DC Area, 4/14/98

scordle (scordle@tidalwave.net)
Tue, 14 Apr 1998 18:04:40 -0400 

Hotline:            Voice of the Naturalist
Date:               4/14/98
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 14, at
3:30 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,the address is 8940 Jones Mill Road, Chevy Chase, MD 20815,
and the website is http://www.AudubonNaturalist.org.

     Top birds this week are: LECONTE'S SPARROW in MD; LITTLE
GULL in DE; WHIMBREL and COMMON MOORHEN in VA; and SAY'S PHOEBE
in PA.

     Other birds of interest include: RED-THROATED LOON, HORNED
GREBE, NORTHERN GANNET, AMERICAN BITTERN, GLOSSY IBIS, ducks,
KING RAIL, AMERICAN AVOCET, DUNLIN, LEAST and PECTORAL SANDPIPER,
BONAPARTE'S GULL, terns, NORTHERN GOSHAWK, EASTERN WOOD-PEWEE,
kinglets, BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER, WHITE-EYED VIREO, and warblers.

     Now that migration season is in full swing, the volume of
bird reports is heavy, so please limit your reports to your top
ten sightings of the week.

     A LECONTE'S SPARROW was seen at close range at Deal Is WMA,
Somerset Co, MD, on Apr 12.  To look for this bird, take US Rt 13
south from Salisbury to Princess Anne and turn right on MD Rt
363.  Drive 9.5 miles and fork left at the Deal Is WMA sign.  Go
about a mile, and after passing a picnic area on your left,
continue about 300 yds and search the roadside vegetation.

     We received a second-hand report of both an immature and an
adult LITTLE GULL at the impoundment just south of Port Mahon Rd,
Little Creek Wildlife Area, DE, on Apr 11.  An immature LITTLE
GULL was seen at this same location the following day.

     Twenty-two WHIMBREL were seen at Flood's Bay, which is at
the end of Burton's Shore Rd, off Rt 787, Accomack Co, VA
[DeLorme Pg 62, C2], on Apr 10; see p. 203 of Claudia Wilds'
book, Finding Birds in the National Capital Area, for directions
to this spot. Another WHIMBREL was spotted from the causeway to
Chincoteague NWR, Accomack Co, VA, on Apr 9.  A COMMON MOORHEN
was seen along Elliott Is Rd, about 5 miles after the vegetation
changes from woods to marsh, Dorchester Co, MD, on Apr 12.

     The SAY'S PHOEBE that has been frequenting a farm near
Newville, PA, was reported again on Apr 7; for details and
directions, call the Central PA Birdline, at 717-255-1212, ext.
5761.

     Two ROYAL TERNs were seen at Benedict, Charles Co, MD, on
Apr 11.  Both CASPIAN and FORSTER'S TERNs were seen widely this
week.  BONAPARTE'S GULLs are being reported in large numbers,
with counts of 175 birds at Dulles Airport Pond, Loudoun Co, VA,
on Apr 12; 120 birds on the Potomac River off the District of
Columbia, also on Apr 12; and more than 100 birds at Jackson
Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge, Ft. Belvoir, Fairfax Co, VA, on Apr
11.

     KING RAILs continue to delight birders at Huntley Meadows
Pk, Fairfax Co, VA, with one bird observed on Apr 10 and 11.
Huntley Meadows also hosted AMERICAN BITTERNs, with four birds
noted there on Apr 8, and one bird giving good views on Apr 11
and 12.

     Other waterbird reports included 150 AMERICAN AVOCETs and at
least 5,000 DUNLIN at Ted Harvey Wildlife Area, DE, on Apr 12.
Approximately 300 LEAST SANDPIPERs were seen on the beach south
of Kitts Hummock, DE, on Apr 11, and five PECTORAL SANDPIPERs
were spotted at Hart-Miller Is, Baltimore Co, MD, on Apr 10.
Seventeen GLOSSY IBIS were noted at Chincoteague NWR, VA, on Apr
10.

     A NORTHERN GOSHAWK was spotted near Front Royal,  Warren Co,
VA, over the weekend.

     Warblers are arriving in increasing numbers and variety.  A
total of 18 species were reported this week.  Among the new
arrivals in the DC area were a MAGNOLIA WARBLER at Huntley
Meadows Pk, VA, on Apr 10; a YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT and a COMMON
YELLOWTHROAT at Black Hill Reg Pk, Montgomery Co, MD, on Apr 12;
a YELLOW WARBLER at Woodend, Chevy Chase, Montgomery Co, MD, on
Apr 9; a BLUE-WINGED WARBLER at Long Branch Park, Arlington, VA,
on Apr 11; two NORTHERN WATERTHRUSHes at Gilbert Run Pk, Charles
Co, MD, also on Apr 11; and a PRAIRIE WARBLER at Huntley Meadows
Pk during the week.  Arrivals a little farther afield included a
BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER heard singing in the McKeldin area
of Patapsco Valley St Pk, Howard Co, MD, on Apr 11; and two more
heard in Smyth Co, VA, on Apr 8.  Other arrivals included two
BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLERs at Elk Neck St Pk, Cecil Co, MD, on Apr
13, and AMERICAN REDSTART, BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER, and OVENBIRD,
noted along Nassawango Ck, east of Salisbury, MD, on Apr 9.

     Newly arrived among the vireos was WHITE-EYED VIREO, with a
pair of birds seen along the Patuxent River at Tucker Lane,
Ashton, Montgomery Co, MD, on Apr 12, and a single bird seen
along the Pocomoke River, Worcester Co, MD, on Apr 11.  An
EASTERN WOOD-PEWEE was spotted in North Pocomoke Swamp, on the
DE-MD line, east of Salisbury, MD, on Apr 12.

     Six GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETs were found at Elk Neck St Pk,
Cecil Co, MD, on Apr 13.  RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETs are being
reported with increasing frequency, and BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHERs
are here in abundance.

     Winter ducks are still being seen, with reports of
BUFFLEHEAD, LESSER SCAUP, RUDDY DUCK, and RED-BREASTED MERGANSER
from numerous locations.  At the CBBT Islands, Northampton Co,
VA, lingering diving ducks included a female HARLEQUIN DUCK on Is
#1; an eider believed to be an immature male KING EIDER at Is #3;
and an adult male COMMON EIDER at Is #4, all seen on Apr 11.

     Other duck reports included BLUE-WINGED TEAL, which were
noted in several locations.

     HORNED GREBEs in partial or full breeding plumage were
reported from a number of spots in the DC metro area, and about
30 RED-THROATED LOONs were seen heading north during a half-hour
period at Rehoboth Beach, DE, on Apr 13.  Also northbound were
NORTHERN GANNETS, with dozens noted on the Chesapeake Bay at
North Beach, Calvert Co, MD, on Apr 11.

     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.  A reservations-only trip to DE Coastal Refuges is
set for 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.  A walk at Dumbarton Oaks, DC, is set
for Wed, Apr 22;  call the leader, Virginia McNair of Arlington,
at 703-820-6886, for information.  There will be a reservations-
only trip to Chincoteague/Dismal Swamp, VA, areas from Fri, Apr
24 to Sun, Apr 26; call the leader, Paul DuMont of Arlington, at
703-931-8994, to reserve your spot.  There will be a
reservations-only walk at Woodbridge Refuge, VA, on Sat, Apr 25;
call the leader, Jim Waggener of Woodbridge, at 703-497-0506, 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.