The art of waiting and that damn Somerset County Snowy Owl -- January 11, 2014

One of the actions that a birder with a full time job must fine tune is the art of waiting. There was a time before the internet when birders in Maryland would wait anxiously for the Voice of the Naturalist recording to be posted at a certain telephone number. This recording would list all the bird rarities that had been found in Virginia, Delaware, and Maryland from the previous week with any pertinent details.  I remember sitting with a pen and paper feverishly scribbling down notes on all the birds that I wanted to chase. Invariably, I would have to call at least twice to make sure I was able to get down all the details that I needed. Long distance rates be damned, I needed that info. The problem with the Voice of the Naturalist was it was posted every Tuesday at noon. Because I worked I would have to wait three and half days before I was able to do any chasing. Those three and a half days could be agonizing. Today, getting details on rare birds is done in real time. Text messages and bird list-serves on the internet allow anyone interested in chasing a bird to do so almost immediately. Even though technology has increased our ability to share bird sightings, those birders with full time jobs still have to wait for the weekend to chase.

I got the text message from Jim Stasz about the Somerset County Snowy Owl on Thursday at 7:36am just as I was pulling into work. Jim had found the owl sitting on a post at the boat ramp at the end of Rumbly Point Road. At 10:09am (I'm still at work) Mike Burchett texted that the Snowy Owl was still present but it had flown off the post at the boat ramp and was now sitting in the marsh and was easily viewed from the boat ramp parking area. At 3:02pm (I'm still at work) Ron Gutberlet texted that the Snowy Owl had moved farther out into the marsh but was still viewable. At 4:17pm (I'm driving home from work) Mike Walsh texted that the Snowy Owl had flown from the marsh to a tall dead tree with a Y-shaped snag near a cedar about 150-200 yards WNW of the boat ramp parking area. Friday afternoon while I am at work it is reported on the MD Birding google group that Sam Dyke had observed the Somerset County Snowy Owl that morning.  Friday evening I get a phone call from my friend Tom Feild who wants to chase the owl on Saturday. I'm all in.

I knew we were in trouble when Tom and I pulled off of Route 13 onto Crisfield Road and visibility was about ten feet. The fog was thick and did not seem to be dissipating. Rumbly Point Road is located in southern Somerset County southeast of Crisfield.  After  meandering through wet Loblolly Pine woods the road turns to dirt as it enters a large salt marsh before ending at a primitive boat ramp at the edge of Pocomoke Sound.  As we entered the salt marsh that foggy Saturday morning I questioned why I had gotten up at 5am and driven 1.5 hours just to stare at a landscape completely hidden in a haze of swirly white cloud. Even if the owl was present we wouldn't be able to see it. We drove through the marsh hoping that maybe we would get lucky.

Long-billed Dowitchers and a Greater Yellowlegs, Rumbly Point Rd, Somerset County, MD

What Tom and I didn't expect was the large numbers of shorebirds feeding in the open puddles in the marsh. Luckily, many of these puddles were close to the road and the fog seemed to give the birds more courage causing them not to fly as the car approached. Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Least Sandpipers, Dunlin, and Long-billed Dowitchers were observed during our drive toward the boat ramp.

As soon as we arrived at the end of the road we knew that there wasn't going to be a chance at seeing the owl so Tom and I decided to drive to Crisfield and wait for the fog to lift. I was able to photograph a Belted Kingfisher that was resting on a telephone wire a few miles north of the marsh.

Belted Kingfisher, Somerset County, MD

Tom and I spent about an hour checking the Crisfield waterfront without finding much of interest. The fog had lifted so we headed back to Rumbly Point Road hoping that the fog had blown off there as well. It hadn't. Once again we drove through the marsh only to find everything completely shrouded in mist.

Dunlin, Rumbly Point Rd, Somerset County, MD

I didn't want to spend the entire day straining through fog so I suggested we head to Assateague Island to see if we could find the Clay-colored Sparrow that had been hanging out in one of the island's campgrounds. With the decision made we headed for the coast. Along the way I stopped to photograph a clump of Chinese Silvergrass that was growing along the roadside. Chinese Silvergrass in a non-native species that has escaped ornamental cultivation and has become established in many areas.

Chinese Silvergrass, Cornstack Rd, Somerset County, MD

Once we arrived on Assateague, Tom and I went immediately to the campground where the Clay-colored Sparrow had been seen. An Assateague pony was waiting for us as we pulled into the campground.

Feral Horse, Assateague Island, Worcester County, MD

We soon found the large sparrow flock feeding along the roadside. A Chipping Sparrow along with two Fox Sparrows, Song Sparrows, White-throated Sparrows, Field Sparrows, Northern Cardinals, Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warblers, a Brown Thrasher and a surprise American Woodcock were all feeding together in the short grass of a campsite. Tom soon spotted the Clay-colored Sparrow which blended in surprisingly well with dull yellowish grass. My efforts to photograph the sparrow were not very successful but fortunately good enough for documentation.  Clay-colored Sparrows are rare annual vagrants in Maryland, typically during the cooler months.

Clay-colored Sparrow, Assateague Island, Worcester County, MD

After making sure we had seen all the birds in the campground Tom and I decided to take a quick walk through one of the island's Loblolly Pine woods to tick a few plants.

Northern Bayberry, Assateague Island, Worcester County, MD

Eastern Pricklypear Cactus, Assateague Island, Worcester County, MD

It was 2:30pm when we left the island. With only 2.5 hours of daylight left Tom and I had to make a plan for the rest the day. It didn't take long to make the decision to head back to Rumbly Point for one more chance at seeing the Snowy Owl.  During the drive we were heartened to see that most of the fog had lifted. When we arrived in the marshes we quickly drove down to the boat ramp. Unfortunately, there was no owl to be seen. Tom scoped the marsh while I took photos of the molluscs growing near the dock.

Tom Feild, Rumbly Point Rd, Somerset County, MD

Atlantic Ribbed Mussels and Eastern Oysters were very prevalent around the boat ramp.

Atlantic Ribbed Mussel, Rumbly Point Rd, Somerset County, MD

Eastern Oyster, Rumbly Point Rd, Somerset County, MD

Tom and I searched for the Snowy Owl for the next half hour. Scouring the marsh we saw Northern Harriers hunting across the needlerush and the occasional fly by Boat-tailed Grackle. Greater Yellowlegs called from the puddles and before long the fog began to roll in off the sound. We had one more stop to make before ending the day and it was way up in Kent County 2.5 hours north.

Rumbly Point, Somerset County, MD

Garrett County: January 4, 2014

Pleasant Valley, Garrett County, MD

Friday evening, January 3rd,  I received an email that showed a photo of a Snowy Owl sitting on top of a telephone pole in the Pleasant Valley of Garrett County, MD. Garrett County is the western most county in Maryland and a hefty 4 hour drive from Easton. I have spent a lot of time birding in Garrett County and the chance to add Snowy Owl to my county list was enough for me to see if there was any interest in chasing the owl. John Hubbel quickly responded and we set up a meeting time for the following morning.

When I got in the car early Saturday the thermometer read 10 degrees. On the way to the western shore the lowest temperature recorded was 7 degrees.  It was cold and I was worried what the weather was going to be like out in the mountains. I picked up John in Montgomery County and by 9:30am we were in Garrett County looking at the telephone pole where the Snowy Owl had been observed the previous evening.  There was no owl present.

Pleasant Valley, Garrett County, MD

The Pleasant Valley is a large area in the southwest corner of Garrett County. Most of the land is agricultural with lots of wide open spaces. It is a perfect place for a Snowy Owl. Most of the roads were covered in snow but easily passable. Temperatures were in the low teens and thankfully there was no wind. John and I decided we would cruise the back roads through the valley hoping to turn up the owl. For the next three hours we scoured every field and telephone pole in the Pleasant Valley with no luck. We ran into fellow birders Bill Pope, JB Churchill, and Aaron Graham who were also searching for the owl. John and I did find a small flock of American Tree Sparrows, a Peregrine Falcon, and a flock of 45 Horned Larks which unfortunately did not hold any Snow Buntings or longspurs.

Muskrat, Garrett County, MD

One of the highlights of our Garrett excursion was finding a Muskrat feeding along the roadside. I was amazed that this small rodent was not hibernating. There was a small flowing creek off the road where he must have built a lodge. I was able to get a couple photographs before he scurried back towards the creek. After checking the original Snowy Owl location one last time, John and I decided to give up on the owl and head east. Our next stop was the terminus in the town of Cumberland. Situated at the confluence of Wills Creek and the Potomac River, the terminus typically has flowing water in winter and holds the possibility of large congregations of waterfowl. A quick stop yielded a white domestic Peking Duck hanging with a small flock of Mallards, a couple hundred Canada Geese, and a few Hooded Mergansers. Nothing very exciting.

Cumberland Terminus, Allegany County, MD

Even though we missed our main target, it had been a productive day with a handful of difficult species observed. Peregrine Falcons are very uncommon in Garrett County and to get stellar Muskrat photographs was very exciting. Unfortunately, it would not be my last Snowy Owl miss of the year.

Getting Started: January 1st, 2014

Assateague dawn -- Worcester County, MD

Bill Hubick and I stood on the beach on Assateague Island as the sun rose on January 1st. Thinking ahead, I had volunteered as designated driver for the festivities of the previous night. Unfortunately it is hard to get revelers to bed at a reasonable hour on New Years Eve so I was only able to grab two hours of sleep. We had decided that we would start 2014 on Assateague Island where on the previous day a couple of Snowy Owls had been observed. I wanted to start my bold endeavor with a sighting of one of the most iconic of all birds.  Despite much searching and scanning of sand dunes no Snowy Owls were observed on Assateague on January 1st.  Scribbling furiously in my notebook and not taking enough photos we left the island with 26 species of plants and 31 species of birds all in the first 30 minutes of daylight.

Woolly Beach Heather on Assateague Island.

During the Ocean City, MD Christmas Bird Count on 12/28/13 Jen Elmer and her father Bob found a Western Tanager along the entrance road to a golf course near Berlin. Western Tanagers are typically found in western North America and any sighting on the east coast is very special. Luckily, the tanager was feeding in a Bradford Pear when we arrived and Bill and I were both able to get photos of the rarity.

Western Tanager -- Berlin, MD (Photo by Bill Hubick).

Common birds and plants were being ticked as we went to try for our next bird, a lingering Grasshopper Sparrow. The Grasshopper Sparrow is a regular breeder in many parts of Maryland. Since they migrate south for the winter finding one during the cooler months is very rare. George Armistead had found two Grasshopper Sparrows during the Ocean City Christmas Bird Count in a weedy field next to the Home Depot in West Ocean City. Scott Housten a local Ocean City birder had observed one of the birds the day before so Bill and I felt good about our chances. When we got to the field we were amazed at how many sparrows were present. Field, Song, Swamp, Savannah, and Chipping Sparrows were all observed. Lucky for us we were soon joined by Scott Housten who showed us where he had observed the bird and within a couple minutes we were looking at one of the Grasshopper Sparrows.

Grasshopper Sparrow -- West Ocean City, MD.

There was one more bird rarity to try for before we left the coast. A Western Kingbird, originally found by Winger West on the the Ocean City Christmas Count, was still being sporadically seen in east Berlin. Arriving at the location no kingbird was found so we moved on to look for waterfowl at one of the premier duck locations in coastal Maryland, the Bayside Development Pond. While Bill and I were pulling in to Bayside Development we got a call from Scott Housten informing us he was looking at the Western Kingbird. A quick turn around and five minutes later we were all looking at the bird.

Western Kingbird -- Berlin, MD.

Western Kingbirds are almost annual in Maryland but they are notorious for being sporadic and an easy miss. We were lucky to have scored one on the first day of the new year.  A quick stop at Bayside Development Pond yielded almost 50 Redhead and other waterfowl like Gadwall, Hooded Mergansers, Lesser Scaup, and American Wigeon. At the Ocean City Inlet our search snagged us four Harlequin Ducks but no eiders or Purple Sandpipers.

Harlequin Ducks -- Ocean City Inlet, MD (Photo by Bill Hubick).

With most of the day spent on the coast we decided that we would spend dusk in the marshes of Dorchester County looking for Short-eared Owls. With a quick stop for plants along Chicone Creek we were able to tick our first lichen and fungi species of the day, Trypethelium virens and Crowded Parchment (Stereum complicatum).

The lichen Trypethelium virens -- Chicone Creek, MD.

The fungus Crowded Parchment (Stereum complicatum) -- Chincone Creek, MD.

With dusk approaching Bill and I made our way to the Bespitch marshes where we had observed hunting Short-eared Owls a few days before. While we stood on a deserted road Virginia Rails called from the Black Needlerush and blackbird flocks flew east heading towards their night roost near Vienna. Bill soon picked out a Short-eared Owl hunting over the marsh. We watched the bird until it landed on a post and posed for a very blurry but identifiable photo.

Bespitch dusk -- Dorcehster County, MD.

The Collector Gene: an introduction to a bold endeavor

A few years ago my friend Bill Hubick told me he had the collector gene. It was the first time I had heard of this phenomenon. Bill went on to say that people who had this gene not only collected but enjoyed making lists. I immediately thought of my elementary years when I would keep count lists of all the different cars I observed whenever my family went on a trip. Then came books and records, sea shells, postwar German ceramics, rock and roll posters, and tons of bird data. Yup, I decided I had the collector gene.
Staring on January 1, 2014 I will attempt to identify 10,000 organisms in the United States and Canada. With geographical restraints as my only boundaries, all living things will be open for investigation. The endeavor that I am undertaking will be one of my boldest moves as I try to exploit the collector gene. The spreadsheets will be long, field guides will get bumped and bruised, experts will be queried, many bad photos will be taken, and my writing skills tested. I hope you will follow along as I update this blog with all of the exciting discoveries I will be making as I travel in search of...