-----Original Message-----
From: Steve Cordle [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
Sent: Tuesday, June 01, 2010 5:30 PM
To: 
Subject: DC Area, 6/1/10

Hotline:            Voice of the Naturalist 
Date:               6/1/2010
Coverage:           MD/DC/VA/DE 
Telephone:          301-652-1088 option 1 
Reports (voice):    301-652-1088 option 2 
        (email):     
Compiler:           Joe Coleman
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 $40; Family $50; Nature Steward $75; Audubon Advocate
$150). 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 report was completed Tuesday, June 1, at 11 AM.

The top birds this week were seen from a deep water boat trip to Wilmington
Canyon off of Delaware. 
 
Other birds of interest include HOODED MERGANSER, SOOTY SHEARWATER, WHITE
IBIS, MISSISSIPPI KITE, PEREGRINE FALCON, COMMON MOORHEN, PIPING PLOVER, RED
KNOT and other shorebirds, GULL-BILLED TERN, EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE,
WHIP-POOR-WILL, CHUCKS-WILL-WIDOW, COMMON RAVEN, GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH,
warblers, sparrows including HENSLOW'S, DICKCISSEL, BOBOLINK, and RED
CROSSBILL.

A number of exciting birds were seen on a deep water boat trip on May
26 to Wilmington Canyon off of Delaware including NORTHERN FULMAR, CORY'S
SHEARWATER, GREATER SHEARWATER, SOOTY SHEARWATER, MANX SHEARWATER, WILSON'S
STORM-PETREL, LEACH'S STORM-PETREL, POMARINE JAEGER, and closer to shore,
PARASITIC JAEGERS. Some of the highlights of the trip were a dark juvenile
SOUTH POLAR SKUA that flew right over the boat, two breeding plumage
DOVEKIES, and ARCTIC TERNS.

On May 29 an adult female HOODED MERGANSER and an immature were seen in
Augusta Co, VA. HOODED MERGANSER ducklings were seen again May 31 at Huntley
Meadows Pk, Fairfax Co, VA. 

A SOOTY SHEARWATER was seen May 28 off of Assateague Island, Worcester Co,
MD.

Two WHITE IBIS were observed May 29 at South Haven Beach, Mathews Co, VA.

MISSISSIPPI KITES continued to be spotted at numerous locations, including
three on May 26 off of Annandale Rd, Fairfax Co, VA; one was seen at the
intersection of Braddock Rd and Southampton Rd in the Kings Park area of
Fairfax Co on May 27; one on May 31 flying over the Fairfax County Parkway
at the Gambrill Rd exit in the Springfield area of Fairfax Co, VA.

A PEREGRINE FALCON was seen May 29 perched on a light fixture on the
Roosevelt Bridge, NW DC.

The COMMON MOORHEN at Oxbow Lake, western Anne Arundel Co, MD last week was
seen again on June 1 and 2. A COMMON MOORHEN was found again at Hughes
Hollow, Montgomery Co, MD, with sightings on May 30 and 31.
On May 31 a COMMON MOORHEN was found at the Marlborough Wetland off Brown
Station Rd in Upper Marlboro, Prince George's Co, MD.

PIPING PLOVERS were seen May 28 north of the Assateague Island State Park,
Worcester Co, MD.

This has been an exceptional year for Horseshoe crabs and shorebirds in
Delaware. DE-Birds reported an estimated 15,000 RED KNOTS in Delaware Bay
the past week and an estimated 5,000 RED KNOTS at Mispillion Harbor
Preserve, Sussex Co, DE. 

A WILLETT was seen May 28 from Hains Point, SW DC. A MARBLED GODWIT along
with a dozen RED KNOTS and a few BLACK SKIMMERS, was found May
28 behind Hooper's Crab House across from Skimmer Island, Ocean City, MD.
Two RUDDY TURNSTONES were found May 25 at Violette's Lock, C&O Canal
National Park, Montgomery Co, MD. RED-NECKED PHALAROPES popped up at several
locations including two on May 26 in the retention ponds in Plantation
Acres, just south of Rte 50 on Old Railroad Rd, Wicomico Co, MD. Two
RED-NECKED PHALAROPES were seen at Craney Island, Portsmouth, VA on May 27
and three on May 28. Among the many shorebirds there on May 29 there were
two RED-NECKED PHALAROPES and two WILSON'S PHALAROPES and a STILT SANDPIPER.

Two GULL-BILLED TERNS were seen on May 28 at Craney Island, Portsmouth, VA. 

EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES* were seen again on May 27 in South Boston, Halifax
Co, VA. A EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE was seen on the wires across from the bank
in "downtown" Newark, Worcester, MD on May 29.

WHIP-POOR-WILLS and CHUCKS-WILL-WIDOWS were reported singing from several
locations far beyond the immediate Washington DC metro area this past week.

A COMMON RAVEN was seen again at Rocky Gorge Dam, off west Bond Mill Rd in
Prince George's Co, MD on May 26.

A GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH was found on May 25 during the Cromwell Valley Park,
Baltimore Co, MD walk.

Two GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLERS were singing along Old Legislative Road, Garrett
Co, MD on May 29. A pair of GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLERS was found May 31 on a
farm outside of Monterey, Highland Co, VA. A MOURNING WARBLER was also found
during the Cromwell Valley Park, Baltimore Co, MD walk on May 25.

Several VESPER SPARROWS were found in northeast Frederick Co, MD on May 28
including one along Stauffer Rd, southeast of Walkersville, another midway
along Shriver Rd between Harney and Bollinger School Rds, and two along
Bollinger School Rd just south of Bullfrog Rd. On May 31 one was seen
foraging in a field on the north side of Mumma Ford Rd about a half mile
west of the Sixes Bridge Rd intersection.
Two HENSLOW'S SPARROWS were found on May 29 along Old Legislative Rd in
Garrett Co, MD. HENSLOW'S SPARROWS were also found in Garrett Co on May 30
with one at Pea Ridge and one along Old Legislative Rd. 

DICKCISSELS continued to be reported from a number of different locations
this past week. On May 25 five were found near the Bull Frog/Baumgardner
intersection in Carroll Co, MD. On May 29 two DICKCISSELS were seen west of
Taneytown on Baumgardner Rd near the intersection with Bullfrog Rd. Six
DICKCISSELS were found May 28 in three locations in northeast Frederick Co,
MD, including a male perched on a wire along Grimes Road just southwest of
Sixes Road, two males singing in a line of trees in fields along Sixes
Bridge Road east of Grimes Road, and two in a field on the east side of
Blacks Mill Road, southwest of Creagerstown. A DICKCISSEL was seen May 29 on
East Cherry Ln, northeast of Ridgely and northwest of Greensboro, Caroline
Co, Maryland. On May 31 two DICKCISSELS were found in northeast Frederick
Co, MD. Also, on May 31, a DICKCISSEL was perched on a fence railing on
Knight House Ln, Cecil Co, MD.

On May 29 BOBOLINKS were singing on their usual Keysville territories along
the Keysville-Bruceville Rd, Carroll Co, MD.

Two RED CROSSBILLS were reported visiting a feeder on Bent Mountain in
southwestern Roanoke Co, VA on May 25.

Some of this week's reports have been gleaned from the MDOsprey, VA-Bird,
and DE-Birds list servers. 

The Audubon Sanctuary Shop (301-652-3606,
http://www.audubonnaturalist.org/default.asp?page=511) is an excellent
source for guidebooks and many other nature-related titles.

To report bird sightings, e-mail your report to 
or call 301-652-1088 and select menu option 2. Please post reports before
midnight Monday, identify the county as well as state, and include your name
and a Tuesday morning contact, either e-mail or phone. 

Thank you for calling, and GOOD BIRDING.

*Of interest to the records committee