DC Area, 12/16/97
Steve Cordle (scordle@erols.com)
Tue, 16 Dec 1997 17:32:45 -0500
Hotline: Voice of the Naturalist
Date: 12/16/97
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/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, Dec 16, at 3
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: SWAINSON'S HAWK and NORTHERN
GOSHAWK in MD; ROSS' GOOSE, possible BLACK-TAILED GULL,
FRANKLIN'S GULL, LONG-EARED OWL, NORTHERN SHRIKE, LOGGERHEAD
SHRIKE, YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD, and BREWER'S BLACKBIRD in VA;
SANDHILL CRANE and RED CROSSBILL in MD and VA; and PEREGRINE
FALCON in DC.
Other birds of interest include: RED-THROATED LOON, EARED
GREBE, COMMON and KING EIDER, HARLEQUIN DUCK, OLDSQUAW, RED KNOT,
MARBLED GODWIT, PURPLE SANDPIPER, BALD EAGLE, RED-HEADED
WOODPECKER, BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER, LAPLAND LONGSPUR, and SNOW
BUNTING.
A hawk believed to be a light-phase SWAINSON'S HAWK was seen
flying over the lake at Black Hill Regional Park, Montgomery Co,
MD, on Dec 14. Birders are urged to be on the lookout for a
buteo that is light-colored underneath, with a dark bib; photos
and a careful description are needed to confirm the sighting.
Other raptor reports included a NORTHERN GOSHAWK at the
Collington Life Care Community, Mitchellville, Prince George's
Co, MD, on Dec 15, and a PEREGRINE FALCON, seen perched atop the
church at Thomas Circle, NW DC, on Dec 16.
A carefully observed, adult NORTHERN SHRIKE was spotted at
Dulles Greenway Wetlands on Dec 13; it was seen by four birders
as it hunted from the trees along Oatlands Mill Rd (Co Rt 650)
(DeLorme Pg 79, D7, Pg 80, D1), about 1 mile west of US Rt 15. A
LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE was found at the Greenway Wetlands the
following day. Remember that the wetlands is a restricted area,
and birding must be done from the road.
A bird that might possibly have been a BLACK-TAILED GULL was
spotted at CBBT Is #3, Northampton Co, VA, on Dec 13; birders
visiting the bridge/tunnel should be on the lookout for a dark-
backed gull whose tail has a dark band next to a distinct white
terminal band. Photos and a careful description are needed to
confirm this sighting.
The adult ROSS' GOOSE that was discovered last week at a
farm pond about 1/2 mi west of Beaverdam Reservoir, Loudoun Co,
VA (DeLorme Pg 80, D1) was relocated at the same spot on Dec 10.
It was with a flock of at least 500 Canada Geese. On Dec 13, it
was seen again, this time from the farm pond as it flew westward
with a small flock of Canada Geese. To reach this site from the
Capital Beltway, follow Rt 7 nearly to Leesburg. Take the Rt 7
and 15 bypass south around Leesburg and turn left off it onto Rt
621 (Evergreen Mill Rd). Go about 6 mi on Rt 621 and turn left
again onto Rt 861 (Reservoir Rd). Go about 1-1/2 mile until you
come to a small pond on your right, just past a farmhouse.
The area around Beaverdam Reservoir hosted other interesting
birds as well this week. A LONG-EARED OWL was seen flying about
a cornfield along Reservoir Rd early on the morning of Dec 13.
The same day, an adult male YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD was spotted
in a mixed flock of many thousands of blackbirds and starlings,
in a field opposite the farm and pond where the ROSS' GOOSE was
originally discovered. A female BREWER'S BLACKBIRD and 13 RED
CROSSBILLs were found at Beaverdam Reservoir on Dec 10.
Another RED CROSSBILL was seen at Assateague St Pk,
Worcester Co, MD, on Dec 11; and still another was at the
arboretum at the Blandy Experimental Farm, Boyce, Clarke Co, VA,
on Dec 13.
A SANDHILL CRANE was seen flying southwest at Lake
Artemisia, College Park, Prince George's Co, MD (DeLorme Pg 47,
B5), the morning of Dec 13. Early the following morning, a
SANDHILL CRANE was heard calling as it flew south over cornfields
along Reservoir Rd (Rt 861), Loudoun Co, VA, raising the question
whether this could be the same bird. Note that Reservoir Rd is
the road along which the Ross' Goose, Long-eared Owl, and Yellow-
headed Blackbird had been seen the preceding day.
A bird believed to be a second-winter FRANKLIN'S GULL was
found in a mixed flock of gulls on the mudflats at Neabsco Ck, on
Neabsco Rd, opposite the entrance to Leesylvania St Pk, Prince
William Co, VA, on Dec 15.
Birders at coastal areas also turned up some interesting
finds this week. A MARBLED GODWIT was seen on the mudflats
across from Shearness Pool, Bombay Hook NWR, DE, on Dec 14. An
adult male KING EIDER was spotted near the fishing pier at Cape
Henlopen St Pk, DE, on Dec 14 and 15. Farther south along the
coast, Ocean City Inlet, Worcester Co, MD, hosted good numbers of
interesting birds, with the high counts being at least five
HARLEQUIN DUCKs, five KING EIDER, and 100 PURPLE SANDPIPERs, all
on Dec 11, and 17 COMMON EIDER on Dec 15. A single RED KNOT was
seen there on Dec 11. Still farther south, an EARED GREBE was
frequenting Chincoteague NWR, Accomack Co, VA, on Dec 13 and 14;
it was in a slough near the entrance to the Woodland Trail. At
the CBBT, COMMON EIDER, HARLEQUIN DUCKs, and PURPLE SANDPIPERs
were seen at several of the islands during the week.
Interesting water birds also turned up farther inland, with
a winter-plumaged RED-THROATED LOON and a female OLDSQUAW seen in
the Potomac River from Gt Falls Park, Fairfax Co, VA, on Dec 14;
these birds were a short distance above the dam. Also at Gt
Falls Park, VA, that day were two RED-HEADED WOODPECKERs, seen
about 1/2 mi upstream from the falls.
Exposed mudflats along the Potomac River at Hunting Creek,
Alexandria, VA, were a good spot for viewing BALD EAGLEs this
week, with a high count of 25 birds seen at low tide on the
morning of Dec 14; both immature and adult birds were present.
Forty-four SNOW BUNTINGs and three LAPLAND LONGSPURs were
frequenting the airfield at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, St
Mary's Co, MD, on Dec 11. Note that public access to this high-
security installation is limited; if you want to bird there, call
Kyle Rambo or Doug Lister, at 301-342-5456 or 301-342-3670, for
information.
A late BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER was found at Dyke Marsh,
Alexandria, VA, on Dec 14.
Upcoming pelagics in our region depart VA Beach, VA, on
three Saturdays: Jan 17, Feb 7, and Feb 21. Weather dates are
the immediately following Sundays. Call Brian Patteson, at 703-
765-4484, for more information, or visit the website
www.patteson.com.
Upcoming Christmas Bird Counts in our area include:
SAT, Dec. 20: WASHINGTON, DC, contact Dee Hammond-Brooks at
Woodend, 301-652-9188, x 3006; TRIADELPHIA RESERVOIR, MD,
compiler, Rick Sussman, call 301-774-1185. SUN, Dec. 21:
Seneca, MD-VA, compilers, Bill Kulp and Steve Pretl call Bill at
301-593-4617, or Steve at 301-251-8648; JUG BAY, MD, compiler,
Sam Droege, call 410-798-6759 (h) or 301-497-5840 (o).
SAT, Dec. 27: BOWIE, MD, compiler, Fred Fallon, call 301-249-1518.
SUN, Dec 28: MANASSAS-BULL RUN, VA, compiler, Stan Gray,
call at work, 703-841-4588.
MON, Dec 29: OCEAN CITY, MD, compiler, Chan Robbins; call
Jay Sheppard, 301-725-5559.
WED, Dec 31: SOUTH DORCHESTER CO (BLACKWATER), MD,
compiler, Chan Robbins, 301-725-1176 (h), 301-497-5641 (o).
Birders of every level of skill are welcome on all counts.
The counts along the coast especially need your help; they will
reward you with the fun of nonurban winter birding, so call and
sign up today. For information on other counts, see the December
Audubon Naturalist News, p. 17, or call 301-652-9188, x 0, and
ask for information.
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.