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Subject:

C&O Canal Count, Montgomery County, Miles 27, 28, and 29

From:

Jim and Ann Nelson

Reply-To:

Jim and Ann Nelson

Date:

Sat, 19 Jan 2008 23:06:41 -0500

As part of the C&O Canal Midwinter Count, I birded from mile marker 27 to mile marker 30 in Montgomery County.  This starts near Sycamore Landing, and I found active waterfowl hunters on the Potomac at that location and then again near mile marker 30, so needless to say, the waterfowl numbers at the beginning and end of my stretch were very limited (the birds seemed to concentrate in the safe waters between the two sets of hunters).  I heard lots of shooting but didn't attempt to count the birds they managed to hit ;<)  Even so, it was good variety with 33 species including lots of woodpeckers (but no Red-headed), Winter Wren, lots of kinglets of both species, and good numbers of waterfowl between the two sets of hunters -- an incredible number of Bufflehead along with some Hooded Merganser, Black Duck, and Common Goldeneye. Complete list from eBird appears below.

Jim Nelson
Bethesda, MD

Location:     Sycamore Landing
Observation date:     1/19/08
Notes:     Part of D.C. Audubon's annual Mid-Winter C&O Canal Bird Count.  From mile marker 27 to mile marker 30.  Duck hunters active on River most of mile 27 and part of mile 29.
Number of species:     34

Canada Goose     3
American Black Duck     5
Mallard     10
Bufflehead     184
Common Goldeneye     3
Hooded Merganser     5
Great Blue Heron     1
Red-shouldered Hawk     1
Ring-billed Gull     1
Mourning Dove     1
Red-bellied Woodpecker     25
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker     10
Downy Woodpecker     22
Hairy Woodpecker     3
Northern Flicker     3
Pileated Woodpecker     5
Blue Jay     7
American Crow     37
Fish Crow     9
crow sp.     7
Carolina Chickadee     46
Tufted Titmouse     24
White-breasted Nuthatch     29
Brown Creeper     17
Carolina Wren     25
Winter Wren     2
Golden-crowned Kinglet     16
Ruby-crowned Kinglet     13
Hermit Thrush     1
American Robin     8
Song Sparrow     1
White-throated Sparrow     22
Northern Cardinal     18
American Goldfinch     4