I birded Hughes Hollow in the early afternoon. Walking on the main dike from the parking lot to the fields, saw a Great Egret, several Green-backed Herons, some Pied-billed Grebes vocalizing and a bunch of Hooded Mergansers. Once it stopped raining, saw several White-eyed Vireos, several male and female Yellowthroats and a Red-headed woodpecker along the hedgerows dividing the fields. On the way out, saw the American Bittern flush and fly off to the west across the overgrown impoundment, as already posted by Rob. Walking back along Hunting Quarter Road, saw two male Ring-necked Ducks and several Wood Ducks, including two young. As I left, noted three Canada goslings on the main dike.
Stopped at Riley's Lock on the way home and found nothing on the river. Walked upstream on the towpath and found Prothonotary, Black and White, Yellow-rumped (numerous) and Yellow Warbler. From the aqueduct as I was leaving, I watched a female Red-breasted Merganser land at the mouth of the Creek and then the mama Common Merganser came racing down the Creek with her 13 young in tow and headed upstream. I've attached the photo I shot as they blazed by. On the drive out to River Road, found two Horned Grebes (one a male in fairly advanced breeding plumage) and a DC Cormorant on the Creek.
One disturbing sight: there were two dead Snapping Turtles lying next to each other in the downstream neck of the turning basin just above Riley's. I'm inclined to suspect they did not die of natural causes - this is not the first time I have noted dead Snapping Turtles in the Canal.
Stephen Jones
Bethesda, MD
----Original Message-----
From: Rob Hilton <>
To:
Sent: Sat, Apr 23, 2011 8:03 pm
Subject: [MDOSPREY] Hughes Hollow American Bittern
This afternoon I was at Hughes Hollow at a time when none of the other Ospreyers
ere there, and blissfully ignorant of the Marsh Wren and Sora. While I saw
either of those species, I did see the/a male BLUE-WINGED TEAL, 3 BUFFLEHEAD,
nd the male RING-NECKED DUCK. I didn't count the HOODED MERGANSERS, but there
ere more than 6 in a family group, looking fairly large and quite
ell-feathered.
Steven Jones (?) and I had sub-optimal views of an
AMERICAN BITTERN, which flushed from near the main dike, in the southeast
orner (near the dike, on the right in the second impoundment on the right). 7
MERICAN COOTS were also present.
2 PIED-BILLED GREBES were present: 1 bird called from the far end of the first
mpoundment on the right, while another called from the far end of the big
mpoundment. This latter bird I eventually saw, near the Hooded Mergansers.
I too looked for yesterday's Cattle Egret but didn't see it.
Rob Hilton
ilver Spring
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