All: Lisa and I spent a very profitable day birding Montgomery County hotspots. Highlights were Greater White-Fronted Goose, Snow Goose, Red-Necked Grebe and White-Winged Scoter.

First stop was LM Stevens Park and environs in Poolesville. After failing to find the GWFG at the park pond, we wandered over to a nearby field that borders Maryland Route 107. Incredibly, the flock of Canada Geese also held a single Snow Goose. After scoping the flock for 15-20 minutes, we were about to give up when we spotted the GWFG at the back (of course) of the grazing flock. The park pond also held a pair of American Wigeon.

After enjoying a close-up Pileated Woodpecker and two bluebirds on River Road, we stopped in at Hughes Hollow. We found a fellow AA County birder, whom we quickly identified as Leo Weigant. We were unable to come with either the Red-Headed Woodpecker sometimes spotted here or the Wilson's Snipe seen shortly before we arrived, but the sight of 10 Tree Swallows wheeling about and twittering, FOY for Lisa, more than made up for it.

Next stop was Riley's Lock, where a kind birder (did not catch his name), put us on the Red-Necked Grebe. Very close by were a Horned Grebe and a pair of Pied-Bills - fun to see 3 grebe species almost in the same scope view. The flock of birds just north of the rocks downstream held an surprising 27 Redheads, plus Gadwall, GW Teal and much else. A final scope pass pulled out a scoter that, when it flapped its wings for Lisa, proved to be a White-Winged.

We finished up the day at Violette's Lock, adding Bufflehead and Common Merganser to the day's waterfowl count. As we were getting in the Birdcouple-mobile to head home, a singing Eastern Pheobe was Lisa's FOY.

Full eBird lists below.

Good birding!
Warren and Lisa Strobel
Annapolis, MD
www.birdcouple.com


Location:    LM Stevens Park
Observation date:    3/5/11
Number of species:    22

Greater White-fronted Goose    1
Snow Goose    1
Canada Goose    160
American Wigeon    2
Mallard    10
Red-shouldered Hawk    1
Killdeer    1
Mourning Dove    1
Blue Jay    1
American Crow    2
Fish Crow    1
Carolina Chickadee    1
Carolina Wren    1
American Robin    1
Northern Mockingbird    2
Song Sparrow    2
White-throated Sparrow    10
Dark-eyed Junco    10
Northern Cardinal    4
Red-winged Blackbird    1
House Finch    4
Pine Siskin    2



Location:    Hughes Hollow - McKee Beshers WMA
Observation date:    3/5/11
Number of species:    16

Canada Goose    2
Great Blue Heron    1
Black Vulture    1
Turkey Vulture    4
Red-shouldered Hawk    1
American Coot    1
Belted Kingfisher    1
Hairy Woodpecker    1
Northern Flicker    1
Tree Swallow    10
Carolina Wren    1
Song Sparrow    2
White-throated Sparrow    3
Northern Cardinal    2
Red-winged Blackbird    3
Common Grackle    4

Location:    C&O Canal--Riley's Lock
Observation date:    3/5/11
Number of species:    14

Tundra Swan    3
Gadwall    10
American Wigeon    1
Mallard    2
Green-winged Teal    1
Redhead    27
Greater Scaup    1
Lesser Scaup    80
White-winged Scoter    1
Pied-billed Grebe    3
Horned Grebe    1
Red-necked Grebe    1
American Coot    26
Ring-billed Gull    2

Location:    C&O Canal--Violette's Lock
Observation date:    3/5/11
Number of species:    5

Bufflehead    1
Common Merganser    4
Double-crested Cormorant    2
Ring-billed Gull    10
Eastern Phoebe    1

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

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