End of the Year -- End of the Fundraiser

2007 is over as is my Photo Big Year fundraiser to help the American Bird Conservancy's Junin Grebe Project. With almost 400 photos taken, I raised almost 1200 dollars and had a really great time. Unfortunately, one thing I learned is that I am not a blogger! So this will probably be the last entry I ever make in the blogger universe. The year was amazing. My friends and myself while trying to get photos for the fundraiser found two new Maryland state records for Furtive Forktail and Duckweed Firetail, both damselflies. Rare butterflies and ten species of hairstreaks were also captured with photos. The rarest being King's Hairstreak, a butterfly that has only been found in one small area in Maryland. Mammals and herps were disapointing. I expected to do better with them. Spotted Turtles never materialized, nor did Chorus Frogs or Spotted Newts. I also missed both Muskrat and Nutria and failed to get photos of any bats. On the positive side I did get photos of Harbor Seal and my first Chipmunk on Delmarva. I think I did very well with Birds. Highlights included the hundred Marbled Godwits last winter at Willston Warf in Virginia and the Common Eider at Ocean City Inlet. I want to thank my girlfriend Colleen who gave up a lot of free time to travel around the peninsula in the heat and cold taking pictures of insects and birds. Jim Stasz, Hans Holbrook, Bill Hubick, Matt Hafner, Ed Boyd, Tom Field and many others who helped me immensly throughout the year with hotel rooms, logistics, boat rides, and friendship. Without their help I would not have done as well as I did and the year would not have been anywhere near as fun. Thanks guys.

Worcester and Somerset Counties 8/11 - 8/12

Photos: Palamedes Swallowtail, Willet, Royal Tern, Tern Flock, Abandoned House on Assateague Island.


Last Saturday I was supposed to go out on a pelagic trip out of Lewes, Delaware. Unfortunately the seas were running too high and the leaders decided to cancel the trip. So a group of Maryland birders and myself headed to Assateague Island to see what we could find. We started at the Bayside Campground parking lot. This is one of the premier sites in Maryland to witness Fall bird migration. It was a little early for migrants but we did see a few Yellow Warblers and a Baltimore Oriole. We then loaded into two vehicals and headed to the ORV Zone. Along the beach Sanderlings were by far the most numerous shorebirds. Also seen were Whimbrel, Western Willets, Ruddy Turnstones, Black-bellied Plovers, Semipalmated Plovers, Piping Plovers, and Oystercatchers. At Foxhill Flats on the bay side of the island we added Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers along with both Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs and Short-billed Dowitchers. There was a gull/tern flock that included Sandwich, Royal, and Caspian Terns. A Pintail flew over while we were scoping the shorebirds. While walking out to get better views of the terns I noticed a Salt Marsh Skipper. I was afraid I might have missed this butterfly so getting this photo was a major relief. Back out on the beach I managed photos of Common Tern, Sandwich Tern, and Caspian Tern, all new for the year. Also resting on the beach were many Lesser Black-backed Gulls of various ages. At the state line I photographed a young Brown Pelican sitting on a piling. Add another tick! From Assateague we moved south to check out the pond at E.A. Vaughn (north) WMA. There are usually shorebirds and waders present and if we were going to find a rare wader like a White or White-faced Ibis it would probably be here. When we arrived at the pond it was apparent that the were no unusual waders but Jim Stasz spotted a Long-billed Dowitcher. Another shorebird tick that could have been tricky. We then went to Deal Island WMA in Somerset County. Jim spotted a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron flying over which was a county bird for me. Yellow-crowns are really rare on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. They only nest on the bay islands and are very difficult to find. This was only the second Yellow-crowned Night-Heron I have ever seen on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.
On Sunday Tom Field, Jim Stasz, Ed Boyd, and myself went to Hickory Point in Worcester County to try to photograph Palamedes Swallowtails. Palamedes are rare in Maryland and Hickory Point in August is the best place to find them. While waiting for the swallowtails I photgraphed a beat up Great Blue Skimmer and a Seaside Dragonlet. Ed finally caught a Palamedes and carefully took it out of the net so we could get photographs. From Hickory Point we went to some ponds around Pocomoke City where we observed some really cool dragons and damsels. Since it is getting late in the season for damsels we were delighted to see Southern Sprites and Swamp Spreadwings still flying. Ed caught a Banded Pennent which was another bug I was afraid I might miss since it was getting late in the season. Then came a huge miss. Jim Stasz calls out he just saw a Martha's Pennent fly by. I have never seen a Martha's Pennent and while I know that they are rare breeders in Maryland never thought that they were even possible for the big year. With nets primed we waited for the bug to fly past again so we could capture it for photos. The pennent flew by one more time but too far out for our nets and was never seen again. So I probably missed my Martha's chance but that is OK because it was a great weekend with a lot of major photos taken so there are not any long faces.

Upland Sandpipers 8/2/07

Photo: Upland Sandpiper


Last Wednesday I received a phone call from Norm and Fran Sanders and they told me they had just spotted a small flock of Upland Sandpipers at the Cambridge Airport. This was exciting news. Upland Sandpipers are rare breeders on Delmarva but can be regular during Fall migration in large grassy areas but they can be very difficult to observe because of the inaccessible habitat. I arrived at the airport around 5:00pm and found two Uppies about 200 feet off the road. I tried to get close for better photos but the birds spooked and flew off. I was able to get a few distant flight shots. I drove side roads towards Vienna stopping along the roadside checking the flowering Dogbane for butterflies. I was lucky to find a pair of Clouded Sulphers. Unfortunately they would not sit still so I had to settle for a poor flight shot. Common Checkered Skippers are late season fliers and I found my first of the year nectering on clover. Because of the drought Higgin's Mill Pond just south of Linkwood has some expansive flats that held quite a few species of shorebirds. Right when I was getting out of my car a Bald Eagle swooped down out of a tree and tried to take a Mallard off the pond. The eagle spooked all the shorebirds out of camera range but I was able to get my Pectoral Sandpiper shot for the year.

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!

Memorial Day Weekend 5/27/07

Variable Dancer female -- Idylewilde WMA. Orange Bluet -- Marshy Hope River, Caroline County. Stream Cruiser -- Marshy Hope River, Caroline County.


Bill Hubick, Tom Feild, Matt Tillet, Steve Collins, and myself spent the day birding the mid-shore of Maryland. We started the day at Terrapin Park on Kent Island. Terrapin is a great spot for migrants but unfortunately there wasn't much activity until Steve spotted a recently fledged grey phase Screech Owl sitting eye level on a fallen tree along the trail. Getting a Screech Owl photo this easy was a major relief. Hours of spot lighting at night was saved by Steve's good eyes. From Terrapin we headed to Wye Island WMA in Queen Anne County, Maryland. There is a large impoundment covered in cattails with a few mudflats that we were hoping would be holding shorebirds. As soon as we climed up the impoundment we heard the kekking of a King Rail. I was lucky enough to catch a brief glimpse of the bird but couldn't get my camera up in time. King Rails are becoming increasingly rare on Delmarva due to lose of habitat. While waiting for the King Rail to show himself again we saw a Dun Skipper feeding on the dike along with a female Hobomok Skipper. Then a Least Bittern started calling. The bittern and the rail both refused to show so we headed to Pickering Creek Audubon Sanctuary outside of Easton, Maryland. We walked the dikes between the impoundments and observed two American Coots, Common Moorhen, Pied-billed Grebes, and Blue-winged Teal. I saw my first Swarthy Skipper of the year feeding in the grasses along the dike. After Pickering Creek we headed towards Caroline County. Our first stop was along Laurel Grove Road. This area was where I observed the first Eastern Shore record of Arrowhead Spiketail last year. We were interested to see if we could refind the spiketail. The spiketail was a no show but amazingly Steve netted Maryland's third ever Furtive Forktail. We were all speechless. Entomogists have been searching for decades on Delmarva for this damselfly and my friends and myself had seen the bug in three different locations in two weeks! After the excitement of the Furtive Forktail we headed towards the Marshy Hope River north of Federalsburg. Walking into the swamp along the river we found Sparkling Jewelwings, Orange Bluets, Cyrano Darner, Stream Cruiser, and Common Baskettails. The Little Philadelphia section of Idylewilde WMA was right around the corner so we took a long walk amoungst the ponds and swamp. Steve spotted Lilypad Forktails resting on lilypads at one pond and an Attenuated Bluet, both life odes for me. Also seen were Sphagnum Sprites, Variable and Blue-tipped Dancers and Turquoise Bluets. It was an incredible day for dragonflies and damselflies.

Memorial Day Weekend 5/26/07

The Saturday of Memorial Day weekend Colleen and I drove to the Delaware Bay shore to try to photograph Red Knots and other shorebirds along Port Mahon Road. We arrived around 2pm and were fortunate that the tide was high pushing most of the birds close to the road. Semipalmated Sandpipers and Ruddy Turnstones were the most numerous shorebirds. Red Knots, Sanderlings, and Willets were also present. Shorebird migration along Port Mahon Road is an awesome spectacle. There were thousands of birds present and they were not a hundred yards away on a mudflat, they were within twenty feet of the car! Shorebirds congregate along the Delaware Bay during Spring migration to feed on horseshoe crab eggs. It is a massive staging area where the birds gorge on the eggs to prepare themselves for their next push north. This staging ground is one of the best places to observe Red Knots. Red Knots migrate up from Argentina in the Spring and breed in the far north. Unforunately the Red Knot population has plummeted and they have become very threatened. One of the main reasons for their population crash is the over harvesting of Horseshoe Crabs. Thanks to enviromental groups like The American Bird Conservancy both Delaware and New Jersey have passed moratoriums on the harvesting of the crabs. Hopefully the Red Knot population will increase. After Port Mahon we traveled up to Bombay Hook and I ticked Black-bellied Plover off my photo needed list. Bad lighting and extensive mudflats made photography difficult so we headed back home making one more stop along the Tuckahoe River in Talbot County, Maryland where I added Eastern Forktail.

Catching up in May

To be honest keeping a blog up to date is more of a challange than I anticipated. I have fallen way behind in my posts so I will try to catch up on what has been going on in May. The month started with Jim Stasz and I doing an early Dorchester County May count on Taylor's Island. Harry Armistead has been conducting bird counts on the first and second weekend of every May for a very long time. For the past couple years I have been helping out on the count by canvasing Taylor's Island. Taylor's is located right on the Chesapeake Bay and is normally a great trap for migrant birds. But not this year. Jim and I only counted 95 species with only one migrant -- a Parula Warbler. Last year we had almost 120 species of birds. Fortunately I scored some major photos. The best being a Red-headed Woodpecker. Red-headed Woodpeckers are residents on the Eastern Shore but very uncommon and to see one is always exciting. Another exciting find was a Juniper Hairstreak. I have only seem one other Juniper Hairstreak so this was a great find. Unfortunately the pic isn't that great but it is identifiable. The next weekend I took a break from saving the grebe and participated in my third World Series of Birding in Cape May, New Jersey. The Maryland Ornithological Society sponsered our team the MOS Yellowthroats. We participate in the Cape May County only class and try to identify as many birds as possible in a 24 hour period from midnight Friday to midnight Saturday. We won our class this year with 184 species. It is an awesome feeling to stand in front of many of the top birders in the country and receive the trophy. After the hectic five days of the series it was nice to just go back to work and watch TV in the evening, but last weekend it all started again. Jim Stasz, Tom Field, Hans Holbrook, and myself hit the Nassawango and Nanticoke River areas hard in search of birds and bugs. Dragonflies and Damselflies were the stars of the weekend with the best being a male and female Furtive Forktail seen in Worcester and Wicomico Counties. These were the first documented sightings for Maryland constituting a new state record! Harlequin Darners, Cyrano Darners, Eastern Red Damsels, and Spaghnum Sprites were all documented for the big year. Another highlight from the weekend was a Bicknell's Thrush seen at Pusey's Bridge in Worcester County. Bicknell's Thrush are very difficult to identify if you don't hear their song. They are very similar in appearence to Gray-cheeked Thrush and only slight differences in plumage color and size separate the two species. We were able to study the thrush very well. It was a new state bird for me and a big plus for the photo big year. So we are now up to date. Now that things have settled down hopefully I will be a little more punctual with my posts.