I knew my birding luck was good today when Rob Hilton (it was
definitely he, not anyone else) spotted the Eurasian (Green-winged)
Teal about one minute after I arrived at Huntley Meadows this
morning, January 14, around 10 a.m.
I did not notice any hint of vertical white stripe on the bird (re
Jay Keller's earlier post), and nothing like that shows in Derek
Richardson's photos, which are very good considering that the wind
was gusting strongly enough to endanger scopes. What I found very
noticeable was the light brown head stripes on Rob's bird -- the N.
American variety also has these but they are darker and do not show
up much. Sibley's guide shows this difference. Anyway, well done
Rob. Another good bird found.
Having gone to Huntley to see the White-fronted Goose (a Virginia
state bird for me), and having seen it within 30 seconds of arriving,
I thought I'd ride my luck and look for the Brown-headed Nuthatch
that has been seen sporadically at Occoquan Regional Park for some
weeks. Only place I've seen that species in VA was at Chincoteague, years ago.
By the time I found the park, the wind was really howling, and
nothing was moving in the spot just inside the entrance where Sue
Heath reported seeing on Sunday the 8th. So I walked downhill about
1/4 mile to where the trees were somewhat sheltered from the worst of
the wind. There were some Chickadees and Brown Creepers moving
around, so I did some pishing. I heard the nuthatch ("rubber-ducky"
call) before I saw it on a bare deciduous tree. The last I saw of it
was when it flew into one of the biggish pines with lots of cones
that are on the ridge bordering the landfill. This spot is on the
left as you go downhill, just before you reach a rickety footbridge
with a notice saying "I-95 Landfill, No Admittance." Time was around
12:30 p.m.
Good Birding
Mike Bowen
Montgomery Bird Club
Bethesda MD
D. H. Michael Bowen (Mike)
8609 Ewing Drive
Bethesda MD 20817-3845
Tel/Fax: (301) 530-5764
e-mail: dhmbowen@xxxxxxxxx
