Voice of the Naturalist, 20 Jan 98
Norm Saunders (osprey@ARI.Net)
Thu, 22 Jan 1998 01:29:44 -0500
Date: Tue, 20 Jan 1998 19:59:35 -0500
XFrom: Jane Hill
Subject: [BIRDEAST] DC Area, 1/20/98
Hotline: Voice of the Naturalist
Date: 1/20/98
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)
This is the Voice of the Naturalist, a service of
the Audubon Naturalist Society. This tape was made
Tue, Jan 20, at 3:30 pm.
Top birds this week are: possible SHORT-TAILED
SHEARWATER, MANX SHEARWATER, NORTHERN FULMAR, GREAT
SKUA, POMARINE JAEGER, BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE,
DOVEKIE, RAZORBILL, ATLANTIC PUFFIN, GREATER
WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, ROSS' GOOSE, EURASIAN WIGEON,
MARBLED GODWIT, PARASITIC JAEGER, ICELAND GULL, SAY'S
PHOEBE, RED and WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLs, and COMMON
REDPOLL.
Other birds of interest include: EARED GREBE,
NORTHERN GANNET, AMERICAN BITTERN, KING and COMMON
EIDER, HARLEQUIN DUCK, OLDSQUAW, GREATER SCAUP, COMMON
GOLDENEYE, REDHEAD, RED KNOT, PURPLE SANDPIPER,
GREATER YELLOWLEGS, LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL, hawks,
TREE SWALLOW, SEDGE WREN, BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER, GRAY
CATBIRD, YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT, and SNOW BUNTING.
A pelagic trip out of VA Beach, VA, on Jan 18
turned up a bird that may possibly be a SHORT-TAILED
SHEARWATER. The trip also yielded 30 NORTHERN FULMAR,
more than 600 BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE, and one each of
MANX SHEARWATER, GREAT SKUA, POMERINE JAEGER, DOVEKIE,
RAZORBILL, and ATLANTIC PUFFIN.
Closer to land, a winter-plumaged, adult
PARASITIC JAEGER was spotted off CBBT Is #3 on the
morning of Jan 16.
The two male EURASIAN WIGEON reported last
week were seen again this week. The bird frequenting
the 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], was seen again on Jan 18; best
viewing of this pond is from the recycling center. The
other EURASIAN WIGEON, on a farmpond at the northeast
corner of the intersection of US Rt 17 and Rt 709,
just south of I-66 in Fauquier Co, VA
(DeLorme Pg 75, B6), was seen again, along the far
shore, on the morning of Jan 13; that day, an adult
GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE was on the pond at the
same time, in a flock of several hundred Canada Geese.
Early morning appears to be the best time to look for
the goose, before the flock disperses for the day.
Another GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE was seen
in a flock of Canada Geese on the righthand side of
Aydelotte Rd, between Brantley Rd and Sheephouse Rd,
southeast of Pocomoke City, Worcester Co, MD
[DeLorme Pg 26, B3], on Jan 19.
Other goose reports included three adult,
white-phase ROSS' GEESE spotted among thousands of
Snow Geese at Blackwater NWR, Dorchester Co, MD, on
Jan 14; and another ROSS' GOOSE at Bear Swamp Pool,
Bombay Hook NWR, DE, on Jan 17.
A MARBLED GODWIT was seen at the "4th St flats",
Ocean City, Worcester Co, MD, on Jan 19; this bird was
seen from Hooper's Restaurant, on the mainland side
of the flats.
A SAY'S PHOEBE is still being seen in Newville
PA; call the Central PA Bird Hotline, at 717-255-1212,
ext 5760, for directions.
Both RED and WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL are still
frequenting pine trees along Pine Knob Rd in Liberty
Reservoir, Carroll Co, MD. Both species were seen
Jan 17-19, with high counts of 20 RED and eight
WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL during that period. This spot
is about 0.8 mi east of Rt 32 (DeLorme Pg 57, A5). At
nearby Deer Park Rd (DeLorme Pg 74, D2), also in
Liberty Reservoir, eight RED CROSSBILLs were seen on
Jan 18. Another location that yielded crossbills this
week was Prettyboy Reservoir, in far nw Baltimore Co,
MD, with reports of up to 40 RED CROSSBILLs along
Gunpowder Rd, 1/2 mile north of Beckleysville Rd
[DeLorme Pg 74, B3], on Jan 17. In VA, two RED
CROSSBILLs were found in conifers along Rt 772 (Ryan
Rd), about 1/2 mi east of Rt 659, near Ashburn, Loudoun
Co [DeLorme Pg 76, A1], on Jan 18. Other winter finch
reports included a COMMON REDPOLL at the Dulles
Greenway Wetlands, Loudoun Co, on Jan 17.
An immature ICELAND GULL was spotted flying
between CBBT Islands #1 and #2, on Jan 17. Three
first-winter ICELAND GULLs and three adult LESSER
BLACK-BACKED GULLs were seen at the Salisbury Landfill,
off Brick Kiln Rd, west of Salisbury, Wicomico Co, MD
(DeLorme Pg 33, B6), on Jan 13. Two more LESSER
BLACK-BACKED GULLs were spotted at the Cecil County
Landfill, MD, on Jan 19. An adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED
GULL was seen along Rt 667, about 1 mile west of US Rt
13, Somerset Co, MD [DeLorme Pg 26, 1B], over the
weekend. Still another LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was
seen at Bear Swamp Pool, Bombay Hook NWR, DE, on Jan 17.
Numbers of eiders and Harlequin Ducks are still
building along the coast, with a total of 48 COMMON
EIDER and 12 KING EIDER reported from the CBBT Islands,
Northampton Co, VA, on Jan 17, and seven HARLEQUIN
DUCKs at CBBT Is #3 the same day. The high counts at
Ocean City Inlet, Worcester Co, MD, were 25 COMMON
EIDER on Jan 18 and 19, five KING EIDER on Jan 13, and
11 HARLEQUIN DUCKs on Jan 18. The inlet held 60 PURPLE
SANDPIPERs, 10 NORTHERN GANNETs, and all three scoter
species on Jan 13, and two RED KNOTs on Jan 18.
Large rafts of COMMON GOLDENEYE, OLDSQUAW, and
GREATER SCAUP were observed in the Chesapeake Bay from
spots along MD's Calvert Co coast, on Jan 18. A
REDHEAD was found on Gunner Lake, near Germantown,
Montgomery Co, MD [ADC Map 13, D11,12], on Jan 17. A
GREATER YELLOWLEGS was noted at the Dulles Greenway
Wetlands, Loudoun Co, VA, on Jan 19.
Two SEDGE WRENs were spotted at the Eastern
Shore of VA NWR, Northampton Co, VA, on Jan 17. Two
more SEDGE WRENs were seen along Rumbly Pt Rd, near
Crisfield, Somerset Co, MD [DeLorme Pg 25, B,C6], on
Jan 19, and up to five SEDGE WRENs and an AMERICAN
BITTERN were seen in the Crisfield area on Jan 14.
Three more AMERICAN BITTERNs were at Deal Is WMA,
Somerset Co, MD, on Jan 13, and 500 TREE SWALLOWs were
seen there the following day.
A flock of up to 100 SNOW BUNTINGs was spotted
on the dunes at Cape Henlopen St Pk, DE, on Jan 18.
Eighty-seven SNOW BUNTINGs were counted at Hart-Miller
Is, Baltimore Co, MD, on Jan 16.
A YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT was spotted at Back
River sewage plant, Baltimore Co, MD, on Jan 17. A
BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER and three GRAY CATBIRDs are
hanging on at Dyke Marsh, Alexandria, VA, with the
most recent reports for Jan 19.
DC hosted three raptors of note this past week,
including a PEREGRINE FALCON perched atop an antenna
on the old Hecht Co. building, across from the new MCI
Center on F St, NW, DC, on Jan 14. After the
Peregrine departed, an AMERICAN KESTREL took its
place at this same spot. A MERLIN was seen on Capitol
Hill Jan 12-14.
Another MERLIN, a female, was spotted along
Rt 658, less than 1/2 mi east of US Rt 15, Lucketts,
Loudoun Co, VA [DeLorme Pg 80, 1B,C], on Jan 19. A
male OSPREY was seen flying at the Pt Tobacco Marina,
off Rt 6, outside of La Plata, Charles Co, MD
[DeLorme Pg 37, D3] on Jan 18.
Upcoming pelagics in our region depart VA
Beach, VA, on Feb 7 and Feb 21. Call Brian Patteson,
at 703-765-4484, for more information, or visit the
website www.patteson.com.
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.