The following (after the introductory two paragraphs of boilerplate) is this
week's Rare Bird Alert for the Greater Washington Area. Another great week
of birding!
Enjoy, Joe Coleman
----- Original Message -----
From: <scordle@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <birdeast@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, December 07, 2004 11:25 PM
Subject: DC Area, 11/30/04
Hotline: Voice of the Naturalist
Date: 12/07/04
Coverage: MD/DC/VA/DE
Telephone: 301-652-1088 option 1
Reports (voice): 301-652-1088 option 2
(email): voice@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
(deadline): midnight Mondays
Compiler: Lydia Schindler
Sponsor: Audubon Naturalist Society of the Central
Atlantic States (independent of NAS!)
Transcriber: Steve Cordle (scordle@xxxxxxxxxxxxx)
Please consider joining ANS, especially if you are a regular user of
the Voice (Individual $30; Family $40; Nature Steward $60; Audubon
Advocate $100). 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 tape was made Tuesday, Dec 7, at 7 p.m.
Top birds this week are *KELP GULL, *WHITE-WINGED DOVE, and *CALLIOPE
HUMMINGBIRD in MD; BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRD in VA; NORTHERN SHRIKE in
DE; and *CAVE SWALLOW in both MD and VA.
Other birds of interest include RED-THROATED LOON, EARED GREBE,
AMERICAN BITTERN, waterfowl including HARLEQUIN DUCK, raptors,
VIRGINIA RAIL, SANDHILL CRANE, gulls, SHORT-EARED OWL, HORNED LARK,
AMERICAN PIPIT, warblers, LAPLAND LONGSPUR, and BALTIMORE ORIOLE.
Maryland's *KELP GULL was again observed behind the Sea Breeze Crab
House, Sandgates, St. Mary's Co, on Dec 3.
A *WHITE-WINGED DOVE was seen Dec 4 in West Ocean City. Worcester Co,
MD. It was perched on a wire at the end of Golf Course Rd, where the
road overlooks the bay. Once the bird flew off, it could not be
relocated.
A *CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRD continues to fuel up at feeders on private
property near Bowie in Prince George's Co, MD. The most recent report
is from Dec 6. (For directions, contact pdavis@xxxxxxxxxxxxx.)
A BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRD continues to frequent a yard in Cape
Charles, Northampton Co, VA. (The feeders can be observed from the
porch at 9 Randolph Ave; from Rte 13, turn at the stoplight onto Rte
184 and proceed to the last block.)
A NORTHERN SHRIKE is still hanging out at Prime Hook NWR, DE. On the
afternoon of Dec 4, it perched on a wire along Broadkill Beach Rd, 5
poles from the gate at Island Farm Rd.
The major story continues to be CAVE SWALLOWS. On Dec 1 and 2, CAVE
SWALLOWS again flew over the bridge on Lilypons Rd, southern Frederick
Co, MD, while on Dec 3 a CAVE SWALLOW was observed across the Potomac
river over a Northern Virginia golf course in Loudoun Co.
On Dec 2, a CAVE SWALLOW was discovered by birders who had trekked to
Wades Point Inn in Talbot Co, MD, to see a HARLEQUIN DUCK. The SWALLOW
was viewed again on Dec 3 and 4 (once as it perched on the Inn's
shutters); the HARLEQUIN was still in evidence Dec 6. [From Easton,
take Rte 33 west through St Michaels to Wades Point Rd. The Inn is the
large white house at the end of road, beside the bay. Park in
designated spots and go to the main building to let the (very
gracious) management know you are there.]
Other CAVE SWALLOW sightings include three birds at over a corn field
on Tilghman Island in Talbot Co Dec 3; three at Assateague Island,
Worcester Co, Dec 3; one over a yard in Jarrettsville, Harford Co, MD,
Dec 5; and one at the marsh at the mouth of Accokeek Creek in
Piscataway Park, Prince George's Co, MD, also on Dec 5.
Two dozen or more CAVE SWALLOWS were being seen through Dec 4 in
Northampton Co, VA, in the vicinity of the Eastern Shore of VA NWR,
more specifically around Latimer Siding Rd, while a group of 6 CAVE
SWALLOWS was seen from the Winslow bunker observation platform.
Further north on the Delmarva Peninsula, 3 CAVE SWALLOWS were spotted
Dec 4 at Chincoteague NWR, Accomack Co.
A RED-THROATED LOON was found on the Potomac, across from Riley's Lock
in Montgomery Co, on Nov 30; on Dec 5, there were 2 RED-THROATED LOONS
in this area. On Nov 30 a RED-THROATED LOON floated into a cove
bordering a yard in North East, Cecil Co, MD.
The EARED GREBE at Black Hill RP, Montgomery Co, paddles into view
from time to time; it was seen late in the afternoon Dec 4 and again
the next morning, that time in the cove alongside Rte 121, south of
the bridge.
An AMERICAN BITTERN was observed at the Neabsco Creek marsh, Prince
William Co, VA, Dec 1 and 4. An AMERICAN BITTERN has been seen several
times at the Fort McHenry wetlands, Baltimore, most recently Dec 3.
Two RICHARDSON'S CACKLING GEESE were again observed at Rocky Gap SP,
Allegany Co, MD, Nov 30 and Dec 5.
Two CACKLING GEESE were found at Blackwater NWR, Dorchester Co, MD,
Dec 4, while a SHORT-EARED OWL was seen nearby, in the vicinity of
Shorters Wharf.
The highlight of the Fairfax Audubon Society's Dec 4 Waterfowl Survey
was SCOTERS, both SURF and BLACK, in both the Gunston Bay section of
Fairfax Co, VA, as well as the Charles Co, MD, section.
The week's urban raptors included a MERLIN at Fort C. F. Smith Park,
Arlington, VA, Nov 30; a PEREGRINE FALCON Dec 2 along the bike trail
at Paint Branch Stream Valley Park in College Park, Prince George's
Co. Hains Point on Dec 3 featured 1 adult BALD EAGLE, 1 COOPER'S HAWK,
1 immature RED-SHOULDERED HAWK, and 2 immature MERLINS, while a
PEREGRINE FALCON perched on the railroad bridge not far away. A MERLIN
was spotted near the Museum of African Art at 4th and Independence, SW
DC, Dec 5.
Three BALD EAGLES, 2 adults and a juvenile, were seen Dec 4 near
Nokesville, Prince William Co, VA, over Fleetwood Drive.
The Snicker's Gap hawk watch (on the Clarke/Loudoun Co, VA, line),
formally closed out the season with a GOLDEN EAGLE on Nov 30.
Informally, on Dec 5 the watch provided long looks of an immature
NORTHERN GOSHAWK. The hawk watch at Kiptopeke SP, Northampton Co,
finished on Nov 30 with 2 NORTHERN GOSHAWKS.
On Dec 4, a light-phase ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK soared over the marshland
north of Burton's Island adjacent to Indian River Inlet, DE. Late that
afternoon, 3 SHORT-EARED OWLS were hunting over marshes north of
Lighthouse Rd, near the Mispillion River.
A VIRGINIA RAIL was again vocalizing at Lilypons Water Gardens Dec 2.
A juvenile SANDHILL CRANE continues to forage in fields on the east
side of West Willard Rd, just north of the Poolesville Public Golf
Course, Montgomery Co, with the most recent report Dec 6.
A FRANKLIN'S GULL was among thousands of gulls on Delaware Bay at
Fowler Beach, DE, on Dec 5.
A first-winter ICELAND GULL was found Dec 4 at Island #4 of the
Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel, Northampton Co.
A LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was seen again Dec 4 at the Frederick Co
landfill on Reich's Ford Rd. (Exit 55 from I-70, then Reich's Ford Rd
south). LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS were also reported Dec 5 from DC,
one along Ohio Drive near the FDR Memorial, and another at Hains
Point.
PALM and PRAIRIE WARBLERS have been seen at Fort McHenry as recently
as Dec 6.
Two LAPLAND LONGSPURS and 1 AMERICAN PIPIT have been associating with
small flocks of HORNED LARKS on Hughes Rd in northwestern Montgomery
Co, with reports through Dec 6. The birds are in fields around the
polo grounds.
On Dec 4, AMERICAN PIPITS and HORNED LARKS were found at Blandy
Experimental Farm, Clarke Co; they were seen by turning left from the
loop drive at the T-junction, onto Rte 628.
A brilliant male BALTIMORE ORIOLE was feeding in tall pines at the
College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA, Dec 3 through 5.
Those of you lucky enough to host a winter hummingbird are asked to
contact hummingbird bander Mary Gustafson at live4birds@xxxxxxx. Mary
is working to document winter hummingbirds in the east.
A Dec 11 pelagic trip out of Lewes, DE, has just 6 spaces remaining.
For more information, contact See Life Paulagics at 215-234-6805 or
check their
web site at www.paulagics.com.
Some of this week's reports have been gleaned from the MDOSPREY,
VA-Bird, and Delaware Birds list servers.
Claudia Wilds's book, Finding Birds in the National Capital Area, is
an excellent source of directions to many birding sites. And the ANS
Bookstore is an excellent source for this and many other
nature-related titles: 301-652-3606.
To report bird sightings, e-mail your report to
voice@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. You may also report by calling
301-652-1088 and selecting menu option 2. Please post e-mail reports
before midnight Monday, identify the county and state, and include
your name and a Tuesday morning phone number.
Thank you for calling, and GOOD BIRDING.
* Of interest to the MD/DC Records Committee. For more information,
visit www.MDBirds.org/mddcrc/rcindex.html.
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