I'm sending this on behalf of Jim Green.


            I snuck in an hour of birding this morning before work along the Potomac River between Riley's & Violette's Locks. Feeding and diving just above the rapids at Violette's there were 33 Redheads. Further up closer to the  MD shore were 18 Canvasbacks (this is a species that I do not often see on the  Potomac River, at least in this vicinity (maybe they were kicked out of Black Hill R. P.). I was there from 7:30 to 8: 30 and the Canvasback picked up, circled and headed down river. There was a small raft of Scaup approx. 68-75 in number; the vast majority were Lesser but I did see at least 3 Greater in the mix. There was one drake Red-breasted Merganser, one drake Common Goldeneye and a dozen Mallards. Approximately 9 Pied-billed grebes were scattered on the river between the 2 locks.  

 

            Other birds of note included:

            Hermit Thrush (1)

            Belted Kingfisher (a pair)

            Ruby-crowned Kinglet (1)

            Golden-crowned Kinglet (3)

            Eastern Bluebirds (5)

            

Last evening, Dave Young was out at Hughes Hollow through dusk and had one pair of Hooded Mergs, 12 Wood Ducks and 7 Blue-winged Teal fly in to roost in the back impoundment to the west. He also saw several Swamp Sparrows and on the way back to the parking lot heard one Barred Owl calling and then shortly after that heard a E. Screech Owl "whinny" 4 times. The Screech Owl was heard in the wooded area between River and Hunting Quarter Roads above the parking lot and slightly towards the east.

 

 

Jim Green