DC Area, 2/10/98
Steve Cordle (scordle@erols.com)
Tue, 10 Feb 1998 17:05:08 -0500
Hotline: Voice of the Naturalist
Date: 2/10/98
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 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 10, 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: NORTHERN FULMAR, BLACK-LEGGED
KITTIWAKE, GLAUCOUS and ICELAND GULLs, and PAINTED BUNTING in VA;
WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL in DE; BLACK-HEADED GULL and SHORT-EARED
OWL in MD; EARED GREBE in MD, VA, and DE; and RED CROSSBILL in MD
and VA.
Other birds of interest include: GREAT CORMORANT,
BUFFLEHEAD, RED-BREASTED MERGANSER, GREATER SCAUP, HARLEQUIN
DUCK, KING and COMMON EIDER, AMERICAN WOODCOCK, LESSER BLACK-
BACKED GULL, MERLIN, PEREGRINE FALCON, OSPREY, EASTERN PHOEBE,
and AMERICAN TREE SPARROW.
VA Beach, VA, hosted some interesting birds this week,
highlighted by a light-phase adult NORTHERN FULMAR, seen flying
northwest in strong winds off Fort Story Military Reservation, on
Feb 7. Two adult BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES and an immature ICELAND
GULL were spotted at the mouth of Rudee Inlet, and an immature
GLAUCOUS GULL was seen in a large, mixed-gull flock on the beach
there, all on Feb 7.
Gull reports from elsewhere included an adult, winter-
plumaged BLACK-HEADED GULL, spotted in a flock of Bonaparte's
Gulls on the beach at Flag Ponds State Park, Calvert Co, MD, on
Feb 8. An adult, winter-plumaged LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was
found at Lilypons, Frederick Co, MD, the same day.
Three EARED GREBEs were reported this week. One of them was
turned up close to shore in the Potomac River at Pt Lookout St
Pk, St Mary's Co, MD, on Feb 9. This bird was almost at the
point, near the wooden pilings by the lighthouse; although the
bird was discovered in the afternoon, viewing conditions are best
in the morning. Another EARED GREBE was seen in the extreme NE
corner of Rehoboth Bay, DE [DeLorme Pg 45, B6], on Feb 5 and 8.
Take DE Rt 1 south of Rehoboth to Dewey Beach; when you see a
Mobile Station on your left, turn right, onto Elizabeth St, then
go 2-3 blocks and turn left on Dodd, which goes to the bay. You
can also turn right off Dodd onto Salisbury, and then left on
Draper to view the bay. The EARED GREBE that has been
frequenting Chincoteague NWR, Accomack Co, VA, was seen again on
Feb 8 and 9; it was frequenting both Swan Cove and Tom's Cove.
A pair of PAINTED BUNTINGs has been frequenting a feeder at
the Holiday Travel Park, south of Virginia Beach, VA [DeLorme Pg
35, B6-7], with a report for Feb 7. Call the VA Birdline, at
757-238-9145, for details and directions.
A SHORT-EARED OWL was heard calling at Courthouse Pt, Cecil
Co, MD [DeLorme Pg 78, D1], late on the afternoon of Feb 8.
Six RED CROSSBILLs were seen in pines at the entrance to
Brambleton Regional Pk, Loudoun Co, VA, on Feb 10. Small flocks
of calling RED CROSSBILLs, and some crossbills not identifiable
to species, were observed flying along Pine Knob Rd, Liberty
Reservoir, Carroll Co, MD, on the morning of Feb 8. A WHITE-
WINGED CROSSBILL was reported from bird feeders at Cape Henlopen
St Pk, DE, on Feb 9.
At least 12 COMMON EIDERs and 10 HARLEQUIN DUCKs, including
several males of each species, were seen at Ocean City Inlet,
Worcester Co, MD, on Feb 8. Indian River Inlet, DE, hosted a
single COMMON EIDER the same day. Farther south, CBBT Is #3 held
seven HARLEQUIN DUCKs, including an adult male; and Is #4 hosted
42 COMMON EIDERs, including nine adult males, and five KING
EIDERs, including one adult male, on Feb 7. A total of 15 GREAT
CORMORANTs were observed on the bridge/tunnel islands the same
day.
Raptors and ducks continued to capture birders' attention in
DC this week. BUFFLEHEAD are still frequenting the Lincoln
Memorial Reflecting Pool, with eight females seen on Feb 5 and
two on Feb 9. Three male RED-BREASTED MERGANSERs were spotted at
Georgetown Reservoir, NW, on Feb 8. PEREGRINE FALCON sightings
were reported from three DC locations: from the corner of 17th St
and Constitution Ave, NW, on Feb 5; from atop an antenna on a
building at 7th and F Sts, NW, seen every afternoon for the past
week; and from a ledge on the National Shrine of the Immaculate
Conception, Catholic Univ, NE, on Feb 9. A MERLIN was spotted on
an aerial atop a building at 16th and I Sts, NW, on Feb 4 and 6.
A pair of GREATER SCAUP was seen close to the MD shore of
the Potomac River at Riley's Lock, Montgomery Co, MD, on Feb 7.
EASTERN PHOEBEs were reported from several locations around our
region, and AMERICAN TREE SPARROWs were also turned up in small
numbers in various places. An OSPREY was observed flying over
Hughes Hollow, Montgomery Co, MD, on Feb 8.
A sure sign of approaching spring was an AMERICAN WOODCOCK
heard along Bull Run Post Office Rd, in the Sudley Acres area of
Centreville, Fairfax Co, VA, on Feb 6.
A pelagic trip will depart VA Beach, VA, on 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.
There will be a reservations-only trip to Woodbridge Refuge
and Leesylvania St Pk, VA, on Sat, Feb 21; call a leader, Jim
Waggener of Woodbridge, at 703-497-0506, or Charlie Creighton of
Lorton, at 703-339-6671, to secure 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
email reports to: voice@capaccess.org. Thank you for calling and
GOOD BIRDING.