-----Original Message-----
From: Steve Cordle [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
Sent: Tuesday, January 24, 2012 5:09 PM
To: 
Subject: DC Area, 1/24/12

Hotline:            Voice of the Naturalist 
Date:               1/24/2012
Coverage:           MD/DC/VA/DE/WV panhandle
Telephone:          301-652-1088 option 1 
Reports, comments, questions:
	     (e-mail): 
           (voice): 301-652-1088 option 2 
Compiler:           Joe Coleman
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 $50; Family $65; Nature Steward $100; Audubon Advocate
$200). 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 24, at
1 PM. 

Top birds this week are BARNACLE GOOSE* in MD, YELLOW LOON in DE, and
BREWER'S SPARROW* in VA.

Other birds of interest include waterfowl, HORNED GREBE, RED-NECKED GREBE,
GREEN HERON, hawks, RED KNOT, AMERICAN WOODCOCK, gulls, SHORT-EARED OWL,
LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE*, NORTHERN SHRIKE, COMMON RAVEN, LAPLAND LONGSPUR, SNOW
BUNTING, warblers, sparrows, PAINTED BUNTING, DICKCISSEL, RUSTY BLACKBIRD,
and PINE SISKIN. 

The BARNACLE GOOSE* in Kent Co MD was last reported Jan 18.

A possible immature YELLOW-BILLED LOON was seen Jan 19 at Holts Landing SP,
Millville, DE, on the south side of Indian River Bay. If this sighting is
verified it would be a new record for Delaware.

The BREWER'S SPARROW* at Occoquan Bay NWR, Woodbridge, Prince William Co, VA
was last reported on Jan 19.

A GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE was seen Jan 21 and Jan 23 with a large flock
of Canada Geese in a field near the intersection of Linkwood Rd & Beaver
Neck Village Rd, past Higgins Millpond, Dorchester Co, MD. A GREATER
WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE was seen Jan 22 along Polks Rd west of Allen Rd,
Somerset Co, MD. Three SNOW GEESE were seen in Frederick, MD on Jan 19. The
blue-phase SNOW GOOSE which has been at Veteran's Park, Woodbridge, Prince
William Co, VA since Dec was seen again on Jan 22.
A ROSS'S GOOSE was found at the Hurlock Waste Water Treatment ponds,
Dorchester Co, MD on Jan 21. A Ross's Goose was seen Jan 22 in Goochland Co,
VA.

Three CACKLING GEESE were seen Jan 22 at the Back River Water Treatment
Plant, Baltimore, MD. A CACKLING GOOSE and three EURASIAN WIDGEONS were seen
along Prime Hook Rd this past week in Prime Hook NWR, Sussex Co, DE. Two
COMMON EIDERS and two HARLEQUIN DUCKS were seen in the Ocean City, MD, inlet
on Jan 19; more COMMON EIDERS and the HARLEQUIN DUCKS were also found there
on the 21st.

A HORNED GREBE was seen Jan 22 off of Occoquan Bay NWR, Woodbridge, Prince
William Co, VA.

A RED-NECKED GREBE was seen Jan 19 from the hawk watch tower at Cape
Henlopen SP, Sussex Co, DE.

A very out-of-season GREEN HERON was found Jan 21 near the main pond at the
Penderbrook Golf Course, Fairfax Co, VA.

As many as 28 BALD EAGLES were seen at Huntsman Lake, Springfield, Fairfax
Co, VA after the big fish kill there this past week.

A birding trip on Jan 22 to Highland Co, VA found a light-morph ROUGH-LEGGED
HAWK circling low over a nearby ridge along Wimer Mtn Rd and a juvenile
GOLDEN EAGLE on Hardscrabbled Rd near the West VA border at Snowy Mtn. The
same day other birders in Highland Co reported two ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS, one a
light-morph along Rte 640 about
2 miles from Hightown, and one a dark-morph along Rte 642, as well as three
GOLDEN EAGLES on Snowy Mtn Rd.

MERLINS popped up at a variety of locations this past week including one on
Jan 22 in Howard Co, MD at the intersection of Marriottsville Rd and Warwick
Way. A female MERLIN was seen Jan 23 perched atop a tree in the middle of
the Native Plant Trail meadow at the Blandy Experimental Farm, Clarke Co,
VA. A MERLIN zoomed over a flock of Horned Larks along Cattail Run Rd,
Jefferson Co, WV, on Jan 23.

A RED KNOT was found Jan 19 and 21 on Skimmer Island, Ocean City, MD. 

Reports of displaying AMERICAN WOODCOCKS are increasing with 11 displaying
the evening of Jan 22 in the Cavalier WMA, off Ballahack Rd, Chesapeake, VA.

The BLACK-HEADED GULL at the Denton Waste Water Treatment ponds, Caroline
Co, MD, was seen again on Jan 24. A first cycle GLAUCOUS GULL was found Jan
21 in Hunting Creek, Dorchester Co, MD.

At least five SHORT-EARED OWLS and 10 NORTHERN HARRIERS were seen Jan
22 in Louisa Co, VA,  The harriers were seen on both sides of Rte 640 and
the owls on the south side in fields around a barn close to road a ½ mile
east of Rte 15. The same day five SHORT-EARED OWLS and six NORTHERN HARRIERS
were found in a large farm field a little east of Lucketts, Loudoun Co, VA.
Also on the same day the Raptor Survey in Delaware turned up two SHORT-EARED
OWLS and nine NORTHERN HARRIERS flying over the marsh at Bombay Hook NWR,
DE, and at least three SHORT-EARED OWLS flying at Lighthouse Rd, DE.

The LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE* was seen again on Jan 22 in the field at the end of
Hagers Crossing Drive in Hagerstown, Washington Co, MD. The NORTHERN SHRIKE
in Queen Anne's Co, MD was seen again on Jan 18 a short distance up Round
Top Rd from Kibler Rd.

While COMMON RAVEN sightings, such as the one seen in Cabin John, Montgomery
Co, MD on Jan 19, are becoming more common, seeing two at the Eastern Neck
NWR, Kent Co, MD, on Jan 19 is very unusual.

A LAPLAND LONGSPUR was found Jan 22 at Mason Branch near Ridgely, Caroline
Co, MD. SNOW BUNTINGS were found with a flock of Horned Larks along Cattail
Run Rd, Jefferson Co, WV from Jan 21 through the 23rd; a LAPLAND LONGSPUR
was also found there on Jan 22. During a survey on Jan 21 nine SNOW BUNTINGS
were found on the far side of the north cell dike from the office at the
Swan Creek/Cox Creek facility in northern Anne Arundel Co, MD.

An ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER was seen Jan 21 at Hooper's Restaurant, Ocean
City, MD in the scrubby bayberry thicket north of the parking lot. A very
green ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER and 2 western PALM WARBLERS were found in King
George Co, VA Jan 22 along LaGrange Ln between Sealston and King George.

AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS were found on Jan 22 at the Dyke Marsh, Fairfax Co,
VA bird walk as well as along Park Head Rd in Washington Co, MD.
The LARK SPARROW near Fisherville, Augusta Co, VA, was seen again on Jan 22.
A LARK SPARROW was seen Jan 19 at Assateague SP, Worcester Co, MD near the
bathhouse across from Pumphouse #2. A LINCOLN'S SPARROW was found Jan 22 at
Oxon Hill Farm, Prince George's Co, MD.

Starting on Jan 21 a PAINTED BUNTING spent a few days visiting a feeder in
the Marshall, Fauquier Co, VA area.

A DICKCISSEL was seen Jan 24 along Dean Rd, Ridgley, Caroline Co, MD.

Three RUSTY BLACKBIRDS were found Jan 21 along Wells Rd, Wicomico Co, MD. A
small flock of RUSTY BLACKBIRDS were seen on Jan 22 along Wimer Mtn Rd,
Highland Co, VA.

A PINE SISKIN was visiting feeders in West Laurel, Prince George's Co, MD,
on Jan 21 and Jan 22. 

Most 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,
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.

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