Volume 13 Number 5

April 2000

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Found an injured raptor?
Contact Debbie Saylor

Phone: (410) 692-9305
Fax: (410) 692-2765
E-mail: raptors@bellatlantic.net

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CONTENTS

Festivals, Meetings, and Bird Counts Galore!
The President's Perch
Calendar of Events
New Members
Wild Bird Marketplace Reopens
Barn Owl Project
Birding at Perryman
A Special Invitation
Harford "Big Day"
Earth Day 2000
Havre de Grace Decoy Festival
Annual Fall Picnic
THE BIRDER'S SANCTUARY
Harford's Avian Visitors
Field Trip Reports
HARFORD CHAPTER - MOS FIELD TRIPS APRIL - JUNE 1999
In Memoriam
Havre de Grace Decoy Festival Reservation Form
Dinner Meeting Reservation Form

Spring is here and so is an extravaganza of events and celebrations. Forget the cabin fever, and with the winds diminishing and rains subsiding (OK, one sneaky snowfall), its time to get back out and enjoy all of our birds and birding friends. The Harford Bird Club, in conjunction with numerous affiliates, has a host of spring events coming up. In addition to celebrating Earth Day 2000 and the Havre de Grace Decoy, Wildlife Art and Sportsman Festival, members will be going all out in the competitive Harford "Big Day". Other spring festivities include:

Dinner Meeting on May 5th - Everyone is welcome. Simply reserve your space today by returning the dinner reservation form on page 9 to Bobby Siebens by April 26th. Guest speaker Eric Cromwell and several students from Aberdeen High School will discuss their Eastern Bluebird nestbox program. Bluebird boxes were constructed and then placed at Susquehanna State Park where they were given to a few neighbors in the community. Eric will discuss the results of their study including an overview of the Cornell University's Nestbox Network.

MOS Conference 2000 - The Maryland Ornithological Society's Annual Conference 2000 will be held May 19 - 21 at the Ramada Inn in Hagerstown, MD. Registration is required and must be received by May 1. If you have any questions, call the State Conference Coordinator Mike Callahan at (301) 490-9318 or the Local Chairman Dave Weesner at (301) 432-7718. The keynote speaker will be the distinguished Dr. Chan Robbins of the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center.

May Count 2000 - Greetings everyone! I will be the new compiler for the May (Spring Migration) Count 2000. This year's event is scheduled for May 13th. We will have 24 hours to cover as much of Harford County as possible. As in years past, counting territories will be divided according to ADC map block numbers. Feeder watchers and small area watchers are also needed. Group leaders, participants, feeder and small area watchers, and anyone else interested should contact Matt Hafner by May 1. We need to assure that all territories will be covered. For further information, please email to MH1920@aol.com. Thanks, and good birding! - Matt Hafner

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Everyone is gearing up for spring: getting their lawns ready, flower bulbs are blooming, and most important, our Eastern Bluebirds have already picked out their boxes and started to make their nests. Reports of bluebirds laying eggs have been reported as early as March 25. So get those nest boxes up and clean out the old ones from last year. I predict we are going to have an excellent bluebird season. May is "bluebird" month and Eric Cromwell is kicking off the season with my favorite subject: Research results on the Eastern Bluebird. Eric and his students have invested a lot of time into this project and we are excited to hear all about it and future projects as well. Hopefully, the Harford Bird Club can continue to bring forth awareness to projects such as this. These committees could be made official along with the nominated chairpersons by vote at the next Executive Committee meeting.

Our chapter continues to move ahead. The addition of two "Standing Committees" has really taken off. Carol Flora is very busy organizing the April 15th Earth Day and May 5 - 7 Duck Decoy Festival celebrations. We desperately need volunteers to man the display table...so please make every effort to help. Call Carol Flora to volunteer. Jean Fry, chairperson for the Education Committee has already booked shows for April 13th and 18th at Ring Factory Elementary. Please call Jean to help at future presentations. Any type of display materials, photos, or slides would be appreciated. Help us build our educational props and displays. Also, if you would like to be a guest lecturer, please volunteer, we need people who are able to deliver presentations.

And finally, a plea for volunteers to help erect Barn Owl nest boxes. Marsha Webb did an outstanding job of organizing this project, but she needs help. We need folks who can climb a ladder and place the box in the appropriate location. Marsha has all the details and sites.

One more final note: our club is attracting many new members, thanks to you. Many people are finding out about our Harford Bird Club through our members via personal invitations to our dinner meetings. It was so wonderful to see new faces at the dinner meetings and inspire them to become members. We can open a "whole new world" to these fledglings. Keep up the good work! - Debbie Saylor

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The Harford Bird Club would like to extend a warm welcome to our newest members:

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After a brief hiatus, club members John and Linda Ireland have reopened their Wild Bird Marketplace. Located in the Amyclae Center at the corners of Routes 22 & 543, the store has a wide selection of items to serve your outdoor wild bird feeding needs. Store hours are Tues. - Thurs. & Sat. from 10 - 6, Fri. from 10 - 8, and Sun. from 12 - 4.

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Twenty barn owl boxes have been constructed, of which six of those have been delivered for mounting at their sites. The project has been proceeding a little slower than anticipated, but we are still hoping to get more boxes mounted in time for this year's breeding season. Volunteers are urgently needed to help put up boxes, with teams of two or three people being ideal due to the size and weight of the boxes. If you would be willing to help for a day, or know of a site appropriate for a barn owl nest box, please contact Marsha Webb by e-mail at webbdm@starpower.net. - Marsha Webb

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Dear Fellow Club Members: Have you been to the birding site in Perryman where our annual woodcock trips take place? If you bird or have ever birded this site on a regular basis, please let me know what birds you have seen there, how often you go to the site, and how long you (and others) have been going there. As you might know, Harford County currently owns the large tract of land there, formerly owned by BG&E. The site is now planned for a golf course. Please send your comments to me either by mail (900 La Grange Rd., Street, MD 21154) or by email at bowerspub@aol.com. You may also call Jean Fry who is compiling a Perryman bird list. Thank you. - Deborah Bowers

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Members of the Harford Bird Club are cordially invited to a morning bird walk followed by lunch at my new home, Glen Meadows Retirement Community, on Wednesday, May 10th, at 9 AM. The property consists of over 400 acres of open fields, brushy and wooded area, ponds, and streams. There is also a great interest in birds and conservation among the residents, who will be invited to join us on our walk. Directions: From the Bel Air/Harford area, go south on Harford Road (MD 147), past Fork, to Glen Arm Road. Turn right onto Glen Arm Road, and continue for 4 miles to the Glen Meadows entrance (well-marked) on the right. Proceed up the hill and park at the visitors' parking lot on the left. My address is 11630 Glen Arm Road, Apt. L48, Glen Arm, MD 21057. Questions: email at veeryl48@juno.com (that's veery(el)48). Hope to see you! - Jean Williams

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Calling all birders, listers, bird listers, tickers, twitchers, and tweeters. Even if you are a fruit cake, a suet cake, or perhaps just a cupcake, this is the birding competition you've been waiting for. All kidding aside, this is the Harford Bird Club's local version of the "World Series of Birding". The rules are as follows: (1) any land in Harford County, (2) May 14th through May 20th, (3) any 24 hour period, (4) minimum group size is two, maximum group size is one car load, (5) of the total number of species seen or heard, 80% must be seen or heard by the entire group, and (6) can participate more than once. To be eligible, you need to submit the following information:

(1) names and addresses of all team members,
(2) total species - list with each team members' sightings, and
(3) the location of each species.

For further information and submissions, contact coordinator Dave Powell, 1102 Falling Branch Road, Pylesville, MD 21132 by email at dpowell@netfox.net.

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The Harford Bird Club will also be participating in this year's Earth Day 2000 activities. The event is being held on Saturday, April 15th, from 11:00 to 4:00 at Swan Harbor Farms in Havre de Grace. Volunteers are needed to greet folks and answer any questions about our club's activities. If you are able to participate, please contact me as soon as possible. - Carol Flora

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The Harford Bird Club will be participating in this year's Havre de Grace Decoy, Wildlife Art and Sportsman Festival. This will be a new opportunity to inform folks of the "sport of birdwatching". The festival is to be held on the weekend of May 5th, 6th, and 7th. The festival hours are as follows: Fri. May 5th from 6 -9 PM, Sat. May 6th from 9 - 5, and Sun. May 7th from 10 - 4. Our booth will be located in the HdG Middle School. Many volunteers will be needed to greet guests and provide information on our club's activities. We also plan to set some scopes on the Promenade on Sat. and Sun. morning for a couple of hours. If you could help at any time over the weekend, if only for an hour or two, it would be terrific. Please return the volunteer form herein as soon as possible. - Carol Flora

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The Harford Bird Club will once again dine alfresco. The annual picnic is slated for October 14, 2000 at Capa Field in the Edgewood Area of Aberdeen Proving Ground.

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What is your own unique "sign of Spring"?

"Each spring for the last four years we've been treated to the return of a pair of Eastern Kingbirds who make themselves available for viewing by perching for long intervals ...along the east side of Rt. 24." - Lynn Davis

"...the call of the Ovenbird. I know spring is really here when I hear it, and it's like a little celebration going on." - Deborah Bowers

For our next issue we ask: "What is your favorite warbler?" In one or two quotable lines, send your response to Rick Cheicante at rickcheicante@cs.com by May 31.

Sacagawea (sak uh juh WEE uh), now engraved on the newly issued "gold dollar" coin, was the principal guide and interpreter for the Lewis and Clark expedition in 1804 and 1805. She was born among the Shoshoni (or Snake) Indians of Idaho. Aside from that, very little is known of this heroine. Do you know what Sacagawea means? See back page [in italics]for answer.

The April 2000 issue of Birder's World has a wonderful photo essay entitled "Many Happy Returns", a celebration of the spring season with orioles, tanagers, and buntings. An advertisement reminds us of the up-and-coming Delmarva Birding Weekend on April 28 - 30, 2000. And, the featured "Hotspot" takes us for a journey to Alabama's Gulf Coast.

The Bird Watcher's Digest April 2000 issue delights us with a great species profile on Northern Goshawks and another on the Louisiana Waterthrush [my favorite]. Contributing authors take us to the "...coldest, driest, windiest, loneliest place on earth", Antarctica, as well as to SE Arizona's Miller Canyon for summer specialties. In BWD's companion, Backyard Bird News, Rick Blom rekindles a fondness for an often overlooked bird friend, the Song Sparrow.

And finally, if you thought we had great Bald Eagle watching at Conowingo, check out the picture of "The Eagle Lady" in the April issue of Wildbird. Better yet, can you identify the gulls?

- R. L. Cheicante

The first significant snowfall of the season came on January 22, the last on February 18, with approximately 16 inches of snow falling on Jan. 25. Even though weather forecasters indicated that this was one of the warmest winters on record, fields and lawns were snow-covered for the better part of one month, which is rather unusual for this area. It definitely had some effect on the sightings of "field birds". A very early spring should produce some early records for migrants as well.

On 3/12, a Pied-billed Grebe was sighted at Perryman Pool (DL). Eight Black Vultures were seen soaring over Grande View Drive in Pylesville on 2/16(JLF).

The only Osprey report was of one circling over APG near Dipple Creek on 3/13 (DW). Several accounts of Bald Eagles were submitted. In early February one flew over near Falling Branch (DP). On 3/9 one was seen circling over I-95 north of the Route 24 overpass (LD). On 3/12 one was sighted flying low over Deer Creek (DB). DB noted that she does not recall ever seeing one in that area before. A couple of gruesome food chain stories were also submitted. On 2/14, DB in Street watched a Sharp-shinned Hawk kill a Red-bellied Woodpecker. And on 2/6, DW's mother-in-law, Anna Lou Golladay, saw a Cooper's Hawk devour a Common Grackle. An immature Northern Goshawk was seen by Route 161 and 155 on 1/29 (DP). It flew behind the state highway salt dome and landed on a lumber pile. Red-shouldered Hawks were reported by JLF on 1/28, 2/20, and 2/21 in Pylesville and by DB on 2/19 in Street. On 3/6 a pair of Red-shouldered Hawks were observed by JLF in the woods behind their house and on 3/8 nest-building activity began and continued until 3/13 when it stopped. On 3/9 a Red-tailed Hawk flew over Route 24 just south of Ring Factory Road, landed in the median and started tugging on something (LD). A light-morph Rough-legged Hawk was observed late in the day on 2/23 over Perryman fields (MH). Another Rough-legged was seen on March 4 at the same location (DL). There was one report of a Merlin at Perryman on 1/22 (DL).

A Common Snipe was seen at Swan Harbor on 3/5 (DL), and five were reported at C. Milton Wright High School on 3/19 (MH). On 1/27 a lump along a plowed road on APG turned out to be an American Woodcock which gave DW a #10 daylight look. MH reported seeing ten American Woodcock displaying after sunset over the fields at Perryman on 2/23.

There were only a few reports of winter gulls. Adult Lesser Black-backed were seen on 1/1 (RC) and 2/16 (MH). A first winter Glaucous Gull was sighted on 1/29 (RC and DL). A first winter Lesser Black-backed was reported on 2/16 (MH). All of these sightings were at Conowingo Dam.

Perhaps the low temperatures kept the owls' night life to a minimum this winter. Two Barred Owls were heard exchanging "jungle calls" in a backyard in Street on 2/17 (DB). One Barred Owl was heard calling around 10 AM on 2/19 at Harford Glen (MH).

On 1/17 a Red-headed Woodpecker was observed for a thrilling fifteen minutes on the river side of the trail that leads from Stafford Road to Conowingo about a mile and a half from the dam. (CN) On 2/13 a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was seen in a backyard in Bel Air (JCV). During the big snow two Sapsuckers visited a feeder in Havre de Grace. They were either feeding on the suet or clinging to the bark of a tree on the downwind side. They would stay frozen in this position for several minutes, perhaps as a means of protection from the blustery winds (DW). A Pileated Woodpecker was seen in Street on 2/21 (DB). An unusual Pileated was reported in a backyard in Fallston with auburn colored wings and back (DC) Was it an immature or Loving Care by Clairol? A pair of Pileated Woodpeckers were working on a tree in the Fry's front yard on 2/20 and on a log in the woods on 3/17 (JLF).

Eastern Phoebes were reported at Eden Mill on 1/16 by RC, on 3/8 in Street by DB, on 3/13 in Pylesville by JLF, and on 3/18 at Harford Glen by DL. Six were seen on 3/19 at Harford Glen (MH).

A flock of 20 to 25 Horned Larks were observed on Highland Road on 2/12 (JLF). There was a large movement of Tree Swallows in the county on 3/12 (DL).

On 2/21 a Red-breasted Nuthatch was seen in Street (DB). Winter Wrens were observed at Eden Mill on 1/16 (RC) and on a deck in Pylesville on 1/23 (JF). A Hermit Thrush was sighted in Street on 2/19 (DB), and a pair was seen at Susquehanna State Park on 1/28. They were spreading their wings and making a low cooing sound to each other (JLF). Seven Golden-crowned Kinglets were found at Harford Glen on 3/19 (MH). An American Robin took a bath in a pond in Bel Air on 1/28 and 1/29 (JCV). Ten were observed in a tree on 2/8 and 25-30 were seen along Grande View Drive in Pylesville on 2/13 (JLF). Fifteen Cedar Waxwings were sighted in the same area on 2/13 (JLF).

A Pine Warbler was found at Broad Creek Scout Camp on 2/13 (DL). Twenty Yellow-rumped Warblers were seen at Harford Glen on 3/19 (MH).

Among the many sparrow reports were two White-crowned Sparrows in a backyard in Bel Air on 2/13 (JCV). There were numerous sightings of Fox Sparrows throughout the two month time period: one at a feeder at Falling Branch on 1/25 and 1/26, one at a feeder in Bel Air on 1/28 and 1/29 (JCV), one at a feeder in Pylesville on 1/30 and 1/31(JLF), one feeding on a deck in Fallston (DC), one at a feeder in Baldwin on 2/26 (MJ), and one on a lawn in Pylesville on 3/9 (JLF). On 1/25 and 1/26 American Tree Sparrows were at a feeder in Falling Branch (DP). Perryman was the place to be on 1/20 for a sparrow free-for-all! RC and DL observed and counted the following: 24 White-crowned, 20 White-throated, 20 American Tree, 1 Field, 1 Fox, 12 Savannah, 12 Song, and 6 House.

Fritz Longabaugh of Havre de Grace left a message on the MOS voice mail which is checked about twice a week. On 3/7 he had a Painted Bunting at his feeder. The message was received on 3/10. Mr. Longabaugh stated that it had only been there on 3/7, and then left. Chalk this one up to the one that got away!

Rusty Blackbirds were reported from Falling Branch at a feeder on 1/25 and 1/26 (DP) and a small flock from Perryman on 1/22 (DL).

There seems to have been more reports of Purple Finches than in recent years. On 1/25 there were six at a feeder in Havre de Grace (DW); on 1/29 and 3/8 there was one at a feeder in Pylesville (JLF); on 2/13 there were three males and three females at a feeder in Havre de Grace (DW); and on 3/16 there were two males and one female at the same location (MW).

Lastly, four Pine Siskins came to a feeder in Pylesville on 1/29 long enough to be counted on the Midwinter Count and were never seen again (JLF).

Observers for this report were: Debbie Bowers (DB), Rick Cheicante (RC), Don Conley (DC), Lynn Davis (LD), Jean and Larry Fry (JLF), Matt Hafner (MH), Mark Johnson (MJ), Dave Larkin (DL), Carol Nemeth (CN), Dave Powell (DP), Pamela Stephen (PS), Joe and Carole Vangrin (JCV), Dave and Marsha Webb (DMW).

The next deadline for this column will be Monday, May 22. Submissions should include sightings from March 20 through May 20. Please include date, location, and anything unusual about the appearance, behavior, or numbers. To avoid duplication, do not include sightings from field trips or counts unless it is something really striking. Send to: Jean Fry, 1202 Ridge Road, Pylesville, MD 21132 E-mail: jlfry@netfox.net.

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On Saturday, February 5th, nine persons spent the morning at Fort Howard, North Point State Park (which encompasses Black Marsh), and the Miller Island area. The temperature was in the upper 20's and skies were partly sunny. The Chesapeake Bay and Patapsco River were open, however, Back River was frozen from shore to shore. A total of 39 species were seen. Highlights were Hooded Merganser, Common Goldeneye, Greater and Lesser Scaup (close-up), a fly-by flock of Brant, approximately 150 Canvasbacks huddled in a cove in front of the visitor's center, Bufflehead, Ruddy Duck, Mallards on the ice, a couple of pairs of Red-breasted Mergansers, and four Fox Sparrows at one spot. - Jean Fry

On Sunday, February 6th, nine birders including a student from Spike Updegrove's class at C. Milton Wright met to look for waterfowl along the Susquehanna River. Limiting conditions were temperatures in the upper 20's, snow-covered ground, low water level in the river, with some of that being iced and covered. The trip began at Lapidum with stops at Rock Run Mill, Conowingo Dam, Port Deposit, and ending at Havre de Grace. Despite the lack of "target " bird species, the trip provided for a productive half-day outing. The group saw a total of 32 species with the most common species being Common Goldeneyes, Buffleheads, and Common Mergansers. We also had 4 Bald Eagles and 2 Pileated Woodpeckers. - Joe Vangrin

Two people joined me on a walk of Bosley Park conservancy, Edgewood Arsenal, and Joppatowne ponds on Sunday, Feb. 15th. A total of 34 species were observed. Highlights included Rusty Blackbird, Hooded Merganser, and Northern Harrier. The recent snows made walking rough, but it was good to get outside. - Dave Powell

On February 15, four club members were up for a trip to the beach despite the previous day's snowfall. Our first stop was the Lewes ferry terminal where we saw Great Cormorant and many diving ducks. A stop at the Cape Henlopen Nature Center gave us close looks at both Red-breasted and Brown-headed Nuthatches as well as Fox Sparrow. Stops in Rehobeth provided many Redheads and Canvasbacks. Indian River is usually reliable for Oldsquaw and we were not disappointed. At Ocean City Inlet, we had magnificent views of two male Harlequin Ducks and Purple Sandpipers were just below our feet. Our final stop was at Prime Hook NWR where we watched thousands of Snow Geese come in for the night and saw a Short-eared Owl patrolling the marsh. It was a long but rewarding day as our total species count was 75. - Les Eastman

Iled my first walk tonight [Mar 8]. Four of us went to Perryman and were treated to 8 displaying woodcocks. Another treat for all of us was a Short-eared Owl that came cruising over the fields before the woodcocks began displaying. - Matt Hafner

Two people joined me on a cloudy, breezy evening at Perryman to look for woodcocks. A hovering Red-tailed Hawk greeted us as we approached the fields, imitating a Kestrel or Rough-legged Hawk. A Red-shouldered Hawk also came into view and perched in a tree within scope distance. As for timberdoodles, we did have one fly-by, but the weather made for disappointing show.

- Dave Powell

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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 Russ Kovach.

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Thelma Payne, formerly of Harve de Grace, died on January 27th at Quarryville Presbyterian Retirement Home in Pennsylvania. She was 91. Thelma had been a member of the bird club from 1981 - 1993. She had worked as a librarian for the Harford County Board of Education. She and her husband had traveled extensively before he passed away. Bird Woman

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Havre de Grace Decoy Festival Reservation Form


Yes, I will be willing to help at the Havre de Grace Decoy, Wildlife Art and
Sportsman Festival.

        Name:__________________________
        Phone No:_______________________ 
        ___Fri.,  May 5: 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.
        ___Sat.,  May 6: a.m.____  p.m.____
        ___Sun.,  May 7: a.m.____  p.m.____
        Scope:  Sat., a.m.____    Sun., a.m.____

        Please return to:
        Carol Flora, 315 Tareyton Ct., Bel Air, MD 21014

Dinner Meeting Reservation Form


Please return to Barbara Siebens, P.O. Box 68, Pylesville, MD 21132-0068 
by Wednesday, April 28, 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.
                        _______________________________
                        _______________________________
                        _______________________________