Hotline: Voice of the Naturalist Date: 6/16/98 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, Jun 16, at 2:30 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: PACIFIC LOON in DC and PA; NORTHERN GANNET and WHITE-WINGED DOVE in DE; MISSISSIPPI KITE in VA; SOOTY, MANX, and GREATER SHEARWATERs, and WILSON'S STORM- PETREL in MD; and DICKCISSELs in MD and VA. Other birds of interest include: AMERICAN BITTERN, LEAST BITTERN, LITTLE BLUE HERON, HOODED MERGANSER, RUDDY DUCK, probable RINGED TURTLE-DOVE, LEAST and WILLOW FLYCATCHERs, CLIFF SWALLOW, VEERY, BLACKPOLL WARBLER, and GRASSHOPPER SPARROW. The PACIFIC LOON in nearly full breeding plumage discovered May 25 and seen daily through Jun 8 in the Washington Channel and nearby stretches of the Potomac R, DC, was last reported the afternoon of Jun 10. That day, it was in DC waters of Roaches Run, as seen from Gravelly Pt, Arlington, VA. It came as far up the creek as the boat ramp. Three days later, on Jun 13, a PACIFIC LOON reported as being in breeding plumage was spotted at a reservoir a few miles south of Hanover, PA. This bird was seen again on Jun 14 and the morning of Jun 15th, but not relocated on the afternoon of the 15th. Call the Central PA Birdline, at 717-255-1212, ext. 5761, for directions. A boat trip to Baltimore Canyon (MD waters of the Atlantic Ocean) on Jun 14 yielded sightings of a MANX SHEARWATER, three SOOTY SHEARWATERs, numerous GREATER SHEARWATERs, and more than 100 WILSON'S STORM-PETRELs. Three WILSON'S STORM-PETRELs were also spotted from a boat in the Chesapeake Bay, 3 miles east of Pt Lookout, St Mary's Co, MD, the same day. A sub-adult NORTHERN GANNET was winging slowly southward along the beach at Dewey Beach, DE, on Jun 14, fueling speculation that the bird was either left behind by the species' main migration northward, or blown south by weather events farther north. A MISSISSIPPI KITE was reported flying over Huntley Meadows Pk, Fairfax Co, VA, again, on Jun 13 and 15. A WHITE-WINGED DOVE was frequenting bird feeders at the nature center at Cape Henlopen St Pk, DE, on Jun 9 and 11. Another dove, believed to be an escaped RINGED TURTLE-DOVE, has been frequenting a backyard in the White Oak area of Silver Spring, Montgomery Co, MD, most of the week, with the most recent report for Jun 15. If you would like to try to see this bird, call Emily Pugsley at 301-593-2012. Two DICKCISSELs, apparently a mated pair, were observed along Oland Rd near Rt 85, Frederick Co, MD, on Jun 11. Three male and two female DICKCISSELs were also found along Oland Rd, about 1/3 - 1/2 mi from Rt 85 [DeLorme Pg 55, B5], on Jun 14. Another DICKCISSEL, a male, was noted in a field along Rt 656 (Hibler Rd), about 0.15 mi east of Rt 661, Lucketts, Loudoun Co, VA [DeLorme Pg 80, C-1,2], on Jun 13; this field will be on your right as you come east from Rt 661. Also in that field that day were two GRASSHOPPER SPARROWs. VEERYs were seen and heard singing in Glover-Archbold Pk, DC, during the week. The most recent report was of four birds heard on Jun 15. CLIFF SWALLOWs are building nests at the aquaduct over Seneca Ck, Riley's Lock, C&O Canal, Montgomery Co, MD, with a report for Jun 14. Viewing is especially good from the aquaduct bridge, where the activity can be watched from above. A LEAST BITTERN was spotted at Hughes Hollow, Montgomery Co, MD, on Jun 11. It was frequenting the first impoundment on the right as you come from the parking lot. First spotted in marshes near the crossdike, it was also seen flying into a nearby tree and then back to the marsh. A LITTLE BLUE HERON was frequenting Huntley Meadows Pk, VA, on Jun 13. Also at Huntley that day was an adult female HOODED MERGANSER with five young; and an AMERICAN BITTERN was seen there on Jun 13 and 14. Seven LITTLE BLUE HERONs, four of them adults and three immatures, were seen at Courthouse Point Managed Hunting Area, Cecil Co, MD [DeLorme Pg 78, D-1], on Jun 11. Late water bird migrants included ten RUDDY DUCKs--five males and five females-- present at Lilypons, Frederick Co, MD, all day on Jun 13, but then gone by the evening of the following day. Late land bird migrants included a LEAST FLYCATCHER and a BLACKPOLL WARBLER, found at Patuxent River Pk at Jug Bay, Prince George's Co, MD, on Jun 13. Another BLACKPOLL was seen and heard near the nature center at Cape Henlopen St Pk, DE, also on Jun 13. WILLOW FLYCATCHER reports included one bird along Rt 658, near US Rt 15, Loudoun Co, VA [ADC Map 11, B-3] on Jun 13; and another bird at Patuxent River Pk at Jug Bay, MD, the same day. There will be a reservations-only trip to Woodbridge Refuge, VA, on Sat, Jun 20; call one of the leaders, Jim Waggener of Woodbridge, at 703-497-0506, to reserve your place. There will be a reservations-only trip to Elliott Is, MD, on Sat, Jun 27; Hal Wierenga will lead; make reservations with Paul O'Brien of Rockville, at 301-424-6491. 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. -- Steve Cordle Arlington, VA scordle@tidalwave.net