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Subject:

Potomac River and Hughes Hollow - Montgomery County - 3/20

From:

Jim Green

Reply-To:

Jim Green

Date:

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 10:44:54 -0400

Hi Everybody:

On Tuesday evening (3/20) I led a joint MBC/ANS bird trip. We met at Riley's Lock, moved down to Violette's Lock and then went to Hughes Hollow before finishing on Sycamore Landing Rd. 

Seen on the Potomac River at Riley's Lock were a pair of GREEN-WINGED TEAL, one Horned Grebe amd 10 Double- Crested Cormorants, some of which had their crests raised. We also heard 1 Eastern Phoebe. There was a mixed flock of waterfowl at Violette's lock (just above the rapids which are still not prominent because of the higher water level in the river) so we ventured down there for our next stop.

We saw the following at Violette's Lock:

Bald Eagle                     1
Tree Swallow                6
Mallard                          8
Amer. Wigeon               2
Wood Duck                    2
Lesser Scaup                4
Bufflehead                  10
Common Merganser     1
Hooded Merganser      4
Horned Grebe              36      in various stages of winter and breeding plumage...a nice study!
Swamp Sparrow           2       in the towpath canal


On to Hughes Hollow: 

There were very few ducks here. We saw 3 Pied-billed Grebes in one inpoundment and then later heard 2 others calling in a different impoundment. There were 2 Gadwall, 3 Wood Ducks, a pair of BLUE-WINGED TEAL, 11 Ring-necked Ducks, 1 Hooded Merganser and 33 A. Coots. We flushed the Blue-winged Teal from the impoundment just past the bulletin board and then had "knock your socks off" looks at them as they circled very low several times and then landed on the edge of the island in the large impoundment where we also enjoyed scope views of the pair in ideal light conditions.

We made a quick check of the Polo Fields on Hughes Rd. and heard several HORNED LARKS behind us in the field on the opposite side of Hughes Rd.

We finished on Sycamore Landing Rd. as darkness moved in and did NOT hear any evidence of A. Woodcocks. We did hear 3 different Barred Owls calling. It was a beautiful evening to be out.

jim Green
Gaithersburg, MD

work in moderation, BIRD IN EXCESS!!!

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