FYI Joe Coleman
----- Original Message -----
Birdeast
Sent: Tuesday, February 28, 2006 5:16 PM
Subject: DC Area, 2/28/06
Hotline: Voice of the Naturalist
Date: 2/28/2006
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: Joe Coleman
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 $40; Family $50; Nature Steward $75; Audubon
Advocate $150). 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, Feb 28, at
3:30p.m.
Top birds this week are AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN in MD, *SNOWY OWL in
VA, and BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCH in VA.
Other birds of interest include GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, COMMON
EIDER and other ducks, EARED GREBE, GREAT CORMORANT, raptors, AMERICAN
WOODCOCK, GLAUCOUS GULL, RAZORBILL, SHORT-EARED OWL, RED-HEADED
WOODPECKER, RAVEN, BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE, ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER and
other warblers, AMERICAN TREE SPARROW, LAPLAND LONGSPUR, PURPLE FINCH,
and RED CROSSBILL.
AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS continued to be found at Blackwater NWR,
Dorchester Co, MD with sightings from the Wildlife Drive on Feb 25 and
Feb 26.
The SNOWY OWL at Dulles Airport, Loudoun Co, VA continued to be seen
with sightings on Feb 21 and Feb 25. The bird is being viewed from a
3-story public parking garage on the corner of Aviation Dr and
Propeller Ct accessible from the Airport Services exit off the Dulles
Access Rd.
The BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCH which was first discovered on the Ft.
Belvoir CBC was found again on Feb 26 along the entrance to the
Occoquan Regional Park, Fairfax Co, VA. Occoquan RP is located on Rte
123/Ox Rd, north of the Occoquan River. A PINE WARBLER was found in
the same area.
A GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE was found Feb 25 on Lakeview Pond on
Williamson Rd, in Roanoke, VA.
REDHEADS were reported from several locations with 27 on the Potomac
River off the Vernon View Dr pullout on the GW Parkway, Fairfax Co, VA
on Feb 26. A single GREATER SCAUP was seen amongst several hundred
LESSER SCAUP in the same location. REDHEADS were also seen in
Cambridge, MD on Feb 24.
COMMON EIDERS were present at the Ocean City, MD Inlet Feb 25.
Two EARED GREBES were again found on Feb 25 in Ocean City along with
about 45 HORNED GREBES; they were observed from the boardwalk at the
north end of the OC Convention Center.
A GREAT CORMORANT was clearly seen on the bay side of the Ocean City
Inlet on Feb 25.
An unusual sighting for Bethesda, MD was a RED-SHOULDERED HAWK
observed flying and perched on Feb 27.
The Northern Virginia Bird Club trip to Highland Co, VA this past
weekend was very productive. On Feb 25 they saw a light-morph
ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK on the country roads around Blue Grass and 3 GOLDEN
EAGLES at Blue Grass and North Mountain. Another birder found two
light-morph ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS on Rte 642 on Feb 25. On Feb 26 a
different group also saw two light-morph ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS in the
area between Blue Grass and Hightown. That group found no less than 5
GOLDEN EAGLES in the same area.
On Feb 26, two GOLDEN EAGLES, one an adult and the other a sub-adult,
were observed off of Rte 335 near the Blackwater NWR, Dorchester Co,
MD.
The MERLIN at the Fairlington Community Center, Arlington Co, VA, was
found again on Feb 25 and Feb 26 close to 6:00 p.m. MERLINS were
reported from a couple of other locations as well as one on Feb 26
near the Marsh Edge Trail at Blackwater NWR.
AMERICAN WOODCOCKS continued to pop up in a variety of locations. Most
interesting were two nests with eggs that were found, one on the
Chesapeake side of the Dismal Swamp NWR on Feb 24 and another right
outside the refuge in Suffolk Co, VA on Feb 25.
A first winter GLAUCOUS GULL was seen along the Cambridge waterfront
during the past week. On Feb 22 it was seen perched on the boat ramp
at the Great Marsh Park, on Feb 24 it was at the intersection of Water
St and Mill St, and on Feb 25, 26 and 27 at the foot of Oakley St.
A RAZORBILL was briefly seen at Indian River Inlet, DE on Feb 25.
The SHORT-EARED OWLS near Rectortown, in northern Fauquier Co, VA,
were seen again on Feb 22, Feb 26, and Feb 27. They were observed
along Crenshaw Road, about ½ mile north of Rectortown, Fauquier Co,
VA, with four reported on Feb 26 and five on Feb. 27, and several on a
nearby road on Feb 22. Four SHORT-EARED OWLS were seen Feb 24 along
Bells Lane, Staunton, VA.
Numerous RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS were found Feb 25 during a field trip
to Sky Meadows SP, Fauquier Co, VA.
A RAVEN was seen Feb 26 along Peniwell Rd, off of Ox Rd in Lorton,
Fairfax Co, VA.
BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES were seen visiting the feeders in McDowell,
Highland Co, VA on Feb 25.
An ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER was found the afternoon of Feb 27 at
Riverside Park, Loudoun County, VA.
AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS were seen at several locations including a
backyard in Damascus, MD on Feb 22, and on at Feb 25 at Blue Mash in
Montgomery Co, MD, at Occoquan Bay NWR, and at Sky Meadows SP.
A LAPLAND LONGSPUR was found Feb 26 in a flock of approx. 120 HORNED
LARKS in a field south of Oland Rd between Rte 85 and New Design Rd,
Frederick Co, MD.
Also at the feeders in McDowell, Highland Co on Feb 25, were about 30
PURPLE FINCHES.
Several RED CROSSBILLS were seen on Feb 25 and Feb 26 at the hairpin
curve just below (west) of the Confederate Breastworks overlook as one
enters Highland Co. A RED CROSSBILL was seen near Bolar, Highland Co
on Feb 26.
Some of this week's reports have been gleaned from the MDOSPREY and
VA-Bird list servers.
Finding Birds in the National Capital Area by Claudia Wilds is an
excellent source of directions to many birding sites. The ANS
Bookstore (301-652-3606 or
www.audubonnaturalist.org/cgi-bin/mesh/store) is an excellent source
for this and many other nature-related titles.
To report bird sightings, e-mail your report to
voice@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. But no photographs, please. You may also
report by calling 301-652-1088 and selecting menu option 2. 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 either the MD/DC Records Committee
(www.MDBirds.org/mddcrc/rcindex.html) or the VA Records Committee
(www.virginiabirds.org)
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