Hi all --

This was posted today on VA-Birds -- although Little Hunting Creek bay is Virginia waters, it would only be a short paddle or flight for a grebe to make it into Maryland (or even DC). Not confirmed yet, but....keep your eyes peeled!

Gail Mackiernan
Colesville, MD
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VA BIRDers,

Carolyn Williams, George Lea and company report a possible Western Grebe on
the Potomac River during Sunday's Waterfowl count. The location was near a
GW Parkway parking lot in Fairfax Co, near Little Hunting Creek just north
of Mt Vernon.  A brief description was sent by Carolyn to me and follows:

Grebe was in the Little Hunting Creek bay at Riverside Park at times fairly
close to short. The five of us stood at water's edge near the big sweet gum
tree and observed it from about 8:30 to 9:00 a.m. From my scribbled notes of
comments (in no particular order) from the group as we looked at the bird -
white of neck connected to lower bill, back of neck black, long and thin
neck, dark back, head reddish-brown, straight long pointed bill (color
appeared to be kinda greenish and not yellow), energetic. Was diving a lot.
C. loon was in the vicinity. 

 Rich Rieger and I separately looked this morning for the bird but came up
empty - several Horned Grebes, Common Loons, many Bufflehead and Lesser
Scaup and a Common Merganser.  Hope someone out there finds the bird - drop
us a line if you do!

 

Kurt Gaskill