Hotline: Voice of the Naturalist Date: 11/4/97 Coverage: MD/DC/VA/DE Telephone: 301-652-1088 Reports (voice): 301-652-9188 x3101 (fax): 301-951-7179 (email): voice@capaccess.org (deadline): 8am tuesdays Compiler: Jane Hill Sponsor: Audubon Naturalist Society of the Central Atlantic States (independent of NAS!) Transcriber: Steve Cordle (scordle@capaccess.org) !!Visit the ANS web site at http://www.AudubonNaturalist.org, and check http://www.capaccess.org/snr/chase.txt for updates between tuesdays!! This is the Voice of the Naturalist, a service of the Audubon Naturalist Society. This tape was made Tue, Nov 4, at 3:30 pm. Please consider joining the Society, especially if you are a regular user of the Voice (Indiv.$30; Family $40; Nature Steward $60; Audubon Advocate $100). The membership number is above and the address is 8940 Jones Mill Road, Chevy Chase, MD 20815. Top birds this week are: KING EIDER in VA; SANDHILL CRANE in DE; GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, EURASIAN WIGEON, HARLEQUIN DUCK, and FRANKLIN'S GULL in MD; CLAY-COLORED SPARROW in DE and VA; ROSS' GOOSE in MD and VA; and PACIFIC LOON just across the MD border, in PA. Other birds of interest include: RED-THROATED LOON, COMMON LOON, PIED-BILLED GREBE, HORNED GREBE, OLDSQUAW, scoters, other ducks, TUNDRA SWAN, BRANT, AMERICAN COOT, AMERICAN AVOCET, SPOTTED SANDPIPER, PURPLE SANDPIPER, BONAPARTE'S GULL, PEREGRINE FALCON, GOLDEN EAGLE, OSPREY, WINTER WREN, VESPER SPARROW, SNOW BUNTING, PURPLE FINCH, and PINE SISKIN. As in the past few weeks, water birds dominated this week's bird reports. A first-winter FRANKLIN'S GULL was spotted on Schoolhouse Pond, which is next to the county administration building in Upper Marlboro, Prince Georges Co, MD, on Nov 3; and a FRANKLIN'S GULL that was possibly the same bird, was found later the same day at a pond across the road from the Brown's Station Landfill, also in Prince Georges Co [DeLorme Pg 47, D6]. At this same landfill pond, a male EURASIAN WIGEON was seen on Oct 30 and relocated there on Nov 3. To reach the landfill pond, take Brown's Station Rd north from Upper Marlboro, and go about 2 mi, until you see the landfill on your right; turn left (west) into a recycling drop-off area, where you'll see dumpsters; go to the far end of the parking lot and look in the pond there. (At this time of year, birders should search any large flock of Laughing Gulls for Franklin's Gulls.) A SANDHILL CRANE was spotted in Raymond Pool, Bombay Hook NWR, DE, on Oct 28, but has not been reported there since. Birders diligently searching through flocks of Snow Geese on the eastern shore turned up ROSS' GEESE at several locations in MD and at one place in VA this past week. The MD birds included both adults and immatures, and white-phase geese and hybrids between white- and blue-phase geese. The locations and dates of the MD sightings were as follows: in a pond on the north side of Rt 309, about 1.5 mi east of the intersection of Rt 309 (Starr Rd) with Rt 213 (Wye Mills-Centreville Rd), south of Centreville, Queen Annes Co, MD [DeLorme Pg 50, B2], on Oct 29; a bird in flight off Marblehead Rd, just north of Ridgely, Caroline Co, MD [DeLorme Pg 51, C4], on Nov 2; another sighting off Blanco Rd, just west of the DE line and south of the intersection of Blanco Rd with DE Rt 96, in far northeastern Queen Annes Co, MD [DeLorme Pg 61, C5], on Nov 2; and, finally, a sighting west of Chesterville, Kent Co, MD, in a flock that was initially on a pond off Cherry Lane, just south of the intersection of Cherry Ln and Morgnec Rd, and that then flew to a pond to the north, on the east side of Kennedyville Rd, about a mile south of Kennedyville, on Nov 2. In VA, a ROSS' GOOSE was spotted in Snow Goose Pool, Chincoteague NWR, Accomack Co, on Oct 29. Searches of Canada Goose flocks also paid off this week, with a sighting of a GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE in one of the two ponds just east of the interchange at US Rt 301 and Rt 213, south of Centreville, MD [DeLorme Pg 50, B2], on Oct 29. Just outside our normal reporting area was a PACIFIC LOON, found just north of the MD state line, in the Susquehanna River, Lancaster Co, PA, on Oct 30. This bird was relocated several times during the week, at the same spot and also farther downstream. It was most recently seen at its original location, on Nov 3. For directions to this spot, call the Philadelphia Birdline, at 215-567-2473. Two HARLEQUIN DUCKs a male and female--were found at Ocean City Inlet, Worcester Co, MD, on Nov 2. Farther south, a KING EIDER was observed at CBBT Is #3, Northampton Co, VA, on Nov 1. A CLAY-COLORED SPARROW was found in a cut cornfield not far from Finis Pool, Bombay Hook NWR, DE, on Oct 31. Another CLAY-COLORED SPARROW was spotted at the Dulles Greenway Wetlands Mitigation Project, Loudoun Co, VA, on Nov 1; note that birders are not permitted to enter the wetlands property, but may observe birds from the road. Up to four BONAPARTE'S GULLs were seen in the Potomac River at Mason Neck St Pk, Fairfax Co, VA, on Nov 1 and 2. Other winter arrivals this week included two PURPLE SANDPIPERs, seen at Ocean City Inlet, MD, on Nov 3. A RED-THROATED LOON was spotted in the Choptank River, in Choptank, Caroline Co, MD, on Oct 29. A male and female WHITE-WINGED SCOTER were observed at Ocean City Inlet on Nov 3. Fifteen SURF SCOTERs were spotted on the Potomac River, from the marina at Westmoreland State Park, Westmoreland Co, VA, on Oct 29, and SURF SCOTERs numbering in the hundreds were seen at various points along the Atlantic coast during the week. BRANT were in evidence again this week, with a high count of 175 birds seen on the north side of the causeway that connects Chincoteague with the mainland, Accomack Co, VA, on Oct 31. Farther from the coast, five BRANT were noted at Sandy Pt St Pk, Anne Arundel Co, MD, on Nov 2. Other waterfowl including BUFFLEHEAD, RUDDY DUCKs, AMERICAN WIGEON, GADWALL, LESSER SCAUP, CANVASBACK, and RING-NECKED DUCKs, were reported widely. Waterfowl and other water birds were even in evidence in DC, with a COMMON LOON, accompanied by 48 RING-NECKED DUCKs and a PIED-BILLED GREBE seen on Georgetown Reservoir, and a HORNED GREBE spotted on the Tidal Basin, all on Oct 29. Farther down the Potomac, large rafts of ducks, mostly RUDDY DUCKs, were seen with large numbers of AMERICAN COOTs, at Mason Neck St Pk, on Nov 1. A new arrival among the winter waterfowl this past week was OLDSQUAW, with an adult male, winter-plumaged, bird found in the Potomac River at Riverbend Park, Fairfax Co, VA, on Nov 1. Also at Riverbend that day was a late SPOTTED SANDPIPER. Another lingering water bird found this past week was an AMERICAN AVOCET, frequenting Blackwater NWR, Dorchester Co, MD, on Oct 28. And a late OSPREY was noted at Black Hill Regional Park, Montgomery Co, MD, on Nov 1. Also at Black Hill were two HORNED GREBEs, on Oct 31 and Nov 1 and 2. BUFFLEHEAD numbering about two dozen were at this spot on Oct 28 and Nov 2, and REDHEADs were there throughout the week, with a high count of five birds on Oct 31. TUNDRA SWANs were reported from a number of locations around our region. A GOLDEN EAGLE was tallied at the Snicker's Gap Hawkwatch, on the Loudoun/Clarke Co line, VA, on Oct 28, and another one was recorded there on Nov 2. Other raptors of note this past week included a PEREGRINE FALCON, first spotted in the vicinity of the White House and then seen flying to a perch atop the Department of Commerce building, in NW DC, on Nov 1. WINTER WRENs are being reported, with two birds seen at Eakin Community Park, Fairfax Co, VA, and a single bird at Dyke Marsh, Alexandria, VA, both on Nov 3; and two birds at Green Ridge St Pk, Allegany Co, MD, on Oct 29. Winter finches are showing up in increasing variety. A PINE SISKIN was spotted at a feeder in Darnestown, Montgomery Co, MD, on Nov 2. PURPLE FINCHes were reported from several locations, with three male birds at a feeder in Glen Burnie, MD, on Oct 28 and 29; six birds at a feeder in Davidsonville, Anne Arundel Co, MD, on Oct 29; and two birds in Jeffersonton, Culpeper Co, VA, on Oct 29. The first reports of SNOW BUNTING came in this week, with a single bird seen at Lake Brittle, Fauquier Co, VA, on Oct 29, and another one spotted at Hart-Miller Is, Baltimore Co, MD, on Nov 2. Also at Hart-Miller that day were two VESPER SPARROWs. Another VESPER SPARROW was found at Great Falls Park, Fairfax Co, VA, on Nov 1, and a third one was seen along River Rd extended, opposite the turf farm downstream from Whites Ferry, Montgomery Co, MD [DeLorme Pg 55, D4], on Oct 29. The status of the reservations-only trip to Eastern Neck NWR, MD, and nearby areas, scheduled for Sun, Nov 9, is undertain; those interested in going should leave a message with the leader, Paul DuMont of Arlington, at 703-931-8994, and he will return your call on Nov 8 IF the trip is definitely on. There will be a reservations-only trip to Huntley Meadows Park, VA, on Sat, Nov 15; call the leader, Ed Eder of Alexandria, at 703-360-7994, to secure your place. To report bird sightings you can FAX your report to ANS at 301- 951-7179, or call 301-652-9188, extension 3101 for a dedicated answering machine at all hours. Internet users can e-mail reports to: voice@capaccess.org. Thank you for calling and GOOD BIRDING.