Blackwater & Ferry Neck, December 2-5, 2022.
Harry Armistead
BLACKWATER N.W.R. & FERRY NECK, DECEMBER 2-5, 2022.
DECEMBER 2, FRIDAY. 47-44, mostly overcast, SE 15, yes, some rain since last time, the low areas now nicely replenished, beans in Field 1 only 1-5” high. A pair of adult bald eagles engage in a chase right over the cove. bufflehead 26, horned grebe 2, common loon 2, tundra swan 33 (in front of Tranquility), Canada goose 80, adult red-tailed hawk on the Field 4 pole, 3 flickers flush from the driveway. 2 does in the marsh at the head of the cove and 1 at Lucy Point. gray squirrel 3. The Olszewskis have constructed a new blind S of Lucy Point, so natural-looking I had to look twice to make certain it WAS a blind.
DECEMBER 3, SATURDAY. 0.4” rain (stops at mid-day), overcast, SW 10, 52 all day, gradual clearing starting at 2. horned grebe 4, common loon 1, bufflehead 12, bald eagle 1 adult. At the feed: goldfinch 5, house finch 4, cadinal 2, white-breasted nuthatch 4, red-breasted nuthatch 3, titmouse 2, Carolina chickadee 5, red-bellied woodpecker 1 female, blue jay 1, white-throated sparrow 3 and 1 flicker in the general area.
Liz, sensitive to noise, has lunch with Diane Leonards and Suze Segal at Ava’s in St. Michaels, giving me a chance to play the Overture to Die Meistersinger at full blast … 3 times. Those horns and that drumming. On the other had, Wagner could be subtle and lyrical at times. Once at the Ocean City Inlet as I sat in the car I played it 7 times. Parts of it always remind me of the surf off of Assateague Island. We all have our hangups.
DINNER at neighbor Paul Thut’s, the spring 2023 planning meeting, Potluck dinner. Well attended.
DECEMBER 4, SUNDAY. BLACKWATER N.W.R. 23 participants in the “guided birding tour”: Harry & Liz Armistead, Mattee Becker, Cliff Bock, Charles Doran, Michelle Doran, Gabiel Garza, Janet Bramling, Liza Guo, Gail & Grace Inman, Shala Keller, Diane & Thos Leonards, Tom Miller (BNWR Ranger), Nick Maraventano, Anne Sears, Suze Segal, Grace Shelton, W. G. Sikes, Jan & Tom Tydings, Ginny Westrick. Sorry … hard to decipher some of the handwriting.
What I like about this group is that they sometimes “mutiny”, make a stop or 2 where I don’t, such as to see the little screech-owl in its tree cavity, attended by a group of photographers.
8 A.M. - 2 P.M. (tour from 9- c.12:30), 36-44, NW 10-5, fresh water high, right up there, tidal water somewhat lowish, fair. Pretty nice weather. A few of the birds listed below (approximate estimates in most cases) seen before or after the tour, and/or elsewhere (e.g., Egypt Road, Cambridge). Numbers in parentheses are of the Nov. 29 waterfowl survey by Ron Ketter, that include areas in addition to Wildlife Drive. 43 species.
American white pelican 8 (8 or so, yes, hard to tell, at rest all the way over on the south side of Blackwater River; may be a few more than just 8), Virginia Rail 1 (utters the seldom-heard “dick dick McGreer” call once), great blue heron 5, great egret 4, black-crowned night heron 2 immatures (seen by others), eastern screech-owl (continuing at its favored tree cavity; photographed by Ron, Nov. 29),
Canada goose 2,000 (9,260), snow goose 3 (with flock of c. 30 tundra swans arriving out of the North), tundra swan 630 (my careful estimate in Pool 3), northern pintail 400 (2,991), mallard 250 (3,145), American black duck 6, northern shoveler 18, hooded merganser,13
northern flicker 1, belted kingfisher 1, American robin 6, mourning dove 18, American crow 7, blue jay 1, Carolina wren 2, northern mockingbird 2, European starling 145, brown-headed nuthatch 0,
myrtle warbler 2, Savannah sparrow 3, white-throated sparrow 4, song-sparrow 3, chipping sparrow 6, swamp sparrow 0, slate-colored junco 8, red-winged blackbird 700, common grackle 4, eastern meadowlark 1
bald eagle 13 (low), red-tailed hawk 1, red-shouldered hawk 1 adult (on wire, Egypt Road), black vulture 2, turkey vulture 14, northern harrier 1, killdeer 2.
ring-billed gull 85, herring gull 6, great black-backed gull 16, herring or ring-billed gull 350 (most of these and other gulls seen at Cambridge). Forster’s tern 3.
NON-AVIAN TAXA: fox squirrel 1, gray squirrel 1, white-tailed deer 4, red-bellied turtle 1 (This and painted turtles will sometimes be seen basking on warm, calm, sunny days even in the middle of winter).
Back at RIGBY’S FOLLY, 3 gray squirrels (as mammals go the gray squirrel takes the cake). 1 red-breasted nuthatch. Temperature falls to 38. This morning there’s some ice at the low area on the south side of Field 1 (the Big Field), where the sun never shines.
DECEMBER 5, MONDAY. clear, calm, 40 degrees F. Red-tailed hawk again on the Field 4 pole. Leave for PA at 10:22. Thousands and thousands of blackbirds, mostly common grackles, at Routes 309 X 404 (across from Royal Farms). Hundreds and hundreds of blackbirds at Routes 309 X 481, mostly cowbirds and starlings.
Near Ruthsburg, Route 481, c. 35 tundra swans off to the west, finally some big white birds in a field. Here’s hoping on the next trip there’ll be some snow geese likewise. Also, Route 481, a bald eagle and 2 kestrels. At Route 301 mile 109.5 an adult bald eagle perched on a roadside pole.
In our rather short, traditional transit of northern Delaware 6 red-tailed hawks and 2 adult red-shouldered hawks. Buteos seem to like this part of our trip. Across from Philadelphia International Airport another adult bald eagle, also perched on a roadside pole.
SWISS ARMY KNIFE: what are the chances? Last night, in the dark, I open up bags of bird food with the knife, dump them in an aluminum barrel, absent-mindedly leave the knife on the sloping, smooth, metal car hood, then drive 200 feet, down and up 2 slopes, and a big circle so as to position the car facing out, next to the front porch. Forget about the knife until this morning. After packing, slamming the doors and the hatchback, notice the knife STILL on the hood JUST as we are leaving. If it’d fallen off onto the lawn, covered with bright leaves, it would be hard to locate. We leave the leaves, don’t rake and remove them. Somewhat miraculous the knife stays on the car hood.
Best to all. - Harry Armistead, Bellevue & Philadelphia.