Dorchester County May 10 count.

[Harry Armistead]

124th DORCHESTER COUNTY, MARYLAND, MAY BIRD COUNT: May 10, 2025.

shorthanded!  134 species.

the KEY.  For Canada goose the grand total is 88 with 6 sectors reporting totals ranging from a low of 8 to a high of 26.  In cases where just 2 sectors report a species, the sum of its low and high counts may sometimes be less than the grand total, because the grand total may include a few individuals seen in the yard list, not considered a “sector”.  

WATERFOWL:  Canada goose 88 (6, 8-26).  wood duck 41 (4, 1-34).  blue-winged teal 3.  mallard 75 (6, 1-28).  American black duck 17 (3, 3-12).  duck unIDd 1.

northern bobwhite 4 (2, 1-3).  wild turkey 17 (4, 2-6).  mourning dove 81 (6, 8-19).  chuck-will’s-widow 10 (2, 4-6).  chimney swift 3.  ruby-throated hummingbird 4 (2, 1-3).  clapper rail 27 (2, 12-15).  king rail 1.  Virginia rail 14 (4, 1-7).  sora 1.  common gallinule 4 (2, 1-3).  

 SHOREBIRDS:  black-bellied plover 144 (2, 6-138; 245 counted at the same spot on Egypt Road by Jim Green, May 15).  American golden-plover 1 (GLA.  photographed. 2 seen here May 15 by Jim Green).  killdeer 17 (6, 1-7).  semipalmated plover 122 (4, 8-72).  dunlin 1,376 (3, 200-869).  least sandpiper 246 (4, 5-144).  white-rumped sandpiper 1.  semipalmated sandpiper 58 (3, 4-34).  short-billed dowitcher 42 (2, 4-38. a hendersoni race photographed by GLA at EIR, confirmed by Marshall Iliff).  black-necked stilt 3 (EIR).  spotted sandpiper 9 (4, 1-4).  lesser yellowlegs 59 (5, 2-46).  willet 2 (2, 1-1; alarmingly low).  greater yellowlegs 32 (5, 2-12).  peep unIDd 51.  shorebird unIDd 120. 

LARIDS:  laughing gull 176 (6, 1-72; low).  ring-billed gull 16 (3, 1-10).  herring gull 16 (2, 6-10).  least tern 22 (2, 5-17).  Caspian tern 1.  Forster’s tern 4 (2, 1-3.  low).  royal tern 8 (2, 1-7).

the PRIMITIVES:  red-throated loon 1 (EIR. GLA).  double-crested cormorant 84 (4, 2-70).  American white pelican 1 (BNWR; TA).  brown pelican 1 (EIR).  great blue heron 36 (6, 2-15).  great egret (4, 4-29).  snowy egret 10 (low.  2, 4-6).  green heron 6 (4, 1-3).  glossy ibis 107 (2, 5-102).  

RAPTORS:  black vulture 131 (5, 2-83).  turkey vulture 238 (6, 10-86).  osprey 53 (6, 1-17).  northern harrier 3 (3, 1-1).  sharp-shinned hawk 1.  Cooper’s hawk 1.  bald eagle 136 (6, 5-58).  red-shouldered hawk 2 (2, 1-1).  red-tailed hawk 2 (low).  peregrine falcon 1. 

OWLS:  eastern screech owl 1.  barred owl 4.  great horned owl 0.

kingfish + WOODPECKERS:  belted kingfisher 1.  red-headed woodpecker 13 (3, 2-5).  red-bellied woodpecker 14 (5, 1-5).  downy woodpecker 6 (1-2).  hairy woodpecker 5 (3, 1-3).  northern flicker 12 (6, 1-5).  pileated woodpecker 10 (2, 16). 

FLYCATCHERS:  great crested flycatcher 69 (6, 2-17).  eastern kingbird 25 (5, 2-10).  eastern wood-pewee 12 (4, 1-7).  Acadian flycatcher 9.  eastern phoebe 1.  

white-eyed vireo 33 (6, 1-17).  red-eyed vireo 27 (5, 2-8).  blue jay 23 (5, 1-17).  American crow 129 (5-54).  fish crow 4 (3, 1-2).  crow unIDd 2 (2, 1-1).

LI’L SPRITES:  Carolina chickadee 27 (6, 1-9).  tufted titmouse 31 (6, 1-7).  horned lark 11 (3, 1-6).  tree swallow 131 (5, 11-65).  purple martin 198 (6, 1-80).  barn swallow 159 (20-76).  swallow unIDd 30.  cedar waxing 1.  white-breasted nuthatch 1.  brown-headed nuthatch 25 (6, 2-13.  low).  blue-gray gnatcatcher 20 (3, 2-12).  Carolina wren 48 (6, 1-11).  house wren 34 (4, 2-17).  marsh wren 45 (3, 1-43).  

THRUSH TYPES + starling:  gray catbird 7 (3, 1-2).  brown thrasher 19 (4, 2-10).  northern mockingbird 27 (6, 1-10).  European starling 125 (5, 3-52).  eastern bluebird 32 (5, 2-8).  hermit thrush 1 (late).  wood thrush 9 (3, 1-5).  American robin 64 (5, 1-18).  

house sparrow 22 (4, 2-11).  house finch 12 (5, 1-4).  American goldfinch 18 (5, 2-5).  

SPARROW TYPES + chat:  chipping sparrow 62 (6, 1-28; all of them harmless and inoffensive).  field sparrow 5 (2, 2-3).  white-throated sparrow 1.  seaside sparrow 40 (2, 19-21).  Savannah sparrow 2 (2, 1-1).  song sparrow 1.  eastern towhee 3.  yellow-breasted chat 1.

BLACKBIRDS:  bobolink 1.  eastern meadowlark 6 (5, 1-2).  Baltimore oriole 1.  orchard oriole 18 (4, 2-10).  red-winged blackbird 470 (6, 8-146).  brown-headed cowbird 61 (5, 1-29).  common grackle 262 (6, 3-77).  boat-tailed grackle 8 (2, 1-7).  

WARBLERS:  ovenbird 35 (6, 1-16).  worm-eating warbler 11 (2, 2-9).  northern waterthrush 2 (2, 1-1).  black-and-white warbler 3 (3, 1-1).  prothonotary warbler 9 (2, 1-8).  common yellowthroat 137 (6, 9-50).  American redstart 3 (2, 1-2).  northern parula 3 (2, 1-3).  yellow warbler 2 (2, 1-1).  blackpoll warbler 2.  pine warbler 35 (6, 1-13).  myrtle warbler 4.  yellow-throated warbler 1.  prairie warbler 6 (3, 1-3).  

the PRETTIES:  summer tanager 13 (5, 1-6).  scarlet tanager 7 (2, 3-4).  northern cardinal 54 (6, 2-22).  rose-breasted grosbeak 1.  blue grosbeak 32 (6, 1-18).  indigo bunting 41 (6, 1-15). 

EFFORT: 8 observers in 6 sectors plus 1 yard list.  12 hours on foot; 35 hours by car.  11 miles on foot.  273 miles by car.  4:30 A.M. - 8 P.M. 

the GREAT DISPARITIES shown by the widely divergent totals of some species as seen by various sectors are due to a bunch of factors: varying effort, skills, some sectors lacking in salt marsh, some lacking deciduous woodlands, some lacking for the most part pine forests, and so on.   

ABBREVIATIONS: BNWR, Blackwater refuge.  EIR, Elliot Island Road.  HI, Hooper’s Island.  other abbrevs. represent observers’ initials.

NON-AVIAN ANIMATE TAXA:  (how’s that for a pompous phrase?  phew!  give me a break).  An alternative is to just list these under the category of “critters”.  Several sectors reported these.  Numbers = actual numbers reported.  If there is an X indicated that means someone reported the species but with no number.  

MAMMALS:  sika deer (elk) 18 = X.  white-tailed deer 23 + X.  eastern cottontail 27 + X.  Virginia opossum 2.  raccoon 2.  muskrat 1.  red fox 2.  gray squirrel12 + XX.  fox squirrel 1.

HERPS (all of these “X” ’s):  green frog.  wood frog.  bull frog.  snapping turtle.  painted turtle.  red-bellied cooter.  red-eared slider.  We arrived too late for the evening flight of Gila monsters.

INSECTS (all X):  pearl crescent, monarch, Carolina saddlebag, common green darner, common whitetail, eastern pondhawk, Needhawm’s skimmer.  

MISC.:  2 blue crabs.     

TOP 10 SPECIES WITH THE HIGHEST NUMBERS: dunlin 1,376, red-winged blackbird 470, common grackle 262, least sandpiper 246, turkey vulture 238, purple martin 198, laughing gull 176, barn swallow 159, black-bellied plover 144, common yellowthroat 137.  At 136 bald eagle comes in at 11th!

SPECIES RECORDED IN ALL 6 SECTORS (25 species).  This gives some idea of the relative abundance and distribution throughout the county.:  mourning dove, killdeer, laughing gull, great blue heron, turkey vulture, osprey, bald eagle, northern flicker, great crested flycatcher, white-eyed vireo, Carolina chickadee, tufted titmouse, purple martin, brown-headed nuthatch, Carolina wren, northern mockingbird, chipping sparrow, red-winged blackbird, common grackle, ovenbird, common yellowthroat, pine warbler, northern cardinal, blue grosbeak, indigo bunting. 

FAMILY REPRESENTATION:  all poor:  waterfowl 5, shorebirds 13, heron types 5, warblers 14.  merely O.K.:  rallids 5, larids 7, woodpeckers 6, sparrows 7.  blackbirds 7: not bad.  diurnal raptors: 10 good.   

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:  Peter Smithson, Route 336 from Gootee’s on south to Crocheron.

Terry Allen, Blackwater N.W.R. Wildlife Drive and Maple Dam Road.

Ron Ketter Blackwater N.W.R. restricted areas: Kuehnle Ttact, Tubman Road Tail, Hog Range

George Armistead & Harry Armistead, Egypt Road, Swan Harbor & Hooper’s Island, Elliott Island Road.

Alicia Bachman, upper Elliott Island Road, Lewis Wharf Road, Kraft Neck Road, and LeCompte Wildlife Management Area.

Steve Ford, east-central county south of Route 50 and west of Elliott Island Road.

Debbie Robbins, yard list. 

WEATHER: 49-72, NW 20 changing to W 6 then calm at the end, clear becoming mostly overcast.  Low tidal waters all day.

UN-EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:  Due to the poor turn out - several key observers missed today, but for good reasons - George and I worked in a sort of “circuit rider” capacity.  We were in key areas otherwise missing coverage: Egypt Road (one field loaded with plovers), Swan Harbor and Hooper’s Island (very poor results, but at least we had a good visit with Neil and Kathleen Birchmeier), and Elliott Island Road (excellent shorebird numbers, most actively feeding right next to the road).  

There was no coverage north of Route 50, but a few specialties from that important area were found by others anyway, such as kingfisher and phoebe.  There was practically no flight today of warblers and other neotropical migrants, but the shorebirding was good.  So were the bald eagles with 136 seen by the 6 sectors today compared to 133 by 9 sectors on May 3.

In the early days of the count, in the 1960s, 1970s, and some of the 1980s, almost all the counts consisted of just one party running a route of 180 miles, and almost always an all-nighter (except when weather mandated otherwise).  Back then there really were more birds of most kinds.  

The loss of c. 30% of our birds in North America since 1970 has been documented in several seminal articles, especially the one by Kenneth V. Rosenberg et al. (in Science, Sept. 19, 2019, vol. 366, no. 6461, “Decline of North America avifauna”, pp. 120-124 + numerous attachments).   So, “back then” in the early days of this count, a day’s total by one party of 145 species or fewer was a source of disappointment.  So now we have the May 10 total of 134 species recorded by 6 parties (sectors).  The times they are a changin’, have changed already.

MISTAKES:  Please let me know of ANY you notice.  I’m certain there are … some.  Thanks.

Best to all:  Harry Armistead, Bellevue & Philadelphia.

[thb...@aol.com]

What time should you show up for the flight of Gila monsters??? 

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