MARYLAND BIRDLIFE [and. dd'initfiotoi 'uxn [atz&ion, September 1967 Maryland Ornithological Society, Inc. Cylbum Mansion, 4915 Greenspring Ave., Baltimore, Maryland 21209 State Officers President: Mr. V. Edwin Unger, West Central Ave., Federalsburg 21632 754-2291 First V. P. : Dr. W. Rowland Taylor, 1540 Northboume Rd„ Baltimore 21212 ID3-1803 Second V.P.: Mr. Chandler S, Robbins, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, Md. 20810 776-6760 Treasurer: Mr. Winfield Henning, 104 N. University Ave.. Federalsburg 21632 754-9883 Secretary: Mrs. Edwin C. Gras, 125 Academy St., Annapolis 21401 003-4708 Executive Council Mrs. Robert E. Kaestner, 6005 Lakehurst Dr, , Baltimore 21210 DR7-8990 Miss Nan Livingstone, 513 Memorial Ave., Cumberland 21502 FA4-4905 Dr. Howard Hodge, 436 W. Greenwood Rd., Linthicum Heights 21090 ST9-3687 Miss Estella Everett, Bel Air 21014 TE8-5835 Mrs. Edward Mendinhall, R. D. 2, Ghestertown 21620 778-0826 Mr. Carl Carlson, 5706 Lone Oak Drive, Bethesda 20014 315-3836 Mr. Roy Howie, Delmar Road, Route 6, Salisbury 21801 896-4132 State Trustees Allegany: ♦Mrs. Leo Isaacs Miss Nan Livingstone Anne Arundel :*Miss Miriam Parmenter Miss Dorothy Mumford Baltimore: ♦Mrs. Joshua W. Rowe Mr. Rodney B. Jones Mrs. Robert E. Kaestner Mr. Chandler S. Robbins Mr. A. MacDonough Plant Caroline: *Mr. Marvin W. Hewitt Mrs. Percy Scudder Frederick: *Mrs. Mary S. Motherway Dr. Howard Hodge * Chapter President Active Membership (adults) Junior Membership (under 18 years) Family Membership (Mr. & Mrs.) Sustaining Membership Life Membership Out-of-State Membership Harford : ♦Dr, Edgar E. Folk Miss Estella Everett Kent: ♦Mr. Carl A. Westerdahl Mrs. Edward Mendinhall Mrs. Carl A. Westerdahl Montgomery: ♦Dr. Thomas M. Valega Mr. Carl W. Carlson Patuxent : ♦Mr. Morris R. Collins Mr. Elwood Fisher Talbot: ♦Mr. Dickson J. Preston Dr. Edw. 0. Hulburu Mrs. Edw. 0. Hulburt Wicomico: ♦Miss Joy Heaster Mr. Roy Howie $ 2.00 plus local chapter dues .50 plus local chapter dues 3.00 plus local chapter dues 5.00 plus local chapter dues 100.00 (payable in 4 annual installments ) $2.00 ( Maryland Birdlife only) COVER: Great Horned Owls, Baltimore County, Md. 1937. Photo by Brooke Meanley. HEADINGS: by Irving S. Hampe, Art Editor LINE DRAWINGS: by Mel Garland Cyiburn Mansion, 4915 Greenspring Ave., Baltimore 9, Md. Volume 23 September 1 967 Number 3 1HE PRESIDENT'S PAGE V, Edwin Unger The fact that our organization is growing and developing does not permit us to become complacent. It has grown and will continue to grow only through the effort of dedicated people. We must attract others to the organization, especially junior members , for only too soon they must take over. Chapters should plan and provide a program of activi- ties calculated to appeal to and furnish inspiration and satisfaction to a varied membership in order to fill our rolls with folks of varied talent and ability. We welcome any and all who are interested in nature generally, in birds particularly and in conservation specifically. As I see it, if we are to continue to grow and to increase our effectiveness, we must expand and intensify our activities, all of which demands more and more talented, dedicated and articulate people. This idea invokes the word "extension". The term embraces the exten- sion of membership within the chapters, but it also includes expansion into new communities. In every sizeable community there must be a group of people interested in nature and in our objectives. Let us seek them out and welcome them into M. 0. S. To further this idea, an Extension Committee has been created (W. Shirey, S. Quinn, C. Mullican). This committee is in contaot with an interested group in the Hagerstown area. As interest is un- covered elsewhere, I shall expand the committee to cover that area. In the meantime, 1 hope each chapter will seek to expand its own membership. Chapter Presidents might well incorporate this idea in their plans for the year, but I feel it is vital that each member sur- vey his own list of friends for possible members. Let us remember that we do not need to beg folks to join. We have something to offer — membership in a healthy* vibrant and useful organization. There is strength in numbers. Let us extend our organization to the utmost so that our voices will be heard and will carry weight. Let this be our year of greatest growth. Federalsburg MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol. 23, No. 3 FIRST OBSERVED BROWN CREEPER NEST IN MARYLAND Willet T. Van Velzen It has long been realized that the Brown Creeper (Certhia familiaris bred within the State of Maryland. Although F. C. Kirkwood gave no indication of this in The Birds of Maryland (1895), only 4 years later a female was collected by E. A. Preble on June 28. near Bittinger, in Garrett County. Stewart and Robbins (Birds of Maryland and D. C.) re- corded the next summer Brown Creepers on June~2~ 1944, at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center near Laurel; on July 22, 1949, near Pikesville (by Mrs. I. K. Kuch); and on August 30, 1953, at Gibson Island (by Mrs. W. L. Henderson); they give the bird's breeding status as questionable. On June l4, 195^, Rebecca Cregar, Chandler S. Robbins, et_ al. saw 2 adult creepers with 2 young on Meadow Mountain in Garrett County, at an elevation of 2700 feet ( Maryland Birdlife 15:10), for the first substan- tiated breeding record for the State. During recent years several creepers during the breeding season. They were recorded by. Paul and Danny Bystrak at Shad Landing State Park along the Pocomoke River in Worcester County, on July 13, 1965, and again on June l8, 1966. In addition, the Bystraks noted an adult carrying food at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Cen- ter on June 15, 1964. Observa- tions made in this latter area during 1967 were rewarding for, on June 8, I saw an adult bird carrying food. Although the birds were quite shy, the nest was ultimately located behind a section of loose bark on an 18 -foot snag which stood in 3 feet of water in one of the Center's impoundments (Duval Unit l). The nest contained five young birds, approximately one -fourth grown. As the section of bark concealing the nest was very loose and exami- nation of the nest imperiled the safety of the young, no additional observations were attempted. The nest tree, located in Prince Georges County, is at an elevation of Maryland observations have been made of FIGURE 1. BROWN CREEPER NEST SITE September 1967 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 69 approximately 84 feet above sea level. Figure 1 shows the loca- tion of the dead snag housing the creeper nest. A black arrow points to the nest, located approximately 6 feet above the water. In Figure 2, the tree bark has been pulled out several inches and a black arrow points to the nest cup. The photographs were supplied through the courtesy of Ted Stiles . Brown Creepers have been recorded regularly at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center during the past seven summers. C. S. Robbins first recorded them in his study area from July 2 through August 5* 198l, and again dur- ing the summer of 1962. Vernon Kleen banded one on August l4, 1963 ) near the present nest location. Creepers were re- corded on Robbins 1 study area throughout May and June of 1963 and during the summers of 1964 through 1966. A pair finally was caught and banded there, both in the same net, on July 5, 1967. The male was in breeding condition and the female had a brood patch. A second male creeper was singing, on territory, at the other end of the study area during the summer. These birds were approximately 1 l/4 and 1 mile, respectively, from the observed nest. FIGURE 2* BROWN CREEPER NEST A similar increase in summer Brown Creeper records has occurred in other parts of the Eastern States where they were not formerly recorded. In 1965* two singing Brown Creepers were heard at Glassboro, New Jersey, the southernmost summer record for the State ( Audubon Field Notes 19 (5): 532 ). They were again present during the summer of 1966 and were also recorded that June at Battery Kemble Park in Washington, D. C. (AM 20 (5): 558)- During 1967* creepers were found nesting in the Youngstown, Ohio, region and a pair found nest building at Laurel, Delaware, on May 6 by S. T. Brooks represents that State's first breeding record ( AFN 21 (5). Migratory Bird Populations Station Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife, Laurel 70 MARYLAND BIRDLXFE Vol. 23, No. 3 April, May, June, 1967 Chandler S. Robbins Except for the New England States, the entire eastern two-thirds of the Nation enjoyed temperatures warmer than usual during the first three weeks of April. Then, just when the major push of north-bound transients was expected, hopes for record-breaking arrival dates were dashed by a return to March weather; freezing temperatures extended into U3 States! A cold front ripped across the Free State on Apr. 22; in its wake came a huge mass of polar air from Hudson Bay. A severe off- shore Low brought hurricane force winds to the New England coast in the closing days of April, and the strong counter-clockwise circulation around this Low caused northwest winds to persist over Maryland for the remainder of the month. Temperatures for the last seven days of April averaged 12° below normal in our three western counties and about 9° below normal in the rest of Maryland. This explains the scarcity of bird arrivals during the one week of the year when we expect the largest number of new species to appear. Low temperatures were the rule throughout the month of May; tempera- ture records were shattered in all States from Virginia north to the Canadian border. Average daily temperature deficiencies for the entire month ranged between 6° and 8° in these States. The various cities were competing not for the lowest average temperature for the month, but rather for the length of record that was broken. Cleveland and Trenton had the coldest May in 50 years; Norfolk, the coldest in 97; Albany, the coldest in lVf years. Considering these persistent low tenperatures, the snows in early and late May in New York and New England, and the severely retarded vegetation, it is not surprising that Maryland was still flooded with transient warblers and thrushes right to the closing days of May. June also was cooler than normal in Maryland, especially on the Eastern Shore, where temperature deficiencies averaged 6°. Precipitation was below normal on the Coastal Plain in all three months, and in all other sections of the State in April and June . The May rains broke the persistent drought in the western counties; but the rest of Maryland still, lay, at least periodically, in the "Moderate Drought" belt. We continue the practice of summarizing the earliest arrival and latest departure dates for selected species in tabular form, and compar- ing them with the median date for the ten-year period, 1956 through 1965.. September 1967 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE U For some species that have not been summarized every year, the 19 66 dates also were included in the ten- year average. Notice how many of the species that normally arrive from Apr. 25 to Apr. 30 (Table l) were close to a week late in 1967, while the mid-April arrivals kept closer to schedule . Note also that while the text carries very few record-breaking de- parture dates, the bulk movement of late -May departures (Table 2) was significantly later than normal. We were predicting on the last week end of May that we might duplicate the unique spring of exactly 50 years ago, when two dozen species established departure records that remained un- broken for more than a decade. But, by three days later, the woods were virtually swept clean of transients and the songbird migration was all but over . The principal contributors to Tables 1 and 2 are listed below by counties. Thanks are extended not only to the individuals named here, but to the dozens of others whose records helped to piece together the interesting story of the spring migration of 1967 * As usual, the in- dividual records are kept on permanent file at the Migratory Bird Popu- lations Station in laurel. Any dates or high counts that exceed those published in Birds of Maryland or subsequent records in Maryland Birdlife are underscored for the convenience of those who wish to keep their books up to date . Although the counties do not coincide exactly with the Biotic Areas of Maryland (see map on page 19 of Birds of Maryland), they are arranged in geographic order from northwest to southeast, and all except Caroline County fall mostly within a single Section, as follows: Allegheny Moun - tain Section ; Garr ett County — Glenn Austin, Grace M. Russell, John S. Weske; Ridge and Valley Section : Alle gany County- -Anderson J. Martin, Mr. and Mrs. Kendrick - !. Hodgdon, Mr. and Mrs . Edgar Reynolds, Nan Livingston, Nellie Isaacs, Joseph Mihke, Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Rosher; Wash ington County--Alice Mallonee, Dr. Ralph S. Stauffer, Francis Cutchall, Lois Downin, Stanley Eckstine, Marie Wampler, R. C. and P. Carlson; Piedmont Section : Fred erick County--Dr. John W. Richards, Mrs. John Frankel, Tom Valega, Sarah S. Baker, William N. Shirey, William S. Clark, Charles Mullican, Mr. and Mrs. Edwin T. McKhight; B alti more City and County- - Stephen W. Simon, Mrs. Richard D. Cole , Eiward j . Rykiel, Mrs. Robert E. Kaestner, C. Haven Kolb, John Getgood, Dr. and Mrs. Elmer Worthley, Mrs. Raymond Geddes, Mrs. Alfred lawson; Harf ord County- -Russell Rytter, Mrs. Richard D. Cole, Mrs. Walter Kohout, Mrs. Carl Lubbert, Joseph Panne 1, Mrs. Victor Preston, Chip Wright, Grace Wright; Howa rd- -Mrs . Dorothy Rauth, Chandler S. Robbins, Morris Collins, Mrs. Rosamond B. Munro, George C. Robbins; Montg omery- -Mrs . John Frankel, Robert W. Warfield, Philip A. DuMont, Carl W. Carlson; Western Shore Section : Prince Georges--Chandler S. Robbins, William C. Russell, John H. Fales; Anne Arundel- -Prof, and Mrs. David Howard, Prof. Harold Wierenga, Paul and Danny Bystrak, Mrs. Gail Tappan, Friel Sanders, Mr. and Mrs. Carl Long, Dr. Hildegard Reissmann; Calv ert- -John H. Fales; Upper Chesapeake Sec- tion: Kent --Mr. and Mrs. Edward Mendinhall, Carl Westerdahl; Eastern Shore Section: Caroline- -Mr . and Mrs. A. J. Fletcher, Marvin W. Hewitt, Table 1 . Spring Arrival Dates, 1967 Median 10 -yr 1967 Carr Alle Wash Fred Balt Harf Howd Mont Pr.G Anne Calv Kent Caro Talb Pore Wlco Wore Common Loon -- 5/ 6 5/ 6 0 0 0 4/30 5 / 6 5/ 6 5 / 6 5/ 6 4/30 — 0 4/16 4/22 Double -cr. Cormorant -- 4/22 0 0 0 0 0 4/30 0 0 0 3/27 & 0 4/25 4/15 3/19 4/29 4/22 Great Blue Heron -- 4/ 6 4/ l 4/22 4/20 4/24 3/26 -- 4/ 6 3/24 -- -- 3/10 -- 4/22 Green Heron 4/23 4/30 5/ 6 5/ 6 -- 5/ 2 4/30 5/ 4 5/ 3 5/ 2 4/21 -- 4/16 4/15 ty29 4/16 4/22 Little Blue Heron -- 4/25 0 0 0 0 4/25 0 0 5/17 5/16 3/^9 0 5/ 6 4/21 0 -- 0 4/16 Common Egret — 4/ 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4/14 ' 0 4/10 0 0 yir " 3729 " 3/19 4 / 2 4/ 9 Cattle Egret -- 4/22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5/ 4 0 4/ 9 0 5/17 4/ 9 4/22 4/29 4/22 Snowy Egret -- 4/22 0 0 0 0 0 ■ 0 0 0 0 3/29 0 0 0 5/28 4/22 4/ 6 4/22 American Bittern -- 4/20 0 0 0 0 0 4/20 0 4/ 1 5/ 4- 3/29 0 4/20 0 4/29 f 4/29 Least Bittern -- 5/ 6 0 0 0 0 0 5/22 0 5/ 7 0 4/26 0 0 0 0 5/ 8 0 4/29 Glossy Ibis -- 4/22 0 0 0 0 0 0 5/ 8 4'/21 3/ 5 0 0 0 0 4/29 0 4/22 Broad-winged Hawk 4/2 2 4/18 5/ 6 4/ 8 — 4/15 4/l4 5/ l 5/ 6 4/ 8 0 0 0 0 0 4/22 Spotted Sandpiper 4/30 4/29 5/ 6 — 4/30 4/23 4/25 5/10 -- 4/23 5/ 6 4/23 -- 5/ 6 5 / 5 4/29 4/29 -- 4/29 Solitary Sandpiper 5/ 2 5/ 6 5/ 6 0 0 4/23 5/ 6 5/ 6 5/ 6 4/10 5/ 6 4/23 0 5/ 6 5/ 6 0 4/22 0 5/13 Greater Yellovlegs 4/ 8 4/19 0 0 0 4/ 8 5/ 6 4/ 9 5/ 6 5/ f 5/16 3/27 0 4/16 3/30 4/16 4/22 0 4/22 Lesser Yellowlegs -- 5/ ' 1 0 0 0 4/ 8 0 5/ l 0 T/W 5/ 6 4/ 2 0 5/ 6 5/ l 0 4/29 0 5/13 Pectoral Sandpiper -- 5/ 6 0 0 0 4/23 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5/ 6 5 5/ 6 5/ 6 0 5/13 Least Sandpiper -- 5/ 6 0 0 0 5/ 6 0 0 0 0 5/ 6 5/ 8 0 4/23 5/ 6 5/ 6 4/29 0 5/12 Dunlin -- 4/29 0 0 0 5/ 6 0 '■§ 0 0 0 3/23 0 0 0 5/20 4/29 0 4/29 Seinlpalmated Sandpiper -- 5/6 0 0 0 4/23 0 0 0 0 5/ 6 ?/!7 0 5/ 6 0 5/20 5/ 6 0 ?/l2 Laughing Gull -- 4/15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4/18 ■ytr 5/ 6 4/ 9 4/12 4/22 -- 3/30 Bonaparte's Gull -- 4/23 5/ 6 0 0 0 0 4/25 0 4/ 1 0 4/ 9 0 0 0 4/23 5/ 6 0 4/22 Common Tern -- 5/ 3 0 0 0 0 0 4/30 0 5/ 6 0 5/ 6 0 0 -- 5/ 6 4/22 0 4/16 Least Tern -- 5/ll 0 0 0 0 0 5/22 0 0 0 5/ll 0 0 0 4/30 5/ 6 0 5/12 Caspian Tern -- 5/ 6 0 0 0 0 0 4/16 0 5/ 6 0 4/19 0 0 0 0 5/ 8 0 5/13 Yellow-billed Cuckoo 5/ 4 6/17 5/20 6/12 5 / 6 5 / 8 5 / 8 5/ 6 5/ 8 ~JIW 5 / 6 ~SJTT 6/ 4 5/ 8 -- 6/14 5/12 5/13 Black-billed Cuckoo 5/ 5 5/13 -- 0 0 5/ 8 6/11 6/ 3 5/23 0 5/ 6 5/ 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 5/13 Chuck -will ' s-widov 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 -- 4/23 4/29 4/22 4/29 Whip-poor-will 4/21 4/26 — 5/ 6 -- -- 4/ 3 5/24 4/ 1 5/ 6 5/ 6 4/16 5/13 0 4/16 0 4/22 4/12 4/29 Common Nighthavk 5/ 5 5/17 H f 5/ 4 -- -- 5/18 5/19 5/17 5/i9 5/lS 0 0 0 5/ 6 — 5/ 8 -- 0 Chimney Swift 4/15 4/21 5/ 6 5/ 1 "4728 "TO" 4/20 4/16 4/18 T753 4/18 ~VW T7^5" TJ 2 T 4/16 — 4/22 4/18 "4729 Buby-throated Hummingbird 4/30 5 / 6 5/ 6 5/ 9 — 5/ 6 5/ 6 5/ 5 4/22 5/ 6 5/ 6 4/23 4/22 4/30 5/ 2 5/ 6 5/ 6 — 4/29 Eastern Kingbird 4/26 4/27 5/ 6 4/30 5/ 5 4/25 4/30 4/30 4/22 5/ 2 4/23 5/ 8 4/24 4/21 5/ 6 4/23 4/23 4/22 Great Crested Flycatcher 4/28 5 / 5 5/ ^ -- 5/ 6 .5/ 6 5/ 2 5/ 6 5/4 5/ 6 5/ 1 4/30 5/ 6 5/ 6 5/ l 5/ 6 4/29 4/22 4/22 Acadian Flycatcher 4 5 / 6 5/ 6 5/ 8 5/ f 5/ a _5/_8 5/ S -- JjAA. 5 / 6 -- 5/12 Eastern Wood Pevee 5/ 4 5/ 6 5/ 5 5/tr 5/ 6 5/ 6 5 / 8 5/ 6 5/ b ^712^ 5/ b 5 / 5 5/ 6 -- 5/ 3 5/13 Bank Swallow 5/ 8 5/ 6 0 0 5/ 6 4/25 5/ 6 5/ 6 4/19 4/16 4/23 4/18 5/ 6 5/ 6 5/ 6 0 0 Rough -winged Swallow Vi4 4/29 5/ 6 5/ 6 5/ 6 4/20 4/ 2 5/ 8 5/ 6 5/ 6 4/24 4/ 8 4/22 3/28 5/ 6 4/16 4/29 Barn Swallow 4/ 8 4/13 5/ 6 4/24 4/15 4/ 4 4/ 9 4/ 8 4/ 6 4/ 8 4/19 4/ 2 4/22 4/ 1 4/12 4/15 4/22 4/13 4/22 Cliff Swallow -- -JZJL 5/ 6 -- 0 . & 6, 0 5/ 8 0 5/ ? 5/ 6 5/ 6 0 0 0 5/ 7 0 0 0 Purple Martin ~wr 4/22 — 5/ 6 4/22 4/23 4/ 4 t/29 5/ ^ 5/ 6 4/ 8 4/ 2 ■"5T8" 4/ IT "I 717 - 4/ 2 4/22 -- 4/22 Blue Jay 4/27 4/30 5/ 6 4/30 5/ 2 4/24 4/25 — 4/20 5/ 6 House Wren 4/21 4/21 5/ 6 4/30 4/15 4 / 16 ' 4/16 4/29 4/29 — 4/20 4/20 4/15 4/15 4/29 4/22 __ 4/22 Long-billed Marsh Wren — 4/26 0 0 0 0 0 4/20 0 5/ 6 -- 4/26 5/ 6 5/ 6 4/22 4/23 Catbird 4/gl 4/gB 5/g. _5Z_5_ 4/30 4/^3 4/28 5/ l 4/?° 4/26 4/28 5/ 4 4/21 -- 4/23 4/23 4/29 Brown Thrasher ty~T 4/14 5/ ^ 5/ 6 4/12 4/10 4/10 T7TT V5 1/T -- 4/ 2 4/ 2 4/ 2 — 4/22 T7lr T7IT T752 Wood Thrush 4/25 4/25 5/ 6 5/ 2 4/30 5/ 6 4/25 4/29 4/29 4/23 4/25 4/21 4/23 4/20 -- 4/29 4/18 4/22 Swainson’s Thrush 5/ 6 5/ 6 0 0 0 5/ 6 5/ 6 5/16 -- 5 / 6 5/ 3 0 5/ 6 0 0 0 5/13 Gray-cheeked Thrush 5/15 0 0 0 0 5/ 6 0 0 0 5/18 5/15 5/21 0 0 0 0 5/13 Veery ?/"? 5/ 6 5/ 6 — 5/ 6 — 5/ ? 0 5/ 4 0 5/ 6 5/ 1 5/13 SLL _5Zi 0 0 0 5/13 U> MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol. 23 , No Blue -gray Gnatcatcher 4/l4 4/15 5/ 6 7/ 6 .. 4/23 4/3$ 4/29 4/ 9 4/1 4/i4 4/14. 4/ 2 4/11 4/29 4/ 6 4/22 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 4/12 4/14 4/23 3/12 4/14 4/10 3/18 4/ 3 4/23 4/ 2 4/25 5/ 4 4/29 Water Pipit -- -- O' 0 0 4/23 0 3/19 0 -- 0 3/21 0 0 0 0 Cedar Waxwing ■k /27 5/ 6 5/ 6 5/20 3/20 5/ 6 2/27 -- 5/ 6 5/ 6 3/19 — 5/"fa 5/13 White -eyed Vireo 4/2 fa -- — V/3 5/ 6 4/23 5/3 414. 4/22 4/23 -- 4/21 -- 4/22 4/17 4/22 Yellow-throated Vireo 5/ 2 0 -- — 5/ 6 5/ 6 4/29 5/ 6 5/ 3 4/20 4/16 5 / fa 5/ 1 5/ fa "4/22 "tjm Solitary Vireo 4/26 4/27 5/ 6 0 0 4/29 4/23 0 4/30 0 4/21 4/22 4/19 0 4/30 0 0 0 4/35 Red-eyed Vireo 4/28 5/ 4 5/ 6 -«* 5/ 8 5/ 6 5/ 6 5/ 6 5/ 2 5/ 6 5/ 1 4/29 5/ l -- 4/29 -- 4/29 4/22 Warbling Vireo 5/ 2 5/ 6 0 -- 5/ 2 4/23 5/17 5/ 6 -- 5/12 5/ 6 0 5/ 6 4/23 0 ft' 0 §■ Black-and-white Warbler 4/22 4/22 5/ 6 .. 4/30 5 / 6 3/26 4/29 4/22 4/30 4/18 4/15 4/23 4/2° -- V 6 4/ 6 4/22 Prothonotary Warbler 4/26 4/2 6 0 0 c 0 0 -- 0 4/23 5/ 6 5/ 6 5/ 6 4/21 -- V29 ’TJTT 4/22 Worm-eating Warbler 5/ 2 5/ 4 0 -- — 5/ 6 5/ 3 0 5/ 2 5/ 6 5/ 1 5/ 6 -- 6 5/ 6 5/ 6 4/29 4/22 Golden-winged Warbler -- 5/ 6 5/ 6 5/ 6 0 0 5/ 6 5/16 5/ 6 -- 5/ 2 5/ 6 0 0 ft 0 0 0 0 Blue -winged Warbler 5/ 3 5/ 4 5/ 6 0 -- 5/ 5 5/ 4 5/ 6 5/ 6 5/ 3 5/ 2 5/ 6 0 0 4/30 0 >’/ 6 5/ 3 4/23 Tennessee Warbler -- fa/ 1 ? 0 0 # 0 5/ 6 j/J- _5/|_ 0 5/lS 5/13 5/2 6 0 0 0 0 5/ 8 5/13 Nashville Warbler — 5 / 6 5/ b 0 c 0 5/ 6 5/ 6 4/28 5/ 9 4/30 5/13 0 4/30 0 0 0 Parula Warbler 4/25 4/23 5/ 6 -- -- 4/23 5/ 1 5/ 6 4 / 30 : 4/15 4/20 4/15 4/16 5/ 1 5/ 6 4/16 4/22 Yellow Warbler 4/27 4/30 5/6 4/28 5/ 6 4/23 5/ 4 4/29 5/ 4 5/ 6 5/ 1 5/ 3 4/20 4/21 4/30 .. 4/22 4/30 4/29 Magnolia Warbler 5/ 4 5/ 6 5 / 6 0 0 5/ 6 5/ 4 5/ 8 5/ 3 5/ 6 5/ 6 5/ 3 5/13 0 5/ 6 0 0 O' 5/12 Cape May Warbler % ^ 5/6 % \ 0 5/ 6 5/ 6 5/6. 5/16 5/ 6 5/ fa 5/ 5 5/ 3 0- 0 5/ 6 0 0 -- 5/13 Black-thr. Blue Warbler 5/ 2 5/ 6 5/ 6 0 0 5/ b 3/ 6 1/iSf 5/ 2 4/30 5/ 3 4/30 5 / fa 0 5/ l 5/ 6 0 0 571 Myrtle Warbler 4/i6 4/18 5/ 6 -- — 4/23 4/17 4/29 4/23 4/ 1 4/15 4/15 4/ 9 4/45 Black-thr. Green Warbler 5/ 2 5/ 5 5/ 6 -- 4/30 5/ 6 4/25 5/16 5/ 2 5/ 6 5/ 4 4/30 5/13 0 0 0 0 4/30 5/13 Cerulean Warbler 5/ 3 5 / 6. 5/ 5 5/ 6 -- 5/ 6 5/ 6 5/ 4 5/26 0 0 5/ fa 0 0 0 0 Blackburnian Warbler 5/ ^ 5/ 6 . -- -- 1/43. 5/ 6 _5/_6_ 5/ fa 5/ 6 0 0 0 0 5/13 Yellow-throated Warbler tM 0 0 0 4/l6 0 5/ fa 0 4/i4 5/ fa 4/ 2 — 57~7 Trr 3/29 Chestnut -aided Warbler 5/ 4 5/ 6 5 / 6 -- -- -- 5/ 3 5/13 5/ 2 5/ 6 5/ 4 5/ 6 5/13 0 5/ 6 0 O' 0 4/22 Bay -breasted Warbler -- 5/12 f 0 0 ft 5/ 6 0 5/17 5/12 5/12 0 0 ft 0 0 0' 5/i3 Blackpoll Warbler 5/ 6 5/io ■s.- 0 -- -- 5/ 6 5/17 5/13 -- 5/ 5 5/ 6 5/ 7 0 5/ai 0 5 / 6 5/15 5/13 Pine Warbler 3/20_ ■& 0 0 a 0 0 - 0 3/10 3/1 4M 0 4/14 , 3/25 4/22 3/29 Prairie Warbler 4725 472 ! 5/ 6 0 0 TJW ' 4/11 5/ 6 4/21 5/ 6 1/21 I/ll 4/22 5/ 1 i/lr 4/23 4/16 I /29 Palm Warbler -- 4/23 £}• 0 0 5/ 6 4/ 5 4/29 0 4/ 8 5/ 2 -- 4/33 0 4/go 0 0 4/ 8 4/23 Ovenbird 4/27 4/30 5/ 6 5/ 6 5/ 6 5/ 6 4/30 5/ 6 4/30 4/30 4/24 4/23 4/29 4/22 — 4/22 4/16 4/22 Northern Waterthrush 5/ 2 4/30 5/ 6 0 4/30 5/ 6 4/30 4/29 5/ 1 5/ 6 5/ 6 4/30 0 0 4/30 0 0 4/30 4/29 Louisiana Waterthrush 4/14 4/15 5/ 6 — -- 4/ 2 4/16 4/10 5/ 6 4/ 7 4/15 4/ 9 -- 4/13 — 4/29 4/ 3 4/22 Kentucky Warbler ■ 5/3 175 5/ 6 0 0 5/ 5 5/ 5 5 / 6 1 / 2 “ 5/ fa 5/ 1 5/ 5 17& -- 4/30 5/ D 5/ 6 4/29 171 Yellowthroat 4/21 4/22 5/ 6 5 / 6 4/30 5/ 4 4/30 4/20 4/14 4/30 4/20 4/16 4/23 -- 4/15 4/29 3/19 4/16 4/22 Yellow-breasted Chat 5/ 2 5/ 4 5/ 5 -- -- 5/ 6 5/ 4 5/ 6 4/29 5/ 3 5 / 2 4/30 5/ 6 5 / fa 5/ 4 -- 4/33 4/29 4/29 Hooded Warbler 4/29 5/ 2 5/ 5 4/30 5/ 6 5/ 6 5/ 1 4/30 4/23 0 5/13 .. 5/ 3 4/22 Wilson ' s Warbler 5/ 7 0 0 0 '» 5/ 6 sij's 5/16 0 5/ 6 5/ 6 5/ 7 0 0 0 0 0 5/13 Canada Warbler 5/ 6 5/ 6 5/ 6 -- 0 5/ 6 4/22 5/13 5/ 6 5 / 6 1/7 5/ 6 5/13 0 5/ 2 0 0 0 5/13 American Redstart 4/29 5/ 4 5/ 6 -- -- 5/ 5 5/ 4 5/12 5/ 2 5/ 3 4/20 4/23 4/16 5/11 5/ 6 5/ fa 5/ 6 4/22 4/22 Bobolink 5/ 6 5/ 6 0 0 5/ 6 5/ 6 0- 5/6 5/ 6 5/ 6 5/ 6 5/21 0 0 0 0 0 Orchard Oriole 5/ 2 4/30 0 5/20 5/ 6 4/23 5/ 1 4/30 5/ 1 5/ 3 5/ 3 4/30 4/30 4/22 4/23 4/22 4/22 4/23 -- Baltimore Oriole 4/30 5/ 2 5/ 6 5 / 1 4/30 5/ 2 4/21 5/ 3 5/ 1 4/29 5/ 2 5/ 3 5/ 6 5/ 6 4/22 5/ fa 0 4/23 5/ 6 Scarlet Tanager 4/2B 5/ 1 5/ 6 5/ b VP 5/ 5 5/ 1 5/ 5 5/ 2 5/ 1 5/ 1 kJW 4/20 5/ fa 5/ 6 5/ 6 4/28 1/23 Summer Tanager 5/ 3 5/ 6 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 / fa ■ 0 5/ 6 5/28 0 5/ 6 5/ fa 4/29 -- 5/12 Rose -breasted Grosbeak 5/ 4 5/ 6 5/ 6 5/ T © 5/ 6 4/30 5/ 6 4/23 5/ 6 5/ 2 5/ 6 6/11 0 5/ 6 0 0 0 -- Blue Grosbeak 4/30 >/ 6 0 0 0 5/ 6 5/ 6 5/12 5 / s 5/ 6 4/30 -- 5/ 6 5/ 6 5/ 6 0 5/13 Indigo Bunting 5/ 1 SM iM 6 -- 5/ 6 - TV 6 " 4/30 4/29 5/ 4 5 / 3 5/ 2 4/21 4/23 4/30 5/ 6 5/ 6 5/ 6 -- Savannah Sparrow 4/ 2 4/ 2 1/77 4/ 5 4 / 2 1717 4/ 2 3/25 Grasshopper Sparrow 4/30 5/ 6 5/ 6 -- 5/ l 4/23 5/ 6 5/ 6 5/ 6 5/ 6 5/ 6 5/ 6 — 5/ 2 5/ 6 4/2 9 -- -- Seaside Sparrow -- -- 0 0 0 0 0 0 Q- O' 0 5/14 0 0 0 0 4/22 0 k/l 6 Vesper Sparrow 3/30 4/ 2 -- -- 3/29 -- 4/ 5 -- 4/ 5 3/25 -- 3/10 4/16 White -crowned Sparrow 5/ 4 5/ 6 5/ 6 5/ 6 5/ 6 5/ 6 5/ 6 5/ 6 4/26 5/ 6 5/ 6 4/17 — 5/ 6 5/ 6 -- -- 0 .5/ 6 Swamp Sparrow 4/ 6 4/ 4 4/ 6 4/ 8 4/16 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol. 23, No, 3 74 Table 2. Spring Departure Dates, 1967 Species Common Loon Horned. Grebe Whistling Swan Canada Goose Pintail Green -winged Teal Am. Widgeon Shove ler Ring-necked Duck Canvasback Lesser Scaup Bufflehead Ruddy Duck Hooded Merganser Common Merganser Am. Coot Ruddy Turnstone Common Snipe Solitary Sandpiper Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs Least Sandpiper Dunlin Semipalmated Sandpiper Gt. Black -backed Gull Bonaparte ' s Gull Yellow-belled Sap sucker Blue Jay Brown Creeper Winter Wren Hermit Thrush Swainson's Thrush Gray-cheeked Thrush Golden-cr. Kinglet Ruby-cr. Kinglet Cedar Waxwing Blue -winged Warbler Tennessee Warbler Nashville Warbler Magnolia Warbler Cape May Warbler Black-thr. Blue Warbler Myrtle Warbler Black-thr . Green Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Chestnut -sided Warbler Bay-breasted Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Palm Warbler Northern Waterthrush Wilson's Warbler Canada Warbler Am. Redstart Bobolink Rusty Blackbird Rose-br. Grosbeak Purple Finch Savannah Sparrow Slate -col. Junco Tree Sparrow White -cr. Sparrow White -thr . Sparrow Fox Sparrow Swamp Sparrow Median 10 -yT 19^7 - 5713 Fred Balt Harf Howd Mont 4/21 4/30 5 / 6 4/30 5/ 6 4/ 5 5/ 6 4/ 2 5/ 5 — 57 7 4/16 5/ 8 4/20 4/30 - 4/30 0 V15 - 4/16 0 3/12 - 57I£ - 5/ 6 3/25 -- -- 5/13 3/30 - Pr.G Anne Calv Kent 5721 5713 - 5/12 - - 5/25 - 6/21 5/ 7 - 5/6 3/19 - 5/ 6 37^ 5/21 - 5/ 6 3/26 05/6 0 — - 3/5 5/ 6 Caro Talb 0 5710 - 4/30 - 6 / 4 5/ 6 4/29 4/11 - 3/29 -- 5/ 8 6/10 0 4/ 3 - - 4/ 1 0 5 / h' 5/ 8 4/29 3/20 5/ 6 Pore Wore - 37DT 5/ 6 5/13 5/ 6 5/13 3 / . f - 5/ 6 - 5 / 6 5/13 5 / 6 - -- 5/14 5/ 6 4/ 9 4/17 4/ 5 5 / 6 5/ 6 -JL6 5 / 6 0 3/18 0 4/23 3/i2 0 3/i4 - 04/9 4/18 4/16 - 4/30 4/ 9 - 3/26 5/14 5 / 6 0 4/ 7 5/iT 5 / 6 4/ 2 5 / 6 5 / 6 4/ 2 5/6 3/26 0 5/6 0 5/17 5/ 6 4/29 - 5/13 5/ 6 5/13 0 4/23 4/23 5/27 4/23 5/27 "37IT 5/17 5/21 5/17 5 / 6 - 5 / 6 4/30 - 3 / 8 - 4/29 -- 5 / 8 0 0 - 4/30 5/21 5/l4 <3/23 5/12 5 / 65/6 7 5/ 6 3/22 - 3/255/6 4/24 5/14 0 0 - 5/ 1 - 5/28 -- 5/26 57W 0 W 5 / 6 -- 5 / 5/19 0 0 4/30 3/26 5 / 6 5/30 0 5/15 jzk 0 -- ~ 5/ 6 -- 5/14 0 5/29 0 5/14 3/25 5 / 65/6 5/13 0 - -- 5/14 - - -- 5/14 Jfl. 0 - 5/14 -- 5/20 - 5/14 - 5/28 -- 5/14 0 5/29 — 5/14 - 6/10 5 / 6 5/14 0 4/29 5 / 5 / a 4/30 5/21 5/19 17TT 57 6 0 5/19 0 0 5/21 0 - 5/19 0 - 5 / 6 -- 5/6 5/19 5/ 6 0 0 0 - 4 / 9 0 4/30 5 / 6 - 7/ 2 5/31 3/28 3 / 5 4/16 4/i6 5/28 4/16 5/20 5/22 5/28 0 4/24/8 5[±5h2_ - 5/31 0 5/27 0 0 0 5/7 4/30 5 / 6 6/28 6/ 2 3/26 5 / 6 4/ 8 - 77 0 5/6 4/2 — - 6/20 — 4/l6 4/95/6 4/30 4/23 4/24 5/14 4/22 ■W 5/24 576 5/ 6 6/12 4/12 4/20 0 tnr 5/25 5/21 4 / 2 4/29 6/12 4/ 4 6/ 9 - 4/l4 -- -- 4/29 5/15 4/30 5/28 5/28 0 5/17 5/21 0 4/ 2 -- 4/ 2 5/28 - 5 / 6 4/30 5/ 6 - 5/13 5/19 0 0 5/14 0 0 5/14 4/ 3 5 /. 4 - 5/14 57l3 0 jZk 5/28 -- 0 0 3/ 1 -- .5/115/1. 5/30 6/ 1 -- 5/13 5/16 5/20 - 5/28 5/18 5/27 6/ 4 6/ 1 -2/JL 573T 5/15 0 0 - 5/27 0 5/14 5/13 0 6/ l 5/13 0 5731 5/!3 -- 5/20 -- 5/14 5/19 5/20 5/10 5/i4 5/10 5/11 0 0 5/22 5/17 - 5/16 5/21 5/20 5/ 4 5/26 5/11 Abo 5/16 0 - 5/30 5/13 0 5/28 5/13 - 5/13 5/13 0 5/24 0 0 5/5 0 - 5/1? 0 0 0 — 0 0 0 5/17 0 0 5/14 5/16 5/18 5/14 5/21 5713 5/17 — 5/24 5/28 6/ 2 - 5/ 6 5/17 5/22 5722 5/29 5/13 5/21 5/22 5/25 5/16 5/21 5/22 6/ 8 5 / 9 5/13 5/18 - 5/ 9 All 5/30 5/17 5/30 5/28 5/25 5/13 0 0 6/ 2 5/30 0 5/ 6 4/23 4/29 5/30 0 0 0 - 5/14 5/16 - 0 5/14 - - - 5/15 000 5/l4 5/ 15 0 0 5/14 0 5/30 5/ 6 0 -- 5/17 5/21 0 6 / 11 5/31 5 / 6 4/30 5/21 5/ 22 5/27 5/20 5/21 5/22 5/28 5/22 5/13 0 .5/ 6 5/13 5/17 5/20 4/30 0 5/ 6 4/30 5/ 6 5/17 3/19 3/22 5/16 5/14 5/21 5/22 5/65/6 ■ A 6 A 8 " 5/17 5/24 6 / 1 6 / 16/5 0 5/9 0 5/22 5/17 5/27 5/16 5/28 - 5/27 5/20 — — 5/ 6 5/18 5/17 5/30 5/ 6 5/13 - 4/26 5 / 6 3/26 - 5/18 5/ 9 5/17 5/21 4/l4 4/ l 5/17 5/ 6 '5724' 5/29 6/ 3 0 6/ 4 "5/15' 6/ 3 5/18 5/18 “6 0 5/14' O00 5/i4 -- 6/ 4 0 5/14 000 5/13 0 0 5/14 5/20 5/23 5/16 5717 5/21 5/28 5/18 -- 5/ 6 5/12 5/18 5/3 5/6 5/6 5/6 5/ 1 4/29 3A9_ ~ 57lT 5/14 5/15 4/4 4/1 5/ 7 5/10 5716 5/16 5/21 5/29 5/21 0 5/28 6/11 - 5/15 5/28 0 5A3 - 0 0 0 5/15 5/21 0 D 5/14 5/15 000 5/ 6 - - 4/29 4/23 5 / 6 4/23 ■w 4/ 9 5 / 6 0 5/17 05/6 5/ 6 4/ 2 5/6 5/64/2 4/29 3/10 57l7 0 5/15 5/17 5/13 5/ 6 3/26 - - - 5 / 17 - 5/13 - 0 0 5/15 0 0 — 5/ 6 - 5/6 5/15 5/6 — 4/22 4/29 2/17 IT - ? 5/ 6 A 6 7/ l 3/30 5/2 7 5/18 5/14 5/14 5 / 6 5/14 5/15 3/20 5 / 6 — - 5/14 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 75 September 1967 Ethel Engel; Talb ot — Jan Reese, Harry T. Armistead, Richard L. Kleen, Don Meritt; Dorch ester- -Harry T. Armistead, William C. Russell; Wicom ico — Samuel H. Dyke, Eugene Kridler, Joseph Greenberg, Chandler S. Robbins; Worc ester- -Mrs . Richard D. Cole, William C. Russell, Jan Reese, Stephen W. Simon, Willet T. Van Velzen, Samuel H. Dyke, Donald Messersmith, Mr. and Mrs. Walter Bohanan, Mr. and Mrs. lyman Bryan. Grebes , Cormorants . Harry Armistead commented that Horned Grebes stayed later and in larger numbers than usual at Bellevue, where he counted 2 6 on Apr. 30. Jan Reese reported 18 of them, from the Tilghman area on Apr. 29; and observers in five counties found small numbers still present on May 6. Double -crested Cormorant arrivals were recorded in more counties than ever before, admitting this species to Table 1 for the first time; the average arrival date for this year, Apr. 25 , is a full month later than the beginning of the normal peak of migration. Mar. 25 (Birds of Maryland). In fact, a huge migratory flight of 2,000 birds has been noted as early as Mar. 19, 1961 in St. Marys County. Were the cormorants really that late in their migration this year, or is it normal for the Chesapeake birds not to arrive in numbers until the coastal mi- gration is half over? It is likely that if our Bay shores were covered more intensively we would find that cormorants arrive there in March nearly every year. Herons and Ibis . There were few inland visitations by the Cattle Egret this spring- -only one west of the Bay. Both the Common Egret (Apr. l4) and the Little Blue Heron (May 17) wandered up the Potomac as far as Seneca, however (Peg Frankel);and the Snowy Egret strayed north to Sandy Point and Kent Island. Even more out of place was a Louisiana Heron at Churchton on Apr. 22- -the second April record west of the Chesa- peake (Friel Sanders ) . Continuing the trend of the past few spring seasons, the Glossy Ibis also appeared at several locations far from its coastal nesting sites: Mrs. Tappan's Mar. 5 date at Gibson Island was mentioned in the June issue; Robert Warfield saw 20 west-bound over Germantown on the evening of Apr. 23 and 2 at Seneca on May 6; Wayne Shifflett discovered 1 at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center on Apr. 1; Gordon Merrick observed 5 at Seneca on May 10; Jan Reese found 3 at Tilghman on Apr. 29; and on May 8 Mrs. Dorothy Rauth obtained the first sighting for Howard County at Rocky Gorge Reservoir. The Glossy Ibis has now been found in 11 of Maryland's 23 counties, as compared with only 3 counties as recently as ten years ago. Waterfowl . The Mute Swans that have been reported from Linchester Pond in southern Caroline County for the past four years finally suc- ceeded in hatching a brood of young; Marvin Hewitt saw the adults with 4 cygnets on May l8. This appears to be the first Maryland nesting by free-flying Mute Swans. A few strong-flying Whistling Swans are summer- ing again in Queen Annes and Talbot Counties . Canada Geese were present in exceptionally large numbers right to the end of April; Harry Armistead saw 9^0 at Blackwater Refuge on Apr. 29, and Jan Reese reported 1,500 at Tilghman on the same day. The 115 late Brant counted at Hooper Island on the May 6 State-wide Bird Count by Will Run sell and Harry Armistead are the most either observer had ever seen in one day in Dorchester 76 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol. 23, No- 3 County. As usual, a few stray diving ducks remained into the summer. The most interesting of these were 7 Oldsquaws, a Common Scoter and a Red-breasted Merganser in Talbot County on June 18 (Reese), and 2 female Oldsquaws at Assateague Island on Juiy l4 (Mrs. Turbit II. C. Slaughter). Shorebirds. A Black-bellied Plover seen at Sandy Point on Mar. 22 (Harold Wierenga) is the second earliest spring migration observation for Maryland. Two records for the Ruddy Turnstone were broken this spring: a new high count for the Bay of 91 birds on May 29 at Tilghman (Jan Reese), and the first spring observation for the Maryland Piedmont on May 27 at Lilypons (Bill Clark). The only late dates for Pectoral Sand- pipers were submitted by Jan Reese, who identified 6 at Tilghman on May 28 and 2 at Kent Island on May 29- In addition to the Ruff and the Black-necked Stilt reported in the June issue, Harry Armistead and Will Russell also saw a Stilt Sandpiper at Blackwater Refuge on May 6- -the first spring record for Dorchester County. Since shorebird migration extends so late into the summer and begins so early in the fall, and since stray individuals of some species summer hundreds of miles south of the breeding range, it is sometimes difficult to classify records from late June and early July. The grouping of past reports of Greater Yellowlegs, however, suggests that two June records for this summer re- present extensions of the spring migration period: one was seen at Blackwater Refuge on June 19 (Armistead), the other in the Worthington Valley of Baltimore County on June 23 (Bill Hilgartner). Gulls , Terns , and Skimmers . Great Black-backed Gulls reached a late peak of 50 individuals at Tilghman on June 4 and 3 were still pre- sent on June 10 (Reese). Russell Rytter's frequent counts from Gunpowder Neck at the head of the Bay show the following spring departure dates: Great Black-backed Gull, Apr. 9; Herring Gull, Apr. 30; Ring-billed Gull, May 17; and Bonaparte's Gull, Apr. 30. Except for the Bonaparte's these were not the latest Maryland dates for this spring, but they do re- present departures from a tidewater area where these birds are common in winter and where strays occur throughout the summer. The Royal Tern, which is only casual in the Chesapeake in spring, was identified at Tilghman on May 28 and June 11, single birds each day (Reese). Pro- fessor Harold Wierenga discovered a Black Skimmer at Sandy Point on May 19, the third and northernmost spring occurrence for Chesapeake Bay. Nighthawks . It is not unusual to see a migration of 100 or more Common Nighthawks in an evening in late August, especially if you watch the clouds in advance of a thunder storm. In spring, on une other hand, migrating flocks of nighthawks are almost unknown in Maryland. Prior to 1967, the highest one-day count in spring was 22 birds over German- town on May 21, 1966 (Warfield). On May 27, 1967 , Mr. Warfield counted 25 birds flying north over his Germantown home between 2 and 8:45 p.m.; on the next day, by watching from 3:30 to 9 p*m., he counted a total of 56, mostly single birds. Flycatchers , Swallows . Although the Least Flycatcher is a common breeding species in our westernmost county, only two birds were found east of there this spring: one in the Odenton area on May 6 (Paul and September 1967 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 77 Danny Bystrak) and one in Wicomico County on May l6 (Dyke). Several Traill's Flycatchers were noted, hut all were in probable nesting locali- ties; this is the first s umme r the species has remained at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center beyond the migration period (Ted Van Velzen). Yellow-bellied Flycatchers seemed more common than usual at Patuxent and nearby laurel. May 18-28 (Robbins), but only two other localities were mentioned in connection with this species: one bird was banded at Towson on the record-breaking date of May 5 (Gladys Cole) and one was found on Catoctin Mountain on May 27 (Bill Clark). The Olive-sided Flycatcher, which usually is found only from Emmitsburg westward, was viewed at Fulton in Howard County (May 27, Dorothy Rauth) and at Federalsburg (June 2, V. Edwin Unger), where it was a new species for the Caroline County list and only the second spring record for Maryland's Eastern Shore . A young Tree Swallow that was caught by hand and banded at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center on June 29 (Van Velzen and Frank Mc- Gilvrey) furnished the first proof of nesting of this species in that portion of Maryland that lies between the Allegheny Plateau and tide water . Jays . The Blue Jay is such a common Maryland bird that many people are not aware of the semiannual migration of jays that blankets most of our State each spring and fall. In fact, if all of this migration oc- curred during the night, only the bird banders would be aware that it takes place. Actually, the majority of the Blue Jay migration occurs during the daytime and the alert observer can see small flocks passing over his home if he watches during the first few hours after sunrise. The normal migration peaks are Apr. 25 to May 15 and Sept. 25 to Oct. 20. This spring the numbers of migrants were low during the usual peak period; the number reported on the State-wide Bird Count in early May was only half as great as in 1966 . In June, however, the State de- parture record for spring transients (June k, 1962 ) was broken no less than ten times by participants in the Breeding Bird Survey. The latest dates for flocks seen migrating northward or northeastward, by counties, were as follows: June 6 in Prince Georges County, June 9 in Caroline County, and June 13 in Charles County (Robbins), June 12 in Baltimore County (E. J. Rykiel), June 21 in Cecil County (Ted Stiles), June 28 in Howard County (Ted Van Velzen), and July 2 in Baltimore City (Stiles). On the latter date, more than four weeks past the previous State record, Mr. Stiles counted a flock of 17 birds winging their way northeastward over downtown Baltimore 1 Creepers . One must now eye with suspicion any late spring migra- tion dates for the Brown Creeper. As shown by Mr. Van Velzen elsewhere In this issue, the Brown Creeper is undergoing a drastic change in status in Maryland and birds seen in late April and early May can no longer be assumed to be late migrants- -even in the Pocomoke swamp. The dates given in Table 2 are believed to be 'clean. ' I intentionally omitted all observations from the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center near laurel. I almost used Peg Frankel’s May 13 date from Pennyfield Lock in the Seneca area, as the weather had continued so cold and the migration was so late at that time; but when she surprised me with a June 2 date from the same location I had no choice but to consider the bird a summer straggler . 78 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol. 23, No. 3 Thrushes . Observers who were still afield in the closing week of May were treated to an unprecedented flood of late thrushes and warblers. Daily counts of birds seen or banded in a 100-acre study area of bottom- land forest on the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center near Laurel can be compared with comparable coverage in the seven previous years and with a quarter century of intensive observations at that season. In six days of netting during the period May 27 through June 7, Robbins banded 101 Swainson’s Thrushes and l6 Gray- cheeked Thrushes as compared with an average of 17 Swainson's and 5 Gray- cheeks for the same number of netting days in seven prior years. On the peak day. May 27, 19&7, he banded 72 Swainson's, breaking the State record of 66 seen there on May 10, 1950. The next highest one-day spring count at Patuxent is only 22 individuals. A few Hermit Thrushes lingered extraordinarily late. One was watched by many M. 0. S. members at Pocomoke State Forest on May 13 , the latest Eastern Shore record. One was seen two days later at Church- ton by Friel Sanders, and finally, one was banded by Mrs. Cole at Tcwson on May 28 , a week past the latest Maryland record for a spring transient. Vireos . Professor and Mrs. David Howard broke the State spring de- parture date for the Red-eyed Vireo on May 28 , when 2 individuals visited their Annapolis garden with a dozen Blackpoll Warblers. Three days later. Peg Frankel broke the D.C. record when she heard Red-eyes singing at Virginia Avenue and 20th St., N.W. Warblers . The warbler migration was outstanding from the observer's point of view. There were early dates, late dates, high counts, stray individuals north or east of their normal range, unusual numbers of some of the scarcer species ; and above all, there were heavy movements on several week ends. As early as the week end of Apr. 22-23, for ex- ample, Robbins and Eugene Kridler saw 19 species of warblers on the Lower Eastern Shore. These included an early Swainson's and a record- breaking Chestnut- sided on Apr . 22 in the Pocomoke Swamp and a Yellow- breasted Chat on the 23rd at Elliot Island. A very early Black-and- white Warbler was seen at Frederick on Mar . 26, two days ahead of the State record (William N. Shirey). An even more surprising record was ob- tained by Mrs. Gladys Cole, who banded a Canada Warbler at Towson on Apr . 22 , four days ahead of the earliest State arrival date set by Kirkwood over forty years ago. At Owings Mills, William and Jay Hilgartner studied a Prairie Warbler on Apr . 11 , one day ahead of the State record. In the Laurel area during May and early June, Robbins observed 535 transient warblers of 19 species that do not breed in that immediate vicinity. The Myrtle (151 individuals) and Blackpoll (139) together con- stituted 54 percent of the total. The next three species, Canada (66), Tennessee (33), and Northern Waterthrush (2^) seemed to be more conspicu- ous than usual this year. The Black- throated Blue (22), Blackburnian (17), Bay-breasted (l4), and Chestnut -sided (12) were about normal. The Magnolia was decidedly below normal, being tied (ll) with the Mourning Warbler for the first time in Robbins' experience. Noteworthy late dates included a Nashville in the Seneca area on May 28 (State record — Peg Frankel), a Black- throated Blue near Highland on June 8 (State record-- Mrs. Dorothy Rauth), 2 Myrtles at Annapolis on May 28 X^Tof • Harold Wierenga), k- Black- throated Greens at Oxon Hill on May 30 (R. C. Carlson, September 1967 MARYLAND BXRDLXFE 79 P. Carlson ) , a Bay-breast and 1 6 Blackpolls at the Patuxent Wildlife Re- search Center on May 30 (Robbins ), a Bay-breast at Bethesda on June 1 (Mrs. Peg Frankel), and 2 male Canada Warblers at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center on June 3* Out of their normal range were single Yellow- throated Warblers at Loch Raven on Apr. 1 6 (J. Emerson), at Clarksville on May 6 (Chandler and George Robbins), and at Savage on June 29 (Morris Collins), and single Cerulean Warblers at Greensboro on May 6 (first Caroline County re cord- -Marvin W. Hewitt) and at Annapolis on the late date of May 2 6 (Wierenga). Blackbirds , Finches . Rusty Blackbirds lingered late at three locali- ties on the Coastal Plain: May 13 at Annapolis (Wierenga) and Gunpowder Neck (letter) and May 18 (tying the second- latest State record) at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (Robbins). House Finches left early, by the first week end in April. In a poor year for Purple Finches a record-breaking departure date came as a bit of a surprise; Melvin Kleen banded one at Morris Collins' Savage feeder on May 30, four days past the latest departure date east of Allegany County. ~~ Sparrows . Few Maryland spring arrival dates have ever been reported for the Sharp-tailed Sparrow. This is partly because the Sharp-tail is local in its distribution and h^ a weak song, and partly because a few individuals winter, at least In the more open winters, in marshes along the coast and the lower Chesapeake. Harold Wierenga 's Apr . 2 6 date for Anne Arundel County may not be the actual date of arrival this year (because of the cold weather we had at that time), but until we receive a better date it will stand as the earliest on file for Maryland. Five parties found the Slate-colored Junco on the May 6 Count and one bird remained as late as May 17, the latest date on file for the Maryland Coastal Plain. A Swamp Sparrow banded at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center on May 27 (Robbins) tied the latest spring migration record for the State, and a Lincoln's Sparrow handed by Mrs. Gladys Cole at Towson on May 28 came within two days of breaking the departure record estab- lished fifty years ago by W. L. McAtee and Alexander Wetmore . Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife Migratory Bird Populations Station, Laurel TWO WEEKS AT THE AUDUBON NATURE CAMP IN MAINE Lydia M. Be Her The two weeks that I spent this summer at the National Audubon Camp in Maine, made possible by the Helen Miller Scholarship, were very re- warding. The staff is one of the best and most dedicated I have ever met. They are all well -qualified in their fields and are very patient with the campers. They accept people as they are and try to bring out the best in them. Everything they do is done with such enthusiasm that it can't help but spill over. 80 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol. 23, No. 3 I can just close my eyes now and see the highlights of my stay at camp — The morning "bird walks; A hig fire crackling in the fish house on a chilly evening; The all -day boat trip to islands in the ocean; Leach's Petrels, Common Eiders, and Herring Gulls nesting on these islands; The large colony of nesting Great Blue Herons on Wreck Island; The early morning whistle of the White -throated Sparrow; Eighty-six year old Dr. Millicent Todd Bingham (who gave the island) talking to us; The tasty food and fellowship in the dining room overlooking Muscongus Bay; A Parula Warbler building its nest of Usnea lichen in a spruce; The luminous moss in a cave on the mainland; The Bed and White Spruces on the island itself; The afternoons spent wading brooks, lakes, and ponds and learning what lives in each habitat; The nature activities sessions when we learned how to make stationery with algae and dry-land plants; The sessions in the laboratory when we mounted butterflies and other insects and labeled specimens. And now that I am home again, I am rather impatiently waiting for the first day of school so that I can begin to show to others the riches of nature opened up to me during these thrill -packed two weeks. 1006 Pierce Ave . , Salisbury > COMING EVENTS BALTIMORE JUNIOR PROGRAM AT CYLBURN Bird and Nature walks for young people. Meet at Cylburn Mansion 8 A. M. on September 23, October 7. October 21, November 4, November 18, December 2, December 16, January 13. 1968* and January 2?th, Talks or films at Mansion 9 A.M. : Sept. 23 Oct. 7 Oct. 21 Nov. 4 Nov. 18 Dec. 2 Jan. 13 Jan. 27 "Birds to look for in the Fall" , Mr. A. MacDonough Plant "Attracting Birds" and exhibit of home made bird feeders. "Penguins and Skuas in the Antarctic", Mr. Robert C. Wood Bird Banding demonstration, Mr. Edward J. Rykiel, Jr. "Shells", Mrs. Anthony Perlman "Birds of Hawaii", Mr. G. Douglas Hackman "Life in the Far North", Dr. Everett Schiller Wild Pet Show Groups of more than six who plan to attend any of the young people's programs should register well in advance with Mrs, N. K. Schaffer, telephone 323-4090 September 1967 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE 81 Sept. 6 KENT 7 FREDERICK 9 FREDERICK 10 STATEWIDE 10 ALLEGANY 10 BALTIMORE 15 BALTIMORE 16 BALTIMORE 17 BALTIMORE 17 MONTGOMERY 21 MONTGOMERY 22, i 23, 24 24 FREDERICK 24 MONTGOMERY 26, 27, 28 MONTGOMERY 26 BALTIMORE 26 PATUXENT Sept. 29,) 30 4 ) MONTGOMERY Oct. 1 ) Sept. 29 to Oct. 4 Sept. 30 BALTIMORE Monthly meeting - Special celebration of 10th Anniversary, Kent Chapter, M.O.S. Speakers: Mr, Erwin McIntosh, "Present Development of Eastern Neck Refuge" and Mrs. Edward Mendinhall, "Operation Recovery Explanation, Plans, and Discussion of this yearly project. Monthly meeting 700 P. M. Thomas Johnson Room in Winchester Hall, East Church Street, Frederick. Speaker: Mr. William S. Clark on "Adventures in Banding Birds of Prey". Field trip to Ijamsville and Monrovia. Leave Baker Park 7*3° A. M. Membership Picnic. Meet 9 a.m. Sandy Point Park. Lunch at Capt. & Mrs. J. E. M. Wood's, 101 Old Crossing Road, Annapolis. Make reservations with Mrs. Wood if planning to attend. Covered dish Supper 5 P. M. at Carey Run Sanctuary. Twilight Funneling of Chimney Swifts, 6:45 P. M. Meet cor. Belvedere & Roland Ave. Cancelled if raining. Monthly meeting 8 P. M. at Cylbum Mansion Hawk watching and counting. Survey of mountain ridges in western Maryland. Leader: Mr. Carl Carlson, EM5-3836 Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge and Little Creek Wildlife Area, on Delaware Bay near Snyra, Del. Leaders: Mr. & Mrs. Malcolm Thomas, 823-1132 Meet 8 A.M. Skyline Drive, Va. for migrating warblers, hawks and ravens. Monthly meeting, Perpetual Bldg. , Bethesda. Topic: Hawks. NEW JERSEY AUDUBON weekend. Cape May, New Jersey. Registration with Mrs. Win. F. Gerringer, VA5-2175 Field trip to Foxville Area. Leave Baker Park 2 P. M. Rossmoor Bird Walk - County Exploration Trip. "Death Watch" at Washington Monument, D, C. to observe migration kill. Call Carl Carlson Em5- 3836. Lake Roland for confusing fall warblers. 8 A.M. Leader: Mr. Fred Ward. 433-0104 Monthly meeting 7:45 P. M. at St. Philip's Parish House, Laurel. Field trip to Cape May, New Jersey NATIONAL AUDUBON CONVENTION, Atlantic City, N. J. Rock Run Sanctuary. Bird walk 8:30 A.M. Leader: Mr. C. Douglas Hackman. 82 MARYLAND HIRDLIFE Vol. . ? ?, Oct. 4 5 6 7 8 9 lif 14 15 19 21 21 22 22 24 25 29 KENT FREDERICK BALTIMORE Monthly meeting in The Alumni House. Chestertovn. Speaker: Mr. Brian Kane, Sr., "Birds on Stamps". Monthly meeting. Speaker: Sterling Edwards on "Bird Carving as a New Pastime". Monthly meeting 8 P. M. , Pratt Library. Illus- trated lecture "Birdlng in Western Europe" by Dr. Donald H. Messersmith. BALTIMORE Soldier's Delight. Joint walk, Natural History Society and M. 0. S. Leader: Mrs. Elxaer 0. Worthley. Meet 10 A.M. at Acme Market, east side of Reisterstown, Rd. , Owings Mills. MONTGOMERY Burnt Mills - County Exploration trip. KENT Audubon Wildlife Film, "Designs for Survival", by Mr. William A. Anderson. First of five to be held at The Fine Arts Center, Washington College, Ghestertown. STATE TRUSTEES Meeting - Carey Run Sanctuary, Garrett County. FREDERICK MONTGOMERY MONTGOMERY BALTIMORE MONTGOMERY FREDERICK MONTGOMERY PATUXENT ALLEGANY Allegany Chapter hosts for lunch at noon. Field trip to Greentop, near Thurmont. Leave Baker Park 7:30 A.M. Pennyfield Locks, Hughes Hollow, Lilypons, field trip. Monthly meeting. Perpetual Bldg. , Bethesda. "Fall Migration and Operation Recovery" C & 0 Canal & Potomac River. 7:30 A.M. Waggoner's Gap, Carlisle, Pa., for Hawks. Field trip for Hawks - Greenbriar Park and Washington Monument area near Boonsboro. Leave Baker Park 2 P. M. Needwood Lake, Dervood, Maryland - County exploration trip. Monthly meeting 7*^5 P.m. St. Philip's Parish House, Laurel. Monthly meeting 7:30 P. M. , Board of Education Bldg. Film: "Patters of the Wild". MONTGOMERY The Virginia Potomac, Roaches Run, Belle Haven. Nov. 1 BALTIMORE 1 KENT 2 FREDERICK 3 HARFORD 4 FREDERICK Annual Dinner and monthly meeting. Fellowship Hall of Reformation Lutheran Church, 6300 Loch Raven Blvd. Illustrated lecture: "The Captive Sea", by Mr. Craig Phillips. Dinner $2.00 Reservations by October 24th, with Mr. & Mrs. J. W. Poteet, Jr., 448-1967 Monthly meeting - speaker, Mr. Harris D. McKinney. "Birds and Art". Monthly meeting 7*30 P. M. Supper meeting, Churchville Presbyterian Church. Field trip to Harpers Ferry and C & 0 Towpath. Leave Baker Park 7:30 a.m. September 1967 MARYLAND BIRDLIFB 82 Nov. 5 MONTGOMERY All day field trip to Blackwater Refuge Not. 7-11 KENT < Q BIRD CARVING EXHIBIT, Emmanuel Parish House, Chestertown. 10 a.m. - 9 p.m. except Saturday. Saturday 10 a.m, to 5 P* m * Admission $1.00 11 BALTIMORE Special trip to Kent County and bird carving exhibit. Leader: Mrs. Martin G. Larrabee. LY2-7201. 16 MONTGOMERY Monthly meeting - Perpetual Bldg. , Bethesda. "Winter Birds" . 19 FREDERICK Lilypons field trip. Leave Baker Park 2 P. M. 19 MONTGOMERY Seneca State Park, near Germantown, Md. Exploration trip. Nov. 23-26 MONTGOMERY Cape Ann and Plum Island Refuge, Mass, for winter seabirds 2? KENT Audubon Film: "Teton Trails", by Mr. Charles T. Hotchkiss. 28 PATUXENT Monthly meeting 7*45 P. M., St. Philip’s Parish House, Laurel. 29 ALLEGANY Dinner meeting at Shrine Country Club. Speaker: Dr. Melvin Brown* Frostburg State College. Dec. 1 BALTIMORE Fall Lecture. "Birds of the Leeward Hawaiian Chain" by Mr. Chandler S. Robbins. Tickets $1.00 from Mr. & Mrs. John W. Poteet, Jr. 448-1967. Auditorlam to be announced. 3 MONTGOMERY C & 0 Canal Exploration Trips First Segment from D. C. line to Glen Echo Park, 6 KENT Monthly meeting. Speakers Mrs. John M. Nelson, "Birds in the Bible". 7 FREDERICK Monthly meeting and Annual Dinner. Mr. Roy Okan will lecture on "Outdoor Education in Frederick County, including Outdoor Laboratory and Science Camp". 9 BALTIMORE Sandy Point and Kent Island for winter residents. Leaders Mrs. Robert E. Kaestner 9 FREDERICK Field trip to Creagerstown , Lewistown , Catoctin Furnace and Tresselt's fish ponds. Leave Baker Park 7*30 A.M. 14 MONTGOMERY Monthly meeting. Perpetual Bldg. , Bethesda. Dr. Alexander Frey, on "Birds of Trinidad". Programs were incomplete for Chapters not mentioned: Anne Arundel, Caroline, Talbot and Wicomico. CHRISTMAS COUNT SCHEDULE Dec. 23 Catoctin Mountain Dr. John W. Richards Dec. 23 Denton A. J. Fletcher Dec. 24 Triadelphia Vernon M. Kleen 447-4006 479-1529 PA5-6867 84 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Vol. 23. No. 3 Dec. 26 So. Dorchester Co. Chandler S. Robbins PA5-11 ?6 Dec. 27 Allegany County Anderson Martin PA4-5510 Dec, 27 Ocean City Chandler S. Robbins PA5-1176 Dec. 28 Chincoteague , Va. F. R. Scott, 115 Kennondale, Richmond, Va. Dec. 29 Cape Charles, Va. William C. Russell PA5-5160 Dec. 30 Baltimore Edward J. Rykiel, Jr. 542-1757 Dec. 30 Salisbury J. Charles Tracy 651-0960 Dec, 30 Seneca Carl Carlson EM5-3836 Dec. 31 Annapolis & Gibson Is. Dr. Douglas Miner 849-4334 Dec. 31 Lower Kent County Dr. Daniel Z. Gibson 778-0 565 Dec. 31 St. Michaels Richard L. Kleen RI5-4821 ^ Jan. 1 Rock Run Gordon Hackman ED5-4437 All members who made observations during the nesting season are urged to send their Nest Cards in by OCTOBER 15 , so that all records can be included in the report for the December issue. For additional ideas on the type of information to include on the cards see Doug Hackman's article in Maryland Birdlife , Vol. 19: 14-15- Please send all cards to Paul and Danny Bystrak, Rita Drive , Odenton 21113- CONTENTS, SEPTEMBER 1 967 The President's Page V. Edwin Unger 6? First Observed Brown Creeper Nest in Maryland Willet T. Van Velzen 68 The Season - April, May, June, 1967 Chandler S. Robbins 70 Two Weeks at the Audubon Nature Camp in Maine Lydia M. Beiler 79 Coming Events 80 MARYLAND BIRDLIFE Published Quarterly by the Maryland Ornithological Society, Inc. to Record and Encourage and Study the Birds in Maryland Chandler S. Robbins, Patuxent Research Center, Laurel Edward J. Rykiel, Jr., 2906 Edgecombe Circle So. Baltimore 21215 C. Douglas Hackman, Vernon Kleen, Mrs. C. Gordon Taylor Mrs, Dorothy Clark, Ethel Cobb, Gladys Cole, Mildred Cole, Aldeen Couch, Mel Garland, Ceil Nalley, Ted Van Velzen Editors Asst. Editors Editorial Board: Production: JSastinc^d M iramar Ocean City, Maryland On the Boardwalk — Open All Year 90 ROOMS, 60 WITH BATH Phone: Ocean City : Atlantic 9-7417 EXCELLENT MEALS 30 BEAUTIFUL APARTMENTS PARKING SPACE SPECIAL RATES FOR BIRDERS