DC Area, 1/13/98
Steve Cordle (scordle@erols.com)
Tue, 13 Jan 1998 16:27:05 -0500
Hotline: Voice of the Naturalist
Date: 1/13/98
Coverage: MD/DC/VA/DE
Telephone: 301-652-1088
Reports (voice): 301-652-9188 x3101
(fax): 301-951-7179
(email): voice@capaccess.org
(deadline): midnight mondays
Compiler: Jane Hill
Sponsor: Audubon Naturalist Society of the Central
Atlantic States (independent of NAS!)
Transcriber: Steve Cordle (scordle@capaccess.org)
!!Check http://www.capaccess.org/snr/chase.txt for updates
between tuesdays, and www.capaccess.org/snr/vguide.txt for
guidelines on reporting your sightings!!
This is the Voice of the Naturalist, a service of the
Audubon Naturalist Society. This tape was made Tue, Jan 13, at 1
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: SANDHILL CRANE, GREATER WHITE-
FRONTED GOOSE, COMMON GULL, ICELAND GULL, BLACK-HEADED GULL, and
RED and WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL in MD; BLACK-TAILED GULL, NORTHERN
GOSHAWK, ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, and ALLEN'S HUMMINGBIRD in VA; SHORT-
EARED OWL in DE; EURASIAN WIGEON in VA and MD; and SAY'S PHOEBE
in PA.
Other birds of interest include: BLUE-WINGED TEAL, DUNLIN,
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL, LAUGHING GULL, BONAPARTE'S GULL, BROWN-
HEADED NUTHATCH, BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER, and GRAY CATBIRD.
Two interesting gulls that have been frequenting our region
were seen again this past week. The COMMON GULL first reported
on Jan 1 at Conowingo Dam, Harford Co, MD, was seen again early
on the morning of Jan 7, and at about noon on Jan 10. The BLACK-
TAILED GULL first seen in mid-December at CBBT Is#4 was spotted
there again on Jan 10; this time it was on the west side, high up
on the rocks, in a flock of Ring-billed Gulls.
Other unusual gulls this past week included an adult BLACK-
HEADED GULL at Conowingo Dam on Jan 9 and a first-winter ICELAND
GULL there on Jan 10.
Three SANDHILL CRANEs, two of them apparently juveniles,
were seen feeding on mudflats along the Patuxent River in Prince
Georges Co, MD, on Jan 6, 7, and 9. The birds were not banded and
are apparently wild. They are probably best viewed in the late
afternoon from the observation deck next to the Wetlands Center
at Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary, which is on the east side of the
Patuxent River, in Anne Arundel Co. The Sanctuary is open
Wednesdays and Saturdays, 9-5; to arrange to visit at other
times, call 410-741-9330.
An adult GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE with at least two young
that were hybrids between Greater White-fronted and Canada Geese,
were spotted in a flock of Canada Geese along the first 1/4 mi of
Bayhead Rd, just north of US Rt 50, about 1 mi west of Sandy
Point St Pk, Anne Arundel Co, MD (DeLorme Pg 49, B4), on Jan 12.
This is the fifth year in a row that a Greater White-fronted
Goose has been reported from this location.
The male EURASIAN WIGEON reported last week from a farm pond
north of Warrenton, Fauquier Co, VA, was seen again at the same
place on Jan 10; the bird emerged from a cove and was visible for
less than a minute, so patience may be required to find it. The
farm pond is in the northeast corner of the intersection of US Rt
17 and Rt 709, just south of I-66 (DeLorme Pg 75, B6). Another
male EURASIAN WIGEON was seen at a pond on the west side of
Brown's Station Rd, opposite the Brown's Station Landfill,
northwest of Upper Marlboro, Prince Georges Co, MD [DeLorme Pg
47, D6] on Jan 12; best viewing of this pond is from the
recycling center.
Pine trees at Liberty Reservoir, Carroll Co, MD, continued
to host crossbills this week. Twelve WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLs and
20 RED CROSSBILLs were spotted Jan 10 in a pine stand on Pine
Knob Rd, about 0.8 mi east of Rt 32 (DeLorme Pg 57, A5). Four
WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLs were reported from this same area on Jan
11. The same day, just to the west of the pine stand, up to 10
WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLs were seen in deciduous trees in the yard
at the second driveway on your left as you head back down Pine
Knob Rd toward Rt 32. Be sure to stay off private property.
A SHORT-EARED OWL was seen and heard as it hunted at dusk
over marshes along Pt Mahon Rd, Little Creek Wildlife Area, DE,
on Jan 11. Other raptor reports of note included NORTHERN
GOSHAWK sightings in the Leesburg, Ashburn, and Beaverdam
Reservoir areas of Loudoun Co, VA (DeLorme Pg 80, D1) during the
week; and a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK along Oatlands Mill Rd, at the
Dulles Greenway Wetlands, on Jan 8.
The ALLEN'S HUMMINGBIRD reported from Bristol, VA, last week
was last seen on the morning of Jan 6.
The SAY'S PHOEBE seen in Newville, PA, last week was
observed again each day from Jan 7 through 11. For directions,
call the Baltimore Birdline, at 410-467-0653.
Seven adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLs were seen in a flock
of about 10,000 gulls at Brown's Station Landfill, on Brown's
Station Rd, Prince Georges Co, MD [DeLorme Pg 47, D6], on Jan 12.
On Jan 10, single LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLs were seen on the
Rhode River, near the Smithsonian Institution for Environmental
Studies, Anne Arundel Co, MD [DeLorme Pg 48, C,D-3]; and at
Conowingo Dam, MD. Up to three LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLs were
spotted during the week at Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary, MD, among
flocks of 12,000-15,000 gulls that stop over at the wetlands late
each afternoon.
Jug Bay Wetlands also held five DUNLIN and a LAUGHING GULL,
on Jan 7. Another DUNLIN was spotted on mudflats along the
Potomac River, just south of Hunting Creek, south of Alexandria,
VA, on Jan 6. Twenty BONAPARTE'S GULLs were at Conowingo Dam,
MD, on Jan 9.
Three BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCHes were spotted at Horsehead
Wetlands, Grasonville, Queen Annes Co, MD, on Jan 10. They were
in the far pond, the third on the left from the visitor ctr. A
BLUE-WINGED TEAL was seen at the wetlands the same day.
Lingering migrants included two GRAY CATBIRDs spotted at
Fort Hunt Park, south of Alexandria, VA, on Jan 6; and a BLUE-
GRAY GNATCATCHER, seen at Dyke Marsh, Alexandria, on Jan 11.
Upcoming pelagics in our region depart VA Beach, VA, on Jan
17, Feb 7, and Feb 21. Call Brian Patteson, at 703-765-4484, for
more information.
There will be a reservations-only trip from Ocean City, MD,
to Cape Henlopen, DE, on Sat Jan 24; call the leader, Paul DuMont
of Arlington, at 703-931-8994, to reserve your spot.
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
email reports to: voice@capaccess.org. Thank you for calling and
GOOD BIRDING.