Ferry Neck, July 12-16, 2024.

[Harry Armistead]

FERRY NECK, JULY 12-16, 2024.

EXCELLENT ESSAY ON PROS AND CONS OF EPONYMIC BIRD NAMES by Shaibal S. Mitra in the Kingbird, March 2024, vol. 74, no. 1, “Editor’s note: the names of birds”, pp. 2-7.  Literate, witty, brilliant even.  “Standardized common names are useful to birders, and their relative stability over time and space is an asset.  Losing so many of them would be enormously costly, especially compared to the supposed gains, which appear very doubtful in general and almost certainly very small, at best.” (p. 7).  re “ … the proposal to remove the names of people from the standard common names of North American birds … “    

JULY 12, FRIDAY.  Arrive 4:45, overcast, calm becoming SW 5-10, temps in the 70s, light rain off and on.  Has rained c. 1” (bird bath is full) or more but there are no puddles or water in the ditches or Waterthrush Pond or the Varmint Pool.  Many blossoms, finally, on the Rose of Sharon bushes. 

Complete list, seen 5:45-7:45, 1 unless specified otherwise,: Great Blue Heron, Green Heron 2, Osprey 7, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Mourning Dove, Northern Flicker, Tree Swallow, Barn Swallow 2, Purple Martin, Fish Crow, Carolina Chickadee, Carolina Wren, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Northern Cardinal 3, Red-winged Blackbird 2, Common Grackle, Blue Jay, Chipping Sparrow, American Robin 2.  No bluebirds or titmice, but they will be seen tomorrow,

A Gray Squirrel at Royal Oak.  Late in the day: 8:44 P.M. a Red Fox, 8:52 two fawns with their 2 does, 8:57 a different Red Fox, 8:59 probably the 1st Red Fox again.  Three additional does and a buck earlier.  only 5 fireflies.  Eastern Cottontail 2, 3 additional deer (does) plus a fawn.  Hackberry Emperor 3, strange to see them on an overcast, damp day and so late in the day.  Anne, Derek & Alexis see a Raccoon on the driveway when they arrive c. 9:45 P.M.

JULY 13, SATURDAY.  left over rain, overcast, very damp in the morning, then gradually becoming fair, light winds, then SE 10-15, 70s to 85, hot and oppressive.

not seen Friday: Turkey Vulture 1, Snowy Egret 1, Cattle Egret 1, Tufted Titmouse 2, Blue Jay 1, American Crow 1, Eastern Bluebird 1, Northern Mockingbird 1 American Goldfinch 1, and the Ayres see 3 Wild Turkeys, 2 Box Turtles, 3 Eastern Cottontails, a small Snapping Turtle.

Delicious supper with tarts made with blackberries Anne and Alexis picked today.

JULY 14, SUNDAY.  wind SW 5-10, fair, 70s to near 90. very humid, close, not much fun, a short and very light rain in the late afternoon.

Derek, Alexis & Anne leave for Philadelphia c. 11:30.  They see a Box Turtle, again, and every day bring us the Post & NYT,  Brown Thrasher 2, 1 each of Northern Flicker, Pileated, Downy & Red-bellied woodpeckers, 1 Blue  Grosbeak, 1 Great Crested Flycatcher, 1 Eastern Kingbird, 4 Blue Jays, 4 Brown-headed Cowbirds, 1 American Goldfinch.  4 Chipping sparrows, 2 of them likely fledglings.

Various places on the Neck: 9 does plus 1 small fawn  2 skinks on the Front Porch.  1 Common Wood Nymph on the car hood, 3 Hackberry Emperors in their favorite spot, c. 20’ up around the Eastern Redcedar just east of the American Hackberry seen from the front porch.  They are very active butterflies, don’t leave you much time to study them after they alight.  Thousands of blackberries remain, but they are still mostly red, not ready for picking.

JULY 15, MONDAY.  phew!  hot, humidity not too bad though, NW 5 or so, clear, low 80s to mid 90s.  Going out the drive at 3 P.M. a Great Crested Flycatcher, a  Gray Squirrel, 2 spotted fawns, 4 turkey poults with their momma, 96 degrees (up to 101 in St. Michaels).

Even though sprayed earlier in July, our fields are starting to green up again, especially Fields 4 and 5.  5 P.M. 2 Gray Squirrels at the feed, choosing to not choose what one would suppose would be a refreshing dip in the adjacent birdbath, 90 degrees F.  6:40, the first post-breeding Belted Kingfisher of the summer, a fall arrival of sorts.

JULY 16, TUESDAY.  fair, SW 10, 86, hot and dry.  By the driveway bend 40 juvenile starlings.  1 Gray Squirrel.  Farther out the driveway a half-grown young Gray Squirrel that has already mastered one skill set: scampering.  CORDOVA, N of there a d.o.r. Woodchuck, Requiescat in pavement.

 -Best to all. - Harry Armistead, Bellevue & Philadelphia.

[JAMES SPEICHER]

The online issues of The Kingbird don't include the previous 2-3 year's publications...

https://nybirds.org/KBsearch.htm

So nothing after 2022.

Jim Speicher 

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