-----Original Message-----
From: Steve Cordle [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
Sent: Tuesday, January 11, 2011 7:00 PM
To: 
Subject: DC Area, 1/11/11

Hotline:            Voice of the Naturalist 
Date:               1/11/2011
Coverage:           MD/DC/VA/DE/WV panhandle
Telephone:          301-652-1088 option 1 
Reports (voice):    301-652-1088 option 2 
        (email):     
Compiler:           Bob Hartman
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, January 11, at
11 AM. 

Top birds this week are Glaucous Gull in DC, Black-headed Gull and Painted
Bunting in DE, dovekie and golden-crowned sparrow* in MD, and mountain
bluebird* in VA.

Other birds of interest include geese, ducks, loons, American white pelican,
great cormorant, a few raptors, piping plover, gulls, hummingbirds, shrikes,
black-capped chickadee, gray catbird, orange-crowned warbler, clay-colored
sparrow, "Ipswich" savannah sparrow, "Oregon" dark-eyed junco, snow bunting,
Brewer's Blackbird, common redpoll, and pine siskin.

Washington Channel, adjacent to Hains Point in SW DC, hosted a Glaucous gull
on Jan 8. A Black-headed Gull was spotted in a flock at Cape Henlopen SP,
Sussex Co DE, on Jan 9. At Assateague Island NS (Worcester Co MD), a dovekie
put in a brief appearance on Jan 5, but wasn't reported again. The mountain
bluebird continued at Oyster, Northampton Co, VA, with sightings on Jan 4,
5, and 6. In MD, the golden-crowned sparrow continued at Chesapeake Farms,
Kent Co MD, on Jan 8. A Painted Bunting was spotted near the entrance to
Prime Hook NWR, Sussex Co DE, on Jan 9.

A Ross's goose would be no surprise along the coast, but the one seen Jan
8-10 on Turney's Pond may be the first ever for Harford Co MD.
Near Oyster, a "Black" brant was spotted in a flock on Jan 7. Turney's Pond
hosted a cackling goose Jan 8 & 10, and another was seen at Eastern Neck NWR
on Jan 8. A Eurasian wigeon was seen at Fowler Beach, Sussex Co DE, on Jan
9, and in MD, Eurasian wigeons were seen at Rum Pointe Golf Links, Worcester
Co, on Jan 9, and in West Ocean City, Worcester Co, on Jan 10. At Truitt's
Landing, Worcester Co MD, a "Eurasian" or "Common" green-winged teal was
seen on Jan 8. The 2 Harlequin ducks seen at Ocean City, MD (Worcester Co)
on Jan 4 & 9 seem to be regular, but the one at Ft Armistead, Baltimore City
(near the sw end of Francis Scott Key Bridge), on Jan 9 & 10, was much more
of a surprise.

A RED-THROATED LOON was seen at Cape Henlopen SP on Jan 5, and a Pacific
loon was spotted at Palmer Point, Northumberland Co, VA, on Jan 4 &5. The
American white pelican continued Jan 5-9 at Blackwater NWR, Dorchester Co
MD, and was joined by 2 others on Jan 8. A great cormorant was spotted at
Ocean City, MD, on Jan 4 & 8, and on Jan 7 & 9, one was seen at Indian River
Inlet, Sussex Co, DE.

A Northern goshawk was seen south of Berlin, Worcester Co MD, during the Jan
4 Ocean City CBC, and a dark-morph rough-legged hawk was spotted around
Shorter's Wharf Rd at Blackwater on Jan 5 & 9. A golden eagle was seen over
Presquile Rd in Talbot Co, MD, on Jan 7.

A late piping plover was seen Jan 4 at Assateague.

During the Jan 4 Ocean City CBC, an off-shore flyby Black-legged Kittiwake
was spotted. There were a number of sightings of Iceland gulls in MD: both
ends of the Bay Bridge (Anne Arundel Co Jan 8, 9, and 10, and Queen Anne's
Co. Jan 5, 7, & 8), and another at Crisfield, in Kent Co. VA also had an
Iceland gull, at the Prince William Co landfill, on Jan 9.

Selasphorus hummingbirds continue in College Park, PG County, MD, (Rufous),
and Chester, Chesterfield Co, VA (Allen's).

A loggerhead shrike* was seen near Hagerstown Mall, Hagerstown, Washington
Co, MD, on Jan 5 & 6, and another was seen Jan, 5, 6, & 7 at Pickering Creek
Audubon Center, Talbot Co MD. The continuing Northern shrike was spotted
around the Bayside Campground at Assateague Jan 5 & 9.

Black-capped chickadees seem to have nearly disappeared from the coastal
parts of the reporting area, but during the Ocean City CBC Jan 4, one was
spotted in West Ocean City. A late gray catbird was seen in Fairfax Co VA at
the Jackson Miles Abbott WR, Ft Belvoir. On Jan 5, an Orange-crowned warbler
was seen at Bombay Hook NWR, Kent Co, DE, and another Orange-crowned warbler
was spotted in SE DC on Jan 9, at the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens.

The Jan 4 Ocean City CBC turned up a Clay-colored sparrow south of Berlin,
MD, and an "Ipswich" savannah sparrow was spotted around the Fowler Beach
(DE) parking lot on Jan 9. From Croom, MD (PG Co), an "Oregon" dark-eyed
junco was reported Jan 8. Two snow buntings were reported near Galena, Kent
Co MD, on Jan 8, and a flock of 50 snow buntings was reported at Cape
Henlopen SP on Jan 9. The Ocean City CBC on Jan 4 turned up a common redpoll
at Assateague. Sightings of pine siskins have decreased, but there were
three Jan 7 sightings from WV
(2 from Jefferson Co, another from Martinsburg, Berkeley Co), and another
pine siskin was seen at a feeder in Felton, Kent Co DE on Jan 8.

Brewer's Blackbirds were reported from Nokesville, VA (Prince William
Co) on Jan 7 & 9.

On Feb 5, See Life Paulagics will run a trip out of Lewes, DE, looking for
Dovekies and other alcids. For details, contact  or call
215-234-6805.

All of this week's reports have been gleaned from the MDOsprey, VA-Bird,
West Virginia Birding List, 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. 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