DC Area, 2/3/98
Steve Cordle (scordle@erols.com)
Tue, 03 Feb 1998 18:20:38 -0500
Hotline: Voice of the Naturalist
Date: 2/3/98
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, Feb 3, at
3:30 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: EARED and RED-NECKED GREBEs, BLACK-
TAILED GULL, SNOWY OWL, and PAINTED BUNTING in VA; ROSS' GOOSE,
EURASIAN WIGEON, ICELAND GULL, ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, SHORT-EARED
OWL, BREWER'S BLACKBIRD, and RED and WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL in
MD; ROSS' GOOSE, GLAUCOUS GULL, ALLEN'S HUMMINGBIRD, and
"IPSWICH" SAVANNAH SPARROW in DE; and SAY'S PHOEBE in PA.
Other birds of interest include: BROWN PELICAN, GREAT
CORMORANT, TUNDRA SWAN, COMMON and KING EIDER, HARLEQUIN DUCK,
REDHEAD, BUFFLEHEAD, AMERICAN AVOCET, AMERICAN WOODCOCK, RED
KNOT, LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL, OSPREY, PEREGRINE FALCON, SNOW
BUNTING, and AMERICAN TREE SPARROW.
The immature SNOWY OWL reported last week from Assateague
Beach, Chincoteague NWR, Accomack Co, VA, was seen again on Jan
31 and Feb 1. A recent, severe, dune-destroying storm in the
area had pushed the owl farther south on the refuge, to Fishing
Point, at the tip of Tom's Cove Hook. Note that this spot is a
3-4-mile hike in each direction. Also at Chincoteague again this
week was an EARED GREBE, seen in the narrow channel leading into
Swan Cove on Jan 29 and Feb 1.
A male EURASIAN WIGEON was spotted in a small flock of
American Wigeon at West Ocean City Pond, Worcester Co, MD, on Jan
29. The male EURASIAN WIGEON that has been frequenting the pond
at Brown's Station recycling center, opposite the Brown's Station
Landfill, on Brown's Station Rd, northwest of Upper Marlboro,
Prince Georges Co, MD [DeLorme Pg 47, D6], was seen again at noon
or before, on Feb 1 through 3. The bird was in a flock of
American Wigeon.
Four SHORT-EARED OWLs were seen along Elliott Island Rd,
Dorchester Co, MD, on Jan 29; one of the owls was observed dive-
bombing a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK.
Three adult, white-phase ROSS' GEESE were spotted in a flock
of about 3,000 Snow Geese at Blackwater NWR, Dorchester Co, MD,
on Jan 29. Another adult, white-phase ROSS' GOOSE was in a flock
of several thousand Snow Geese in a field across from Cape
Henlopen High School, DE, on Feb 1. This field is on your right
as you follow the signs for the Cape May-Lewes ferry, on the way
to Cape Henlopen St Pk [DeLorme Pg 45, A5-6]. You can observe
the birds more closely by turning right onto the road in front of
the high school.
The adult BLACK-TAILED GULL that has been frequenting CBBT
Is #4, Northampton Co, VA, was seen again on Feb 2. Other gull
reports this week included a first-year GLAUCOUS GULL, spotted at
Cape Henlopen St Pk, DE, on Jan 29 and 31; it was on the
breakwater, seen from the fishing pier. Two ICELAND GULLs, one an
adult and the other a first-winter, were seen along with five
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLs at Conowingo Dam, Harford Co, MD, on
Jan 31.
Both RED and WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLs were seen again at
Liberty Reservoir, Carroll Co, MD, this week. High counts along
Pine Knob Rd were eight WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLs on Jan 29 and 40
RED CROSSBILLs on Jan 31, all in pine stands and nearby deciduous
trees, 0.2-0.8 mi east of Rt 32 [DeLorme Pg 57, A5]. Two WHITE-
WINGED CROSSBILLs, a single RED CROSSBILL, and mixed flocks of
seven to 25 crossbills were seen Jan 29 on Deer Park Rd [DeLorme
Pg 74, D2], near the second power line as you drive towards the
reservoir from Rt 91. Mornings before 9 am seem to be the best
time to look for the crossbills.
Six "IPSWICH" SPARROWS, a form of Savannah Sparrow, were
seen at Cape Henlopen St Pk, DE, on Jan 29; they were at the edge
of the dunes near the beach, on the bay side. Another "IPSWICH"
SPARROW was spotted at Hart-Miller Is, Baltimore Co, MD, on Feb
1. Two immature male BREWER'S BLACKBIRDs were spotted in a flock
of about 1 million grackles along US Rt 50, about halfway between
the Rt 13 bypass around Salisbury and Rt 354, Wicomico Co, MD
[DeLorme Pg 34, B2], on Jan 31. CBBT Is #3 hosted up to three
RED-NECKED GREBEs on Feb 1.
An adult male PAINTED BUNTING was seen at a feeder in VA
Beach, VA, on Feb 1; call the VA Birdline, at 757-238-2713, for
details and directions.
Two birds from outside our normal reporting area are of
interest this week. First, a Selasphorus hummingbird that has
been conclusively identified as an adult female ALLEN'S
HUMMINGBIRD has been frequenting a feeder northeast of
Wilmington, DE, since November, with the most recent report for
Feb 2. Call Birdline Delaware, at 302-658-2747, for details and
directions. Second, the SAY'S PHOEBE that has been seen at a
farm near Newville, PA, since early January is still being seen,
with the most recent report for Feb 3; call the Central PA
Birdline, at 717-255-1212, ext 5761, for details and directions.
High counts of winter ducks at Ocean City Inlet, Worcester
Co, MD, during the week were 25 COMMON EIDERs, five of them near-
adult males; eight KING EIDERs, three of which were immature or
near-adult males; and 18 HARLEQUIN DUCKs, including 12 adult
males, all seen on Jan 31. Two RED KNOTs were reported from the
inlet on Jan 29 and 31.
The CBBT Islands, VA, also boasted good numbers of winter
ducks and other water birds this week. Is #4 held 30 COMMON
EIDERs, including several adult males, and five KING EIDERs, one
of them an adult male, all on Jan 30. Is #3 hosted seven
HARLEQUIN DUCKs and two BROWN PELICANs on Feb 1. Is #2 held 20
COMMON EIDERs, five KING EIDERs, and up to six HARLEQUIN DUCKs on
Jan 30. Up to nine GREAT CORMORANTs were reported from Is #4 on
Feb 1, and 20 GREAT CORMORANTs were seen at Kiptopeke St Pk,
Northampton Co, VA, on Jan 30.
Other reports from coastal areas included four REDHEADs
spotted among rafts of Canvasbacks and scaup at Silver Lake, DE,
on Jan 29, and a single REDHEAD seen at West Ocean City Pond on
Jan 31. Two AMERICAN AVOCETs were at Craney Is, Portsmouth, VA,
on Jan 30. And more than 1,000 TUNDRA SWANs were seen at
Blackwater NWR, MD, on Jan 29.
Closer to home, BUFFLEHEAD numbers at the Lincoln Memorial
Reflecting Pool, DC, climbed this week, with a high count of nine
birds, all females, on Jan 29. A PEREGRINE FALCON was spotted at
the corner of Nash St and Key Blvd, Rosslyn, VA, on Jan 28.
Other raptor reports included an OSPREY at Hughes Hollow,
Montgomery Co, MD, on Jan 31. Displaying AMERICAN WOODCOCK have
been heard all week near the Cheltenham WMA, near Brandywine,
Prince Georges Co, MD.
A dozen AMERICAN TREE SPARROWs were found at Lilypons,
Frederick Co, MD, on Feb 1, and a single AMERICAN TREE SPARROW
was turned up in a hedgerow on the north side of River Rd, east
of Hughes Rd, Montgomery Co, MD, on Jan 29. A flock of 80-100
SNOW BUNTINGs was seen at Cape Henlopen St Pk, DE, on Jan 31.
Two more SNOW BUNTINGs were seen on the beach at the small-craft
launch area, Sandy Pt St Pk, Anne Arundel Co, MD, on Feb 2.
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 to eastern shore
coastal areas, DE-MD-VA, Sat Feb 14 through Mon Feb 16, with
extension to Tues, Feb 17; 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.