Today's previous, nearly identical message was in terrible format. This is
an attempt to submit a better-looking one.
2 days of field work including much boating with master banders John Weske
and Dave Brinker and their retinue in the central Chesapeake Bay and Ocean
City area, July 9-10, 2003.
July 9, Wed.
Little Fox Island, Accomack Co., VA (Chesapeake Bay Foundation [CBF]
property). This is only about 4 mi. s. of the MD/VA line, and NE of
Tangier I. but closer to Crisfield, MD. The island is diminished
considerably from last year, when over 1,000 Royal Terns were banded here.
Still, we banded 437 today. 41 Royal Tern eggs were counted so a return
trip will be made in 2-3 weeks. The Laughing Gull colony is bigger,
though. At one point I estimated 225 adults in sight at one time with
nests with eggs and some young birds. I noticed perhaps a dozen juvenile
Forster's Terns. No skimmers this year, a change. A breeding plumage
Dunlin was unusual, for a while, until it flew and its injured right wing
was evident. Also: 3 Diamondback Terrapin and a dozen or so Cabbage
Whites. 2 oystercatchers and a Fish Crow.
The low Royal Tern totals prompted us to do an exploratory trip several
miles to the west from Tangier Island north to the remnants of the Shanks
and Cheeseman islands area. Here we found a tight colony of 200-300 Royal
Tern nests plus 55 or so adult skimmers also on eggs. Since it was close
to midday we did not linger here out of concern for the effects of the
strong sunshine on the birds' eggs. My really rough estimates of birds
seen included 2,100 flying pelicans, 1,300 Herring and 700 Great
Black-backed gulls, 4 black ducks, 12 oystercatchers, 275 cormorants, 7
Fish Crows, 7 Mute Swans, and a Black-bellied Plover. On a small marshy
tump there was an active colony of Common (mostly) and Forster's terns. At
Tangier I. we noticed a Song Sparrow, a catbird, House Sparrows, an ad.
Yellow-crowned Night Heron and c. 40 Canada Geese. We stopped briefly at
the CBF's Port Isobel facility there.
Smith Island, MD. Lunch at Ruke's in Ewell. A House Wren and a catbird
here, exemplary of the sparse breeding landbirds on the Bay islands and of
interest. At the inlet-jetties on the west side a Tiger Swallowtail was
several hundred yards offshore. John banded 9 off-Martin refuge Ospreys in
the Smith I. to Crisfield transit in 4 nests, the chicks smaller than usual
for this time of year. Another nest he checked on July 10 had 3 young too
small to band.
Ocean City, MD (Skimmer Island). 8 of us rounded up the Royal Tern chicks,
some 263 of them, from c. 5:30-7:30 P.M. Several dozen royal eggs remain
here so John plans a future visit for mopping up operations. There were
also Black Skimmer and Common Tern nests, some with chicks, plus most of
Maryland's breeding heron species present. Several thousand Horseshoe
Crabs crowded the higher parts of the intertidal zone, real late for that
sort of activity. Also here: c. 25 oystercatchers, 20 Willets, 2
Short-billed Dowitchers, 1 Black-bellied Plover, 65 Brown Pelicans, and
loads of Mallards. The number of Royals was down, I think, from last year.
There is some concern about the increase in ground vegetation on Skimmer
Island making the place less suitable for Royals. Even so it certainly is
impressive to see the fecundity of the place surrounded as it is by
development and constant boat traffic.
July 10, Thu. South Point Marsh, Accomack Co., VA, n. of Tangier I. and c.
3 mi. s. of the MD/VA line, essentially an extension of Smith I., Somerset
Co., MD. 18 of us, including Sue Ricciardi and Charlie Vaughn plus persons
from various agencies, interns, et al., banded 752 Brown Pelican chicks c.
7-11 A.M. There are 3 pelican colonies in this small area. Today birds
were banded at the southernmost and biggest one. About a week ago c. 200
were banded at the other 2 colonies until activities were curtailed after a
rain storm and 2 waterspouts materialized. Many birds and some eggs still
remain so a return trip will be made here in 2-3 weeks. Already Brinker et
al. have banded almost as many pelicans (953) as all last year. The number
of breeding pairs is about the same as last year at South Point Marsh. In
the MD part of the Bay there are also a dozen or so pairs on s. Barren
Island and several dozen on Pry I. (South Marsh I.). There are dozens of
pairs of cormorants at South Point Marsh but not as many, I don't think, as
last year. 14 oystercatchers and a few Seaside Sparrows including a
juvenile. Probably the most energetic person present, Lisa Marie Balmert
caught an adult pelican with a hand net that Dave said had been banded c.
10 years ago as a nestling in Worcester County, MD, near South Point. The
thousands of birds in the South Point marsh south to Tangier I. area
comprise an impressive spectacle, especially the pelican colony. There are
hundreds of young Herring and quite a few young Great Black-backed gulls
also.
100 of the pelicans were color-banded today. Look for big, light-blue
bands with white alphanumerics on the (if I remember correctly) left leg, 4
characters.
Smith I., MD. Lunch at Ruke's again. 6 Yellow-crowned Night Herons in the
general area.
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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