Volume 12 Number 4

February 1999

---

---

Found an injured raptor?
Contact Debbie Delevan of Chesapeake Birds of Prey, Inc.

Phone: (410) 692-2794
Fax: (410) 329-1221
E-mail: raptors@bellatlantic.net

---

CONTENTS

Falconer To Present Program
January Meeting Cancelled
Nominations Needed For Annual Awards
Calendar of Events
Volunteers and Ideas Needed
Harford County 1998 Bird List
Convalescing Member
Envirothon Donation
Pete Dunne to Speak at Oregon Ridge
World Series of Birding
Habitat Management Guidelines Book
Birding Courses
Register Early
Harford's Avian Visitors
1998 Rock Run Christmas Bird Count
Field Trip Reports
HARFORD CHAPTER - MOS FIELD TRIPS FEBRUARY - APRIL 1999
Dinner Meeting Reservation Form

The March program will be presented by Mr. George Tredway, a licensed falconer. George is a retired Air Force officer and is now an earth science teacher at Edgewood Middle School. He has practiced falconry in seven states and in three countries on two continents. George has an American Falconry Permit and is also licensed in Germany. He attended the German Falconry School in Saarbruken.

The meeting will be held on Friday, March 5, 1999 at Churchville Presbyterian Church located at the intersection of MD 22 and MD 136. The dinner will start at 6:15 PM. The dinner reservation form is at the back of this newsletter and is due not later than Wednesday, February 24. The business meeting will start at about 7 PM for those who do not wish to attend the dinner. Please recall that the bird club is responsible for 50 paid reservations.

Please remember our inclement weather policy: If Harford County Public Schools are closed for the entire day or if they close early, the meeting will be postponed one week. If the schools open one or two hours late, the meeting will be held as scheduled. Please call Larry Fry at 410-452-8539 before 5 PM if the weather is questionable.

Return to Table of Contents

The January meeting was cancelled after being postponed from January 8. Eric Cromwell, the scheduled speaker, will be rescheduled at a later date.

Return to Table of Contents

It has become a tradition for the club to present awards for the previous year at the March dinner meeting. If you have any nominations for the prestigious award categories listed below, please inform Larry Fry before Wednesday, February 17. Awards are to be given to County Lister of the Year, "Rookie" of the Year, Bird of the Year, and for Distinguished Service. Listers should also submit their list before February 17.

Return to Table of Contents

Return to Table of Contents

The bird club is still searching for a person to do our newsletter. Les Eastman has asked to be replaced as editor, and we are hopeful that someone will step forward to take over this position. Please call Larry Fry if you are interested.

The bird club will celebrate its 50^th anniversary at the November, 1999 meeting. Jean Fry is chairperson for the committee that is deciding what the club should do to celebrate this occasion. Please call Jean if you wish to serve on the committee or if you have any ideas about what should be done.

The club history was most recently updated in 1993. We need a volunteer to bring the history up to date as part of our 50^th anniversary celebration.

Return to Table of Contents

David Powell suggested that the club should do a list of all birds seen in the county by members during 1998. The check off list was ready for the January meeting which was cancelled. We will do the list check off at the March meeting.

Return to Table of Contents

Dr. Bill McIntosh is convalescing at home after coronary bypass surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Bill is weak and needs much rest. Cards and phone calls would be greatly appreciated.

Return to Table of Contents

The bird club again donated $150 to the Harford County Envirothon competition. Teams from the local high schools compete in environmental and bird identification related events. Teams from the county have done very well at the state and national level over the past years.

Return to Table of Contents

The Oregon Ridge Nature Center in Baltimore County has announced that Pete Dunne will present a program at their lodge on Monday, April 19 at 7:30 PM. Pete has many interesting birding stories and will also sign his latest book.

Return to Table of Contents

MOS has announced that it will again sponsor a team at the World Series of Birding in New Jersey. The team will attempt to find more birds than any other team in Cape May County, New Jersey on May 15. There will be pledge sheets available at the March meeting. Last year the team generated almost $1,700 in profits which MOS has decided to use in a mist net replacement fund and also to provide an additional scholarship for the Scholarship Committee.

Return to Table of Contents

MOS recently helped publish a manual that can be used by landowners to identify land management practices favorable to the preservation of migratory land birds. I have now received a copy of the manual and it will be available at the March meeting. Copies can be downloaded from the MOS web site at http://www.MDBirds.org.

Return to Table of Contents

Each semester, Harford Community College offers several courses related to birdwatching. For further information on tuition, fees, and registration, consult the HCC Schedule of Non-credit Classes available at county libraries or by calling 410-836-4376. The courses being offered this spring are:

• Birding--Local and Migrating Birds of Winter/Spring begins on February 5. The course will be taught by Russ Kovach.

• Birding Tour of Wildlife Refuges: Western Maryland will be held May 14-16. The course will be taught by Dennis Kirkwood.

In addition, Cecil Community College is offering two field trips led by club member Beth Olsen. For more information, contact her at (410) 287-6060 ext 702 (Cecil Community College).

• Natives of the Woodlands: A Wildflower Walk will be held on Wednesday, April 28, 12 Noon to 1:30 PM. (Raindate: Wed., May 5) Meet at Cecil Community College, 1000 North East Road, North East, Maryland(Cecil County) in the Student Lounge. Moderate hiking. Some steep slopes. Bring magnifying lens (optional). Participants will take a trail on campus to study the native woodland wildflowers as well as some nonflowering plants listed as "Maryland Species of Concern". Among the species expected are Dwarf Ginsing, Showy Orchid, Beech Drops, Trout Lily and Liverworts.

• Cecil's Tropical Connection: A Study of Neotropical Migrants will be held on Wednesday, May 19, 8:30 AM to 10:00 AM. (Raindate: Wed., May 26) Meet at Cecil Community College, 1000 North East Road, North East, Maryland (Cecil County) in the Student Lounge. Moderate hiking. Some steep slopes. Designed as a learning experience for beginning birders and those interested in learning more about which of our migrant and summer species are neotropical (spend their winters in the tropics). Anticipated species include Ovenbird, Red-eyed Vireo and Scarlet Tanager. Participants will be introduced to a wooded trail running through the campus. This trail is open to the public during daylight hours.

Return to Table of Contents

The Harford Bird Club and Anita C. Leight Estuary Center will team up to sponsor a registration-only field trip on Wednesday morning, May 26, at the Leight Center in Abingdon. The trip will run for approximately 2-3 hours in the morning, and be led by Joe Vangrin. To participate, you must register with the Leight Center at 410-612-1688. The trip will be made available to the general public and space is limited to the first 15 registrants, so call early to reserve your spot.

Return to Table of Contents

Winter in Harford County causes a "shift" in the locations frequented by birders. Suddenly Conowingo Dam and the "World Famous" Bradenbaugh Flats come into prime focus when birds are discussed. For those who do not know, Bradenbaugh Flats is an area of northern Harford County near Bradenbaugh and Harford Creamery Roads that is the sight of several large farm fields. These fields are probably the best area in the county to locate winter field birds, including American Pipit, Snow Bunting, and Lapland Longspur. Conowingo Dam is of course the gull capital of Maryland, and offers somewhat reliable Bald Eagle sightings as well (all right, actually eagles are junk birds at the dam!). Here are Harford's Avian Visitors at Conowingo Dam, Bradenbaugh, and a few other locations for Nov 24-Jan 23.

Actually, Conowingo Dam had been somewhat of a disappointment through the final months of 1998, due apparently to a change in generating schedules. Gulls congregate at the dam because the electric generators "chum up" fish that happen to flow through them. This fish kill is a great food source for the gulls, attracting a great number of them. Early January provided signs of a turn around for Conowingo however, and by the second weekend of the new year the gulls had returned. The common species of Ring-billed, Herring, Great Black-backed, and Bonaparte's Gull were at the dam, and on January 9, an Iceland Gull was identified (GS). On the following day, a Glaucous Gull and several Lesser Black-backed Gulls visited the dam (albeit after the Harford County MOS field trip participants left for the day)(RB). Also at the dam that day were Green-winged Teal, Gadwall, Northern Pintail, Common Goldeneye, and several hundred Common Mergansers. An American Pipit dropped by the visitor's center on Jan 3 (RK), and three more were spotted on the rocks beneath the dam on Jan 10 (RB). Also at the dam has been a Peregrine Falcon, undoubtedly taking advantage of the large number of Rock Dove at the dam as a food source.

Speaking of American Pipits, on Jan 10 a family of sledders at Aberdeen Middle School had to sled around an American Pipit lounging in "renegade 4X4" tracks (MW, DW, and dw).

It is not unusual for birders who visit the dam to take a short ride down Stafford Road to a location renowned for the Red-headed Woodpecker that resides there. On one such trip on November 27, three Red-headed Woodpeckers were seen at this location, including an immature that was molting into adult plumage (LE).

Bradenbaugh Flats came into the news way back on December 5 when a lone immature male Yellow-headed Blackbird was picked out of a flock of over 10,000 other blackbirds (DK)!!! Reportedly the bird had a yellow throat and eyebrow, but the white on the wing was not as visible as is often reported on Yellow-headeds. Later in the winter, on January 15, a visit to "the flats" revealed an American Pipit along with Savannah Sparrows and an estimated 150 Horned Larks (DK). Another visit the following day uncovered around 100 Snow Buntings, likely a Harford County record (DK). On Jan 20 an attempt was made to relocate the Snow Buntings at Bradenbaugh that was something less than fruitful, but the presence of a Lapland Longspur brightened the day (BM).

Actually, there are other places in Harford County where birds can be seen in the winter! On post, Spesutie Island and Swan Creek are locations commonly frequented by birders (and birds too). Lunch break on Dec 31 revealed 2 Mute Swans and a Common Snipe (DW). A week later a different birder in the same area reported several Hooded Mergansers in addition to Tundra Swan and Northern Harrier (GF). A feeder watcher in northern Harford County reported a surprising lack of Blue Jays at her feeder. What was at the feeder however was a pair of Hermit Thrushes (DB). Last, but certainly not least (in fact, perhaps the heaviest of all the birds in this month's HAV), were the five Wild Turkey that avoided a Rocks State Park ranger's car on December 8 (DP). These sightings are of course only a smattering of the birds that can be seen in Harford County. Be sure to send your sightings (any sightings, whether "spectacular" or not) to 810 Falconer Rd, Joppa, 21085, or by email to rkovac1@tiger.towson.edu.

OBSERVERS: (RB) Rick Blom, (DB) Deborah Bowers, (LE) Les Eastman, (GF) Greg Futral, (DK) Dennis Kirkwood, (RK) Russell Kovach, (BM) Barbara Meserve, (DP) Dave Powell, (GS) Gene Scarpula, (dw) Danny Webb, (DW) Dave Webb, (MW) Marsha Web.

Cloudy skies and 38° temperatures greeted the 75 birders who participated in the 27^th annual Rock Run Christmas Bird Count. The weather, though not bitter, turned dismal in late afternoon as rain and fog descended. Although no new species surfaced during this event -- discounting the one summer tanager reported -- we identified 97 species in all - a rather impressive total considering the deteriorating weather conditions that day. Again this year each group managed to distinguish themselves in some way.

Group 1: Marcia Watson-Whitmyre & George Whitmyre - 44 species. This adventuresome pair counted the most Snow Geese, Black & Turkey Vultures, Carolina Chickadees, and White-throated Sparrows. They were one of only two teams that saw a Ring-necked Pheasant and Eastern Phoebe. We really needed these numbers.

Group 2: Les Eastman, Michael & Diane Affleck, Fred Gillotte, Mark Gorham, Dominic & Tom Lucas, and Wyatt Wallace - 52 species. These eight individuals spotted the greatest number of Wood Ducks and Tufted Titmice. It was a tough day of 9 1/2 hours in the field.

Group 3: Dave & Macrina Seitz and John Ireland - 34 species. Kudos to this team for observing the most Starlings. What an honor! They also spotted the only Snow Geese in blue phase (15).

Group 4: Steve Hillyer, Steve Harpeta, April Metzler, Chris Smith, and Luke & Nova Shaffer - 61 species. This keen-eyed group located the only Purple Finch. They also observed the greatest number of Canada Geese.

Group 5: Russell Kovach and Dave Ziolkowski - 64 species. These eagle-eyed hikers distinguished themselves by ferreting out the most species for the day. They spotted the largest number of Northern Shovelers, Gadwalls, Hooded Mergansers, Great Horned Owls, Barred Owls, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, and Carolina Wrens. They were the only ones to see Horned Larks(19), a Lesser Scaup, and a Ruddy Duck. Good birding guys.

Group 6: Mark Johnson and Susan Procell - 47 species. Mark must be "Batman" because, once again he came up with the most Robins. He and Sue saw the most Yellow-rumped Warblers and American Goldfinch and then spotted the only Rusty Blackbirds of the count. Great teamwork.

Group 7: Tom Trafton and students: Mary Hryncewich, Brent Huntinger, Pete Smith, Christy Donhauser, Amanda Kussrow, Kelly Kearney, Sonja Wright, Scott Dauphinais, and John Hughes - 46 species. This class sighted the only Red-breasted Mergansers of the count and then proceeded to find the greatest numbers of Mallards, Great Black-backed Gulls, Hairy Woodpeckers, Northern Flickers, American Crows, Northern Mockingbirds, American Tree Sparrows, and Northern Cardinals. A+ for fieldwork.

Group 8: Spike Updegrove and 9 selected students from C. Milton Wright High School - 43 species. This hawk-eyed group spent 10 hours searching for high numbers. They achieved them with: Red-tailed Hawks (4), Sharp-shined Hawks (3), Red-winged Blackbirds (18620), and Common Grackles (6000). Now that deserves 100% on any report.

Group 9: John Wortman, Don Conley, Chuck & Paul Graham, and Dave Powell - 53 species. Without this group, where would the high numbers be for Eastern Screech-Owls, Cedar Waxwings, and Eastern Towhees?

Group 10: Dave Webb, Jean Wheeler, and Bill McIntosh - 51 species. This experienced team found all the American Pipits of the day (45). They also had high numbers of several other species including Doves, both Mourning and Rock. Were they touched by an angel?

Group 11a: Tom Congersky, Carol Nemeth, Norman Friedman, and Phil Powers - 33 species. Any day is great when you spot an Eastern Bluebird. When you see 70 of them it's got to be spectacular.

Group 11b: Dave Larkin, Vita Kencel, Harold Boling, Bob Ringler, Sharon Taylor, and B.J. Gerhart - 58 species. It took sharp eyes to find the only pair of Red-headed Woodpeckers of the day. This group spotted the preponderance of Green-winged Teals, Common Goldeneyes, American Kestrels, Brown Creepers, Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets, and HouseFinch. Great spotting.

Group 12: Larry & Jean Fry, Deborah Stewart, Eileen Frey, and Jean Williams - 33 species. What do you say to the group that found the only Common Loon? Their count of 121 Juncos topped everyone else's.

The Dam: Brian Monk, Rick Blom, and Peter Dyke - 23 species. Low water levels at the dam made for a tough day. However, these guys saw the onlyTundra Swans and the only Peregrine Falcons. They maxed out on Northern Pintails, Turkey Vultures, Bald Eagles, Ringed-billed, Bonaparte's, and Herring Gulls.

The Flats: Dennis Kirkwood, Mary Procell, Bruce Kovacs, and Rip Poole - 43 species. Six hours in a boat netted this crew the only Dunlin and Common Snipe of the day. They get great scores for high numbers of American Black Ducks, American Widgeons, Canvasbacks, Ring-necked Ducks, Buffleheads, Common Mergansers, and Coots.

Congratulation, everyone, for participating in this annual winter event. We want to thank John & Lorna Wortman once again for their wonderful hospitality as we waited for the round-up. The homemade stew and bread on a cold and rainy evening was a homey touch to a memorable day of birding.

Return to Table of Contents

Those that routinely attend the December trip to Cape Henlopen take two things for granted, the walk on the beach will be the coldest experience anybody can remember, and that the Monk Parakeets at Silver Lake will be nowhere to be found. Well, 1998 would prove to be different! The day started with a visit to Prime Hook NWR. Eleven birders converged there where our intended quarry would be the Short-eared Owl, which eluded us. A Merlin and both Surf and Black Scoter however did not. From there we trekked to the frozen beach hike. It quickly became apparent that this hike was anything but frozen, however, with some of the birders even taking off their shoes and socks and wading in the water! Although a Snowy Owl was not encountered, many Snow Buntings were, in addition to a surprise fly-by of several Black Skimmers! While still at Cape Henlopen a flock of Brown-headed Nuthatches was encountered. Later, a visit to Indian River provided Purple Sandpiper. The long day also included a stop at Silver Lake, home to countless Canvasback, Lesser Scaup, and Ruddy Ducks. The famous residents of Silver Lake however are the elusive Monk Parakeets, and low and behold there were seven of them perched next to a nesting site!!! A last-light attempt for Short-eared Owls back at Prime Hook proved less than fruitful, but all who attended went home undissapointed with over 65 species of birds seen that day.

On a rainy, cold December 8, two people showed up at Jarrettsville Nurseries. The rain stopped long enough for us to take a short walk. We saw about 15 species of common winter birds including a Red-tailed Hawk and a Belted Kingfisher.

On December 12, several birders from the Harford and Cecil clubs made a circle around the lower Susquehanna River looking for waterfowl. Due to the low water level of the river caused by the autumn drought, there was not much to be found there. The best stops were at the Perryville town park and at the Havre de Grace Marina where we found an assortment of dabbling and diving ducks such as American Black Duck, American Wigeon, Bufflehead, Canvasback, and Ruddy Duck.

Despite frigid temperatures and a stinging breeze, about a dozen hardy birders joined guest leader Gene Scarpulla for a morning gull watch at Conowingo Dam on January 10. The gull population was estimated to be about 15000, including a Lesser Black-backed Gull, several Bonaparte's Gulls, and the usual abundance of Ring-bills, Herrings and Great Black-backs. Unfortunately no "white-wings" made an appearance that morning.

Several other sightings though made the trip memorable, including a Peregrine Falcon. The falcon made several unsuccessful sorties against the resident Rock Doves, before finally picking one off for its breakfast. Some of the attendees watched more bird-versus-bird action when a female Sharp-shinned Hawk was observed devouring a Red-bellied Woodpecker. Other noteworty sightings included Winter Wren, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Bufflehead, and Common Goldeneye. And finally a pair of "mystery" swans were seen on the other side of the river, too distant to positively identify. The possiblity of their being rare Trumpeter Swans (later confirmed) could not be ruled out -- this is certainly a pair of birds that warrants closer looks.

January 16 dawned sunny and bright after the ice storms of the previous two days. Eleven birders were treated to the warm hospitality of Gary and Barbara Pensell and Art and Ann Helton. At the Pensell's home on the Susquehanna, we saw lots of Common Merganser, American Coot, Mallard, Great Blue Heron and a first for the Feeder Tour, a small flock of White-winged Scoter which landed on the water in front of the house. The grand finale was a mature Bald Eagle flying up the fiver and over the house just as we were about to leave. At the Helton's historic home we saw many White-throated Sparrows, Dark-eyed Junco, American Goldfinch, Red-bellied and Downy Woodpecker, and Carolina Chickadee. Altogether 31 species were seen. In addition to the birds, we were treated to a history of the Helton's charming 18^th century home. Once again the birds were not the only creatures being fed on the Feeder Tour. Our hosts outdid themselves and no one went away hungry! Special thanks to our hosts for welcoming us to their homes.

Return to Table of Contents

Here are the Harford Bird Club field trips for the next few weeks. If you would like further information about a particular field trip, please contact Dave Webb.

Return to Table of Contents

Dinner Meeting Reservation Form


Please return to Barbara Siebens, P.O. Box 68, Pylesville, MD 21132-0068 
by Wednesday, February 24, 1999.

                __________ Number of adults ( at $10.00 each )
                __________ Number of children 12 and under ( at $6.00 each )

                Please make checks payable to Harford County MOS.

                        _______________________________
                         Print your name(s)

Include address and phone number if you would like transportation to the meeting.
                        _______________________________
                        _______________________________
                        _______________________________