DC Area, 3/31/98
scordle (scordle@tidalwave.net)
Tue, 31 Mar 1998 16:59:20 -0500
Hotline: Voice of the Naturalist
Date: 3/31/98
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 31, 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: BLACK-HEADED GULL in DE; and
SANDHILL CRANE and NORTHERN GOSHAWK in VA.
Other birds of interest include: COM LOON, HORNED GREBE,
AMERICAN BITTERN, YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON, NORTHERN GANNET,
GREEN HERON, HARLEQUIN DUCK, REDHEAD, RED-BREASTED MERGANSER,
teal, rails, COMMON SNIPE, AMERICAN AVOCET, LAUGHING GULL,
CASPIAN and FORSTER'S TERN, BROAD-WINGED HAWK, SHORT-EARED OWL,
WHIP-POOR-WILL, CHIMNEY SWIFT, RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD,
swallows, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, BROWN THRASHER, RUBY-CROWNED
KINGLET, BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER, WHITE-EYED and BLUE-HEADED
VIREOs, warblers, INDIGO BUNTING, sparrows, and RED CROSSBILL and
other finches.
An adult BLACK-HEADED GULL was seen in a flock of gulls at
Little Creek Wildlife Area, DE, on Mar 26. To look for the bird,
take the main entrance road into the wildlife area (just south of
the town of Little Creek), and park near the gate. Walk about
1/4 mi past the gate and look for a gull flock on your left,
before the rise at the end of the pool.
An adult NORTHERN GOSHAWK was seen over Huntley Meadows Pk,
Fairfax Co, VA, on Mar 27; the bird was circling the woods at the
beginning of the boardwalk. A SANDHILL CRANE was heard and seen
flying high over Eleanor Lawrence Park, on Walney Rd, Fairfax Co,
VA, on Mar 25.
Closer to earth was a pair of early-arriving YELLOW-CROWNED
NIGHT-HERONs, seen along Sligo Ck Pkwy, Silver Spring, Montgomery
Co, MD, on Mar 28.
Other spring arrivals, many of them also quite early,
dominated the rest of the week's reports, with wintering birds
still somewhat in evidence.
Highlights among the new arrivals included a RUBY-THROATED
HUMMINGBIRD, with a report of an adult male attracted to a
Christmas cactus displayed on the other side of a window in
Waldorf, Charles Co, MD, on Mar 30. Two WHIP-POOR-WILLs were
heard in a yard in Waldorf on Mar 31.
Raptor reports included an adult BROAD-WINGED HAWK, spotted
flying northward at Pennyfield Lock, C&O Canal, Montgomery Co,
MD, on Mar 28.
Among the arriving water birds were 40 AMERICAN AVOCETs,
seen off the beach at Kitts Hummock, Little Creek Wildlife Area,
DE, on Mar 26; a CASPIAN TERN, spotted at Dyke Marsh, Alexandria,
VA, on Mar 29; and a FORSTER'S TERN, seen at Ocean City Inlet,
MD, on Mar 28. A LAUGHING GULL was reported from St George's Is,
St Mary's Co, MD, on Mar 27. Other water bird arrivals included
a GREEN HERON, spotted on the North Tract of the Patuxent
Wildlife Research Refuge, Anne Arundel Co, MD, on Mar 29. BLUE-
WINGED TEAL were reported from several locations.
Warblers are also returning to our region. LOUISIANA
WATERTHRUSHes were reported widely, and there were several
reports of YELLOW-THROATED and PALM WARBLERs. PINE WARBLERs,
which have been present for the past few weeks, were reported
again this week, as were YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERs.
Other arrivals included a WHITE-EYED VIREO at Dividing
Creek, Worcester Co, MD, on Mar 26; another WHITE-EYED VIREO at
South Run District Pk, Fairfax Co, VA, on Mar 27; and a BLUE-
HEADED VIREO in Cub Run Stream Park, Centreville, Fairfax Co, VA,
on Mar 30. Reports of BLUE-HEADED VIREO from two counties in
southwestern VA suggest more of these birds are coming our way.
A CHIMNEY SWIFT was seen flying northward high above Reston,
Fairfax Co, VA, on Mar 27. Also reported this week were several
RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETs and BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHERs.
A VESPER SPARROW was seen in the Poolesville area,
Montgomery Co, MD, over the weekend. Other sparrow reports
included CHIPPING and SAVANNAH. A probable INDIGO BUNTING was
heard singing at ANS headquarters at Woodend, Chevy Chase,
Montgomery Co, MD, on Mar 30. BROWN THRASHERs were reported from
several locations.
Swallow reports, dominated in the past few weeks by TREE
SWALLOW, were augmented this week by sightings of two PURPLE
MARTINs at Dyke Marsh, Alexandria, VA, on Mar 29; two more PURPLE
MARTINs in a yard in southeastern Fairfax Co, VA, on Mar 25; a
BANK SWALLOW at Huntley Meadows Pk, VA, on Mar 29; a BARN SWALLOW
at Ocean City Inlet, MD, on Mar 28, and several more BARN
SWALLOWs at the North Tract of the Patuxent Wildlife Research
Refuge, MD, on Mar 29. NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWs were also
reported from several locations.
Seventeen AMERICAN BITTERNs were seen flying along Elliott
Is Rd, near Fishing Bay, Dorchester Co, MD, at dusk on Mar 28.
Two AMERICAN BITTERNs were heard in the marshes at Huntley
Meadows Pk, VA, the same day.
NORTHERN GANNETs continue to frequent the Chesapeake Bay,
with three birds seen at Calvert Cliffs, Calvert Co, MD; a single
bird at Pt Lookout St Pk, St Mary's Co, MD; and three birds on
the Potomac, upriver from Pt Lookout, all on Mar 28. A VIRGINIA
RAIL was seen and heard at Huntley Meadows Pk, VA, on Mar 27.
Also reported from Huntley Meadows were three KING RAILs on Mar
27, and a single KING RAIL on Mar 29. COMMON SNIPE were reported
widely this week.
Winter bird reports included a COM LOON, seen at the Tidal
Basin, DC, on Mar 25; and a winter-plumaged HORNED GREBE, spotted
at Huntley Meadows Pk, VA, on Mar 28. Other reports of winter
birds included two male REDHEADs still frequenting Clopper Lake,
Seneca Creek St Pk, Montgomery Co, MD, on Mar 29, and one REDHEAD
at this location the following day. Twelve HARLEQUIN DUCKs were
at Ocean City Inlet on Mar 26. And approximately 30 RED-BREASTED
MERGANSERs were on the Potomac River at Riley's Lock, Montgomery
Co, MD, on Mar 29.
SHORT-EARED OWL is still being reported, with a single bird
seen at Elliott Is, Dorchester Co, MD, on Mar 27. PURPLE FINCH,
PINE SISKIN, and RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH are also still being seen,
with reports from several locations. A female RED CROSSBILL was
spotted at a feeder in Chestertown, Kent Co, MD, on Mar 24.
The reservations-only trip that had been scheduled for Sat,
Apr 4, to Oxon Hill Children's Farm will take place instead on
Sat, April 11; call the leader, Paul Baicich of Oxon Hill, at
301-859-9736, to reserve your space. There will be a
reservations-only trip to parks and refuges in Charles Co, MD, on
Sun, Apr 5; call the leader, Carol Ghebelian of Indian Head, at
301-753-6754, 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.