Message:

[

Previous   Next

]

By Topic:

[

Previous   Next

]

Subject:

Northern Goshawk at NWVC

From:

Elaine Hendricks

Reply-To:

Elaine Hendricks

Date:

Tue, 9 Oct 2007 11:01:04 -0500

About 7:30 this morning I went over to the National Wildlife Visitor's 
Center (also known as the South Tract) of the Patuxent Research 
Refuge, in Prince George's County.  After parking my car, I walked 
up the entrance road a short distance.  I was startled when a LARGE, 
very pale, long-tailed accipiter flew out of the woods and over my 
head - 25 or 30 feet up.  I scrambled after it and found it perched in 
the top of a pine on the edge of the large field north of the Visitor's 
Center.  Although the bird was about 100 yards away (it still looked big) 
and the light was less-than-perfect, I could see the dark crown, pale 
eyebrow stripe, and dark cheek patch.  The back appeared to be pale 
gray, and there were no obvious dark bars or stripes on the breast.  
The bird also preened around and under its tail, showing the white 
undertail coverts.  I heard it call several times, including after it flew 
off to the south and out of sight - a loud, robust "kak, kak, kak."  
(Wow - this even tops the Indians beating the Yankees!)

Other birds seen and/or heard:

Double-crested Cormorant - 1
Great Blue Heron - 2
Canada Goose - 20+
Red-tailed Hawk - 1 adult
Killdeer - 6 (probably more - sure sounded like it)
yellowlegs (probably Lesser) - 3
COMMON SNIPE - 3 (my FOY)
Red-bellied Woodpecker - heard
Downy Woodpecker - 1
Hairy Woodpecker - 1
Northern Flicker - many
Pileated Woodpecker - 2
Eastern Phoebe - 4
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 2
White-breasted Nuthatch - 4
Carolina Wren - 2 or 3
Northern Mockingbird - 1
Pine Warbler - 12+
Eastern Towhee - 1
Chipping Sparrow - 15+
Savannah Sparrow - 3
Song Sparrow - 4
Swamp Sparrow - 2
DARK-EYED JUNCO - 2 (my FOF)
House Finch - 2
American Goldfinch - several

Plus many jays, chickadees, titmice, robins, bluebirds, cardinals, 
and grackles, and a couple of crows.  

I saw the snipe and yellowlegs from the boardwalk that crosses the 
upper end of Cash Lake.  Due to the drought, the lake has receded 
drastically - the snipe were foraging in newly-sprouted grass on the 
exposed mud.

Very good birding!


Elaine Hendricks
Greenbelt, MD  (PG County)



-- 
--
you @ usa.com
is available and 170 other free domains.
Sign up at www.mail.com