Date: Mon, 31 Dec 2001 16:40:41 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Denise Ryan Subject: Scarlet Tanager? plus DC ramblings Help! I think I may be delusional with wishful-birding. I think I saw a Scarlet Tanager at Dyke Marsh this afternoon around 1pm. It was located in the Cedar Trees about 50 ft. before the board walk at the end of the trail. It stayed in that area for 45 min. and was constantly working the leaves and branches for insects. It was working trees to the North of me, so I got lots of nice light, but the bird was 20 ft. away when I first saw it and then it moved farther and farther into the brush and trees making it very hard to confirm more details. I don't want to get everyone in an uproar, but if any more expereinced folks have time to visit the marsh between football games tomorrow maybe you can confirm. I have never seen a Scarlet Tanager, so this is my description of the bird. About the size of a White-Throated Sparrow, medium to pale yellow breast, belly, throat, and undertail coverts; greenish nape and mantle that blended from green to dark grey on the wings; dark eye with no discernable eye ring or supercilium, or lores; bill was thinner than a White-Throated Sparrow; overall head color blended from the green on the nape to more gray around the eyes and auriculars, but the crown was a brighter green than the nape. The crown actually was a really pretty green contrast between the grayish head and yellow belly. I never saw the underparts of the wings, or at least details did not register when he popped from tree to tree. Using the Sibley guide I think that the fall Yellowthroat is much to pale and grey on the belly and breast to represent the color of this bird. And the size of a Yellowthroat is just too small. Other nice findings at Dyke Marsh today 300+ American Coots seen at the end of the boardwalk 2 Kildeer 1 Eastern Towhee (male) Downy Woodpecker Red-Bellied Woodpecker 1 Fox Sparrow Lots of White-Throated Sparrows Lots of Northern Cardinals 1 Blue Jay 1 Blue Heron 1 Winter Wren 3 Golden-Crowned Kinglet 12 Carolina Chickadee 2 Tufted Titmouse Georgetown Res. Just Ring-Billed Ducks this morning Herring Gulls Ring-Billed Gulls 3 Greater Black-Backed Gulls Chain Bridge No Wood Ducks after lots of searching 1 Blue Heron seen from bridge 2 White Tailed Deer White-Throated Sparrows Carolina Chickadees Red-Bellied Woodpecker Fletcher's Boathouse Usual suspects plus 1 Dark-eyed Junco - slate 2 Turkey Vultures harassed by one crow I did not stick around too long North of Dyke Marsh - Park Service Nursery area on Potomac Hundreds of Ring-Billed Gulls Hundreds of Canada Geese Hundreds of Mallards I scanned the crowds and did not see anything unusual. Yesterday's Trip to Blackwater NWR 2 Northern Harrier Lots of Canada Goose 3 Snow Goose 4 Northern Shoveler Mallards 3 Bald Eagle 12 Ruby Crowned Kinglet dozens - Carolina Chickadee Northern Cardinal 1 Kestrel 2 Kildeer Lots of White-Throated Sparrow A few Bufflehead From Hoopers Island - at the base of the last big bridge 100's of Bufflehead dozens of Horned Grebe 120 Tundra Swan And last but not least - with the sighting of the Fox Sparrow today at Dyke Marsh I broke 200 Life Birds before the New Year. It isn't much, but I wanted to share with folks that would understand. I never started with a goal for the year, but I have really been birding in earnest since Sept. 11 as it seemed like the only thing that stayed normal since the sad events this fall. As I approached 200, I really started working hard to get to 200. The Snowy Owl was a surprise help this weekend as well as a Hooded-Merganser, and Tundra Swan. Thanks for a great year and happy New Year to you all! Denise Ryan Washington, DC ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================