The 124th Christmas Bird Count in Maryland and Delaware
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The winter of 2023–2024 was mild and considered warmer and wetter than normal. Minimum low temperature was 25 º F at Oakland (26 for Allegany County, Catoctin Mountain, and Washington County). The maximum high temperatures was 59 º F at both the Lower Kent County and Southern Dorchester County counts. Maximum estimated winds were 20 mph at the Milford count. Highlights this year included a Solitary Sandpiper at the Bowie count, California Gull at Seaford-Nanticoke, Least Bittern (Southern Dorchester), Snowy Owl (Bombay Hook), Western Flycatcher, some Ash-throated Flycatchers, as well as some unusual Vireo, Warbler, Sparrow, and Blackbird encounters.
WATERFOWL
Middle River has 1200 Snow Geese (hc). Seaford Nanticoke had only 20 Snow Geese (lc; all-time out of their 41 counts). Point Lookout had their first Ross’s Goose (us, first occurrence) and
Seneca also had a Ross’ Goose (us; their third). Jug Bay had a Greater White-fronted Goose (us) and Cape May-Prime Hook had one for count week. Port Tobacco had a Brant (us) which is exceptional for an inland count.
Sixteen Maryland counts and four Delaware counts had Cackling Geese. Count highs were at Jug Bay with 13 Cackling Geese (hc), Loch Raven had 4 (hc) and Patuxent River, Port Tobacco, and Seneca each had a Cackling Goose (us for all counts). Lower Kent had 11 Cackling Geese as well (I would expect the 34 from count 120 to be difficult to beat). Allegany County had 1083 Canada Geese (hc).
Middle River had 23 Mute Swans (hc)
Jug Bay had 16, Middle River had 4, Annapolis Gibson Island had 3 (all hc) Trumpeter Swans. Bombay Hook had 2 Trumpeter Swans (us). Middle River had 149 Tundra Swans (hc).
Oakland had 9 Wood Ducks (hc). Ocean City and Lower Kent County each had a Blue-winged Teal (us). Middle River had 517 and Oakland had 9 Northern Shovelors (both hc). Loch Raven had 105 Gadwall (hc). Ocean City had a Eurasian Wigeon (cw) and Lower Kent had their 5th (us). Middle River had a Eurasian Wigeon / American Wigeon Hybrid (us). Middle River had 1092 Mallards (hc), and Chesterville had a low of 245 (lc). Middle River had 404 American Black Ducks (hc). Middle River had 1263 Northern Pintails (hc). Middle River had 219 Green-winged Teal, Wilmington had 115, and Triadelphia had 74 (all were all-time hc).
Middle River had 93 Canvasbacks (hc). Chesterville had 1457, Middle River had 358, and Salisbury had 325 Ring-necked Ducks (all hc). At Middle River 1284 Lesser Scaup was a high (hc). Middle River had a White-winged Scoter (their 3rd). Chesterville had their first Long-tailed Duck (us). At Ocean City, 8 Long-tailed Ducks was a low (lc). Port Tobacco had 1562 Bufflehead (hc) and Middle River’s 281 Bufflehead was a high as was 208 Bufflehead on the Oakland count (all hc).
Middle River had 820 Hooded Mergansers (hc) while the nearby Loch Raven count had 73 (lc). South Dorchester had 157 (close to the all-time high of 201 from count 119). Middle River had 148, Patuxent River had 57, and Jug Bay had 38 Red-breasted Mergansers (all hc). Middle River had 10,220 Ruddy Ducks.
TURKEYS – GREBES – DOVES, HUMMINGBIRDS, RAILS & CRANES
Seneca had 42 (hc) and Rock Run had 28 Wild Turkeys (hc). Port Tobacco had 24 (hc), and Rock Run had 6 Horned Grebes (hc). Rehoboth had 3 and Cape May-Prime Hook had a Red-necked Grebe (for cw). Seaford-Nanticoke had 474 Rock Pigeons and Oakland had 193 (both hc). Seaford-Nanticoke had a low of 81 Mourning Doves (lc). Middle River had a low of 61 Rock Pigeons (lc). Cape May-Prime Hook (us) and Ocean City each had a Ruby-throated Hummingbird (us; 6th occurrence).
South Dorchester had 14 King Rails (32 in count 75 is their all-time high). Cape May-Prime Hook had a 8 King Rails (hc). Middle River and Patuxent River each had 1 as well (us; 1st occurrence at both counts). Patuxent River had a Clapper Rail (us; 2nd occurrence).
Jug Bay had a Clapper Rail (us). South Dorchester had a high of 39 Virginia Rails (though they have had up to 115 in count 75). Cape May-Prime Hook had 14 Virginia Rails (hc). Middle River had 4 Sora (us; hc), Bowie (2nd occurrence), and Jug Bay each had 2 (us), and Lower Kent (us; their 6th), Middleton (2nd occurrence) and Ocean City (us) each had 1. Cape May-Prime Hook had a Black Rail (us).
Middleton had 2 Common Gallinules (2nd occurrence). Loch Raven had 1310 (hc) and Middle River had 743 (hc) American Coots. Bombay Hook had 2 (5th occurrence) Sandhill Cranes and Seneca had Sandhill Crane for count week (cw). Cape May-Prime Hook 38 American Woodcock (near to the all-time high of 41 from count 1. Seneca had one for count week.
SHOREBIRDS & GULLS
Bombay Hook had 274 American Avocets (hc). Cape May-Prime Hook had 3 American Oystercatchers (us). South Dorchester had 16 Black-bellied Plovers (hc). Bombay Hook had a Hudsonian Godwit for count week (us). Bombay Hook also had a Marbled Godwit. Ocean City had only 1 Ruddy Turnstone (lc not all time; 67 occurrences out of 76 counts). Milford had 3519 Dunlin (hc).
Denton had 4 and Elkton had 1 Dunlin (us; both were a 1st occurrence). Middleton had a Purple Sandpiper (3rd occurrence).
Middle River and St. Michaels each had Purple Sandpiper for count week. Wilmington had 35 Least Sandpiper (hc). Cape May – Prime Hook and St. Michaels each had Least Sandpiper for count week. Cape May-Prime Hook had 48 Long-billed Dowitchers (hc). Bowie had a Solitary Sandpiper (us; apparently a first January record for Maryland). South Dorchester had 177 Greater Yellowlegs (hc). Bombay Hook had 79 Greater Yellowlegs (hc). Jug Bay had 3 Greater Yellowlegs (us). Ocean City had 21, Cape May-Prime Hook had 3 Willets (western; us), and Bombay Hook had Willet for count week. Cape May-Prime Hook had 33 Lesser Yellowlegs (hc).
Jug Bay had 112 Bonaparte’s Gulls (us). They had a maximum high number of 3,275 of them on count 106. Chesterville had 10 Bonaparte’s Gulls (hc). Rehoboth had a Black-headed Gull (their 18th). Annapolis-Gibson Island had a Little Gull (us). Loch Raven had 48 Ring-billed Gulls (lc). Seaford-Nanticoke had a California Gull (at the Sussex Landfill). Wilmington had 1 each Iceland and Glaucous Gulls. Bombay Hook also had an Iceland Gull. Milford had 14 Lesser Black-backed Gulls (hc) and Point Lookout had a Lesser Black-backed Gull (2nd occurrence). Milford had 19 Forster’s Terns (hc) and Crisfield had 12 (hc).
LOONS GREBES & CORMORANTS
Middle River had 8 Red-throated Loons (hc). Jug Bay and Rehoboth each had a Pacific Loon (us). Middle River had a high of 24 Common Loons (hc).
Annapolis-Gibson Island had 8870 Double-crested Cormorants (hc), Lower Kent had 2337 (hc), Cape May-Prime Hook had 1144 (hc), Rock Run had 156 (hc), Seneca had 38 (near the high of 42 from last year), Seaford Nanticoke had 33 (hc), and Sugarloaf had 1 (their 5th). South Dorchester had 54 American White Pelicans which is close to the all-time count high (they had 69 in count 114).
Annapolis-Gibson Island had 24 (hc), Rehoboth had 6 (hc) and Cape May-Prime Hook had 3 Brown Pelicans (us).
HERONS, EGRETS & NEW WORLD VULTURES
Chesterville and Seneca each had an American Bittern (us; a first occurrence for both these counts). St. Michaels had one for count week. South Dorchester had a Least Bittern (us). Middle River had 68 Great Blue Herons (hc). South Dorchester had 25 Great Egrets (near hc; 35 in count 97). Lower Kent had 1 Great Egret (us). Middle River had 3 Great Egrets (hc). Cape May-Prime Hook had 9 (hc; us) and Crisfield had 6 White Ibis (1st occurrence). Cape May-Prime Hook had 2 Glossy Ibis (us).
Allegany County had 118 (hc) and Oakland had 9 Black Vultures (hc). Allegany County had 39 (hc) and Oakland had 23 Turkey Vultures (hc).
HAWKS & EAGLES
Middle River had 10 Northern Harriers (hc). Wilmington had 21 Cooper’s Hawks (hc), Triadelphia had 18 (hc) and Cape May-Prime Hook had 11 Cooper’s Hawks (hc). Cape May-Prime Hook also had a Northern Goshawk (us). Cape May-Prime Hook had a high of 80 (hc), Triadelphia had 63 (hc), Point Lookout had 62 (hc), and Sugarloaf Mountain had 31 (hc) Bald Eagles. Wilmington had 36 Red-shouldered Hawks (hc), Catoctin Mountain had 35 (hc) and Cape May-Prime Hook had 6 (hc). At Middle River, 13 Red-tailed Hawks was a low (lc) and similarly Seaford Nanticoke had only 4 Red-tailed Hawks (lc).
OWLS, KINGFISHER, WOODPECKERS, FALCONS
Chesterville had 43 Eastern Screech-Owls, South Dorchester had 39, and Loch Raven had 5 (all hc). Middle River had 4 Great Horned Owls (hc). Seaford Nanticoke had only one Great-horned Owl (lc). The only Snowy Owl in the region was from Bombay Hook (their 7th). Wilmington had 36 (hc) and Middle River had 20 Belted Kingfishers (hc).
Seneca had 256, Triadelphia had 95, Jug Bay had 75, and Wilmington had 67, Lower Kent had 53, and Loch Raven had 26 Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers (all hc). Seneca had 169, Jug Bay had 56, Sugarloaf Mountain had 32, Bowie had 22, Loch Raven had 7, Saint Michaels had 6, Middle River had 4, and Milford and Seaford Nanticoke each had 2 Red-headed Woodpeckers (all hc). Seneca had 650 (hc) and Wilmington had 252 Red-bellied Woodpeckers (hc). Wilmington had 205 Downy Woodpeckers (hc). Triadelphia had 110, South Dorchester had 33, Saint Michaels had 28, Cape May-Prime Hook had 22, and Bombay Hook had 12 Pileated Woodpeckers (all hc). Wilmington had 141 Northern (Yellow-shafted) Flickers (hc) and Catoctin Mountain had 80 (hc).
Patuxent River had 4 Merlins (hc), St. Michaels had 4 Merlins (hc), and Allegany had 2 Merlins (hc). Chesterville had 3 (hc), Jug Bay had a Peregrine Falcon (us), and Triadelphia had 3 Peregrine Falcons (hc).
FLYCATCHERS, VIREOS, CORVIDS
Cape May-Prime Hook had a Western (Pacific-slope/Cordilleran) Flycatcher (us). Salisbury had 19 (hc) Eastern Phoebes, Triadelphia had 11 (hc), Annapolis-Gibson Island had 7 (hc), and Oakland had 1 (only their third occurrence). Middle River and Milford each had Ash-throated Flycatchers (us; 2 individuals at Milford) and Port Tobacco had one for count week (us).
Chesterville had a White-eyed Vireo (us). Patuxent River had a Blue-headed Vireo (us). Loch Raven had 272 Blue Jays (hc). At Seneca, 4,394 American Crows was a high number but they’ve had as many as 13,905 back in count 56. At Chesterville, 40 American Crows was a low (lc).
Seneca had 3,745 Fish Crows (hc), Middle River had 2,450 (hc), Jug Bay had 594 (hc), and Loch Raven had 226 (hc). Common Raven numbers continue to increase. Allegany had 53, Catoctin Mountain had 36, Sugarloaf Mountain had 34, Seneca had 25, Bowie had 20, Annapolis-Gibson Island 6, Port Tobacco had 5, Jug Bay had 4 (all hc), and Bombay Hook had 1 (us) at a known location.