DC Area, 9/8/98
Steve Cordle (scordle@tidalwave.net)
Tue, 08 Sep 1998 17:29:15 -0400
Hotline: Voice of the Naturalist
Date: 9/08/98
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 Tuesday, Sep 8,
at 3:30 pm. The phone message-taking system at ANS seems to be
working better now, so you may wish to start reporting birds by
phone again. 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.
Please note that reporting birds to an electronic listserve
does not constitute reporting to the Voice, and the Voice
compiler does not have time to consider all the many postings to
these lists. Please help by reporting your best birds--no more
than your top ten per week now, during migration--directly to the
Voice. And remember to include the location and date of your
sighting, and your name and a Tuesday morning phone number.
Thanks!
Top birds this week are: VIRGINIA RAIL, LEAST FLYCATCHER,
and CLAY-COLORED SPARROW in DC; WOOD STORK and RUDDY SHELDUCK in
MD; YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER, "LAWRENCE'S WARBLER", and WESTERN
TANAGER in VA; PHILADELPHIA VIREO in DC, MD, and DE; and
CONNECTICUT WARBLER in MD and VA.
Other birds of interest include: AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER;
BUFF-BREASTED, UPLAND, and WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERs; WHIMBREL;
BROAD-WINGED HAWK; OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER; LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE;
MOURNING and other warblers; and SAVANNAH SPARROW.
The VIRGINIA RAIL that has been frequenting the Enid Haupt
Garden near the Smithsonian's Natl Museum of African Art, SW DC,
was last reported with certainty on Sept 2. It was being seen 8-
10 am, among the yews that line the Independence Ave sidewalk.
Also in DC this week was a first-winter CLAY-COLORED
SPARROW, seen in the open scrub behind the maintenance yard at
Rock Creek Park, Sept 4-7. The bird seemed to be making circuits
of the yard. Also at the Rock Creek Park maintenance yard was a
LEAST FLYCATCHER, seen Sept 5.
PHILADELPHIA VIREOs were reported from a number of
lcoations around our region. One bird was spotted at Ridge Rd,
Rock Creek Park, DC, on Sept 5. Another was seen in the company
of White-eyed Vireos along the Patuxent River at Tucker Lane,
near Ashton, Montgomery Co, MD, on Sept 6 and 7. Farther afield,
a PHILADELPHIA VIREO was seen at Assawoman Wildlife Area, DE, on
Sept 5; and still another was spotted in mountainous terrain in
Shenandoah Co, VA, over the weekend.
CONNECTICUT WARBLERs were also reported from several
places. One bird was spotted on the Diersson WMA path, just off
the C&O Canal towpath at Pennyfield Lock, Montgomery Co, MD, on
Sept 7. Another CONNECTICUT WARBLER was seen at Riverbend Park,
Fairfax Co, VA, on Sept 1; it was frequenting the loose piles of
brush along the NW side of the meadow near the nature center.
Elsewhere in Fairfax Co, a CONNECTICUT WARBLER was spotted at
Wakefield Park, Sept 2; this bird was on the south side of the
powerline cut, across from the tennis courts. Wakefield Park
also hosted an immature MOURNING WARBLER, seen Sept 6.
Other warbler sightings included a male "LAWRENCE'S
WARBLER", a hybrid bird, spotted near Fall Hill Ave, at the north
end of the old Vepco Canal Path, Fredericksburg, VA, on Sept 6.
The total count of warbler species this week was 32, and the
reports came from numerous places. New species reported this
week were KENTUCKY WARBLER and NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH, in addition
to MOURNING WARBLER, already mentioned.
The immature WOOD STORK that has been frequenting Pt
Lookout State Park, St Mary's Co, MD, was reported again on Sept
2, 3, and 5. The bird was still at the large pool near the
point; this pool is north of the point parking lot, past the
picnic area.
A WESTERN TANAGER, in partial breeding plumage, was seen
on Guest Mtn, Wise Co, VA, on Sept 3.
A female RUDDY SHELDUCK, a bird common in zoos and private
collections, was seen at Centennial Lake, Howard Co, MD [DeLorme
Pg 57, C5], on Sept 1. The lake is at the intersection of Rt 108
and Centennial Lane, 3 miles south of US Rt 40.
A YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER was spotted near the Circle
Garden at Potomac Overlook Park, North Arlington, VA, on Sept 3.
Other flycatcher reports included an OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER at
Long Branch Park, Arlington, VA, on Sept 5.
Two AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERs were observed at Lake Allen,
Patuxent Research Refuge, North Tract, Anne Arundel Co, MD, on
Sept 6. Three more AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERs were seen at the John
Brown Rd turf farm, Queen Annes Co, MD [DeLorme Pg 50, B1,2], on
Sept 5, 6, and 7. Also at this turf farm were two BUFF-BREASTED
SANDPIPERs, seen Sept 6, and one seen Sept 7. To reach the turf
farm, from the US Rt 50/301 split, east of the Bay Bridge, head
north on Rt 301, then turn right (east) on John Brown Rd. After
about 1-1.5 mi, you'll come to the main viewing area along the
road. Check especially the sod area north of the road, opposite
the entrance to the office.
Reports of BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER came from other sites
as well. Six birds were spotted in the field on the south side
of the entrance road to Bombay Hook NWR, DE, near the
intersection with Rt 9, on Sept 5; and six birds were seen in the
field across Rt 9 from the entrance on Sept 7. At least two
juvenile BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPERs were frequenting the Cedar
Point Golf Course at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, St Mary's
Co, MD, from Sept 4 through 7. A WHIMBREL was at this same golf
course Sept 5 and 6; and five UPLAND SANDPIPERs were frequenting
the airfield at the air station on Sept 5. Remember, the air
station is a restricted area; if you wish to bird there, call
Kyle Rambo, at 301-342-3670.
Another UPLAND SANDPIPER was frequenting the field across
DE Rt 9 from the entrance road to Bombay Hook NWR, on Sept 5.
Other sandpiper reports included two WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERs,
spotted at Lake Accotink, Fairfax Co, VA, on Sept 4.
A LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE was noted at Sky Meadows St Pk,
Fauquier Co, VA, on Sept 6; it was at the base of Lost Mtn Bridle
Trail, just uphill from the parking lot.
SAVANNAH SPARROWs are beginning to pass through our
region, with eight birds seen at Hart-Miller Is, Baltimore Co,
MD, on Sept 5.
Movements of BROAD-WINGED HAWKs are also being noted, with
more than 100 birds tallied so far in recent weeks at Snicker's
Gap Hawkwatch, on the Loudoun/Clarke Co line, VA. The daily
BROAD-WINGED total for Sept 5 was ten birds, and for Sept 6, 17
birds. Farther south, 16 BROAD WINGED HAWKs were tallied at the
Rockfish Gap Hawkwatch, on the Augusta/Nelson Co line, VA, on
Sept 2.
There will be a reservations-only walk at the
Woodbridge/Occoquan Bay Refuge, VA, on Sat, Sept 12; call one of
the leaders, Jim Waggener of Woodbridge, at 703-497-0506, to
reserve your spot. There will be a reservations-only trip to DE
coastal areas on Sun, Sept 13; call the leader, Paul DuMont of
Arlington, at 703-931-8994, to secure your place. There will be
a walk at Pennyfield/Violettes Lock, MD, on Wed, Sep 16; call the
leader, Mike Bowen of Bethesda, at 301-530-5764, for information.
There will be a reservations-only walk at Patuxent River Pk, MD,
on Sat, Sep 19; call the leader, Paul Baicich of Fort Washington,
at 301-839-9736, to reserve your spot. There will be a
reservations-only trip to Snicker's Gap, VA, on Sun, Sep 20; call
the leader, Larry Cartwright of Arlington, at 703-379-2689, to
secure your place.
To report bird sightings, you can fax your report to ANS
at 301-951-7179, or email it to: voice@capaccess.org. You may
also call 301-652-9188, ext. 3101, for a dedicated answering
machine at all hours. Thank you for calling, and GOOD BIRDING.
--
Steve Cordle
Arlington, VA
scordle@tidalwave.net
http://www.tidalwave.net/~scordle