Hotline: Voice of the Naturalist Date: 4/7/98 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, Apr 7, 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,the address is 8940 Jones Mill Road, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, and the website is http://www.AudubonNaturalist.org. Top birds this week are: LITTLE GULL and LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL in MD; ROSS' GOOSE and BLACK-HEADED GULL in DE; NORTHERN GOSHAWK in VA; and SAY'S PHOEBE in PA. Other birds of interest include: COMMON LOON, NORTHERN GANNET, egrets, YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON, SNOW GOOSE, RED- BREASTED MERGANSER, KING RAIL, AMERICAN AVOCET, BONAPARTE'S GULL, EASTERN KINGBIRD, VEERY, BLUE-HEADED VIREO, warblers, EVENING GROSBEAK, and PURPLE FINCH This week, flocks of Bonaparte's Gulls yielded several interesting finds. An adult, winter-plumaged, LITTLE GULL was mingling with about 1,500 BONAPARTE'S GULLs that were frequenting Back River Waste Water Treatment Plant and adjacent Back River, Baltimore Co, MD, on Apr 5. Also at the treatment plant was an adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL, seen Apr 2. Another flock of Bonaparte's Gulls held the adult BLACK- HEADED GULL that has been frequenting Little Ck Wildlife Area, DE; this bird was seen Apr 4, from the central tower, off the main entrance road into the wildlife area. A ROSS' GOOSE was spotted in a flock of SNOW GEESE on the north side of the entrance road to Bombay Hook NWR, DE, on Apr 2. The total number of SNOW GEESE along the road and on the refuge that day was estimated at 10,000 birds. Both an adult and an immature NORTHERN GOSHAWK were seen at Beaverdam Reservoir, Loudoun Co, VA [DeLorme Pg 80, D1], on Apr 5. The SAY'S PHOEBE that has been frequenting a farm near Newville, PA, was reported again on Apr 2; for details and directions, call the Central PA Birdline, at 717-255-1212, ext. 5761. About 155 AMERICAN AVOCETs were seen from the central tower at Little Creek Wildlife Area, DE, on Apr 4. Heavy rains did not deter good numbers of GREAT and SNOWY EGRETs from arriving at Chincoteague NWR, Accomack Co, VA, on Apr 4. Closer to DC, five GREAT EGRETs were seen at Huntley Meadows Pk, Fairfax Co, VA, also on Apr 4. Huntley Meadows also hosted a KING RAIL, near the boardwalk, on Apr 5, and a BLUE-HEADED VIREO on Apr 1. (Note that Blue-headed Vireo is the new species name for the eastern birds belonging to the Solitary Vireo complex.) A total of six warbler species were reported this week. New arrivals included PROTHONOTARY WARBLER and NORTHERN PARULA, both seen at Riley's Lock, Montgomery Co, MD, on Apr 2 and 3. Other arrivals included VEERY, with one bird seen at the North Tract of the Patuxent Wildlife Research Ctr, Anne Arundel Co, MD, on Apr 3. Another first for the season were two EASTERN KINGBIRDs, spotted at Bombay Hook NWR, DE, on Apr 2. NORTHERN GANNETs continue to be seen along the Atlantic coast and in waters of the Delaware and Chesapeake Bays. An adult YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON was spotted among the birds in the noncaptive colony of Black-crowned Night-Herons at the National Zoo, DC, on Apr 5. RED-BREASTED MERGANSERs and COMMON LOONs were reported on inland and coastal waters around our region. Of particular interest were two RED-BREASTED MERGANSERs on the Potomac R just south of Memorial Bridge, DC, on Apr 3; and three RED-BREASTED MERGANSERs and a COMMON LOON at Georgetown Reservoir, NW, DC, on Apr 7. Three EVENING GROSBEAKs were spotted in Jeffersonton, Culpeper Co, VA, on Apr 2. PURPLE FINCHes are migrating through our region, with reports from numerous locations. There will be a reservations-only trip to Oxon Hill Children's Farm, MD, on Sat, April 11; call the leader, Paul Baicich of Oxon Hill, at 301-859-9736, to reserve your spot. There will be a walk at Gt Falls Pk, VA, on Wed, Apr 15; call the leader, Ed Smith of Arlington, at 703-528-0425, for information. There will be a reservations-only trip to DE Coastal Refuges on Sat, Apr 18; call the leader, Paul DuMont of Arlington, at 703- 931-8994, to secure your place. There will be a reservations- only walk in the Mason Neck, VA, area on Sun, Apr 19; call the leader, Larry Cartwright of Arlington, at 703-379-2689, 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.