DC Area, 8/25/98
Steve Cordle (scordle@tidalwave.net)
Tue, 25 Aug 1998 15:28:52 -0400
Hotline: Voice of the Naturalist
Date: 8/25/98
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)
!!When emailing your reports, please remember to include your
name and a Tuesday morning telephone number!!
This is the Voice of the Naturalist, a service of the
Audubon Naturalist Society. This tape was made Tuesday, Aug 25,
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,the address is 8940 Jones Mill Road, Chevy Chase,
MD 20815, and the website is http://www.AudubonNaturalist.org.
ANS has been having problems with its phone message-taking
machine, so some of your reports were not received. We
apologize, and are working on the problem. For the coming week,
it would be better to report by fax or email.
Even with the phone problem, the volume of reports is high
now that fall migration is underway, so please limit your reports
to your top ten sightings of the week.
Top birds this week are: VIRGINIA RAIL in DC; BLACK TERN in
MD, DC, and VA; possible WOOD STORK, RED-NECKED PHALAROPE, and
"BREWSTER'S WARBLER" in MD; and SANDWICH TERN and OLIVE-SIDED
FLYCATCHER in VA.
Other birds of interest include: COMMON LOON, YELLOW-
CROWNED NIGHT-HERON, ducks, rails, AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER,
WILSON'S PHALAROPE, MARBLED and HUDSONIAN GODWITs, UPLAND and
WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERs, other shorebirds, gulls, terns, COMMON
NIGHTHAWK, and warblers.
The VIRGINIA RAIL that has been frequenting the Enid Haupt
Garden near the Smithsonian's Natl Museum of African Art, SW DC,
was seen again throughout the week, with the most recent report
for Aug 24. The bird seems to be most evident in the early
afternoon, and is seen mainly around the hostas near the
fountain, although it also appears in the row of yews along
Independence Ave east of the garden gate, and along the west and
north sides of the museum.
There was an unconfirmed report of a WOOD STORK at Pt
Lookout State Park, St Mary's Co, MD, on Aug 19; the bird was at
the small pond behind the boat-launch parking lot.
A RED-NECKED PHALAROPE was spotted at Hart-Miller Is,
Baltimore Co, MD, on Aug 22.
A male "BREWSTER'S WARBLER", a hybrid-backcross
individual, was spotted in the woods along Watts Branch,
Rockville, Montgomery Co, MD, on Aug 23. To reach this site,
take the Montgomery Ave exit off I-270, and proceed on Nelson St
(there's only one way to go), which comes off Montgomery Ave at
the exit. At the second stop sign, turn left on College Pkwy,
then left again at Princeton Place. Follow Princeton to its end
at Fordham. A trail takes you into the woods and after a short
distance intersects a trail that parallels the creek, the spot
where the bird was seen foraging high in the trees.
Another landbird migrant, an OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER, was
seen from Oatlands Mill Rd at the Dulles Wetlands, Loudoun Co,
VA, on Aug 22; the bird was on a conspicuous perch above the
canopy along Goose Creek.
BLACK TERNs are still being seen over the Potomac River
from Jones Pt, Alexandria, VA, with four birds reported on Aug 22
and eight birds on Aug 23. These birds were seen over both MD
and DC waters as they flew above distant hydrilla mats; a scope
is essential, and even then viewing may not be optimal. Nine
BLACK TERNs were also seen at Accotink Bay Wildlife Refuge, Ft
Belvoir, Fairfax Co, VA, on Aug 22; best viewing of these birds
was from near the archery range. Two BLACK TERNs were seen at
Accotink Bay the following day, and at least three BLACK TERNs
were spotted at Swan Cove, Chincoteague NWR, Accomack Co, VA, on
Aug 22.
Other tern reports included SANDWICH TERN, with 12 birds,
including at least four juveniles, spotted on the west side of
the "Fourth St Flats" (Skimmer Island), Ocean City, Worcester Co,
MD, on Aug 21 and 22. In addition, there were four SANDWICH TERNs
in Chincoteague's Swan Cove on Aug 22.
FORSTER'S TERNs were abundant at Accotink Bay Wildlife
Refuge, VA, with 113 birds noted on Aug 23. Twenty-six CASPIAN
TERNs were counted at Hunting Creek, south of Alexandria, VA, on
Aug 22.
LAUGHING GULLs have also been numerous at Hunting Creek,
with 450 birds noted on Aug 22. Be sure to scan any Laughing
Gull flocks in our area for unusual species. Up to six gulls
having black heads but some of them showing field marks not
entirely consistent with Laughing Gull were seen west of the
Washington Monument, DC, during the week, and definitive
identification would be welcome.
An AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER was found among Black-bellied
Plovers in a grassy area near a small pond between Shearness Pool
and Bear Swamp, Bombay Hook NWR, on Aug 19. An AMERICAN GOLDEN-
PLOVER was also spotted among plovers in a plowed field on the
far side of Bear Swamp, on Aug 23.
Six UPLAND SANDPIPERs were spotted along Oland Rd,
Frederick Co, MD, on Aug 23. Several UPLAND SANDPIPERs were also
noted in potato fields near the intersection of DE Rt 9 and the
entrance road to Bombay Hook NWR, on Aug 22. Airports in MD
hosted their share of UPLAND SANDPIPERs, too, with five birds
seen at the Salisbury Airport, Wicomico Co, and one bird at the
Easton Airport, Talbot Co, all on Aug 20.
A HUDSONIAN GODWIT was noted at Woodland Beach, DE, and
two WILSON'S PHALAROPEs and a MARBLED GODWIT were frequenting
Swan Cove, Chincoteague NWR, VA, all on Aug 22. The same day,
Chincoteague's Swan Cove held several WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERs,
and small numbers of WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERs were also seen at
Bombay Hook NWR, DE, and at Hart-Miller Is, MD.
Various inland waters close to DC also hosted shorebirds
this week, including SPOTTED, SOLITARY, SEMIPALMATED, PECTORAL,
WESTERN, and LEAST SANDPIPERs; GREATER and LESSER YELLOWLEGS; and
SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER. The mouth of Hunting Creek, south of
Alexandria, VA, has been particularly productive for shorebirds
lately.
A SORA and a KING RAIL were noted at Huntley Meadows Park,
Fairfax Co, VA, on Aug 23. An adult and a juvenile YELLOW-
CROWNED NIGHT-HERON were spotted at Lilypons, Frederick Co, MD,
on Aug 22.
Waterbird reports also included a molting COMMON LOON,
observed near the boat ramp at Black Hill Reg Pk, Montgomery Co,
MD, on Aug 19; and an OSPREY flying over an office building in
the vicinity of 16th and H Sts, NW DC, headed towards the Potomac
River, on Aug 21.
Waterfowl are beginning to move into our region, with
reports of five NORTHERN SHOVELERs at Accotink Bay Wildlife
Refuge, VA, on Aug 23; and of BLUE-WINGED TEAL from several
locations. GREEN-WINGED TEAL were spotted at Bombay Hook NWR,
DE, on Aug 22.
Land bird migration picked up, too, with the cold front
that passed through our region earlier this week. Reports
included the first warbler migrants, with a total of 13 species
noted, in addition to the "Brewster's Warbler" already mentioned.
They were: AMERICAN REDSTART, BLACK-AND-WHITE, BLACKBURNIAN,
BLACK-THROATED BLUE, CANADA, CHESTNUT-SIDED, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT,
MAGNOLIA, NORTHERN PARULA, PRAIRIE, PROTHONOTARY, WORM-EATING,
and YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT.
COMMON NIGHTHAWKs are being seen in evening skies
throughout our region.
There will be a trip to Dyke Marsh, VA, on Sat, Aug 29.
For more information call the leader, Len Alfredson of Arlington,
at 703-416-2718.
To report bird sightings, you can fax your report to ANS
at 301-951-7179, or email it to: voice@capaccess.org. This
week, it would be better not to phone your reports in because of
the answering-system problems. Thank you for calling, and GOOD
BIRDING.
--
Steve Cordle
Arlington, VA
scordle@tidalwave.net
http://www.tidalwave.net/~scordle