-------------- Forwarded Message: --------------
From: "Steve Cordle" <>
To:
Subject: DC Area, 6/14/05
Date: Tue, 14 Jun 2005 20:04:20 +0000
Hotline: Voice of the Naturalist
Date: 6/14/05
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, June 14, at 3 pm.
Top birds this week are MISSISSIPPI KITE in DE, SCISSOR-TAILED
FLYCATCHER in VA, and *LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE in MD.
Other birds of interest include RUFFED GROUSE, WILD TURKEY, COMMON
LOON, LEAST BITTERN, BROWN PELICAN, SNOWY EGRET, LITTLE BLUE HERON,
CATTLE EGRET, WHITE-FACED IBIS, HUDSONIAN GODWIT, cuckoos,
CHUCK-WILL'S-WIDOW, RED-HEADED WOODPECKER, GOLDEN-WINGED, SWAINSON'S,
MOURNING and other WARBLERS, SCARLET TANAGER, VESPER and SALT-MARSH
SHARP-TAILED SPARROWS, DICKCISSEL, and BOBOLINK.
A MISSISSIPPI KITE was seen on two occasions this week in Newcastle
Co, DE. On June 9, a MISSISSIPPI KITE perched in trees near a power
line cut on Port Penn Rd. Not far away, on June 12, a MISSISSIPPI KITE
floated over Rte 9, just north of the Appoquinimink River near the
Augustine Wildlife Area.
A SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER was found June 7 near the Great Dismal
Swamp NWR, Suffolk, VA. It was hunting from roadside utility wires
along White Marsh Rd (Rte 642) about 100 yards south of the Washington
Ditch entrance.
A *LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE was spotted June 9 in Frederick Co, MD, in fields
near the intersection of Rocky Ridge Rd (Rte 77) and Old Frederick Rd;
it was relocated in the same vicinity that afternoon.
RUFFED GROUSE were noted in the VA highlands, both along Skyline Drive
in the Blue Ridge, south of Front Royal, and at the High Knob
Recreation area in Wise Co.
A WILD TURKEY roamed a yard in Darnestown, Montgomery Co, MD, June 12
and 13.
NORTHERN BOBWHITES were holding forth at several locations: June 8 in
the Pasadena area of Anne Arundel Co, MD; June 9 at Blue Mash Nature
Trail, Montgomery Co; June 12 near Ell Downes Rd, Queen Anne's Co, MD;
and also June 12, at Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve, Loudoun Co, VA.
COMMON LOON lingered in Montgomery Co, with a report of one at Lake
Placid (the old National Geographic property) in Gaithersburg June 10,
and one flying over Blue Mash June 11.
BROWN PELICANS were occupying 100 nests on Holland Island, Dorchester
Co, MD, as of June 8.
A pair of breeding-plumaged LEAST BITTERNS popped up and perched
briefly at Neabsco Creek, Prince William Co, VA, on June 12.
The backwaters of Curtis Bay in Anne Arundel Co, explored by kayak,
were found to host both LITTLE BLUE HERON and SNOWY EGRET.
CATTLE EGRETS were found in northern Anne Arundel Co on June 7 (east
of Rte 301 .25 miles north of St. Stephens Rd) and southern Anne
Arundel (near Rosehaven) June 10. On June 13, 5 pairs of CATTLE EGRETS
were observed on the nest, alongside nesting SNOWY EGRETS, on Poplar
Island in the Bay in Talbot Co, MD.
A WHITE-FACED IBIS was seen June 11 at Snow Goose Pool, Chincoteague
NWR, Accomack Co, VA.
A HUDSONIAN GODWIT was reported June 12 from Raymond Pool at Bombay
Hook NWR, DE.
Skyline Drive featured half a dozen BLACK-BILLED CUCKOOS on June 12.
That same day a BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO was found at Savage River SF,
Garrett Co, MD.
A search for breeding birds in the District of Columbia on June 11
netted YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO, OVENBIRD, and SCARLET TANAGER at Fort
Dupont Park, SE DC; WORM-EATING WARBLER and OVENBIRD at Fort Circle
Park, SE DC; and YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT at Kenilworth Park, NE DC.
CHUCK-WILL'S-WIDOWS are being heard for the first time in several
years in Cape Charles, Northampton Co, VA. On June 13, a
CHUCK-WILL'S-WIDOW was singing in the town of Elliott, Dorchester Co.
A RED-HEADED WOODPECKER was discovered in Montgomery Co June 12,
perched atop a utility pole on the west side of Old Hundred Rd (Rte
109), near a bridge about .25 mile north of Barnesville Rd.
GOLDEN-WINGED and MOURNING WARBLERS rewarded birders traveling to
Highland Co, VA, over the weekend. Several GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLERS were
singing along Rte 631 just outside of Monterey, while yet others were
seen at a private farm along Rte 640. At Paddy Knob, at least 3 male
MOURNING WARBLERS were singing in one small area.
PROTHONOTARY WARBLER nest boxes in Montgomery Co have been busy, and
several are now housing second broods. Some of these can be glimpsed
along the C&O Canal above Riley's Lock; others are located at Hughes
Hollow.
At least 4 SWAINSON'S WARBLERS were to be found June 12 in far SW VA,
along Roaring Branch, near Big Stone Gap, Wise Co, including one pair
that pished up to offer "crippling" views. (This steep stream, shaded
with Eastern hemlock and rhododendron thickets, is a traditional site
for Swainson's Warbler in this area.)
In addition to the warblers, Highland Co's Blue Grass Valley provided
VESPER SPARROW along Rte 642, and a dozen or more BOBOLINKS, as well
as RED-HEADED WOODPECKER.
VESPER SPARROW was seen June 8 at 2 sites in Caroline Co: on Jarrell
Rd near the intersection with 287, and along Draper's Mill Rd.
A SALT-MARSH SHARP-TAILED SPARROW was found June 12 along Elliott
Island Rd, Dorchester Co, near the boat ramp on Island Creek.
A WHITE-THROATED SPARROW was heard singing in a yard in Waynesboro,
Augusta Co, VA. Less happily, a WHITE-THROATED SPARROW is vainly
singing inside a home-improvement store in New Carrollton, Prince
George's Co, MD.
DICKCISSELS are bustin' out all over: In Caroline Co, northwest of
Greensboro, near the intersection of Cherry Lane and Cedar Lane; and
southwest of Greensboro, where at least 9 males are singing along
Union, Davis, and Bridgetown roads; they've also been found along
Auction Rd .5 mile past American Corners.
In Frederick Co, in addition to the numerous DICKCISSELS along
Shoemaker Rd near Emmitsburg, on June 12 DICKCISSELS were singing on
Cap Stine Rd south of S. Renn Rd; on Lilypons Rd, a few hundred yards
from Rte 85; and on Hoovers Mill Rd, about .3 mile from Mud College
Rd.
In Queen Anne's Co, Ell Downes Rd south of Engleside holds
DICKCISSELS. In Talbot, DICKCISSEL was reported just north of Trappe,
on Landing Neck Rd. In St. Mary's Co, 2 DICKCISSELS were seen on
Longneck Rd June 11, .25 mile east of Rte 7. On June 12, a DICKCISSEL
even showed up on Baltimore Co's Hart-Miller Island.
In western Loudoun Co, BOBOLINKS weathered an uneven mowing of their
fields; they are still being seen daily along the west side of
Ebenezer Church Rd, near Bluemont.
See Life Paulagics is running a trip out of Lewes, DE, on Saturday,
August 27. For more information, call them at 215-896-6405, or check
their web site at paulagics.com.
Some of this week's reports have been gleaned from the MDOSPREY and
VA-Bird list servers.
Finding Birds in the National Capital Area by Claudia Wilds is an
excellent source of directions to many birding sites. The ANS
Bookstore (301-652-3606 or
www.audubonnaturalist.org/cgi-bin/mesh/store) is an excellent source
for this and many other nature-related titles.
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 as well as 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. |