A nice boating trip, 8 of us, including Bob Ake and banders Dave Brinker
and John Weske, to areas west and south of Crisfield, MD, in Chesapeake
Bay, most of them in Virginia, and also to Skimmer Island, Ocean City, MD,
late in the day:
July 31, 2003, Thursday. Hazy verging on foggy, to hazy to fair, winds
light, temp. up to the low 80's, good banding weather.
South Point Marsh, Accomack Co., VA. We banded in the middle and 2nd
largest of the 3 pelican colonies here. This is c. 5 mi. s. of Ewell,
Smith I., MD. Today we banded c. 290 Brown Pelican chicks here plus 7
young Double-crested Cormorants. Combined with 200 some banded earlier in
July (and June, I think) plus the 752 tagged on July 10 that totals at
least 1,242 pelican chicks banded at South Point Marsh this summer. With a
recovery rate of perhaps 10% that means c. 125 will be heard from again.
Also seen here: 16 oystercatchers, 1 Sanderling, 8 Seaside Sparrows, 2
Clapper Rails, 18 American Black Ducks, and Mute Swan broods of 3 and 5
cygnets respectively. I tried to record the contents of all nests that
still had eggs, which seemed like many for this late in the season. Brown
Pelican: 26 nests - 7 with 1 egg, 14 with 2 eggs, 3 with 3 eggs, 1 with 1
egg and 1 young, and 1 with 2 eggs and 1 young. Double-crested Cormorant:
108 nests - 9 with 1 egg, 41 with 2 eggs, 47 with 3 eggs, 1 with 4 eggs, 3
with 1 egg and 1 young, 5 with 2 eggs and 1 young, and 2 with 1 egg and 2
young. I estimated 80 large cormorant chicks, in sight from one spot,
undoubtedly far below what 's actually there. In 3 weeks or so a last trip
will be made to band the remaining late-hatching pelican chicks.
Shanks Island, Accomack Co., VA. This is about a mile south of the South
Point Marsh pelican colonies. Revisited the considerable Royal Tern colony
here discovered on July 9. This still consists mostly of birds on eggs so
a return trip to corral the young royals is warranted. A tight colony of
200 or so nests, mas o menos. Saw a few large, juvenile Black Skimmers
here, able to fly.
Ewell, Smith I., MD. The usual celebratory lunch at Ruke's. 7
Yellow-crowned Night Herons, 1 female Belted Kingfisher (a post-breeding
bird since they don't breed here). This year most of the YCNHs seen have
been on the eastern approaches to Smith Island flying over Big Thorofare.
On the way back to Crisfield John banded 2 Osprey chicks on the no. 3 green
marker between Ewell and Tylerton. It's really late in the year to be able
to do this and these 2 Osprey chicks weren't even that large.
"work boats from Ewell,
scrapers on Big Thorofare,
soft crab your cities."
About a week earlier Dave Brinker et al. banded 54 pelican chicks at Pry
I., a satellite of South Marsh I., Somerset Co., MD, where there have been
up to c. 75 nests this year, the first time they have bred here. They also
banded 8 pelican chicks on the s. end of Barren I., Dorchester Co., MD
(part of Blackwater N.W.R.), where a few birds bred last year at Whitewood
Cove. By this time next year I predict this island will have completely
eroded away.
Little Fox I., Accomack Co., VA, c, 6 mi. s. of Crisfield, MD. We
revisited here briefly but could only find 3 Royal Tern chicks to band to
add to the 437 banded on July 9. Presumably the c. 41 nests with eggs here
on July 9 failed to hatch. There are perhaps 200 hundred Laughing Gull
juveniles hatched out here but I did not find any nests with eggs today.
Also seen: 1 Sandwich Tern (sitting with the royals but no sign of
nesting), 2 oystercatchers, and a Least Sandpiper. I found a Snowy Egret
nest in a 'Baccharis halimifolia' bush with 3 chicks the size of small
green peppers. Strange to find a single snowy nest by itself, the first
time I remember finding such away from a mixed heronry. Not seen: Seaside
or Song Sparrows, Willet, or Marsh Wren. This island has become too small
to support them, I'd guess.
"I sing of the Bay.
my song is of the islands
ere they wash away."
Skimmer Island, Ocean City, MD. Charlie Vaughn joined the remnants of
today's Crisfield banding party today for a total of 5 of us on a revisit
to the Royal Tern colony on Skimmer Island. We banded 211 Royal Tern
chicks, a good total for a second visit. During the first visit on July 9,
263 royals were banded (= a total of 474). Also at Skimmer I. was a
Sandwich Tern (but no sign of nesting) and c. 515 Sanderlings, numerous
Tricolored and other herons, skimmers, oystercatchers, et al.
John Weske said c. 1,000 royals have been banded at Fisherman's I. N.W.R.
so far. He was to return there on August 1. John also indicated there
were under 500 Brown Pelicans nests on Fisherman's. These numbers are down
from what they have been in most recent years. Also in Northampton County,
VA, John said there was a moderate-sized Royal Tern colony on the north end
of Wreck Island. He is still negotiating with the state for permission to
band there. In the 8 or so years I have been tagging along with John and
Dave on these combined tern-pelican banding roundups of these many
thousands banded I can only recollect one bird dying, that a pelican that
unaccountably died while I was holding it.
Aug. 1, Fri., a work day in Philadelphia.
"Rigby's Folly", Armistead property on Ferry Neck, Talbot County, MD, near
Bellevue:
A weekend of harmless family activities including 4 short boat trips.
Wife, Liz, and daughters Anne and Mary were on hand. The almost daily
light to moderate rainfall has left areas of the property lawns and trails
so boggy that they cannot be mowed. Mildew has become pervasive in the
past week or so.
August 1, Saturday. Hot and humid. 2 rain storms today, otherwise mostly
cloudy to somewhat fair, 76-85 degrees F., winds SW 10-20. Nice adult
Pied-billed Grebe in Irish Creek. There are only 7 records for Rigby. Off
Holland Pt. at the mouth of Irish Creek was a flock consisting of 5 female
and 1 male Black and 2 male Surf scoters. 1 Cooper's Hawk at Rigby. These
apparently post-breeding coops seem to show up with some regularity in late
July and August on the Eastern Shore. 10 Royal Terns at Benoni Pt. and 80
Mute Swans at Rigby. A Least Tern at Wooden Pt. right after the passage of
a thunderstorm, during which we were stuck in the boat at Benoni Pt. A
little scary. Saw 2 Diamondback Terrapin. Caught a 12" Striped Bass from
the dock at dusk, when the (2?) Green Tree Frogs, referred to in my post
for July 26, were heard again. Several Osprey nests around Oxford still
contain large young, probably capable of flight. Still, this is late for
that. Loads of little Fowler's Toads everywhere. Our fields still not
ploughed, disked, or planted, nice and grassy. Still a few fireflies at
dusk. [that's 3 "stills" in 4 sentences, Harry. Watch it!] Cicadas sawing
away. 3 sightings of an ad. Bald Eagle in 3 spots, possibly the same bird.
"July is hot in Virginia,
a parched leather farmer
who cuts wood all day long
with a cicada saw."
-Stephen Vincet Benet in "John Brown's Body." (won the 1924 Pulitzer
Prize). That's from memory so probably not entirely correct.
August 2, Sunday. Weather, about the same as yesterday. We saw a juvenile
Turkey Vulture from the boat in the wrecked shambles of a duck blind,
perhaps where the nest is. About as big as the adult perched nearby but
some of the downy, white plumage still showed through the black body
feathering. Butterflies seen right around the front porch in or near the
boxwood: Tiger Swallowtail, Red-spotted Purple, Question Mark, Monarch,
Silver-spotted Skipper, and Red Admiral.
Various minor tragedies involving the boat trailer. I learned that the
entire 2,100 lb. rig can be tilted up by using a large crowbar by a person
of average strength. Even considering that the wheels and axle act as a
sort of second fulcrum I was surprised to be able to do this. As my
cousin, Peggy Driggs, who was present for this fiasco, said: "Isn't having
fun a lot of work."
Best to all.-Harry Armistead, 523 E. Durham St., Philadelphia, PA
19119-1225. 215-248-4120. Please, any off-list replies to:
harryarmistead@xxxxxxxxxxx
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