Volume 18 Number 1 |
Winter 2005 |
At a meeting of the Harford Bird Club Executive Committee Dec. 8, Rick Cheicante announced he would be stepping down as president due to family obligations, but that he would continue to serve the club as newsletter editor. Vice President Russ Kovach, present at the meeting, assumed the position of president. The committee also made decisions on upcoming events and activities of the club. It was decided the club would continue to publish its newsletter six times per year. Dave Ziolkowski announced he would be resigning as Field Trip Chair, but would fill the vacancy of Public Relations Chair. The meeting was held at the home of Jean Wheeler and was attended by 10 club officers and committee chairs.
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The 34th Rock Run Christmas Bird Count will be held on Friday, December 30. Once again Lorna Wortman has graciously offered to host a tally rally at her home in Webster Village, where we can warm up with homemade soup and bread while regaling the days events. Please call 410-879-7424 or email to participate or further details.
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Location: Newark Farms
Date: September 10, 2005
Approximately 40 people enjoyed the gracious hospitality of Jean and Dennis Kirkwood on their beautiful Newark Farms on Bradenbaugh Road.
Thanks go to Tom Congersky and Randy Robertson for their delicious pit beef and baked beans. The corn and all the other dishes brought by attendees were enjoyed by all.
Vice President Russ Kovach welcomed everyone. He informed the group that the author of the book about the Ivory-billed Woodpecker would be speaking on Monday morning at John Carroll School. He assured us that MOS members would be welcome to attend. Upcoming bird walks were mentioned.
A bird walk on the farm was a fitting conclusion to a delightful afternoon.
Respectfully submitted,
Emily Hines, Recording Secretary
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Location: Churchville Presbyterian Church
Date: November 4, 2005
Forty-two members and friends enjoyed the delicious turkey dinner preceding the meeting.
President Rick graciously welcomed everyone. He stated that memberships are coming in and two new members were introduced Monroe Harden and Mike Anthony, a student at C. Milton Wright High School. Rick then did a Powerpoint overview of 2005, which was well received by all.
The 4th edition of the Harford County Bird Checklist dated September 2005 was introduced and thanks given to those who worked on it.
Harford Glen is the site for the MOS state meeting on December 3, 2005.
The annual Christmas Count is December 30, followed by Lorna Wortman's famous soup and bread refreshment at her home.
Guest speaker was Emily Kauffman, Land Steward of Lancaster County Conservancy, PA. She gave an interesting and informative talk on birding hotspots within the conservancy, illustrated with colorful images. She is a wildlife biologist and very knowledgeable. She mentioned that Tucquan Glen is the most popular area of the many diverse and scattered areas of the Conservancy.
Meeting adjourned at approximately 9:30 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Emily Hines, Recording Secretary
See a spreadsheet of the results.
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| December 30 | Rock Run Christmas Bird Count: Jean Wheeler |
| January 12 | Deadline: Harford Birdlife: Dave Webb/Becky Gallo |
| January 13 | Winter Meeting: Hank Kaestner |
| January 23 | Deadline: Wrenderings: Rick Cheicante |
| January 28 | Mid-Winter Count: Mark Johnson |
| February 17 – 20 | Great Backyard Bird Count |
| March 3 | March Dinner Meeting |
| May 5 | Spring Meeting |
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Membership Dues - Annual membership dues are now overdue for the Harford Bird Club year from September 1, 2005 through August 31, 2006. You should have received a pre-addressed envelope with fee structures in the Summer Wrenderings. If you did not receive this envelope, please contact Marjie Heagy at (410)557-9485 for more information on renewal. Please fill out the envelope, enclose your check made payable to HARFORD MOS and mail it to our treasurer, Marjie Heagy. We would like to have all dues paid by December 31, 2005.
Award Nominations - The Harford Bird Club is now accepting nominations for our 2005 awards. Please email nominations for our Harford Bird Club yearly awards to the Executive Council. We need nominations for Bird of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Birder of the Year and Volunteer of the Year. The awards will be presented at the March dinner meeting.
Great Backyard Bird Count - The 2006 Great Backyard Bird Count will be conducted February 17 - 20, 2006. Logon to www.birdsource.org/gbbc/ to participate. The Great Backyard Bird Count is Joint Project of Audubon and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Wild Bird Marketplace/Raffle - The Harford Bird Club would like to express its sincerest gratitude to John and Linda Ireland of the Wild Bird Marketplace for their continued contributions in the bird club raffles. Wild Bird Marketplace is currently located at 2203 A Commerce Road, Forest Hill, MD 21050. Hours of operation are Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Wednesday and Friday from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4:00 p.m. John and Linda can be reached (410) 836- 5000 or email. Deliveries are available within a local service area for a small fee.
Welcome New Members - The Harford Bird Club would like to extend a warm welcome to our newest members:
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Summer 2005: Highlights of the summer birding season in 2005 were dominated by the confirmation of two rare breeding species and the sightings of no less than 17 species of shorebirds. On Jul 4, JO discovered an adult Barn Owl with 3 chicks in an abandoned range tower near APG's “Superpond” site. This was the first confirmation of this declining species in the county in nearly a decade. One week later, Harford County's first breeding Bobolinks were confirmed when DW saw the female carrying small grasshoppers in her bill at a fallow cow pasture at Earlton. But it took another three days of studying her behavior and movements before the well-concealed nest with two chicks and an unhatched egg was finally located and photographed. The discovery culminated a search that began on Jun 23 when the parents were first seen together.
Many of the shorebird species recorded this summer were found at the Ducks Unlimited impoundments of Swan Harbor Farms. A lack of rain in August drew down water levels, exposing mud flats and creating ideal feeding grounds for scores of migrant waders. For the first half of the month a steady flow of common species attracted a steady flow of local birders. But on Aug 20, DW, dW & JG spotted a juvenile Red Knot. Then MH picked out a juvenile Stilt Sandpiper on Aug 22, and SA found a White-rumped Sandpiper on Aug 26. As word of these rarities spread to regional hotlines, more of the state's top birders came to Swan Harbor, icing its reputation as one of the premier shorebird spots in northeastern Maryland.
Elsewhere around the county.
WATERFOWL: Notable sightings of resident duck species, all from Swan Harbor, included a pair of American Black Ducks (J&BG, Jun 21), a hen Mallard leading her 8 ducklings (J&BG, Jul 13), and the high count of 10 Wood Ducks (JG & dW, Jul 31). The first returning migrants were a lone Green-winged Teal on Aug 9 (J&BG) and a pair of Blue-winged Teal on Aug 20 (D&dW); high counts of teal included 18 Blue-wings on Sep 4 and 20 Green-wings the next day all teal reports came from Swan Harbor. On Sep 10, MH & JS found a single Northern Shoveler at Tydings Island. The only diving ducks spotted were 3 Common Mergansers on the Bush River (BG, Jul 4). On a sad note, an outbreak of avian botulism killed over 100 birds, mostly ducks, and a small number of geese and gulls along the Havre de Grace shoreline between Aug 8-18 (CW).
GAMEBIRDS & GREBES: JG spotted a Wild Turkey hen with a single poult near the Swan Harbor vineyard on Jul 5, and one week later while running near the Steppingstone Museum, CW flushed another turkey. For the second year in a row, two broods of Pied-billed Grebes were raised in the Swan Harbor impoundments, J&BG saw an adult with 3 fledglings and another adult with 5 older chicks on Jun 19.
PELICANS, HERONS & IBISES: Anonymous anglers reported seeing a pair of American White Pelicans near Rowland Island on the evening of Aug 27, the first Harford report of this vagrant species in over three years. Only one of the pelicans remained the following day. DD & DW heard two Least Bitterns calling from the expansive marshes rimming APG's Bridge Creek on Jun 16. The post-breeding dispersal of “white herons” began on Jul 26, with the sighting of a pair of Great Egrets on the Susquehanna Flats (CW); other first arrivals included a Snowy Egret on Aug 6 (MH) and 2 immature Little Blue Herons on Aug 20 (D&dW), both at Swan Harbor. One or two of each of the white heron species were frequently reported from Swan Harbor for the remainder of the reporting period, highlighted by a flyover flock of 7 Great Egrets (JG & DW, Jul 31) and a photogenic Snowy Egret captured on film by MoH (Sep 10). Lakeside Business Park was host to a lone immature Little Blue Heron and an impressive 5 Green Herons on Aug 28 (DL). CW reported a pair of flyover Green Herons at North Park in Havre de Grace on Jun 26, then saw an adult and a juvenile there on Aug 8. This species was also consistently reported from Swan Harbor, with MH notching the high count of 8 on Aug 6 & 22. J&BG recorded our only Black-crowned Night-Heron calling on the night of Jul 20 from the DU impoundment at Swan Harbor; and our only Glossy Ibis, a lone bird on Jul 6 at the same location.
RAPTORS & RAILS: BG noted an Osprey nest at Belcamp occupied by an adult and two chicks on Jun 28. CW's monitoring of Ospreys at Tydings Island this summer yielded one bird attacking a Great Blue Heron (Aug 2), another one placing sticks on a nest platform (Aug 6, well after the nesting season!), and our high count of 6 “Fish Hawks” on Aug 17. On Sep 1, CW also tallied 8 Bald Eagles near Tydings Island, consisting of 2 adults and 6 immatures. A rare mid-summer Northern Harrier turned up at Swan Harbor on Jun 28 (JG), while an adult male harrier spotted at Phillips Airfield on Aug 30 was probably the first arriving migrant (DW). On Aug 7, KG counted 57 European Starlings mobbing a pair of Red- shouldered Hawks at Swan Harbor; two days later, JG came across pairs of immature Cooper Hawks at Forest Hill and Watervale. American Kestrel sightings included a pair at Phillips Airfield (DW, Aug 30) and 4 birds at Swan Harbor (J&BG, Sep 11). The only rail reported during the period was a Virginia Rail that MoH photographed in broad daylight at Swan Harbor on Sep 10.
SHOREBIRDS: Without a doubt, the buzz among Harford birders this summer was the plethora of shorebirds attracted to the impoundments at Swan Harbor. The first of the southbound migrants to be noted there were 10 Greater Yellowlegs, a lone Lesser Yellowlegs, 3 Solitary Sandpipers, 4 Pectoral Sandpipers, 4 Least Sandpipers, and 7 Semipalmated Sandpipers on Jul 31 (DW & JG). Two days later, MH picked out a pair of Semipalmated Plovers; and D&dW found a pair of Western Sandpipers and an early Wilson's Snipe on Aug 20. High counts of these and other Swan Harbor shorebirds included 30 Killdeer (MH, Aug 6); 12 Greater Yellowlegs (J&BG, Aug 8); 40 Lesser Yellowlegs (J&FG, Sep 5); 5 Solitary Sandpipers (MH, Aug 6); 13 Pectoral Sandpipers (MH, Aug 22); 23 Least Sandpipers (KG, Aug 7); 15 Semipalmated Sandpipers and 12 Semipalmated Plovers (MH, JS & HH, Sep 11); 2 Western Sandpipers (SA, Aug 26); 4 Wilson's Snipe (MH, JS & HH, Sep 11); and 3 Stilt Sandpipers (J&FG, Sep 5). The previously mentioned juvenile Red Knot stayed at Swan Harbor for over a week, last reported on Aug 27 (BR & MH). A Short- billed Dowitcher spotted on Aug 20 (D&dW) was an apparent one-day wonder, and the only dowitcher reported in the county. MoH reported seeing several Semipalmated Plovers on Sep 10, and photographed one of them as it walked in the mud.
Swan Harbor did not hold a complete monopoly on shorebird sightings. The first migrants of the season were actually found at Tydings Island on Jul 24, a single Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, and a large flock of 47 Least Sandpipers (DW). MH & JS reported a spectacular fallout of shorebirds at Tydings on Sep 10, including 10 Semipalmated Plovers, 21 Pectoral Sandpipers, 2 White-rumped Sandpipers, and a Sanderling. Speaking of Sanderlings, JO discovered a flock of 3 of these rare Harford visitors at APG's Chilbury Point on Sep 13 (see photograph below). CW spotted 2 Spotted Sandpipers near the mouth of Deer Creek on Jun 28. At Lakeside, DL found a Spotted Sandpiper on Aug 28, and a pair of Solitary Sandpipers on Sep 5. And finally DB was delighted to find an American Woodcock meandering in her Street backyard on Sep 1!
GULLS & TERNS: The first dispersing Laughing Gulls in the county were a pair of adults sitting on the Tydings Island mudflat on Jul 24 (DW); a week later DW & JG noted a high-soaring flock of a dozen Laughing Gulls at Swan Harbor. The first returning Caspian Terns showed up at Tydings Island on Jul 16 (CW), and SA identified a pair of Caspians over the Susquehanna River from Lapidum on Aug 26. High counts for terns were 16 Caspian and 13 Forster's Terns at Tydings on Jul 24 (DW).
CUCKOOS & OWLS: Yellow-billed Cuckoos were reported from all corners of the county including a single bird at Pooles Island (MJ & DD, Jun 26), an adult carrying food at Swan Harbor (DW, Jul 23), and a calling bird at Street (DB, Aug 5). At the same latter location and date, DB heard an incredible 3 Black- billed Cuckoos calling from different directions. At Swan Harbor, J&BG heard an Eastern Screech-Owl on Jul 31, and a Great Horned Owl on Sep 7 & 10. DB reports that on Aug 16 at her home in Street, she investigated the source of several songbirds giving agitation calls, when she flushed a Barred Owl from its perch.
NIGHTJARS, SWIFT & WOODPECKERS: On Jun 16 prior to dawn, DW & DD heard a boisterous Chuck-will's-widow at its suspected breeding location near APG's Bridge Creek. Remarkably, only one southbound Common Nighthawk was reported in the county, a crepuscular migrant over Street on Aug 21 (DB). Once again, DD participated in The Driftwood Wildlife Association's 5th Annual “Swift Night Out” on Sep 10, and estimated a single evening roost of 1600 Chimney Swifts at a building near APG's Munson Test Course. JG heard a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers calling and drumming at Swan Harbor on Jul 31 & Aug 7. On Aug 15, DK found a single Red-headed Woodpacker on his Bradenbaugh farm.
FLYCATCHERS & LARKS: CW found a family of Eastern Phoebes, 2 adults and 2 juveniles, perched on wires near Concord Point on Jul 26. Flocks of Eastern Kingbirds included 9 at Swan Harbor (KG, Aug 7) and 4 at Lakeside (DL, Sep 5). DB reported that a Great Crested Flycatcher befriended a pair of catbirds at her Street property on Sep 6. The three birds were first spotted together at a bird bath, then flew off one after the other into a holly tree. JG found 5 Horned Larks at Swan Harbor on Jun 27, and DW counted 6 of them at Phillips Airfield on Aug 30.
SWALLOWS: One of the more common breeding species in Harford County, 3 Barn Swallow nestlings being fed by both parents were found near Bridge Creek (DD & DW, Jun 16) and another set of nestlings were discovered under a pier at Tydings Marina (CW, Jul 26). On Aug 2, CW witnessed a territorial dispute in which a pair of Barn Swallows doggedly swooped at a Northern Mockingbird near the Tidewater Museum in Havre de Grace. J&BG first noticed the staging of Purple Martins at Swan Harbor on Jul 24, when they tallied 86 birds. Their numbers gradually grew over the next two weeks, and on three occasions between Aug 6 & 27 J&BG estimated 600 Purple Martins perched on the telephone wires or hawking insects over the fields. Other notable staging flocks of Purple Martins included 300 birds at Tydings Marina and 80 birds perched on drydocked sailboats at Tidewater Marina (CW, Aug 1 & 16 respectively). High counts of other swallow species, all observed at Swan Harbor, included 5 Cliff Swallows, 10 Northern Rough-winged Swallows, 53 Tree Swallows, and 179 Barn Swallows (KG, Aug 7), and 100 Bank Swallows (MH, Aug 25).
NUTHATCHES & MIMIDS: Hopefully a harbinger of more irruptive species to come, a few early- migrant Red-breasted Nuthatches began to show up just west of Susquehanna SP between Sep 6 & 10 (LE). DB was pleased to see 2 Brown Thrasher using the birdbath at her Street home on Jun 28; and J&BG noted that Northern Mockingbird chicks nesting in a boxwood shrub at Swan Harbor were nearly ready to fledge on Jul 11.
WARBLERS: Most of the few warblers reported during the period were migrants, starting with a Cerulean Warbler discovered near Bridge Creek on Jul 31 (JO). On Aug 25, MH & HH came upon a nice mixed flock at Swan Harbor that included 3 Northern Parulas; pairs of Black-throated Green and Blackburnian Warblers; and singles of Chestnut-sided, Magnolia, Black-and-white, and Canada Warbler. However, their best find in this warbler hodgepodge was a rare Brewster's Warbler, described as looking like a Blue- winged Warbler with solid gold wing patches. Birding solo at Conowingo four days later, MH picked out a Blackburnian Warbler and 2 Northern Waterthrushes. Backyard warblers found by DB in Street included a Black-throated Blue and Ovenbird seen on Sep 2, followed three days later by a Black-throated Green Warbler and another Ovenbird quietly singing its evening song. MjH was excited to add a Black-and-white Warbler to her yardlist on Sep 12. J&BG recorded the high count of 8 Common Yellowthroats at Swan Harbor on Sep 6; MH & JS visited the same location four days later to find a pair of Palm Warblers of the western race, and returned the next day with HH to find another 4 “Western Palms”.
GROSBEAKS & SPARROWS: On Jun 26, CW tallied a dozen Indigo Buntings in the northwest portion of Susquehanna SP. MB photographed an adult Chipping Sparrow feeding one of its young in his Churchville backyard on Jul 26. Swan Harbor hosted 3 Field Sparrows on Aug 7 (KG), and 2 early- returning Savannah Sparrows on Sep 11 (MH, JS & HH).
BLACKBIRDS: Red-winged Blackbird numbers at Swan Harbor grew over the summer to a maximum of approximately 300 on 6 Aug (MH), the same day that MH tallied about 30 Bobolinks migrating overhead. Bobolinks continued to be occasionally seen at Swan Harbor thru the remainder of the reporting period, with a peak count of 55 birds on Sep 4 (J&FG).
And finally, the Hummingbird King of Harford County, LE, hosts an enviable population of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds at 30 feeders scattered about the grounds of his home near Susquehanna State Park. The hummers have become so accustomed to LE's presence sitting under a gazebo loaded with feeders, that they hover within inches of his face to feed. At this distance, LE says that the birds sound like an overamplified bumble bees. So just how many hummingbirds visit LE's feeders? Getting an exact count is impossible because the birds don't feed for long and are constantly chasing each other around in defense of the best feeding stations, but LE counted as many as 40 at one time on the morning of Aug 9. With this many hungry hummers its no wonder that LE can go through up to a gallon of sugar water per day!
CONTRIBUTORS: Stan Arnold (SA), Debbie Bowers (DB), Mike Burchett (MB), Deidre DeRoia (DD), Les Eastman (LE), Becky Gallo (BG), Frank Gallo (FG), John Gallo (JG), Kevin Graff (KG), Matt Hafner (MH), Monroe Harden (MoH), Marj Heagy (MjH), Hans Holbrook (HH), Mark Johnson (MJ), Dennis Kirkwood (DK), Dave Larkin (DL), Joe Ondek (JO), Bob Ringler (BR), Jim Stasz (JS), Daniel Webb (dW), Dave Webb (DW), Marsha Webb (MW), and Colleen Webster (CW).
Please email your sightings of the usual and the unusual to Dave, or snailmail them to Dave Webb, 4141 Quail Way, Havre de Grace, 21078. Please remember to include the date, location, and (approximate) number of birds observed. Digital photographs are also welcome. The timeframe for the next column is Sep 16, 2005 thru Dec 15, 2005. Thanks to everyone who contributed to this report!
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Field Trip Schedule
by Dave Ziolkowski
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