I went down to Hains Point this morning as soon as I read Wayne's
post and arrived just after 10:30 a.m. Mark Mahnke was already there,
looking for the blackbird, and we ran into Wallace Kornack soon
afterwards. Jason Berry was also there, equipped with a bicycle that
enabled him to check various areas much quicker than those of us on foot.
The mulch piles used by the Park Service had no birds, but there were
several medium-sized flocks feeding on the grass and on the jetsam
left at the edge of the river by recent flooding. These flocks looked
to be 80% European Starlings, with smaller numbers of Common Grackles
and Red-winged Blackbirds.
Jason spotted a bird with a white head among the blackbird flocks
that we eventually all saw -- it was a partly leucistic Common
Grackle. Its head was all white with some dark mottling. Quite
conspicuous when perched and when feeding on the ground. Steve
Hersey arrived just a bit later and observed the same Grackle.
Wayne Baumgartner, who had received the original sighting information
from Dan Rauch, double checked the message on his phone and confirmed
that Dan had reported a bird with "bright yellow" head and with
"white on the wing." Dan also reportedly said that the bird was the
same size as the Grackles around it. (Yellow-headed Blackbird is
several inches smaller.)
So while it is possible that what Dan saw was this interesting
Grackle, it is also possible that a Yellow-headed Blackbird is out
there somewhere on Hains Point.
I searched until almost 12:30 p.m. without success; by that time lots
of people and cars had arrived and the blackbird flock had dispersed.
A reminder to all potential searchers: the famous Cherry Blossoms
are almost in bloom and this entire part of DC will be swarming with
visitors within a matter of days.
Mike Bowen
Montgomery Bird Club
Bethesda, MD
At 01:19 PM 3/14/2011, Phil Davis wrote:
>Hi everyone:
>
>Yellow-headed Blackbird is a MD/DC Records Committee "reviewable"
>species in DC (not in MD anymore). Reports/photos are welcome.
>
>I am only aware of one previous record, the first for DC. Hasbrouck
>(1892) reported a female was collected in the (then) marshes along
>the Potomac River is DC on 29 Aug 1892.
>
>Thanks!
>
>Phil
>
>===================================================
>Phil Davis, Secretary
>MD/DC Records Committee
>2549 Vale Court
>Davidsonville, Maryland 21035 USA
>301-261-0184
>mailto:[log in to unmask]
>
>MD/DCRC Web site: http://www.MDBirds.org/mddcrc/rcindex.html
>===================================================
>
>At 09:36 03/14/2011, Wayne Baumgartner wrote:
>Hi all,
>
> Dan Rauch just contacted me a couple of minutes ago with information that
>there is a YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD at Hains Pt right now among the mulch
>piles.
D.H. Michael Bowen
8609 Ewing Drive
Bethesda, MD 20817
Telephone: (301) 530-5764
e-mail: dhmbowenATyahooDOTcom
-- I use GoodSearch to benefit the American Birding Association --
http://www.goodsearch.com/
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