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FW: DC Area, 2/22/05

From:

Norm Saunders

Reply-To:

Maryland Birds & Birding

Date:

Wed, 23 Feb 2005 03:08:48 -0500

> -----Original Message-----
> From:  [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
> Sent: Tuesday, February 22, 2005 4:31 PM
> To: 
> Subject: DC Area, 2/22/05
> 
> 
> Hotline:            Voice of the Naturalist	
> Date:               2/22/05
> 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, Feb 22, at 3 p.m.
> 
> Top birds this week are GYRFALCON in DE and *NORTHERN LAPWING in
MD.
> 
> Other birds of interest include waterfowl, raptors, AMERICAN 
> AVOCET, MARBLED GODWIT, AMERICAN WOODCOCK, gulls, RAZORBILL, 
> EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE, SHORT-EARED OWL, NORTHERN SHRIKE, 
> WESTERN TANAGER,
> PAINTED BUNTING, and BREWER'S BLACKBIRD.   
> 
> A gray-morph GYRFALCON was discovered and photographed Feb 15 
> at the east end of Port Mahon Rd, DE; it was perched on a 
> piling beyond the bait shop. 
> 
> Birders have poured into the area, leading to several 
> subsequent observations. On Feb 16, the bird was found mid- 
> to late morning just east of Rte 9, between Whitehall Neck Rd 
> (the entrance road to Bombay Hook NWR) and the Leipsic River. 
> On Feb 17, it was seen mid-afternoon, flying over the Port 
> Mahon impoundment from a road east of the tower at Little Creek
WMA. 
> 
> The GYRFALCON was not seen Feb 18 or 19, several reports came 
> in on Feb 20. In addition to one sighting of the bird flying 
> west over Rte 9 just north of the Leipsic River at 6:50 am, 
> it was reported several times from the Little Creek/Ted 
> Harvey area, from mid-morning through afternoon. Gyrfalcons 
> are notoriously wide-ranging, and for the most part this bird 
> hasn't hung around any one spot long enough for anyone to 
> chase it; it's been described as a "hit and run" bird. 
> 
> Not only is the Gyr being hard to find, identification is 
> complicated by presence of up to three PEREGRINE FALCONS in 
> the Little Creek area, especially around the old hacking 
> tower east of the central observation tower. (Plus, on at 
> least one occasion, there was a MERLIN
> harassing the PEREGRINES.)   
> 
> The *NORTHERN LAPWING discovered Feb 12 in Frederick Co, MD 
> (west of Creagerstown, DeLorme 72, C3), has also been the 
> object of extensive searching. The Lapwing was last seen late 
> in the afternoon of Feb 16 on the north side of Blacks Mill 
> Rd, west of an older farm house. 
> 
> WOOD DUCKS, a sign of spring, were found at Occoquan Bay, 
> Prince William Co, VA, Feb 19, and at Hughes Hollow, 
> Montgomery Co, Feb 20.
> 
> A TUFTED DUCK X SCAUP hybrid was observed along Port Mahon Rd 
> several times between Feb 17 and 21.  
> 
> The week saw several reports of EURASIAN WIGEON. On Feb 18, 2 
> were found at the Little Creek impoundment (opposite the tank 
> farm on Port Mahon Rd), while another was at the north pond 
> of Ted Harvey WMA. 
> 
> A EURASIAN WIGEON was noted at Eagles Landing Golf Course 
> south of Ocean City, Worcester Co, MD, on Feb 17, 19, 20. In 
> VA, 1 EURASIAN WIGEON was found Feb 19 at Ridgeway Park in 
> Hampton, while another was seen at the Eastern Shore of VA 
> NWR, Northampton Co, Feb 19 and 21.  
> 
> Over the weekend, the CBB/T (Northampton Co) hosted up to 5 
> HARLEQUIN DUCKS and 2 RED-NECKED GREBES. On Feb 20, the Ocean 
> City Inlet showcased 15 COMMON EIDERS and a female HARLEQUIN. 
> 
> Locally, waterfowl watchers have enjoyed a good assortment of 
> birds at Black Hill RP, Montgomery Co, and at Piney Run Park, 
> Carroll Co, MD; and, in Fairfax Co, VA, at Burke Lake, Great 
> Falls NP, and Belmont Bay.  
> 
> RAZORBILLS popped up at several locations: at the Ocean City 
> Inlet Feb 17, 19, and 20; at Back Bay NWR, southeastern 
> Virginia Beach, Feb 17; and at Kiptopeke SP, Northampton Co, Feb
20.
> 
> An immature GOLDEN EAGLE soared over Pickering Creek Audubon 
> Center, Talbot Co, MD, Feb 21.
> 
> On Feb 18, a PEREGRINE FALCON was seen in downtown Rockville, 
> Montgomery Co, in the vicinity of the Executive Office 
> Building and Monroe Park.
> 
> Two AMERICAN AVOCETS were discovered at Blackwater NWR, 
> Dorchester Co, MD, Feb 21; this appears to be a first 
> February record for the state. Half a dozen AVOCETS were 
> found at Ted Harvey Feb 18.
> 
> Willis Wharf, Northampton Co, continues to host MARBLED 
> GODWITS, with 140 seen there Feb 18.
> 
> A wayward AMERICAN WOODCOCK was discovered in downtown DC Feb 
> 16; it was in the vicinity of 13th and E Sts, NW.
> 
> On Feb 17 and 18, North East Town Park, Cecil Co, MD, held a 
> nice assortment of GULLS: as many as 3 ICELAND, 1 GLAUCOUS, 1 
> THAYER and 2 LESSER BLACK-BACKEDS. Late afternoon seems a 
> good time to look for them there. 
> 
> An ICELAND GULL was found at the Ocean City Inlet Feb 19 and 
> 21; on the 21, an adult GLAUCOUS GULL was also present. On 
> Feb 17, a first-winter ICELAND GULL was bathing at the West 
> Ocean City pond. A GLAUCOUS GULL was discovered at the 
> landfill in Salisbury, Wicomoco Co, MD, Feb 19.  
> 
> An immature ICELAND GULL was viewed at Rudee Inlet, Virginia 
> Beach, Feb 20. On Feb 17, Back Bay in Virginia Beach held 
> some 45 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS.
> 
> A EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE was reported Feb 20 in Frederick Co, 
> on a wire at 14608 Roddy Rd. Despite diligent searching, this 
> bird has not been relocated. 
> 
> Two SHORT-EARED OWLS were found on the west side of Deal 
> Island Rd, Somerset Co, Feb 20. 
> 
> A NORTHERN SHRIKE was identified at Pickering Creek Feb 21. A 
> distant SHRIKE was seen Feb 21 on the north side of Broadkill 
> Beach Rd about .25 mile west of the shore--not far from the 
> area around Prime Hook NWR where a NORTHERN SHRIKE has been 
> reported several times this winter.
> 
> A WESTERN TANAGER continues in Virginia Beach. The homeowner 
> can be contacted at 
> 
> A male PAINTED BUNTING continues to visit a feeder, off and 
> on, in the Deep Creek area of Chesapeake, VA (south of 
> Norfolk). The feeder, to the left of the house, can be viewed 
> from the driveway at 2813 Lambert Trail, which is near the 
> intersection of Rte 13 (S. Military Highway) and Rte 17 
> (George Washington Highway). 
> 
> Male and female BREWER'S BLACKBIRDS were again seen Feb 18 in 
> the Nokesville area of Prince William Co, VA; as before, they 
> were in a mixed flock in a cow pasture near the Asbury 
> Church, off Fleetwood Dr.
> 
> A single male BREWER'S BLACKBIRD was spotted Feb 19 in 
> Frederick Co, along Graceham Rd a short distance beyond the 
> so-called Lapwing pond.
> 
> See Life Paulagics is running two trips this weekend. On 
> Saturday, Feb 26, one will leave from Lewes, DE, to explore 
> MD and DE waters. On Sunday, Feb 27, an 8-hour onshore 
> pelagic will work inlets and jetties from Lewes to Ocean 
> City, MD. For more information, call 215-234-6805, or check 
> their web site at www.paulagics.com.
> 
> Those of you lucky enough to host a winter hummingbird are 
> asked to contact hummingbird bander Mary Gustafson at 
>  Mary is working to document winter 
> hummingbirds in the east.
> 
> Some of this week's reports have been gleaned from the MDOSPREY, 
> VA-Bird, and Delaware Birds list servers.
> 
> Claudia Wilds's book, Finding Birds in the National Capital 
> Area, is an excellent source of directions to many birding 
> sites. And the ANS Bookstore is an excellent source for this 
> and many other nature-related titles: 301-652-3606.
> 
> To report bird sightings, 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, identify the county and 
> state, and 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.
>