DC Area, 9/22/98

Steve Cordle (scordle@tidalwave.net)
Tue, 22 Sep 1998 16:26:36 -0400


Hotline:            Voice of the Naturalist
Date:               9/22/98
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 22,
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:  VIRGINIA RAIL, YELLOW-BELLIED
FLYCATCHER, PHILADELPHIA VIREO, and SAVANNAH SPARROW in DC;
CINNAMON TEAL and BROAD-WINGED HAWK in VA; and SELASPHORUS
hummingbird in MD.

     Other birds of interest include: PIED-BILLED GREBE; WHITE
IBIS; AMERICAN AVOCET; AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER; BLACK-BELLIED
PLOVER; HUDSONIAN GODWIT; SANDERLING; WHIMBREL; WHITE-RUMPED,
BUFF-BREASTED, and STILT SANDPIPERs; GREATER and LESSER
YELLOWLEGS; DUNLIN; LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER; WILSON'S PHALAROPE;
MERLIN; NORTHERN GOSHAWK; SANDWICH TERN; and CHIMNEY SWIFT.

     The VIRGINIA RAIL that is by now almost a fixture at the
Enid Haupt Garden, Natl Museum of African Art, Smithsonian
Institution, SW DC, was most recently reported walking on the
grass near the southeast entrance to the museum and then ducking
into the yews outside the fence along Independence Ave, at 10
a.m. on Sept 21.  It was also seen before 7 a.m. on both Sept 18
and 21.

     Other notable sightings in DC this week were a PHILADELPHIA
VIREO, a YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER, and a SAVANNAH SPARROW, all
noted at Rock Creek Park maintenance yard on Sept 18.

     A male CINNAMON TEAL in partial eclipse plumage was seen in
a flock of more than 100 Blue-winged Teal in Accotink Bay, at the
Accotink Wildlife Refuge, Ft Belvoir, Fairfax Co, VA, on Sept 16,
18, and 19.  It was seen from near the archery range  [ADC No. VA
Map 32, B1].  To reach this spot, turn off US Rt 1 onto Gunston
Rd.  Watch for Warren Rd, and turn right.  Follow Warren to the
bottom of a hill and make another right.  Proceed along the
shoreline to the archery range.  The flock of teal is usually
seen near the Osprey nesting platform and an old pier.  Morning
light provides the best viewing conditions.  Try to go at high
tide, which will be 28 minutes before high tide in DC. (DC tides
are listed in the Washington Post Metro section each day.)

     A hummingbird belonging to the SEPASPHORUS genus was
observed for 15 minutes on Sept 17, at a feeder in a yard near
Manor Country Club, which is southwest of the intersection of
Norbeck Rd (Rt 28) and Georgia Ave (Rt 97), Rockville, Montgomery
Co, MD.  The bird was not seen there again.

     Local hawkwatches reported some record-breaking hawk flights
this past week.  BROAD-WINGED HAWKs made a major migratory push
along the Appalachians.  The highest one-day tally reported was
from Snicker's Gap, along Rt 7, on the Loudoun/Clarke Co line,
VA, where a record-shattering count of more than 19,000 BROAD-
WINGED HAWKs passed through on easterly winds Sept 18.  More than
2,000 BROAD-WINGs were tallied there on Sept 19.  Approximately
1,100 BROAD-WINGED HAWKs were counted over a house in Manassas,
VA, on Sept 19, and more than 600 passed this spot on Sept 17.
Farther southwest, down the Appalachians, 1,120 BROAD-WINGED
HAWKs were tallied at the Mendota Firetower Hawkwatch, Russell
Co, VA, on Sept 16; and more than 2,800 were counted at this spot
on Sept 20.

     Kiptopeke hawkwatch, Northampton Co, VA, set a new one-day
record for MERLINs, with 462 birds tallied Sept 18.  Other MERLIN
reports included a single bird seen atop the AFL-CIO building, at
16th and I Sts, NW, DC, on Sept 17; and ten birds at Chincoteague
NWR, Accomack Co, VA, on Sept 19.  An immature NORTHERN GOSHAWK
was spotted at the Mendota Firetower Hawkwatch, VA, on Sept 18,
and another NORTHERN GOSHAWK was seen there on Sept 20.

     Sixteen PIED-BILLED GREBEs were frequenting Accotink
Wildlife Refuge, VA, on Sept 16.  Four WHITE IBISes were seen at
Fisherman's Is NWR, Northampton Co, VA, the same day.

     Shorebirds are still being seen close to DC.  Reports this
week included an adult SANDERLING in winter plumage, and 135
LESSER YELLOWLEGs, all spotted in DC waters of the Potomac River
at the mouth of Four Mile Run, on Sept 18.  Also there that day
were two BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERs, a DUNLIN, and three GREATER
YELLOWLEGS.  This same site hosted a STILT SANDPIPER on Sept 20.
The mouth of Hunting Creek, south of Alexandria, VA, hosted a
DUNLIN and a LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER, also on Sept 20.

     Farther afield, three BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPERs were seen in
Snow Goose Pool, Chincoteague NWR, VA, on Sept 19; and a WHIMBREL
was frequenting tidal flats at Blackwater NWR, Dorchester Co, MD,
the same day.  In DE, three HUDSONIAN GODWITs, hundreds of
AMERICAN AVOCETs, and three AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERs were spotted
in Raymond Pool, Bombay Hook NWR, on Sept 20.  Also at Bombay
Hook that day were an adult WILSON'S PHALAROPE, in Shearness
Pool; and a WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER, at Bear Swamp.  Three
SANDWICH TERNs were frequenting Swan Cove, Chincoteague NWR, VA,
on Sept 19.

     Large numbers of CHIMNEY SWIFTs are being seen nightly as
they swirl into their roost sites in chimneys.  One local report
came from the 800 block of Fourth St, just south of Rt 198 east
(Gorman Ave), Laurel, Prince George's Co, MD, on Sept 20.  The
chimney is on an old apartment building on the east side of the
street, just before Marshall Ave.  The birds generally begin to
funnel into the chimney at about 7:15 p.m. and continue until
dark.

      There will be a walk at Dyke Marsh, VA, on Thurs, Sept 24;
call the leader, Paul DuMont of Arlington, at 703-931-8994, for
information.  There will be a walk at Pennyfield/Violette's
Locks, MD, on Sat, Sept 26; call the leader, Paul Pisano of
Arlington, at 703-685-3790, for details.  There will be a walk at
Dyke Marsh, VA, on Sun, Sept 27; call the leader, Bob Beard of
Arlington, at 703-534-3178, for information.  There will be a
walk at Pennyfield/Violette's Locks, MD, on Wed, Sept 30; call
the leader, Mike Bowen of Bethesda, at 301-530-8764, for details.
There will be a reservations-only trip to Hart-Miller Is, MD, on
Sat, Oct 3; call the leader, Gene Scarpulla of Towson, at 410-821-
0575, eves before 10:30, to reserve your spot.  There will be
a reservations-only trip to Cape May, NJ, the weekend of Oct 2-4;
call the leader, Bob Augustine of Rockville, at 301-933-5970, 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.  Please post
email reports before midnight Monday, and be sure to include your
name and Tuesday morning phone number.  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