The Summer months have been great!

Photos: King's Hairstreak, Pickerel Frog, Duckweed Firetail, Hognosed Snake


Hello everyone,

After a slight two month reprieve, the Delmarva Photo Big Year Blog is back up and running full speed. The summer has blown by amazingly fast with many great finds and photos taken. After the discovery of the first Maryland state record of Furtive Forktail in Worcester and Wicomico Counties I thought the state records were over for the year, but I was wrong. Hans Holbrook, Jim Stasz, and myself found Duckweed Firetails in Worcester County a few weeks later. Duckweed Firetails are beautiful bright red damselflies that live in shaded swamps. What is unbelievable is that the area where we found the firetails the most numerous odonates fying were Furtive Forktails and Attenuated Bluets! We also found a population of Atlantic Bluets in the same area as the firetails. Other than one record from last year on Hart-Miller Island (a spill island located in the Chesapeake Bay off of Baltimore), Atlantic Bluets had not been observed in Maryland for over 100 years! We found a pond that holds a very healthy population of Atlantic Bluets.

Damselflies are not the only exciting discoveries of the past couple months. In northern Worcester County, Maryland my friends and I located Marylands only breeding population of King's Hairstreak. King's Hairstreaks are rare over their entire range and haven't been seen in Maryland for years. Finding this rare butterfly was a real highpoint of the year. Also seen on the same day was a striking Striped Hairstreak, another rare butterfly on Delmarva. Between April and August I have photographed ten species of hairstreaks on Delmarva. If I hadn't missed Frosted Elfin I would have swept the hairstreaks. Sleepy Orange's occur regulary on Delmarva during post breeding dispersal. I was able to photograph one in Worcester County. Oranges and Sulphers are very difficult to photograph because they rarely sit still. Most of the time when you see a Sleepy Orange you see a small brilliant orange sulpher fly by which is usually enough for identification. I was lucky enough to have one land and get an exceptable photo.

Reptiles and amphibians have been slow. Unfortunately, I haven't had any great finds. Corn Snakes and Milksnakes have been eluding me but I haven't given up hope. I have tried a couple times for Carpenter Frogs in lower Dorchester and have come up empty. One amphibian highlight was photographing Pickerel Frogs in Caroline County. Supposedly Pickerel Frogs are present in all of the Delmarva counties but I have never seen one on Delmarva until this summer.

Bugs have taken priority over the past couple months but now that migration has started birds are now the priority. Unfortunately by focusing on Odes and Leps over the summer I might have missed a few of the breeders. I am running out of time for Kentucky and Worm-eating Warblers. I am going to need a little luck to get these birds. For the past couple weeks and for most of August I will be concentrating on shorebirds. I have recently photographed both Western Sandpipers and American Avocets at Bombay Hook. Stilt Sandpipers at E.A. Vaughn WMA in Worcester County were a great score and a photograph that I am very relieved to have. I mopped up a few other birds like Indigo Bunting, Chimney Swift, and Cliff Swallow -- all difficult to photograph.

The rest of the year is going to be very exciting so pull up a seat and hang on!