Maryland Pelagic Zone added to the MBP project
Great news! The MBP project now includes the Maryland pelagic (ocean) for ingest into the project If you received a note about the project changing, it was that and removing a couple admins.
Bill
Great news! The MBP project now includes the Maryland pelagic (ocean) for ingest into the project If you received a note about the project changing, it was that and removing a couple admins.
Bill
Thank you so much for your friendship and support in 2022, which may have been MBP's most productive year yet. We set a lot of big goals late last year and - with your help - achieved all of them! Our close integration with iNaturalist has been tremendously valuable on many levels.
Please have a look at the project highlights for the year!
https://www.marylandbiodiversity.com/docs/MBPHighlights-2022.pdf
Happy New Year!
-- @billhubick , @jimbrighton, and the whole MBP team
It's go time! MBP and our sponsors Maryland Ornithological Society (MOS) and SAFI are kicking off two - yes, TWO (!!!) - Maryland bird counts today!
Turkey Point (2022)
https://www.marylandbiodiversity.com/project/turkeypoint/
Dans Rock (2022)
https://www.marylandbiodiversity.com/project/dansrock/
Building on the success of the Turkey Point Bird Count last year, we are kicking off the second year at Turkey Point and adding the first Dans Rock Bird Count in Allegany County. For the first time ever, there will be three concurrent Mid-Atlantic morning flight counts: on the Atlantic coastal plain (Cape May, New Jersey), at Turkey Point at the top of the Chesapeake Bay, and now in the Appalachian region at Dans Rock in Allegany County.
Last year's count yielded invaluable data that is loaded with insights about East Coast migration. With each successive year of these counts, the value will compound and teach us more about bird migration, bird populations, and how birds respond to all the dynamic variables that affect them along the way. Birds are arguably our clearest window into ecosystem health. We are excited to continue increasing our understanding of their amazing migrations.
A big welcome to Jonathan and Carl! Jonathan Irons is leading the Turkey Point Bird Count and Carl Engstrom is leading the new Dans Rock Bird Count. Thanks in advance to Daniel Irons, Jerald Reb, Jim Stasz, Jim Brighton, Dan Small, and others ensuring a smooth kickoff.
We'll be posting updates regularly on the MBP blog and on social media. The live data for both counts on Trektellen is already streaming today and daily reports will be available in eBird. Thanks to MBP developer Jacqueline Palacios for beautiful work on these special project pages and to MBP editor Zoë Adams for work on the MBP blog.
Here's to an awesome 2022 season!
Photo of Dans Rock courtesy of © Leo Boudreau.
Bill and the MBP team
When I started birding, one of the first orders of business was to acquire one's copy of the indispensable "Yellow Book", the summary of Maryland birds and where and when they've been recorded. This treasure should be kept in every birder's glove box, and if possible, a second more immaculate copy should be secured somewhere convenient at home. Of course a worn copy of the Maryland DeLorme map was to be jammed between the front seats somewhere.
The third edition of the Yellow Book was published in May 1996 and was written by Bob Ringler, Jim Stasz, and Marshall Iliff. It answered at a glance questions like "Did I see an Eastern Phoebe or an Eastern Wood-Pewee today (March 2nd)." Oh, okay, phoebe, as there are no March records for wood-pewee. Or, oh, that seems late! Is it? Yes, a thin line after the start of the month...
Well, the Yellow Book is out-of-print and no longer available on the MOS page, BUT you can now download a copy from the Harvard Biodiversity Heritage Library here - https://ia601201.us.archive.org/35/items/FieldlistbirdsM00Ilif/FieldlistbirdsM00Ilif.pdf
You can also download the 1968 version by Chan Robbins and Willet T. Van Velzen here - https://mdbirds.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/yb1968.pdf
Awesome! You should definitely do that and archive your copy at home and on your device.
While clicking things, if you love birds and are not a member of Maryland Ornithological Society (MOS), please consider joining: https://mdbirds.org/join/
Bar charts are powerful. You can now see them for all species at Maryland Biodiversity Project based on the data we've ingested. For birds, you can also go to eBird and navigate to Explore > Bar Charts and the state and/or county/counties of interest. Here's the all-time Maryland eBird bar chart. Also invaluable!
https://ebird.org/barchart?byr=1900&eyr=2022&bmo=1&emo=12&r=US-MD
Is there some shared inspiration between the Yellow Book and that bar chart? I dare say so! (Especially since Yellow Book co-author and Maryland's own Marshall Iliff joined eBird early on and remains there to this day!)
Love the data.
Collect more data.
Protect the things.
Bill
Observations from counter Daniel Irons - View updates on MBP's Special Projects' blog webiste!
Early season migrants have moved through and mornings now consist primarily of American Robins, Cedar Waxwings, Yellow-rumped Warblers, and large flocks of Common Grackles. Late season raptors are also on the move along with a variety of waterbirds moving past the point over the bay.
Mid and late October had some nice flights and a few notables. The highlight of the month was this Franklin’s Gull that flew by the point on October 17th. The western counterpart to Laughing Gull, a few Franklins’ show up in the east in late fall every year with the right weather systems.
Franklin's Gull © Daniel Irons
Raptor migration at Turkey Point picked up through October. A few totals for the month were 813 Sharp-shinned Hawks (including 227 in one morning), 216 Cooper’s Hawks, and 119 American Kestrels. Golden Eagles are always a treat and two cruised over Turkey Point in October, the first was on the 20th.
Golden Eagle © Daniel Irons
The first big Common Grackle flight of the season was October 28th with over 6,200 counted. Since then, 1000s move south over the point on a near daily basis.
Common Grackles © Daniel Irons
Late October is a great time to see Yellow-rumped Warblers at Turkey Point and throughout MD. 3,976 Yellow-rumps were counted in October with a peak flight of 428 occurring on the 28th.
Yellow-rumped Warbler © Daniel Irons
Pine Warblers are also more of a late season migrant. We saw peak numbers of this species in mid-late October at the point with 62 tallied through the month.
Pine Warbler © Daniel Irons
Eastern Meadowlarks move through primarily in late October with a high count of 17 at the point on October 20th. A total of 79 were counted in October.
Eastern Meadowlark © Daniel Irons
Rusty Blackbirds started moving into the area in October as well with the first noted on the 9th. Numbers picked up through October and continue to build through early November.
Rusty Blackbird © Daniel Irons
With only a week left in the count, I’m excited to see how the last few days play out. It looks like another front is lined up to move through this weekend and with it being mid-November there are some exciting western species that could show up with it.
Daniel Irons ‘Man at Work’ © Jim Stasz
Daniel Irons
Visit MBP's Turkey Point Bird Count project page for more information and view updates on MBP's Special Projects' blog website.
Observations from counter Daniel Irons - View updates on MBP's Special Projects' blog webiste!
Northern Flicker © Daniel Irons
The 29th gave us our first real taste of late fall warblers with the first push of Yellow-rumped warblers, 78 were counted that morning.
Yellow-rumped Warbler © Daniel Irons
There was also a noticeable increase in Blackpoll Warblers with 106 counted. While Blackpolls continue to move in numbers throughout October, their peak flight window in MD is Late September and early October. The peak count so far at Turkey Point occurred on September 30th with 110 counted. The season total is currently 1,122.
Blackpoll Warbler © Daniel Irons
The 29th also brought peak flights of Tennessee and Nashville Warblers. 27 Tennessees were counted, the season total for this species is now at 168.
Tennessee Warbler © Daniel Irons
10 Nashville Warblers were also tallied on the 29th, the season total is now 50.
Nashville Warbler © Daniel Irons
Black-throated Green Warblers peaked the following day with 17 tallied on the 30th.
Black-throated Green © Daniel Irons
This Western Kingbird was another highlight from the 29th. While an annual stray to the east, they are quite rare away from the immediate coast.
Western Kingbird © Daniel Irons
Good numbers of woodpeckers are now passing over Turkey Point on a daily basis. Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are steadily moving south into our area, the first arrived on September 20th and the peak count so far this season was 9 on October 1st.
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker © Daniel Irons
Blue Jays are on the move this time of year as well with big flocks circling over Turkey Point on an almost daily basis. The peak Blue Jay flight so far this season was 397 counted on September 25th.
Blue Jay © Daniel Irons
Hawk migration has really picked up at Turkey Point over the last couple weeks with the cooler temps and some northerly winds. On September 30th 106 Sharp-shinned Hawks were counted flying south over the point.
Sharp-shinned Hawk © Daniel Irons
On the 30th we also saw the season's peak flight of Broad-winged Hawks with 101 counted throughout the morning.
Broad-winged Hawk © Daniel Irons
A variety of other raptors are moving through too as we approach the peak season for raptor migration. Good numbers of American Kestrels, Merlins, Peregrine Falcons and Northern Harriers are streaming past.
Northern Harrier © Daniel Irons
Lately we’ve been stuck in a couple weeks of dull weather with no significant cold fronts. However, it hasn’t been all bad since we had some interesting flights and cool weather-related birds from the point including a flock of 33 American Golden Plovers on October 9th. This Sunday the tables should turn with the big cold front forecasted to blast through Saturday. Sunday morning should be a good one, can’t wait!
Thanks for reading!
Daniel
Visit MBP's Turkey Point Bird Count project page for more information and view updates on MBP's Special Projects' blog website.
Observations from counter Daniel Irons - View updates on MBP's Special Projects' blog webiste!
Cape May Warbler © Daniel Irons
Temps are finally cooling down and leaves are starting to change; it’s really starting to feel like fall at the point. Several late-season species are arriving as well, this makes me look forward to what’s to come in October.
September 7th brought a nice diverse flight after a small cold front the previous evening. A fair push of Northern Parulas and American Redstarts was noted with 49 Parulas and 39 Redstarts counted. The highlight of the morning was the season’s first Connecticut Warbler.
Connecticut Warbler © Daniel Irons
The 8th also brought a fair diverse flight including our first Summer Tanager. The highlight of the morning was the season’s only Golden-winged Warbler.
Golden-winged Warbler © Daniel Irons
A strong cold front on the 9th sent temps into the 50s and set up a strong flight on the morning of September 10th. The stiff northwest winds brought in a strong push of Cape May Warblers. It was the most abundant species at the Point all morning. 273 Cape Mays were counted flying by the Point, a new high count for the state of MD. So far in the month of September, we’ve counted 711 Cape May Warblers bringing our season total to 813.
Cape May Warbler © Daniel Irons
The following day provided another good flight that included 45 Cape May Warblers and the second Olive-sided Flycatcher of the season.
Olive-sided Flycatcher © Daniel Irons
September 14th brought our first Red-breasted Nuthatch of the season. A total of 11 have been counted at the Point. This species will likely push south in small numbers this fall and winter, but nowhere near in the numbers they did last year.
Red-breasted Nuthatch © Daniel Irons
September 19th was another solid morning with a few notable counts of warblers and the season’s first Philadelphia Vireo. The first influx of Blackpoll Warblers was noted with 13 counted. Northern Parulas also showed well with 40 counted. Parula numbers have picked up in the last two weeks as we are now in the peak window for them moving south through our area. We’ve counted 504 Northern Parulas so far this season, 458 of those have been in September.
Northern Parula © Daniel Irons
We also saw a noticeable increase in Northern flickers on the 19th with 23 counted. Numbers of Flickers should pick up as we get closer to their peak flight season in early October.
Northern Flicker © Daniel Irons
Red-headed Woodpeckers are also currently moving through our area and Turkey Point is a great spot to see them in active migration. Since the first arrived at the point on Aug 31st, 36 have been counted.
Red-headed Woodpecker © Daniel Irons
The next couple weeks look promising with lots of northerly winds and a few strong cold fronts. With October just around the corner, many of the late-season migrants and some winter residents should be showing up.
Thanks for reading!
Daniel
Visit MBP's Turkey Point Bird Count project page for more information and view updates on MBP's Special Projects' blog website.
Observations from counter Daniel Irons
Eastern Kingbird © Daniel Irons
Since the beginning of the month there’s been a few solid cold fronts, plenty of favorable winds, and some good flights. Before we take a look at the first week in September, it’s worth looking back at a few notables from the last week of August.
The last week in August was mostly hot and humid with light winds primarily from the south. A few days with light north winds produced some sparse, diverse flights, and several new arrivals for the fall. August 24th was a perfect example of that with 13 species of warblers counted including the season’s first Black-throated Green and Black-throated Blue Warblers.
Black-throated Blue Warbler © Daniel Irons
Additionally, two Yellow-rumped Warblers were noted. It is not usual for Yellow-rumps to move through until late September, but a small number of worn and molting adults trickle through starting in late August.
Yellow-rumped Warbler © Daniel Irons
It turns out Turkey Point isn’t just good for bird migration, but also dragonfly migration. The numbers of dragonflies flying by the Point picked up in late August and have continued into September. Both Wandering and Spot-winged Gliders are on the move along with Common Green Darners and Black Saddlebags. On August 27th there was a notable push of Spot-winged Gliders with 46 counted in a morning. To date, we’ve counted a total of 60 Spot-winged Gliders, 47 Wandering Gliders, 102 Common Green Darners, and 55 Black saddlebags.
Spot-winged Glider © Daniel Irons
Wandering Glider © Daniel Irons
Black Saddlebags © Daniel Irons
September kicked off with a strong cold front following the passage of tropical storm Ida. September 1st and 2nd were slow since it took a couple days for the rain and remnants of Ida to clear north of here. But once it did, the floodgates opened and we had a strong flight on the 3rd. Over 1,000 individuals of 63 species were counted in active migration, 18 of those species being warblers. 25 Tennessee Warblers, 73 Cape May Warblers, 13 Bay-breasted Warblers, and 28 Blackburnian Warblers were the notable counts for the morning.
Here is one of the 28 Blackburnian Warblers that zipped by the Point on September 3rd.
Blackburnian Warbler © Daniel Irons
The number of Cape May Warblers during this fall, in general, has been pretty impressive, especially for this early in the season. To date, we’ve counted 295 flying past Turkey Point.
Cape May Warbler © Daniel Irons
Bay-breasted Warblers also made their first showing of the fall at the Point on the 3rd.
Bay-breasted Warbler © Daniel Irons
The colder temps and northerly winds got some raptors moving in on the last week as well. Broad-winged Hawks, American Kestrels, and Merlins have all been making appearances at the Point.
Broad-winged Hawk © Daniel Irons
It’s looking like another great week coming up with cooler temps and some northerly winds. A good cold front is scheduled to pass through on Thursday, so Friday morning should be another strong flight at the Point.
Come Visit Us!
Daniel
Visit MBP's Turkey Point Bird Count project page for more information.
Observations from counter Daniel Irons
American Redstart © Daniel Irons
Temps were warm with winds primarily out of the southeast and southwest, with the exception of Friday and Saturday when a small cold front moved through the area followed by northeast winds.
Cape May Warblers continue to move through the area in good numbers with 16 counted over the week, typically there aren’t too many around in mid-August.
Cape May Warbler © Daniel Irons
The first Blue-winged Warbler was noted on the 16th with a total of three counted throughout the week.
Blue-winged Warbler © Daniel Irons
Numbers of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers are increasing at the Point. 98 were tallied on the 18th, a new peak count for the season.
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher © Daniel Irons
Bank Swallows appear to be moving in good numbers. 303 were counted heading south from the Point this week.
Bank Swallows © Daniel Irons
Winds shifted northerly late Thursday and a slight cold front passed early Friday with heavy rain following through the day. There was a slight pulse of migrants trying to move Friday morning but the rain shut down most of the activity. The rain cleared late Friday and that along with the light northeast winds triggered a nice push overnight into Saturday morning.
11 species of warblers were counted Saturday morning including the season’s first Magnolia Warblers.
Magnolia Warblers © Daniel Irons
Next week looks hot and humid, but with light winds mostly out of the north. That should bring some new migrants into the area, plus if the pattern holds there might be a small cold front late in the week.
Thanks for reading!
Daniel
Visit MBP's Turkey Point Bird Count project page for more information.
Observations from counter Daniel Irons
Juvenile Eastern Bluebird © Daniel Irons
The first week of August was cool with primarily light northerly and southerly winds. There was a steady trickle of migrants moving through including many Orchard Orioles, Yellow Warblers, American Redstarts, and a few Northern and Louisiana Waterthrushes.
Orchard Orioles made a strong showing in the first week of the count, with 106 counted between August 1st and 7th. Highlights included two Worm-eating Warblers, an early Tennessee Warbler, Yellow-throated Warbler, and on August 3rd was the first Prothonotary Warbler of the season.
Orchard Oriole © Daniel Irons
Temps heated up into the 90s during the second week of August with light winds primarily from the south and east. Usually, these conditions are not the best for fall migrants, but Turkey Point seems to be surprisingly productive on hot sticky days with light easterly winds that push migrants against the edge of the Bay.
Prothonotary Warbler © Daniel Irons
August 9th brought a nice push of migrants off a night with light easterlies. On this day, the season’s first Dickcissel and Least Flycatcher were noted along with another Tennessee Warbler. Based on this early movement of Tennessee’s locally and north of here in southern Canada, it's looking to be a big fall for the species.
August 10th was another productive morning with light south winds. 15 Yellow Warblers were tallied along with 3 Black Terns flying south over the bay. Chimney Swifts made a particularly strong showing with 417 counted during the morning. All were departing south over the bay from the point into a light headwind.
Chimney Swift © Daniel Irons
August 13th brought a nice mix of warblers set up by light northwest winds. 11 species of warblers were counted that morning with highlights including the season’s first Blackburnian and Cape May Warblers.
Blackburnian Warbler © Daniel Irons
After a week of hot temps and southerly winds, a small cold front on August 14th was a welcome sight. The following morning produced a noticeable uptick in Blue-gray Gnatcatchers (67) and American Redstarts (27). Other goodies from the morning included Dickcissel, the season’s first Chestnut-sided Warbler, and an Olive-sided Flycatcher. Two more Cape May Warblers were also noted. It’s early for Cape Mays locally, with several moving through the locally and loads on the move to the north it’s likely to be a good fall for them.
Cape May Warbler © Daniel Irons
It’s getting to be that time of the year when every day brings new arrivals to the area, especially with a nice cold front. The weather in the coming week doesn’t look promising with hot temps and southerly winds, we will have to wait and see what happens.
Thanks for reading!
Daniel
Visit MBP's Turkey Point Bird Count project page for more information.