May 3, 2025, 123rd Dorchester County, MD, May bird count.

[Harry Armistead]

MAY 3, 2025, 123rd DORCHESTER COUNTY, MARYLAND, May bird count.  149 species.  

KEY:  see under Canada goose: 102 is the grand total, seen in 8 sectors whose totals range from a low of 3 to a high of 90.

WATERFOWL:  Canada goose 102 (8, 3-90).  wood duck 25 (4, 1-14).  blue-winged teal 5 (2, 2-3).  mallard 77 (7, 2-19).  American black duck 34 (3, 5-19).  green-winged teal 4 (2, 2-2).  ruddy duck 138 (2, 23-115).  unIDd duck 1.  

northern bobwhite 1.  wild turkey 9 (6, 1-2).  rock pigeon 2.  mourning dove 103 (8, 2-34).  yellow-billed cuckoo 2 (2, 1-1).  chuck-will’s-widow 26 (4, 4-8).  whip-poor-will 9.  chimney swift 19 (4, 1-12).  ruby-throated hummingbird 6 (1-2).  

RALLIDS:  clapper rail 23 (2, 1-22).  king rail 1.  Virginia rail 9 (low. 4, 1-4).  common gallinule 3.  

SHOREBIRDS:  American oystercatcher 1.  black-bellied plover 50 (3, 1-46).  killdeer 83 (5, 1-42).  semipalmated plover 98 (7, 1-68).  black-necked stilt 6.  ruddy turnstone 2.  sanderling 4.  dunlin 1,335 (4, 8-947).  least sandpiper 143 (7, 8-48).  white-rumped sandpiper 1.  pectoral sandpiper 2.  semipalmated sandpiper 66 (4, 1-59).  shore-billed dowitcher 5 (2, 1-4).  spotted sandpiper 3 ( 2, 1-2).  solitary sandpiper 12 (5, 1-12).  lesser yellowlegs 133 (7, 2-65).  willet 16 (2, 6-10).  greater yellowlegs 86 (7, 1-30).  unIDd yellowlegs 3.  unIDd peep 3.  

LARIDS:  laughing gull 2,557 (9, 3-835).  ring-billed gull 78 (6, 1-28).  herring gull 38 (3, 1-32).  great black-backed gull 0.  least tern 39 (5, 2-25).  Forster’s tern 53 (8, 1-22).  royal tern 5.  

the “PRIMITIVES”:  common loon 1.  double-crested cormorant 314 (5, 1-280).  brown pelican 25.  least bittern 2 (2, 1-1).  great blue heron 40 (9, 1-16).  great egret 48 (3, 2-32).  snowy egret 30 (4, 3-18).  green heron 6 (4, 1-2).  black-crowned night heron 5.  white ibis 3 (ph.  MW, BNWR; on May 6 a flock of 85 in flight seen by Jim Green and Jim Brighton at Drawbridge; the entire flock photographed by JB).  glossy ibis 27 (6, 1-21).  

RAPTORS:  black vulture 27 (6, 1-21).  turkey vulture 198 (9, 7-59).  osprey 65 (7, 2-14).  northern harrier 3 (3, 1-1).  Cooper’s hawk 1.  bald eagle 133 (9, 1-39).  red-shouldered hawk 1.  red-tailed hawk 2 (2, 1-1).  peregrine falcon 1 (ph; MW, BNWR).  

OWLS:  barn owl 1.  eastern screech-owl 9 (4, 2-3).  great horned owl 1 (low).  barred owl 9 (4, 1-4).  

WOODPECKERS + belted  kingfisher 0.  red-headed woodpecker 30 (7, 1-9).  red-bellied woodpecker 42 (7, 1-18).  downy woodpecker 12 (6, 1-3).  hairy woodpecker 8 (7, 1-2).  northern flicker 7 (4, 1-2).  pileated woodpecker 20 (8, 1-6).

FLYCATCHERS:  great crested flycatcher 88 (9, 4-38).  eastern kingbird 35 (9, 1-10).  eastern wood-pewee 11 (5, 1-3).  Acadian flycatcher 10 (3, 1-6).  eastern phoebe 1.

white-eyed vireo 50 (7, 1-18).  blue-headed vireo 1.  red-eyed vireo 45 (8, 1-14).  blue jay 64 (8, 2-13).  American crow 86 (8, 3-21).  fish crow 24 (4, 1-11).  unID crow 9 (2, 4-5).  

LI’L SPRITES (mostly):  Carolina chickadee 82 (8, 2-21).  tufted titmouse 100 (9, 3-19).  horned lark 44 (4, 1-38).  tree swallow 164 (9, 4-38).  purple martin 436 (8, 1-160).  barn swallow 183 (8, 2-86).  cliff swallow 2.  ruby-crowned kinglet 2 (2, 1-1).  cedar waxwing 4 (3, 1-2).  white-breasted nuthatch 1.  brown-headed nuthatch 27 (low. 6, 2-6).  blue-gray gnatcatcher 110 (6, 2-52).  Carolina wren 96 (9, 4-20).  house wren 11 (5, 1-4).  marsh wren 36 (4, 1-26).  

THRUSH TYPES & starling:  gray catbird 17 (6, 2-6).  brown thrasher 25 (5, 1-18).  northern mockingbird 65 (9, 2-14).  European starling 504 (9, 5-185).  eastern bluebird 60 (7, 2-16).  hermit thrush 2 (late).  wood thrush 42 (7, 1-27).  American robin 305 (8, 4-116).  house sparrow 65 (7, 1-32).  house finch 16 (4, 1-8).  American goldfinch 75 (8, 1-23).  

SPARROWS:  grasshopper sparrow 13 (4, 1-6).  chipping sparrow 153 (9, 2-49).  field sparrow 15 (4, 1-6).  white-throated sparrow 14 (4, 1-7).  seaside sparrow 63 (4, 1-39).  Savannah sparrow 6 (2, 1-5).  song sparrow 18 (5, 1-8).  swamp sparrow 2 (2, 1-1).  eastern towhee 18 (3, 1-13).  

yellow-breasted chat 17 (7, 1-8).  

BLACKBIRDS:  bobolink 3.  eastern meadowlark 25 (4, 1-9).  Baltimore oriole 2 (2, 1-1).  orchard oriole 43 (9, 1-9).  red-winged blackbird 899 (9, 31-389).  brown-headed cowbird 154 (8, 5-37).  common grackle 455 (9, 4-120).  boat-tailed grackle 2.  

WARBLERS:  ovenbird 118 (7, 2-59).  worm-eating warbler 54 (7, 1-33).  Louisiana waterthrush 8.  northern waterthrush 1.  black-and-white warbler  21 (4, 1-14).  prothonotary warbler 10 (4, 1-4).  Nashville warbler 1.  common yellowthroat 198 (8, 5-70).  American redstart 2 (2, 1-1).  northern parula 2 (low. 2, 1-1).  yellow warbler 10 (4, 1-7).  pine warbler 89 (8, 3-38).  myrtle warbler 13 (5, 1-5).  yellow-throated warbler 13 (4, 1-7).  prairie warbler 14 (5, 1-5).  

the PRETTIES:  summer tanager 53 (8, 2-27).  scarlet tanager 13 (6, 1-4).  northern cardinal 155 (9, 4-32).  rose-breasted grosbeak 1.  blue grosbeak 76 (8, 2-26).  indigo bunting 73 (8, 4-22).

EFFORT:  5:45 A.M. - 8:30 P.M.  12 observers in 9 sectors.  hours on foot 21, hours by car 32, hours owling 5.  miles on foot 20, miles by car 279, miles owling 45. 

WEATHER:  58-82 degrees, mostly clear or only partly overcast, winds SW20 dropping to W6 then calm. 

FAMILY REPRESENTATION: waterfowl 7 species.  rallids 4.  shorebirds 18 (good).  larids 6 (poor).  heron types 8.  diurnal raptors 9.  sparrow types 9.  warblers 14 (poor).

UN-EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: 9 sectors is real good coverage.  See my summary for May 10, a lot of which is applicable for May 3.  No warbler flight or neotrops to speak of and lingering waterfowl almost non-existent.  The difference between today’s good coverage and not-so-good May 10 is easily seen by comparing some numbers.  Those in parentheses are for May 10: 

killdeer 85 (17).  red-bellied woodpecker 42 (14).  great crested flycatcher 88 (69).  red-eyed vireo 45 (27).  chickadee 82 (27).  titmouse 100 (31).  Carolina wren 96 (48).  chipping sparrow 153 (62).  orchard oriole 43 (18).  

SPECIES FOUND IN 8 OR 9 SECTORS (34 species).  8s have no number after them.  9s 9.  only 15 species seen in all 9 sectors.

Canada goose, mourning dove, laughing gull 9, Forster’s tern, great blue heron 9, turkey vulture 9, bald eagle 9, pileated woodpecker, great crested flycatcher 9, eastern kingbird 9, red-eyed vireo, blue jay, American crow, Carolina chickadee, tufted titmouse 9, tree swallow 9, purple martin, barn swallow, Carolina wren 9, northern mockingbird 9, European starling 9, American robin, American goldfinch, chipping sparrow 9, orchard oriole 9, red-winged blackbird 9, brown-headed cowbird, common grackle 9, common yellowthroat, pine warbler, summer tanager, northern cardinal 9, blue grosbeak, indigo bunting.

10 SPECIES WITH THE HIGHEST NUMBERS: laughing gull 2,557.  dunlin 1,335.  red-winged blackbird 899.  European starling 504.  purple martin 436.  common grackle 455.  double-crested cormorant 314.  American robin 305.  turkey vulture 198.  common yellowthroat 198.  At 133 bald eagle is tied for 17th place with lesser yellowlegs.

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.

NON-AVIAN ANIMATE TAXA (critters), reported by several sectors: MAMMALS: sika deer (elk) 84, white-tailed deer 18, gray squirrel 12, eastern cottontail 15, muskrat 5, raccoon 3, Virginia opossum 4, red fox 2.  HERPS: snapping turtle 1, diamondback terrapin 8, painted turtle 6, black rat snake 1, Cope’s gray tree frog 1.  BUGS: monarch 5, meadow fritillary 1, cabbage white 2, tiger swallowtail 2, red-spotted purple 1, unIDd sulphur 2, unIDd butterfly 3. 

SIKAs.  84 is a lot.  In between Bestpitch and Elliott I. Rd. several times c. 3:30 - 4 A.M. back when I did all-nighters a few times I’ve seen > 100 in just one field.  Count the # of eye shines and divide by 2. ! 

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Hooper’s Island:  Jeff Effinger.

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

Blackwater N.W.R. restricted areas:  Matt Whitbeck: McGraws Island and Wolfpit along Maple Dam Road, Key Wallace trail, Hog Range, and Greenbriar Swamp.

Northwest County, Route 16: Bettye Maki & Bobbie Wells.

North County north of Route 50: Jim Green.

Bestpitch & Drawbridge and roads to & from there to Cambridge: Liz & Harry Armistead.

Neck District: George Radcliffe.

Elliott Island Road: Suzette Stitely.

East central count, S of Route 50, W of Elliott I. Rd.: Steve Ford.

Best to all: Harry Armistead, Bellevue and Philadelphia.