includes parts of Hontgomery and Prince Georges Counties)has been inserted at its proper geographical position; although it is not strictly a Maryland census, it helDs complete the picture Qnd also shows the fine counts that may be obtained in this area by 68 observers traversing woli~ planned routes.

Most of the unusual occurrences stand out at a gl~nce, since they a~e either the only records for the species, or are separated from other counts of the same species by several blanks. On the other hand, the secret of which species were missed by the various group~ is given away by the gaps (though the habitats covered must also be taken into consld~ration). In looking over the totals it is important to bear in minO that the relative abundance of various species for the State as a wh~le cannot be determined from these fIEures. We must not assume, for instance, that the brant is commoner than either the Canada goose, the turkey vulture, the cardinal, or the junco. The high brant count is the result of intensive coverage of the only area in the State where this species occurs, and probably represents almost our entire wintering population. What is the commonest wintering bird? That depends upon where you llve. The McCool~ and Old Town counts showed English sparr~v in

.$ 3 - ~ ~I ~ ~} N 0 } 1 1 ...... I'll ~ ' ~ ~ ~ 1 ~ ~ ~ ~ ...... ~ } ~ ~ ..... 1...... ll i ~ ,~ ~a ~ ~ ~ F ~l ~ l~ ~ ~--

--1T1 Illl I 1 lll~ ~l ...... , ~ 1d ...... ~ ~ L ~ ~ ; ~A~ ~ I I 1 1 -- 1 1 1 ...... ll 1 1 1 .... ~ ~ ~ ~

the co~ono~t °he in Al!eganY County), If l you live in the Hagerstown Valley or ~n ~ne ~ent Island area, the C~Qw will v~ry likely head the flat. ThQ Kolbs found the turkey vulture the commonest bird in the L00h Raven area on the day of their census, while a fewmiles away, at Ohase, the baldpate was far ~in the lead. The highest tally of all was a .conservative estimate of 190,000 red-wlngs flying northward at dusk over the mouth of the . Although no other areas l~ showed high cotu~ts of this species, it is ~qulte po~slble that the red-wing is the most abundant wintering bird in the State. At the pat~xent Refuge the Junco is the commonest wintering species, while at Aocokeek, in southwestern Prince Georges County, the starling took first place thls year. The counts from Port Tobacco end Solo- mona gave first place to the ruddy duck. Across the Bay at Black- water Refuge, the black duck and' Canada goose were ahead~ and at the coast, the scaup ducks far outnumbered everything else. Since lack of space prevents a detailed discussion of the vari- ous counts, references to the highlights are given below in abbrevi~- ated form; further details may be ascertained by consulting the ~h!e ", ~ High counts (those which represent the highest for the species In Nor--g~-Amer-er-~ this winter are underscored in the table): horned grebe, whistling swan, brant, baldpate, canvas-back, buffle-head, 01d-squaw, ruddy duck, pileated woodpecker, red-headed woodpecker, whlte-breasted nuthatch, brown-headed nuthatch, Carolina wren, short- billed marsh wren, hermit thrush, red-wing, grackle, swamp sparrow. Species rare at this sea~on: American ogre.t, gadwall, Euro- pean wg~,-~e---Wing~ ~shoveller~ goshawk, osprey, pigeon ~wk, greater yellow~iegs, longeared owl, pine warbler, ~iison's warbler, and white-crowned ~parrow (also high count). Species rare locally: phoebe at Loch Raven and Washington, catbira at~Was-~g~on~ ruby-crop, ned kinglet at Loch Raven and Car- penter Point, palm warbler at McCoole, and yeU Lov~-throat at Chase. ~n~e~ of a~ot~v distribution (fai~,l.v co~mon in some areas but~ rare ~re~y-~rfg~in ~o%he.~ where they often Occur) : horned lark, white-breasted nuthatch, robin, cedar waxwing, myrtle warbler, towhee, and fox sparrow° Species comparatively scarce this year. rough-legged hawk, sande~ling anK-K~her ~Sg-~Sbi-~-~-mourning~ove • b]ue jay, tufted tltmouse, red-breasted nuthatch, golden-crowned kinglet, purple finch, and goldfinoh. ~,~hen studying the following table, notice how the numbers of m~ny species (the hermit thrush, myrtle warbler, field sparroW, and swamp sparrow, for instance), vary ma~,kedly f~om one section of the State to another -- all the way from the extremity of their winter fanes to an area of great abundance~ Note also the progressive c @ange in the tree sparrow--field sparrow ratio as you move from one end of the State to another:

-4 - _~_OL...... IV, ., -=-_-.....,:,N i...... ==...... , :...~I,~li...... BIRDLIFE... _...... : ...... - ...... " J~m- ,,'~,.,::F~:'...*Z~++-Pc} ~t

+ : ~ 4: Ra~-thr, loon I + , =! 1 -; ! I ~ i ~ 121 ' 3, ' Hornld grebe + l~ I " , : ,¢ , 3! 7919_9., 30! 63 Pied b. grebe , I l + :. , ; i'+ D.~r.cormorant t...... +-'--k---!--- +J...... ~-----~..+-- Grt,blue heron ! , +~ 4+, ,~ ,: + I ?i :~i + l?+, z2t:

A~erican egret 1 Blk.cr.nt.heron I w,d ~t i 1~: swan 1 | Canada goose 140.1564i , + 185, + 50t15701 42 = Am~rlcan brant E~llard ~ 9 ~; ~ ~i ~o' -~, , , zn', ~ ', Black duck 371 451143~l ~.04 40. 11: !1O00158O~Zl.30t

• l~'' ! ; 3 ; " [ 56!+ ' :, I I , ! ~i i B~dpate 14795~ iO , : i; .2000 5451 i Plntail ! I l -- i~o6 ; 2o~ ' ', l~,} n i Green-w. teal : 1 zs, ' ~8 ' , i 5~ !, Blue-w. teal • ~ ~ Shoveller , ...... __+ .... +.__t + ' ~! ...... !-+- I ~ ..... t ~ 'F 1oo4 duck i , ! 2' : ' 5 Redhead 1505! 18 t ' , 20i 1 Ri~-ne~ dtuk ,'I I 1 ,~s ! : i 4i i ' Crams-back t ' 1 i , , 56~ !200 590 60o! -(gr) I ! i i ' ! 3" 601 200 105 .--~!..__~jr .... ~..__=m__+__:k_=-_cx_=:. --=.t---~--., ' I • ; t I Buffle-head t " j ~ lOi 6t ~ : i 2, 171 371 642! m-sq~v, i t , I i 1 I ! I i 6s~ ! 927i

toM~ m~nsr, i t t t I 2; 61 ' ~.' t J.' t i J-~ 7 • , ' " 1 " I ~t ~ "+I , "+ ~. merganser t J t t 8! 861 114i : 2/+6 ! 13 12' t 12 611 21 I~l-br.mer g.,sr ' t I +, , ,~ l, i +' ' 8t t too, i 71

' ~ - I / -- | 1 t hrkeyvulture ! I ! V 2371 26! 65 19t 2041 50 i 401 72~ I 1281 144 Bh~kvulture 't I t 2 1 ! i iI P-~I 65! l?j 1+61 J I Goshawk I f ~ ; ; I ) I II ! ~ l

Gooper's hawk : !i ! I ~: t ~t +1 i i 2i 7 +,

l~l'sho~d.h.wk / 3= i ~ 8L - 2[ ~ ~ , ;3

-5- .iV NO. i MARYLAND BIRDLIF2 J,m,-Feo. 1 8

I~ ,Old i.Hag "~ Cha~ Susq P82A~ Wo :,h ,,l~'eo :Po~t '8o~o. !~st ,Blk. ;Worn ' ~ooi iTwn|twn iRav s~, ~Flat :xent DO !koek ~Tob. !monsl B~vlwatr t CO.

~sh he: : I ' , 4 . ~, 2~ 4. it : 3!, 7' o~re~ :' I )I ;I ' '. :, '" ' ! /i . !' z', ; , I -L. .-..- . • : D,,ckhawk...... - ...... ~ ~--, ...... : .... ~ .... ~ I~~ ...... ,~...... ~...... -:' .....

I ) Sparrow hawk i i i ~ 2 2' 2 7~ 2; , ii' 15 B~b-whlte , ' , 15 23; 24 6 ~ ' ; A=.~dc~ coot , i t :1020 255 ' 3) : 51 , ' I01 Etlldoer ~ I , ~o: 12. 2 ~: 2, ~158 ...... ! ~ilson's snipe ! { * 47 , ' t Gr,yeilow-legs ' , i ; ' I i S~n~erling i ~ , ; q 57 7 ~v~ 66 ~77 Ri~-billed gull ! : ! 7 254 : 146,! 18' 68 • 20' ' 2531 154: I Bonaparte's gull i i : f ' . ! ~r,,i:~, dove i I 5; ~' 94; 13~ :30. 4, 3 i: 36} :L'I' hm owl : ; , , ' ( i Screech owl I ! i } I~ " ~ 2! ! i , ...... : --"3 ..... ,'r''-F~ " ~ ~"--'-!, ---'P- ~ ..... )---I -'-- ,-r---'-~--; Horned o~l , : t : ~ "i , Barred owl ~' -' i i ' 2 i 3!) Im~E-eared owl I Kiug£isher i 2! I l) ~I 61 o, 2, ?: ~ Fiickgr !_• l,; 2{ ;22 : 23/_2~ Pileat~d wdpkr. Red-bellied wp~r. ; i a '~: "i mR, 20: H~d-headed wpkr. i ') ' ', ~ ' ~ ; 30' , ) )

Sapsucker | I i , ) 2 4! 5 ~: 4~ t i H~i~7 ~oodpeeker i 1 II , ~ 2, 18:, 19, 9! 4~ 2' 16! 13 Downy woodpecker 22 7! 51 14~ 7~ 50' I_~, 18, 28. 4,' 3o!" 56 Fmst~rn phoebe i i I ' I} ' . ; II

Horned lark i; !' I ri II: i791 ' ' ! : j ~i 154, Blue jay i , l 2{ 2! 33: 5 1 231 lOli 50:63 ~ ' 1 ' 1 C~o~ I 12~ 27in91; 16! 106: 11: Fish crow :-9! iT Blk-o~p(?)Chick. i • I ~ ' | ' 2I t ; ' ~ i ' 211 G~rolina chick. ! I 18; zo! 321 7: ' 119. ~2~-S 35i 61. i , ~' 9539~ i' 11847~ ~ Tufted titmouse I 31 3:, 5! ! 3l' n 5~' ~9~: 3o. 3o~ is: ; • t 1 I ~h.-br. nuthatch j ioi I , 12i 2~ ~_j , , , , ~5 ~ °b.~ nuthatch i i i i , 3. ' ', : , hd nuthatch ! ' I . ' i , i ! 52; Brn~ creepor , • i I i 10 5: 20" 27I i ~ i 111 12 Winter ~ren ! t 9 ! t 6' 2 2: 10 131 i 2! , i 2oi 20' Co~ollna wren 11 3, ) 3i 28 6 40' 78' 25, 27 ;jo :_ '_2) ,.__~i

-6- VOLt tV~ NO, ~ . _ ~RYLAND BIRDLIF~ .... " .... il ~ .... :~

iC~ol Twn%wn.. Ray I se Flat xent ~ DC keeh,~*, ~- ~ n~_~_~ ~

S~oF~-b,ma~sh wrJ' - -~~ ~-i -I : : " 1' ~' !" " ~i :.... 20~ 121,' ~,..,.,l,t:~,bZxd i ~ bl 2i 1 2, 2 7'. 77 I 9: Z3: 5 2! Ai Cotbird i - ! I '!- t :- ! I ! " i i I: 3{ B~o~ thrasher i I ! ' / : : i , ....

~rmlt ~nrusn ! ~ , ~ ! ,~j 2 14 16 A i 18 9 16 An Blueblrd i I 5! i 36} 17: I. 2 70 22' 16; 6Ai 68" 6~i Goldn-cr.kingle%{ ! i 31 i0{ 25. i I 2/+ i 45 20' 231 II 9~: "~', ~by-or.k~n~let ~ : I : I, 1 i" i01 , ~ 'I ~ ~,

~i~r~nt, shrike t: !, . ~ ' : ' I I ' :' l } :~.i

St~,'lln~ !: 12' 24i290~! 20', 23 2400' 29; 5766 i000 " 76~, 265' 250' 72 .a'~I ~),~cle~arb~er i I , 7! 78 2: i 213 12 89.: 2~, I 812}1790!

(,iV, Ira warbler ! i i ! ~ ! , i Ii

~ilson's warbler J } ~ { i '

E~lish sparrow ! 8 12/+ " 2 2 A' 80, 171 ,- 2~0~687

P~-wing ' , , : ' $9C000i 51' %0- Z~O' ..368, 7851 1060 !1~90l ~mty blackbird i ' I ' 121~ I ~ 18 2' 25' 2~ ! 306! 63 Grackle ' i | i : i ~C-DO0 i Ii ', ! ' Oo~bird ' '~' 1' '~ ~ z.... iUU; ~ 3{ , i. i: 12: 2i i 841

...... i .... / ..... ' | ...... ,- i hr~le finch I ,' I ! ,, ~ 1 5;I 4:' ~. 1 , . 15: " ""~"~-'~"~' ' ' t a,..*,.~ ~71 ~,: "Tf A~cu i ~"-J-' I ; ~'~! J.Z,U[ A,,7~" ~o.~oe ': 11 ] ! i i i I -l~, I : 15 i 6! ~I 9i hv&nnahsparrow,! I f" ~ , I, t '~,l I-! I0 ' t I ~/,.t 5 ,

Vester sparrov,.- ~ i I ] ~ ! I ! t I ! ; I 21! !=o I 49. 491z5o ', 251 z7ot 27l 569; 695; 250: 2Z,4! 17, ~n.~l 243! treosparrow i i2t zs!zii, 27! i3i 3zj 177l 24i 551 54 i 19: ! 12~ O~ip~ng~:rro~l : i ! I i } I i " ,' : i 2j 39 ...... ! -~ ~ ~-~ =~...... i .... i .... 4 ...... -,------~ ......

~t~-ero~msu.. 13~ I , i ! ~ [ I , i : i : • "ldte-thr. sp ~. ] 1St 12[ 2 ~ 26i lOl', 26' 90? 563,250; 197' z2~i i loSl 400i

Son~sp~xro~ ' 9; 3 5! 17: 40i 24 861 342,175[ 751 62! ' 2111 1121 :-~- -~..: ...... -~ ...... -. --.--;...... F- --- ~-~---L --:~. . ~ _.::=~---',---'~-:.::-~--=:- ..~----J ...... -~----~ ...... I----~------I- .... -r--~ T ...... 1...... ', . i ~o~LSPmlm . 20, 19 25: 31; 65i 621 ~7~7. 5t1 72A 60~ 1 93! 91~ TOTALIN~VID,LS 23813821L966 !530] 10M;25(:~i1839 : Z~ ,27501406414685;7950! Z~l 2~: ...... ,*--.--i ~ .... t' ~---~-I ...... '1,~ ...... ~ ~,~,~ - ~- •- ~ :~- --=~. ~- t '" ~ " " !0,,..,:,-.our. , zo, ' 9' .6!

-7- ..... McOoole, Allegany 09, ~(~o. 1

Tg~?~, Aliegany Co, (I/4 mi. north and 3 ml. south along Po- ~0ma0 and~ 0anal). Des, ~0; 8:30 ~o 4. ~air; 220 to 3GO; no wind, Observers together; 6 ml, by car, 4 on foot. Helen B. Miller, Nelli~ Thomas, Vir~il~Twia8' , Jack Ga~der, Geor6o Voit~ Rober~ Punk- b0usor, Donna Hogbin~ Jeanne Orabtree, Charles Devers, Eldon Long. NageITstown (and vicinity, accessible points on , ~nd g~eater pa~t of land bounded by Sharpsburg Pike, Route ll, and the river. Jan.2-3, 1948. (Four hr. rain and snow, 5 hr. cloudy, 2 hr. clear; 32o to 390; 18 ml. on foot, ll5 in car. Win. B. Green. Loch Raven. Dec, 26; 6:45 to 4)45. Snow until 9 (4 in.), then partly--Blo~28 o to 360; wind ~R~, 4-8 m.p.h.; ice on all smaller 0stuaries; 15 ml. afoot, 20 by car. David and Haven Kolb. Cha~e (west shn~e of Chesapeake from Middle River to north shore of Gunpo~er, inland to B~O RR. Dec. 21; 6:45 to 5. Clear; 22 ° to 400; wind NW, 1-12 m.p.h.; ~round bare, ice covering upper parts of most creeks; 18 observers in 5 parties; 32 miles afoot. William BG~zy, German Bond, Ed Bougourd) Robert Bowen, Florence If. Burner, C0mpton Crook, Orville Crowder, Mrs. Emily N. Elder, Irving E. Hampe, Pearl Heaps, Werner Juhle, Haven Kolb, Ruther Lenderking, Win. McHoul, ~ugus~ Selckman~, Stephen Simon, Albert T. Swarm, Jr., Etta Wedge. Susquehanna Flats--Sassaf~a9 River (Havre de Grace, Perry Pt., Oarpen-e~~l~ NeCk~ Sassafras). Dec. 20; 8:12 to 5. Clear; 5 ~ to 3~o; wind ~W, 5-10 M.P.H.; grouna bare; small bays and estuaries frozen. Observers together except for I hr.; 4 mi. on foot, 36 by car~. Brooke Meanley, Chandler Robbins, RObert Stewart. Patuxent Refuge. Jan. 16) 1948; 7~.35 to 4-30. Clear; 143 ~o 400 to--~in-~D I0 m.p,h.; 1-in. crusted sn~ ; ponds and bayous frozen; ll observers in 7 parties; 55 miles on foot. Durward L. A1- fen, Roy A. Grizzell, Leonard M. Llewellyn, Seth H. Low, A. C. Mar- tin, Robert T, Mitchell, Arnold L. NelSon) Chandler S, Robbins, R0bsrt E. Stewart, Gustav A. Swanson, F. M. Uhler. ~, D. C. (see Woo__~d T hrum!~ 4 ( Jan., 1948) :25-28). ~ccokeek, Oharles Go. (2 square miles on east side of Potomac Just below mouth of ). Dec. 22; 8 to 4:30. clear, but hazy in p.m.; 28 ° to 400; no wind; ground bare; water open. Ob- servers in pairs, alone at times; 13 miles by foeS. A. A. Baker, Edwin T. McKnlght, Thomas B. Nolan, W. W. Rubey. Port Tobacco, Charles Co. (areas about the village and Brentland Wharf.]~--jan, 7,i948; 7:25 to 5:15. Clear, good visibility| 26 ° to 400; wind NW, 20 m.p.h. Observers in pairs; 18 mi.' bY foo~, 24 in ~ar. Clarence Certain, Ira N. Gabrlelson, A. L. Nelson, C. S. Rob- blns; also Dale Sanders and F. M. Uhler in p.m. counting waterfowl.

--8- Sqlomons, Calvert Go. Dec.2i; 5:30 to 4:30. Clear, 30 ° to 44o; w~o NE, 5-18 m.p.h. Observers separate; 145 mi. by car, 18on foot, 29 by boat. Edwin M. Barry, 0olt Goker, George F. Kelly. Eastern B_~, Queen ~nes 0o. (area on end i~medlately a~jaeent to Ken~-~e. 21; 10:30 tO 4:30. Waterfowl only. F. M. Uh!er. Southern Dorchester Co. (Blackwater Refuge, Bishops Head, Fish- h~6 B~,~sav~nnah~Lai~e, E~l~iott Is.) Dec. 21; 6:30 to 6:15. Cl~ar; 28~ to~46o to 360; ground bare; fresh water ponds end brackish mar- shes frozen; 9 observers in 4 parties; 23 miles on foot, 14 in boat, 86 by car. E. Baldwin, I. Re Barnes, E. Jass~, L. M. Llewellyn, M. B. Meanley, C° S. Robbins, N. Shelton, R. E. S~<~,,~, J. Willoughby.

Southeastern Worcester Co. (7 1/2 mile radius centered 5 mi. SE by E Bf~Snow Hiil).-'-'~C.--?/2~-6:45 to 4:45. Cloar~ 28 ° to 430; wind }~, O-lO m.p.h.; F~round bare; ponds frozen; 9 observers in 5 parties; 94 mi. by car, EO on foot, 2B by motorboat, lo by canoe. E. Arnold, I. R. Barnes, J. H. Buckslew, N. Hotchklss, L. M. Llewellyn, M. B. Meanley, G, S. Robbins, R. E. Stewart, J. E. Willoughby.

Chandler S. Robblns

THE STOKES TACJ(LE PELEE'S PHE&SA~NTS We usually stay within Maryland in reporting bird matters, but when popular and faithful members like the Stokes move away and un- dertake ornithological studies, it is good to pass along a bit of news from time to time. Alice and Allen recently took up their new station on Pelee Island, in western Lake Erie, where Allen is start- ing a two-year study of the pheasant population. Here is a shor~ excerpt from Allen's letter of October 15: "Our house is right on the north shore of the island, so we get many migrants as they jump across from Pelee Point (Ontario); however, the bulk of them go down the east side in a well-wooded stretch. In the ~ evening the grackles and redwings flock into those mall marshes by the tens of thousands. "You might be interested in knowing something about Pelee's pheasants. Almost every evening just before dusk, Alice and I set out, the baby in the back seat, and start crusing the roads ~)r pheasant counts~ By now we know many of their favorite haunts, W~o nights ago, we parked on the road and watched 60 birds cross the road in front of us as they went from fields to woods to roost. From our house in the evenings we hear the cocks squawking as they fly up into the trees to roost. Still later I hear them again as some islander is probably "shining" them. There is no doubt that there is a good deal of illegal killing of pheasantsj I don't be- grudge the islanders a few, but I don't like to see other people come in and take them out of season. However, I have resolved to keep 100% clear of the enforcement angle so that the islanders will have full confidence in telling me what they observe." iiii (November-Deccmb~r-., 1847 ) •: '~" BENGIES...... POINT, NOVEMBER i. Mr-, Ramsa-~ .-~- ~ ~--~.&p ...... was paannea as a rowtoa'~n~'~u~ut-eo-?f----PPy--vV~ter kept it ashore on Bangles Point ~nd other shores of Dundee Creek° Twelve members spotted 39 species, In01uding 2 bald eagles, I yellow-bellied sapsucker, a flock of rob- ins, 8 towhees and ~ hermit thrushes. ~ost plentiful of the water- f0wl were baldpates (1200) and fuddles (270).

FEEDING STATION HOUND TABLE, NOVE~BER 21. The monthly meeting in Novem~too-~eW'~turn a"~our--spe~~~e~B"shared the floor in a r0und-table di.-,cussion of feeding station techniques and records. Mr. Arthur Fast, of Arlington, Va., told of his remarkable banding of 875 cedar waxwings last winter; Harvey Braokbill discussed things to look for ia the actions of birds at feeding ohelves; Mrs. Herman ~. ~u~:,"-~-Jr, ~o~_..... of feeding experiences _at ~ke~ville;_.... ar.d Mr. ~0wder acted as moderator,

BOMBAY HOOK, NOVE~IBER 23. Our first club visit to this very inber~ ~'{ffona-~iT'g Refuge on Delaware Bay brought out ~8 members, and produced a most interesting series of observations totaling 42 species. Chief attraction among the ducks, and princi- pal objective of the trip, were the shevelers, of which 80 were counted. Forty mourning doves and ~0 meadowlarks were noted, and the flocks of redwings totaled thousands. A number of membersgot their first good look at vesper sparrows, and enjoyed a long, close 0bse~vatlon of a migrant shrike: But the crowning achievement of the trip, and "life-list-new" b~rd for almost all of us, was the close and continuous observation of the avocet. This western shore ~.,A --~-~* ~ ,,~ ~ ~d~n~ ~eservoir. Penna., here at Bom- bay Hook, Delaware, and in North Carolina, stayed within 25 yards of the telescope for a half-hour-- too close for good focusing. The tawny color of the neck was missing in its winter plumage, but otherwise the spectacular appearance of this gem left nothing to be desired. We watched its characteristic aide-eweeping method of feeding, and came back time and again for further study. Lester Wood lead this most successful trip ... although he worried us no end by keeping the official llst in shorthand we couldn't read'

PERRY POINT & CARPENTER POINT, DECEMBER 7, This field trip to the-~que~n~ ~v'ided-one o~~'~ ~randest sight~ of ducks ever witnessed by any of us ... including Bob Stewart, who sees lots of birds. From a high point of land at Carpenter Point we looked out over a portion of the famed susquehanna Flats and gasped at raft after raft of canvasbacks, stretching Into the far distance where the 20-power telescopes merely showed that there were more rafts beyond. Of the ducks we could see well enough to block out and count, we estimated well over !O0~O~O0 canvasbacks. Other records of the day included 25,000 scaup, 90 baldpate, i00 fuddles, 120 Canada geese, 60 swans, as well as ten ether species of waterf owl, - I0 - :IL-III -III " ' ...... -

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AL LE GA NY AC T I V I TIES I,

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On I~ov,)mb~ 7, Mrs. Helen B. Miller, who has been doing a mar- velous Job of carrying bIPd information and color pictures to school groups throughout the county, visited the Seventh Grade Bird Club at Fort Hill High School and gave a talk on "Birds and ~here to Find Them". After the talk there was a period for questions, and a num- ber of observations were reported by the pupils.

The week-end of Now:,~mbnr 8-9, Mr. C1,owder made another trip to Allegany County, and full advanta~e was taken of his presence for a ~apld round of bird talks and field trips.

Saturday morning dawned rainy, but cleared to windy and cold as we started on a cross-county jaunt. Nan Livingstone, Robin Andrews and H~Io~ "'~ ~ ~,~ ~nw~ and d~o,,~ to the f4rst stop C~e~- aptown. There we mQt 18 members of the Junior Club and were ~oined by Mildred Willison, Margaret Baker and Sara ~righte Weather con- ditions were rough, and observations started slowly. However, quite a number of birds were studied and many likely spots for futur~ at- tention were notedo

Next we traveled to Westernport, where we were met by members Hazel Inskeep, Mac Moose and Nra. Beulah Beck, as well as 18 Juniors. The group hiked up a steep hillside back of town, and were rewarded by a number of good observatlons~ includlnE a close-up of myrtle warblars and a Baltimore oriole nest.

The same afternoon, the group moved on to Eckhart, meeting Miss ^---~-~ ,.-- ~,~.~ i~ ~ 20 ~unior~. The wind had stepped up to near gale force by now, but there were good looks at kildeers and flocks of bluebirds. Miss Caudill's enthusiastic hos- pitality wound up with refreshments at the school for all hands, and finally a square dance:

On Sunday, with Mr. Crowder still leading a group of i0 mem- bers hiked along the C & 0 Canal near Paw paw, whore the canal goes through a brick tunnel in an arm of ~own Hill Mountain. Myrtle warbler, white-throats and song sparrows were the most plentaful birds here. The regular meeting of the Allegany County Club in November was held at the Public Library, and enjoyed a talk on Bird Feeding Stations by Kendrick Hodgdon, Feeding Station Chairman.

Mr. & Mrs. Gilbert Miller spend two days on famous Bull's Is- land, near Charleston, S.C., in December~ and reported on their trip at the December monC~y ~:eeting of the Country Clubo Plans for the first Christmas Count were also discussed at this meeting.

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