(Fwd) DC Area, 1/5/99
Norm Saunders (osprey@ARI.Net)
Tue, 5 Jan 1999 18:15:41 -0500
------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
From: scordle@capaccess.org
To: birdeast@listserv.arizona.edu
Subject: DC Area, 1/5/99
Date sent: Tue, 05 Jan 1999 21:50:59 GMT
Hotline: Voice of the Naturalist
Date: 1/5/98
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.sitesbysteve.com/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 Tues, Jan 5, at 2
pm. Please consider joining ANS, 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: ICELAND and GLAUCOUS GULLs, CAPE
MAY WARBLER, and CLAY-COLORED SPARROW in MD; BLACK-HEADED GULL in
DE; BLACK-TAILED GULL in VA; NORTHERN GOSHAWK in DC; and EURASIAN
WIGEON in VA and MD.
Other birds of interest include: COMMON LOON, BROWN PELICAN,
LITTLE BLUE and TRICOLORED HERONs, SNOWY EGRET, ROSS' and GREATER
WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, HARLEQUIN DUCK, COMMON EIDER, BALD EAGLE,
OSPREY, PEREGRINE FALCON, MERLIN, PINE and ORANGE-CROWNED
WARBLERs, LINCOLN'S SPARROW, and LAPLAND LONGSPUR.
Christmas Bird Counters and other birders turned up a
variety of interesting finds this week.
A male CAPE MAY WARBLER was frequenting a feeder in a yard
in Glenn Dale, Prince Georges Co, MD, at noon on Jan 5. For more
information and updates, call Fred Fallon, at 301-249-1518.
Unusual gulls were seen in a number of locations. Two adult
BLACK-TAILED GULLs were spotted on Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel
Island #4, Northampton Co, VA, on Dec 31. The birds were seen
simultaneously, on the west (bay) side of the island. On Jan 2,
one bird was seen in the SE corner of the island, near the
building, and the other offshore.
Three first-winter GLAUCOUS GULLs and two first-winter
ICELAND GULLs were spotted on mostly-frozen Redington Lake, at
the Visitor Ctr, Patuxent Wildlife Research Ctr, Prince George's
Co, MD, at mid-day Jan 3. The following day, also at mid-day,
this lake held a first-winter and a second-winter ICELAND GULL,
and two GLAUCOUS GULLs.
A first-winter GLAUCOUS GULL was also spotted in a large
flock of gulls at the Charles Co, MD [DeLorme Pg 37, C-D5],
landfill, on Jan 2. To reach this landfill from MD Rt 5 heading
southeast, go past Forest Park and Charles County Gardens; then
turn right on Billingsley Rd and go 3/4 mi to the landfill, on
the left. The landfill is not open to the public. Park in the
recycling ctr and scope the flocks of gulls from there.
A first-winter ICELAND GULL was spotted at a small pond on
Hanover Pkwy, Greenbelt, Prince George's Co, MD, on Dec 31. This
pond is between MD Rt 193 (Greenbelt Rd) and Good Luck Rd, on the
east side of the road, more or less behind and east of the
Greenway Shopping Ctr. Still another ICELAND GULL, a second-
winter bird, was found at dusk at Bay Ridge, southeast of
Annapolis, Anne Arundel Co, MD [DeLorme Pg 49, C4] during the
Annapolis Christmas Count, Jan 3.
Three BLACK-HEADED GULLs--two adults and one first-winter--
were seen at Indian River Inlet, DE, on Dec 30.
An immature NORTHERN GOSHAWK was spotted again on the Mall,
DC, Jan 2. It was perched on the Natl Museum of Natural History,
then flew towards the Smithsonian Castle and Freer Gallery of
Art.
A CLAY-COLORED SPARROW was seen east of Stockton, Worcester
Co, MD [DeLorme Pg 27, B4], during the Chincoteague Christmas
Bird Count, Dec 30. Directions: From Stockton, take George
Island Landing Rd east; where Greenbackville Rd turns off to the
south, go left (north) and proceed to the end of the road and
park in the lot. Work the edge of the road, to the east. The
bird was about 1/2 mile east of the parking lot.
Another CLAY-COLORED SPARROW, and a LINCOLN'S SPARROW, were
found along Evans Rd, near Berlin, Worcester Co, MD [DeLorme Pg
35, C4], on Dec 31. Directions: From the intersection of Evans
Rd and Ironshire Station Rd (southwest of Berlin), go north on
Evans Rd. Continue past Cedar Lane, which turns off to the left
(west). In about 1/4 mile you will come to an abandoned farm
site with hedge rows on both sides of the road and many weedy
thickets. Both sparrows were found on the east side of the road.
The CLAY-COLORED SPARROW was relocated Jan 4, on the west side of
the road.
Another LINCOLN'S SPARROW was found in a small clearcut area
southeast of Pocomoke City, Worcester Co, MD [DeLorme Pg 26, C2],
on Jan 4. This spot is just south of Hickory Point Rd, about 1/4
mile west of MD Rt 371. A LINCOLN'S SPARROW was also spotted in
a vacant lot in Newark, Worcester Co, MD [DeLorme Pg 35, D4], on
the Ocean City Christmas Bird Count, Dec 29, and one was also
spotted there on Dec 31. To reach this lot from downtown Newark,
take Patey Woods Rd west. In about 1/4 mile, you will see two
houses on the south side of the road, and after them the vacant
lot, with a yellow for-sale sign on it.
An adult male EURASIAN WIGEON was at Chincoteague NWR,
Accomack Co, VA, on Jan 3 and 4; it was with American Wigeon at
the west end of Swan Cove, as seen from Beach Rd, opposite the
entrance to the Woodland Trail. Another adult male EURASIAN
WIGEON was spotted at the northern end of Assateague Is,
Worcester Co, MD [DeLorme Pg 35, C6], during the Ocean City
Christmas Count, Dec 29, and again on Jan 4. Still another adult
male EURASIAN WIGEON was seen at a pond at Ocean Pines, Worcester
Co, MD [DeLorme Pg 35, B5], on Jan 1, 2, and 4. Directions:
90, and, at Ocean Pines, turn right (south) on MD Rt 589. At the
first light, Cathell Rd will be on the right, but instead turn
left, at the Taylor Bank sign. (The sign will be on your right
after you turn.) Proceed straight down the lane about 100 yds to
a swimming pool. The pond will be on your right. Park along the
lane and walk across a shallow drainage ditch, then go right, to
the observation points at the pond. The bird was in a large
flock of American Wigeon, at the left (north) end of the pond.
A ROSS' GOOSE was seen flying at George Island Landing,
Worcester Co, MD [DeLorme Pg 27, B4], during the Chincoteague
Christmas Count, Dec 30. Another ROSS' GOOSE was found in a
field along Down's Rd, about 1 mile south of Ironshire Station
Rd, Worcester Co, MD [DeLorme Pg 35, C4], during the Ocean City
Christmas Count, Dec 29. Coming south on Down's Rd, this field
is the first one to the east (left) after passing the first woods
edge. Other highlights of the Ocean City Count included 15
HARLEQUIN DUCKs and four adult COMMON EIDERs (three of them
adults) at Ocean City Inlet, Worcester Co, MD.
A GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE was spotted at the Riversbend
Golf Course, Chesterfield Co, VA, on Dec 31.
An immature BROWN PELICAN was seen flying across US Rt 50,
Cambridge, Dorchester Co, MD, on Dec 30; it was headed west, down
the Choptank River.
Lingering herons and egrets were found in abundance this
week at a small marsh near Ocean City, Worcester Co, MD. At this
site, Ocean City Christmas Counters, on Dec 29, found five LITTLE
BLUE HERONs, two TRICOLORED HERONs, and a SNOWY EGRET. To reach
this spot from West Ocean City Pond, proceed north on Golf Course
Rd about 1/4 mile to the first cross street, and turn right
(east) on Center Rd. Go east as far as possible, then turn
right. The marsh will be immediately on your right. Two more
LITTLE BLUE HERONs were spotted at Hooper Is, Dorchester Co, MD,
on Jan 4.
Urban raptor sightings, in addition to the goshawk, included
a PEREGRINE FALCON at the west side of the US Capitol Building,
DC, at 8 am Jan 1. Single BALD EAGLEs also made city
appearances, one of them over traffic near Quiet Waters Park,
Annapolis, Anne Arundel Co, MD, on Dec 29; and another over the
National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Montgomery Co, MD, on
Jan 4. Five MERLINs were noted near the golf course at Hains Pt,
DC, Jan 2. A MERLIN was also seen flying into the Belle Haven
picnic grounds, Alexandria, VA, on Jan 1. Late OSPREYs were
reported from the Potomac River, with one sighting just upstream
of Seneca Creek, Montgomery Co, MD, on Jan 2; another downriver,
just below Brookmont dam, also in Montgomery Co, on Jan 4; and
yet another still farther downstream, at Columbia Island Marina,
DC, on Dec 30.
A COMMON LOON that had landed on Jones Mill Rd, Chevy Chase,
Montgomery Co, MD, was rescued and released into the Potomac
River on Jan 4.
From LBJ Grove, Columbia Is, DC, came a report of four PINE
WARBLERs on Dec 30, and an ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER and three PINE
WARBLERs on Jan 1. This site, which is accessible from both the
north- and south-bound lanes of the GW Pkway, is across the
Boundary Channel from the Pentagon.
Eighteen LAPLAND LONGSPURs were frequenting a field along
Ironshire Station Rd, about 1 mile west of US Rt 113, during the
Ocean City Count, Dec 29.
Upcoming pelagics in our region depart VA Beach, VA, in Jan
and Feb. Spaces remain on the Jan 23 and Feb 6 and 20 trips.
Call Brian Patteson, at 703-765-4484, to reserve your spot.
There will be a reservations-only trip to the National Arboretum,
DC, on Sun, Jan 10; call the leader, Ottavio Janni of DC, at 202-
244-6009 eves before 10 pm, to reserve your spot.
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, extension 3101, for a dedicated answering
machine at all hours. Thank you for calling, and GOOD BIRDING.
===============
Norm Saunders
Colesville, MD
osprey@ari.net