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Subject: DC Area, 6/8/04
Date: Tue, 8 Jun 2004 17:17:47 +0000
Hotline: Voice of the Naturalist
Date: 6/8/04
Coverage: MD/DC/VA/DE
Telephone: 301-652-1088 option 1
Reports (voice): 301-652-1088 option 2
(email): 
(deadline): midnight Mondays
Compiler: Lydia Schindler
Sponsor: Audubon Naturalist Society of the Central
Atlantic States (independent of NAS!)
Transcriber: Steve Cordle ()

Please consider joining ANS, especially if you are a regular user of
the Voice (Individual $30; Family $40; Nature Steward $60; Audubon
Advocate $100). The membership number is 301-652-9188 option 12, the
address is 8940 Jones Mill Road, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, and the web
site is http://www.AudubonNaturalist.org.

This is the Voice of the Naturalist, a service of the Audubon
Naturalist Society. This tape was made Tuesday, June 8, at 1 p.m.

Top birds this week are AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN in VA, *SWALLOW-TAILED
KITE in MD, and CURLEW SANDPIPER in DE.

Other birds of interest include RED-THROATED LOON, seabirds, LEAST
BITTERN, YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON, WHITE-FACED IBIS, MISSISSIPPI
KITE, KING RAIL, COMMON MOORHEN, shorebirds including RED KNOT and
WILSON'S and RED-NECKED PHALAROPES, ICELAND GULL, GULL-BILLED and
ARCTIC TERNS, CHUCK-WILL'S-WIDOW, WESTERN KINGBIRD, VEERY, SWAINSON'S
THRUSH, BREWSTER'S, MOURNING, and YELLOW-THROATED WARBLERS, SUMMER
TANAGER, HENSLOW'S SPARROW, DICKCISSEL, and BOBOLINK.

An AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN was found June 5 at Back Bay NWR, Virginia
Beach, along the West Dike road. Also in the company were LEAST
BITTERNS, KING RAILS, and COMMON MOORHEN.

The *SWALLOW-TAILED KITE in Elkton, Cecil Co, MD, continues to be seen
off and on, with the most recent report from June 7. It shares the
skies with as many as 12 MISSISSIPPI KITES--especially when skies are
clear and winds are westerly. [For directions, consult the archives of
the MDOsprey list server.]

On June 3, between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m., a breeding plumaged CURLEW
SANDPIPER joined several hundred shorebirds feeding along Port Mahon
Rd, Little Creek, DE.

After the June 6 pelagic trip from Lewes, DE, was cancelled, several
birders set up a sea watch from the ORV zone at Assateague Island,
Worcester Co, MD. They were rewarded with CORY'S, GREATER, and SOOTY
SHEARWATERS and WILSON'S STORM-PETREL, as well as PIPING PLOVER,
ICELAND GULL, and ARCTIC TERN. A reprise on June 7 brought
RED-THROATED LOON and LEACH'S STORM-PETREL. On June 7, visitors to the
Ocean City Inlet, Worcester Co, also spotted a SOOTY SHEARWATER and a
WILSON'S STORM-PETREL.

On June 5, a SHOOTY SHEARWATER was being harassed by GREATER
BLACK-BACKED GULLS at Cape Henlopen SP, DE. On June 6, 6 or more
WILSON'S STORM-PETRELS were spotted from Cape Henlopen.

Nesting YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS were reported from Baltimore City,
on Windsor Mill Rd near Weatheredsville Rd (across from Gwynns Falls
and the Leakin Park trail head parking lot).

A WHITE-FACED IBIS was found at Shearness Pool, Bombay Hook NWR, DE,
on June 5.

Half a dozen MISSISSIPPI KITES continue over the Riverview
subdivision, near the upper Occoquan River in Prince William Co, VA,
with sightings through June 7. On the morning of June 7, 3 MISSISSIPPI
KITES were reported soaring above the Penneyfield impoundments along
the C&O Towpath, Montgomery Co, MD. Also on June 7, a MISSISSIPPI KITE
was spotted over Grasonville, Queen Anne's Co, MD.

A BLACK-NECKED STILT was seen on Merkle Pond at the Merkle Wildlife
Sanctuary, south of Upper Marlboro, Prince George's Co, MD, on June 5
and 6. [Take 301 south to Croom Rd (382), then turn left on St. Thomas
Rd and follow signs to Sanctuary.]

On June 3, the south impoundment on Broadkill Beach Rd, DE, held both
HUDSONIAN and MARBLED GODWITS. On June 6, HUDSONIAN GODWIT and
WILSON'S PHALAROPE were seen at Bombay Hook's Raymond Pool. On June 3,
a pair of WILSON'S PHALAROPES were reported from the north impoundment
at the Ted Harvey Conservation Area, DE.

RED KNOTS were still present along Delaware Bay, though in diminishing
numbers. On June 4, Slaughter Beach held just 30, amidst tens of
thousands of SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS. About 100 KNOTS were seen, by
boat, at Mispillion Harbor.

Half a dozen WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS were identified at Raymond Pool
June 3. Two WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS were among seven species of
shorebird at the Harney Rd pond, Frederick Co, MD, on June 1 and 2.

Three GULL-BILLED TERNS were present at Shearness Pool June 6.

The CHUCK-WILL'S-WIDOWS in Anne Arundel Co, MD--near the intersection
of Marley Neck Blvd and Marley Neck Rd--were still singing on June 2.

A WESTERN KINGBIRD was discovered at Chesapeake Farm, Kent Co, MD, on
June 4; it was foraging in a fallow cornfield where the main road
intersects with Ricaud's Branch Rd.

A SWAINSON'S THRUSH was singing along Marley Neck Blvd on June 2. That
same day 2 VEERIES were reported from Alexandria, VA.

A BREWSTER'S WARBLER was discovered June 4 in Forest Service lands off
Avilton-Lonaconing Rd, just south of Swamp Rd, in eastern Garrett Co,
MD [DeLorme 66, B3].

A YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER was found June 6 in the northern section of
Little Bennett RP, along Prescott Rd.

A singing MOURNING WARBLER visited a yard in Dameron, St. Mary's Co,
MD, on June 3.

SUMMER TANAGER was found June 4 at Chesapeake Farm and June 6 at
Little Bennett RP, near the Rte 121 bridge. On June 7 SUMMER TANAGER
was on display at Soldiers Delight Natural Area, Baltimore Co (near
the White trail) and also in the Jones Falls Valley area of Coldspring
in Baltimore City (one half mile north of TV Hill and not far from
Cylburn Mansion).

On June 2 and 4, several HENSLOW'S SPARROWS were singing along Pea
Ridge Rd in eastern Garrett Co, MD.

Three male BOBOLINKS were observed June 2 along Ebenezer Church Rd,
near Bluemont in western Loudoun Co, VA.

A pelagic trip is scheduled for Aug 28 out of Lewes, DE. For more
information, contact See Life Paulagics at 215-234-6805 or check their
web site at www.paulagics.com.

Some of this week's reports have been gleaned from the MDOSPREY,
VA-Bird, and Delaware Birds list servers.

Claudia Wilds' book, Finding Birds in the National Capital Area, is an
excellent source of directions to many birding sites.

To report bird sightings, you can e-mail your report to
 You may also report by calling
301-652-1088 and selecting menu option 2. Please post e-mail reports
before midnight Monday, and be sure to include your name and a Tuesday
morning phone number.

Thank you for calling, and GOOD BIRDING.

* Of interest to the MD/DC Records Committee. For more information,
visit www.MDBirds.org/mddcrc/rcindex.html.