DC Area, 2/24/98
scordle (scordle@tidalwave.net)
Tue, 24 Feb 1998 20:01:39 -0500
Hotline: Voice of the Naturalist
Date: 2/24/98
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 24, at 2
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: RED and WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLs in
MD; and BROAD-WINGED HAWK, GOLDEN EAGLE, and PAINTED BUNTING in
VA.
Other birds of interest include: RED-BREASTED MERGANSER,
HARLEQUIN DUCK, COMMON and KING EIDERs, SURF SCOTER, REDHEAD,
scaup, RUDDY DUCK, CANVASBACK, AMERICAN WOODCOCK, PURPLE and
LEAST SANDPIPERs, LESSER BLACK-BACKED and LAUGHING GULLs,
PEREGRINE FALCON, COMMON RAVEN, and YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT.
CapAccess, the Voice's email server, is still experiencing
intermittent technical difficulties, so you may want to fax or
phone your messages for next week's Voice to ANS.
Both species of crossbills continue to be seen along Pine
Knob Rd, Liberty Reservoir, Carroll Co, MD [DeLorme Pg 57, A5].
Go about 2 mi north of Rt 26 on Rt 32, turn right on Pine Knob
Rd, and proceed about 0.8 mi; scan the pine stands near the fire
roads and the deciduous trees just west of the pines. Reports
for this week include up to 15 RED CROSSBILLs and about 10 WHITE-
WINGED CROSSBILLs on Feb 21, and at least one RED CROSSBILL and
eight WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLs the following day. Early morning,
between about 6:30 and 9:30, seems to be the most reliable time
to see these birds.
Seven RED CROSSBILLs were seen near high-tension wires at
Brambleton Reg Pk, Loudoun Co, VA [DeLorme Pg 76, A1; ADC Maps
29-30, 11 K,A] on Feb 22; this spot is on Rt 772 (Ryan Rd), just
west of Rt 659 (Belmont Ridge Rd). Three RED CROSSBILLs and a
single WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL were seen at nearby Beaverdam
Reservoir the same day.
A BROAD-WINGED HAWK was spotted over the W&OD Trail at
Ashburn Farms, Loudoun Co, VA, on Feb 22. Also in Loudoun Co
that day was an immature GOLDEN EAGLE, aloft over Beaverdam
Reservoir. Other raptor sightings this week included a PEREGRINE
FALCON in the 200 block of G St, SW, DC, on Feb 19 and 22.
A male PAINTED BUNTING was still frequenting a feeder at the
Holiday Travel Park, south of Virginia Beach, VA [DeLorme Pg 35,
B6-7], on Feb 22. Call the VA Birdline, at 757-238-9145, for
details and directions.
A YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT has been frequenting a feeder at
Scientists Cliffs, Calvert Co, MD, with reports for Feb 21 and
22.
A COMMON RAVEN was observed flying over western Great Falls,
Fairfax Co, VA, on Feb 21.
Gull reports included a LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL, spotted
among Herring and Ring-billed Gulls at Lilypons, Frederick Co,
MD, on Feb 22. Other gull reports included a LAUGHING GULL, seen
at the 4th St Flats, Ocean City, Worcester Co, MD, on Feb 20.
Reports from the coast also included eight HARLEQUIN DUCKs,
three COMMON EIDERs, and at least 35 PURPLE SANDPIPERs at Ocean
City Inlet, MD, on Feb 20. A COMMON EIDER was at Indian River
Inlet, DE, on Feb 21.
Thirty-two COMMON EIDER, seven KING EIDER, and seven
HARLEQUIN DUCKs were reported from the CBBT islands, Northampton
Co, VA, on Feb 22. SURF SCOTERs were present in the thousands
along the CBBT on Feb 22, and were also much in evidence at Ocean
City Inlet, MD, on Feb 20.
RED-BREASTED MERGANSERs, which have been abundant along the
coast this winter, are showing up in increasing numbers inland,
with a report of 12 birds at Black Hill Reg Pk, Montgomery Co,
MD, on Feb 20; at least six birds on Dulles Airport Pond, Loudoun
Co, VA, on Feb 21; 12 birds on Dulles Pond on Feb 23; three birds
at Beaverdam Reservoir, Loudoun Co, VA, on Feb 22; 12 birds at
Burke Lake Marina, Fairfax Co, VA, on Feb 19; and four birds at
Roaches Run, Arlington, VA, on Feb 21. Roaches Run also hosted a
female REDHEAD on Feb 21. Seven more REDHEADs were at Silver
Lake, Rehoboth Beach, DE, the same day.
Other waterfowl reports included about 27,000 scaup believed
to be GREATER SCAUP, off Hart-Miller Is, Baltimore Co, MD, on Feb
21. Less than a mile away, in Back River [DeLorme Pg 59, C4], a
raft of about 50,000 LESSER SCAUP, 5,000 RUDDY DUCKs, and 3,000
CANVASBACKs was observed on Feb 22. The Back River rafts are
visible from beside Augie's Restaurant on 12th St; see Chapter 18
of Claudia Wilds' book Finding Birds in the National Capital Area
for detailed directions to this spot.
AMERICAN WOODCOCK were reported from several locations this
week. At least one bird was seen and heard at Little Bennett Reg
Pk, Montgomery Co, MD, on the evening of Feb 22; several birds
were displaying in a backyard in Waldorf, Charles Co, MD, on the
morning of Feb 19; at least two birds were displaying in
cornfields beyond the impoundments and pine trees at Hughes
Hollow, Montgomery Co, MD, on Feb 18, and at least three birds
were at this same Hughes Hollow location on Feb 22. Seven LEAST
SANDPIPERs were seen at Hart-Miller Is, MD, on Feb 21.
There will be an afternoon/evening walk at Hughes Hollow,
MD, on Sun, Mar 1; call a leader, Rich Bray of Bethesda, at 301-
652-0387, or Vince Jones of Chevy Chase, at 301-652-7231, for
more information. There will be a reservations-only trip to the
Patuxent River Naval Air Station, MD, on Sat, Mar 7; call trip
coordinator 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. Thank you for calling,
and GOOD BIRDING.