Hotline: Voice of the Naturalist Date: 3/10/98 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, Mar 10, at 1:30 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: THICK-BILLED MURRE, TRUMPETER SWAN, GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, EURASIAN WIGEON, BLACK-TAILED GULL, ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, NORTHERN SHRIKE, and RED CROSSBILL in VA; LEAST SANDPIPER, LITTLE GULL, GOLDEN EAGLE, ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, SHORT-EARED OWL, and COMMON REDPOLL in MD; and SAY'S PHOEBE in PA. Other birds of interest include: RED-THROATED LOON, GREAT CORMORANT, TUNDRA SWAN, REDHEAD, WOOD DUCK, HARLEQUIN DUCK, COMMON EIDER, mergansers, SURF SCOTER, PURPLE SANDPIPER, BALD EAGLE, EASTERN PHOEBE, TREE SWALLOW, BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER, and SNOW BUNTING. A winter-plumaged THICK-BILLED MURRE was seen in waters off Kiptopeke St Pk, Northampton Co, VA, on Mar 5; the bird was between the shore and the old ship hulls. A BLACK-TAILED GULL was reported from CBBT Is #2, Northampton Co, VA, on Mar 6. An adult, winter-plumaged LITTLE GULL was spotted at Hart-Miller Is, Baltimore Co, MD, on Mar 7. High water levels made the Dulles Greenway Wetlands, Loudoun Co, VA, attractive to waterfowl this week. Highlights included an adult GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE and a male EURASIAN WIGEON on Mar 4; and an adult TRUMPETER SWAN, noted in a flock of Tundra Swans, on Mar 5. Also at the wetlands was an adult NORTHERN SHRIKE, Mar 6; to look for this bird, check the vegetation along both sides of US Rt 15, between Goose Creek and Rt 612 (Tail Race Rd) [ADC Map 28, H4-J7; DeLorme Pg 80, D1]. Hawks were observed moving northward this week. Highlights included two GOLDEN EAGLEs, one an immature and the other an adult, heading north at the hawkwatch atop Town Hill, Allegany Co, MD [DeLorme Pg 69, A4], on Mar 6. Another immature GOLDEN EAGLE was spotted there on Mar 9. Also seen moving north at Town Hill were an immature, dark-morph ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK and five COMMON REDPOLLs, all on Mar 6. This spot has proven a good one for monitoring spring hawk migration. From I-68 in Hancock, travel west to exit 68, Orleans Road; take Orleans Road north a short distance to US Rt 40, turn left, west, and follow it up the Town Hill ridge to the hawkwatch. Another ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, a light morph, was seen circling over Dulles Airport, Loudoun Co, VA, on Mar 5. Still another ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, this one a dark morph, was spotted at Elliott Is, Dorchester Co, MD, on Mar 6. Also at Elliott Is this week were SHORT-EARED OWLs, with a single bird spotted on Mar 6 and two birds on Mar 7. Other highlights at Elliott Is included 11 LEAST SANDPIPERs and 98 TREE SWALLOWs, all on Mar 6. Eight LEAST SANDPIPERs were seen at Hart-Miller Is, MD, on Mar 7. Sixteen RED CROSSBILLs were spotted in pines along Rt 772, opposite the entrance to Brambleton Reg Pk, Loudoun Co, VA [DeLorme Pg 76, A1; ADC Maps 29-30, 11K,A], on Mar 7. Five RED CROSSBILLs were observed in flight at Beaverdam Reservoir, also in Loudoun Co, VA, on Mar 10. There were no reports this week of crossbills along Pine Knob Rd, Carroll Co, MD. The SAY'S PHOEBE that has been frequenting a farm near Newville, PA, was seen again on Mar 4; call the Central PA Birdline, at 717-255-1212, ext 5761, for details and directions. Winter seaducks continue to be seen, with a total of 20 COMMON EIDER, including several males, spotted off the CBBT Islands, VA, on Mar 5. Ten GREAT CORMORANTs were also seen from the islands that day. Six HARLEQUIN DUCKs and up to 12 COMMON EIDER were at Ocean City Inlet, Worcester Co, MD, on Mar 6. Also at Ocean City Inlet that day were 100 PURPLE SANDPIPERs. RED-THROATED LOONs were abundant along the Atlantic coast this week, and, in addition, five individuals were noted farther inland, at Hart-Miller Is, MD, on Mar 7. Other inland water bird reports included 20 RED-BREASTED MERGANSERs at Dyke Marsh, Alexandria, VA, on Mar 7. All three merganser species, including 36 RED-BREASTED MERGANSERs were seen at Black Hill Reg Pk, Montgomery Co, MD, on Mar 7. High count of TUNDRA SWANs this week was 410 birds, at Dulles Greenway Wetlands, VA, on Mar 6. The REDHEAD that has been frequenting the northwest corner of Clopper Lake, Seneca Creek St Pk, Montgomery Co, MD, was seen again on Mar 6. Four more REDHEADs and 455 SURF SCOTERs were spotted in the Choptank River at Cambridge, Dorchester Co, MD, the same day. Reports of EASTERN PHOEBE were widespread this week, and included a single bird heard along Beach Dr, north of Pierce Mill, Rock Creek Pk, DC, Mar 4-6. WOOD DUCKs were reported widely this week. BALD EAGLEs were also much in evidence, with reports ranging from a total of 58 birds seen in southern Dorchester Co, MD, on Mar 6, to a single bird noted circling over the Tidal Basin, DC, on Mar 7. A female BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER was spotted at Dyke Marsh, VA, on Mar 7. Two SNOW BUNTINGs were seen at the Dulles Greenway Wetlands, VA, on Mar 8. The reservations-only trip to Patuxent River Park (Jug Bay), MD, set for Sat, Mar 14, is full; to add your name to the waiting list, or if you are signed up and unable to participate, please call the leader, John Bjerke of Rockville, at 301-963-8525. There will be a reservations-only trip to DE coastal refuges on Sat, Mar 21; 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.