DC Area, 12/2/97

Steve Cordle (scordle@erols.com)
Tue, 02 Dec 1997 16:59:46 -0500


Hotline:            Voice of the Naturalist
Date:               12/2/97
Coverage:           MD/DC/VA/DE
Telephone:          301-652-1088
Reports (voice):    301-652-9188 x3101
          (fax):    301-951-7179
        (email):    voice@capaccess.org 
     (deadline):    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/vguide.txt for guidelines on
making bird reports!!

     This is the Voice of the Naturalist, a service of the
Audubon Naturalist Society.  This tape was made Tue, Dec 2, at
3pm. 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: ROSS' GOOSE in MD and DE; KING
EIDER and COMMON EIDER in DE and VA; COMMON EIDER in DE and VA;
HARLEQUIN DUCK in VA and MD; FRANKLIN'S GULL in VA; and BREWER'S
BLACKBIRD in MD.

     Other birds of interest include: WHITE-WINGED SCOTER, RED
KNOT, PURPLE SANDPIPER, ICELAND GULL, PEREGRINE FALCON, MERLIN,
ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, EASTERN PHOEBE, BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER, a vireo
not identifiable to species, BALTIMORE ORIOLE, SNOW BUNTING, RED
CROSSBILL, and WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL.

     A blue-phase ROSS' GOOSE was spotted in a flock of tens of
thousands of Snow Geese in a harvested cornfield in the northwest
corner of the intersection of DE Rts 113 and 16 (DeLorme Pg 44,
A2), on the morning of Nov 27.

     The ROSS' GOOSE reported in Anne Arundel Co, MD, last week
was seen again by numerous birders this past week.  From Nov 27
through Nov 30, it was seen near the pond with willow trees on Rt
259 (Greenock Rd) (DeLorme Pg 38, A2; Pg 48, D2).  This pond is
about 0.35 mi southwest of the intersection of Rt 259 with Rt
408, and is the first pond on the left if you are approaching
from that intersection.  Earlier in the week, on Nov 25, the
goose was spotted about 0.4 mi southwest of this spot, in a
grassy field near a red barn, on the south side of Rt 259.

     Two gulls believed to be FRANKLIN'S GULLs were reported from
the upper reaches of Accotink Bay, Ft Belvoir Military
Reservation, Fairfax Co, VA, on Nov 29. 

     A BREWER'S BLACKBIRD was spotted in a mixed flock of several
thousand blackbirds in a field on Crouse Mill Rd, north of the
town of Queen Anne, Queen Annes Co, MD (DeLorme Pg 50, C3), late
on the afternoon of Nov 29; the flock subsequently took off and
headed south.

     A female and three male HARLEQUIN DUCKs were spotted near
the south jetty at Ocean City Inlet, Worcester Co, MD, on Nov 27. 
Seventeen PURPLE SANDPIPERs were seen at the inlet the same day. 
Farther south, a female HARLEQUIN DUCK was seen off the fishing
pier at CBBT Is #1, Northampton Co, VA, on Nov 29; and another
one was off Is #4 the following day.

     Eiders were seen from Cape Henlopen to the CBBT this past
week. A male KING EIDER was spotted off Cape Henlopen St Pk, DE,
on Nov 27 and 29.  A pair of COMMON EIDERs was seen there on Nov
27.  Two KING EIDERs, at least one of them a male, were seen at
Indian River Inlet, DE, on Nov 29 and 30.  An adult male COMMON
EIDER was seen off CBBT Is #3, VA, on Nov 30.  A female KING
EIDER was seen off Is #2, on Nov 30, and a first-winter ICELAND
GULL was reported from that island on Nov 29.

     SNOW BUNTINGs were seen in twos and threes at Sandy Pt St
Pk, Anne Arundel Co, MD, on Nov 28 and 29.  They were mostly in
the short grass just north of the beachside rest rooms, and were
also seen on rock piles at water's edge.  Fifty-four SNOW
BUNTINGs were counted at Hart-Miller Is, Baltimore Co, MD, on Nov
29.  And 38 SNOW BUNTINGs were seen along the beach near the
point at Cape Henlopen St Pk, on Nov 27.

     Cape Henlopen St Pk is a dependable site for Snow Buntings
in most years, and is also proving a good spot for crossbills
this year.  Numerous sightings of both crossbill species were
reported from there on Thanksgiving Day and over the weekend. The
high count for WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL was six birds, seen between
the point and the observation tower, on Nov 27.  Eight RED
CROSSBILLs were also seen flying at this location that day. 
Single WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL reports on Nov 27 came both from
the closed campground near the parking lot, and from just south
of Gordon Ponds Wildlife Area, which is between Cape Henlopen Pk
and Rehoboth Beach.

     The high count reported for RED CROSSBILLs was 26 birds,
seen at Cape Henlopen St Pk on Nov 27; they were near the parking
area for the Great Dunes Trail.  Twenty-two RED CROSSBILLs were
seen at the park on Nov 29; these birds were flying over the
parking area near the observation tower.  And ten RED CROSSBILLs
were seen in the tower area the following day.

     A female or immature WHITE-WINGED SCOTER was reported from
the Potomac River near Riley's Lock, C&O Canal, Montgomery Co,
MD, on Nov 28 and 30.    

     Raptor sightings this week were topped by a report of a
ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK seen near the intersection of I-70 and US Rt
15, Frederick Co, MD, on Nov 27.  PEREGRINE FALCONs and MERLINS
were reported from several locations in our region.  

     Lastly, there were several reports of lingering migrants.  A
winter-plumaged RED KNOT was seen along the beach at Gordons Pond
Wildlife Area, DE, on Nov 27. A BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER was spotted
along Cornfield Harbor Rd, St Mary's Co, MD, on Nov 29. An
EASTERN PHOEBE was found at Hughes Hollow, Montgomery Co, MD, on
Nov 30, and another one was in Jeffersonton, Culpeper Co, VA, on
Nov 29.  An immature male BALTIMORE ORIOLE was seen on the
fishing pier at CBBT Is #1, VA, on Nov 29.  And a vireo
identifiable only as a member of the Solitary Vireo complex was
found at Jeffersonton, VA, also on Nov 29.

     There will be a trip to Cambridge and Blackwater NWR, MD,
areas on Sun Dec 7; call the leader, Dick Cleveland of
Gaithersburg, at 301-926-7109, for information and to reserve
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.