As others have reported, the cold weather kept the numbers down this morning for my stretch of today’s C&O Canal bird count.  (How cold was it – it was so cold that I realized half way though my walk that my water was freezing in the plastic water bottle on my hip!  I had to keep shaking it to keep it drinkable.)

Landbirds were in much shorter supply than in years past (hard to imagine walking three miles and having only two crows and two Blue Jays!).

My first mile, from mile marker 27 to 28 had active waterfowl hunters on the Potomac, so my only waterfowl in that mile was a single flyover Canada Goose, but the next two miles had a lot of waterfowl.  They seemed to be sandwiched between the hunters downstream and some I could hear later upstream of mile marker 30, the end of my stretch.

Highlights for the three miles were three Bald Eagles (two adults and one sub-adult) in view at the same time, two Common Ravens (which seemed to be moving downstream and may have been seen by Clive Harris in Cabin John later in the day), an amazing number of American Black Duck (I had more of them than Mallards), two large flocks of Bufflehead, a healthy number of Hooded Mergansers, plus Common Goldeneye, Ring-necked Duck, and Gadwall.  Brown Creepers seemed to be everywhere, outnumbering the Carolina Chickadees and Tufted Titmice.  I enjoyed a Barred Owl calling.

My lists by mile follow.  Total species for the three miles – about 32.

Jim Nelson
Bethesda

Location:     C&O Canal--Sycamore Landing
Observation date:     1/22/11
Notes:     Part of annual C&O Canal midwinter bird count.  This list covers birding from mile marker 27 to mile marker 28.  Waterfowl hunters were active on the Potomac River in the first 3/4 mile of the count.
Number of species:     14

Canada Goose     1
Red-bellied Woodpecker     1
Downy Woodpecker     2
Northern Flicker     1
Pileated Woodpecker     2
Blue Jay     2
American Crow     1
Carolina Chickadee     4
Tufted Titmouse     2
White-breasted Nuthatch     3
Brown Creeper     8
Carolina Wren     2
Golden-crowned Kinglet     2
Northern Mockingbird     1

Location:     Summit Hall Turf Farm
Observation date:     1/22/11
Notes:     Part of annual C&O Canal midwinter bird count.  This list covers birding from mile marker 28 to mile marker 29 with side walks to view the Potomac River.  Very cold morning, below 20 degrees F.
Number of species:     21

Canada Goose     280
Gadwall     2
American Black Duck     32
Mallard     4
Bufflehead     67
Great Blue Heron     1
Ring-billed Gull     1
Red-bellied Woodpecker     5
Downy Woodpecker     6
Hairy Woodpecker     1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted)     1
Pileated Woodpecker     1
Common Raven     2
Carolina Chickadee     4
Tufted Titmouse     2
White-breasted Nuthatch     2
Brown Creeper     12
Carolina Wren     1
Winter Wren     3
Golden-crowned Kinglet     1
Song Sparrow     1

Location:     C&O Canal--Edwards Ferry
Observation date:     1/22/11
Notes:     Part of annual C&O Canal midwinter bird count.  This list covers birding from mile marker 29 to mile marker 30 with side walks to view the Potomac River.  Very cold morning, below 20 degrees F.  Could hear waterfowl hunters shooting upstream of mile marker 30.
Number of species:     28

Canada Goose     126
American Black Duck     25
Mallard     54
Ring-necked Duck     6
Bufflehead     95
Common Goldeneye     4
Hooded Merganser     21
Bald Eagle     3     All three birds seen at the same time.
Ring-billed Gull     3
Barred Owl     1
Red-bellied Woodpecker     4
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker     2
Downy Woodpecker     9
Hairy Woodpecker     4
Northern Flicker     2
Pileated Woodpecker     4
crow sp.     1
Carolina Chickadee     8
Tufted Titmouse     5
White-breasted Nuthatch     6
Brown Creeper     8
Carolina Wren     1
Winter Wren     2
Golden-crowned Kinglet     6
Song Sparrow     2
White-throated Sparrow     6
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored)     12
Northern Cardinal     1
American Goldfinch     1