FYI - this report is for sightings from Dec 15 through Dec 21 and was
compiled by Gerry Hawkins & transcribed by Steve Cordle.
Joe Coleman
Hotline: Voice of the Naturalist
Date: 12/22/2015
Coverage: MD/DC/VA/central and southern DE/WV panhandle
Reports, comments and questions: <mailto:voice@xxxxxxxxxxx>
voice@xxxxxxxxxxx
Compiler: Gerry Hawkins
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/> http://www.AudubonNaturalist.org.
This is the Voice of the Naturalist, a service of the Audubon Naturalist
Society. This report covers the week starting Tuesday, December 15 and was
completed on Tuesday, December 22 at 10:00 a.m.
The top birds this week were BARNACLE GOOSE* in DE, CAVE SWALLOW* in VA,
WESTERN TANAGER* in VA and PAINTED BUNTING* in MD.
Other birds of interest this week included ROSS'S GOOSE, CACKLING GOOSE,
TRUMPETER SWAN*, EURASIAN WIGEON, COMMON EIDER, HARLEQUIN DUCK, LONG-TAILED
DUCK, GREAT CORMORANT, AMERICAN BITTERN, LITTLE BLUE HERON, OSPREY, NORTHERN
RED-TAILED HAWK*, ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, SANDHILL CRANE, AMERICAN AVOCET,
LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER, PARASITIC JAEGER, BLACK-HEADED, ICELAND and THAYER'S
GULLS, SHORT-EARED OWL, RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD, ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER*,
BLUE-HEADED and WHITE-EYED VIREOS, COMMON RAVEN, NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED
SWALLOW, BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER, LAPLAND LONGSPUR, SNOW BUNTING,
GOLDEN-WINGED, ORANGE-CROWNED, CHESTNUT-SIDED, PINE and WILSON'S WARBLERS,
AMERICAN REDSTART, NORTHERN PARULA, LINCOLN'S SPARROW and BALTIMORE ORIOLE.
TOP BIRDS
During the Wilmington Christmas Bird Count (CBC) on December 19 two
apparently wild BARNACLE GEESE* were found on private property just outside
the reporting area in Williamhurst, New Castle Co, DE. On December 21 these
birds were seen feeding in a cattle pasture about one-half mile west of the
original discovery location.
A small number of CAVE SWALLOWS* were observed at several locations in
Virginia, consisting of two individuals at the Craney Island Disposal Area,
Portsmouth on December 16, one individual over a marsh near the north end of
Grandview Nature Preserve, Hampton on December 19 and two individuals at
Pleasure House Point, Virginia Beach on December 20.
Since November 2 a male WESTERN TANAGER* has been seen almost daily at
feeders in a residential yard in James City Co, VA. This is the seventh
consecutive year that this bird has spent part of the nonbreeding season at
this location.
A female PAINTED BUNTING was seen again at Masonville Cove in Baltimore Co,
MD. This bird was first found on December 12 behind the Education Center and
was relocated on December 21 at a stormwater pond in one of the restricted
areas.
OTHER BIRDS OF INTEREST
Waterfowl highlights included a single ROSS'S GOOSE spotted in flight with
SNOW GEESE above Captains Cove in Accomack Co, VA on December 16 and three
ROSS'S GEESE and four CACKLING GEESE at Curles Neck (private) in Henrico Co,
VA on December 20. A CACKLING GOOSE also was found along Peat Moss Road in
Garrett Co, MD on December 19.
On December 18 two apparent TRUMPETER SWANS* were photographed at the
Patuxent Research Refuge (restricted), Prince George's Co, MD.
A male EURASIAN WIGEON continues at the Craney Island Disposal Area,
Portsmouth, VA and in Swan Creek at Chincoteague NWR, Accomack Co, VA, with
the latest sightings on December 16 and 19, respectively. COMMON EIDERS
remained uncommon but a continuing female was seen during a CBC at Fort
Monroe, Hampton, VA on December 19. On December 20 a male HARLEQUIN DUCK was
seen again at the Indian River Inlet in Sussex Co, DE and two continuing
males and a female HARLEQUIN DUCK were seen at the Ocean City Inlet in
Worcester Co, MD. During the DC CBC on December 19 an incredible 58
LONG-TAILED DUCKS were observed in flight over the Potomac River from Hains
Point.
On December 15 six GREAT CORMORANTS were perched on a railing at Bloody
Point Lighthouse at the southern tip of Kent Island in Queen Anne's Co, MD.
On December 19 participants in the DC CBC were thrilled to find a continuing
AMERICAN BITTERN at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. A juvenile LITTLE BLUE HERON
continues at Pleasure House Point, Virginia Beach, VA, with the latest
sighting on December 21.
A late OSPREY was found along the C&O Canal in Washington Co, MD on December
15, near Chews Creek in southern Queen Anne's Co, MD on December 19 and at
Fort Boykins Historic Park, Isle of Wight Co, VA on December 21. On December
18 a NORTHERN RED-TAILED HAWK (abieticola)*, a distinctive subspecies that
is not uniformly recognized as separate from the eastern subspecies, was
seen at Gravelly Point Park, Arlington Co, VA and along Route 13 in northern
Northampton Co, VA. Raptor highlights during the week also included a
ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK at Rockland Park, Warren Co, VA on December 19, over
fields near Rectortown, Fauquier Co, VA on December 20 and in Augusta Co, VA
on December 21.
On December 15-18 and 20 two SANDHILL CRANES were seen again near the
intersection of East Jack Jouett and Bracketts Farm Roads in Louisa Co, VA.
On December 21 11 SANDHILL CRANES were observed in flight over the Bradshaw
Road area in Baltimore Co, MD, a frequent location for this species last
winter.
Noteworthy shorebird sightings included over 400 AMERICAN AVOCETS at Prime
Hook NWR, Sussex Co, DE on December 17. LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS were reported
at several locations, with a high of 27 along Big Stone Beach Road in the
Milford Neck Wildlife Area, Kent Co, DE on December 16.
On December 19 a PARASITIC JAEGER was observed harassing gulls over the bay
bordering the Grandview Nature Preserve, Hampton, VA.
For the third consecutive year a BLACK-HEADED GULL is spending the
nonbreeding season at Loch Raven Reservoir - Paper Mill Flats or nearby in
Baltimore Co, MD. On December 18 an immature and an adult THAYER'S GULL and
an immature ICELAND GULL (Kumlien's) were spotted among the thousands of
gulls at the Cecil County Landfill (restricted), Cecil Co, MD. An immature
ICELAND GULL (Kumlien's) was seen again at the Conowingo Dam in Harford Co,
MD on December 20.
SHORT-EARED OWLS have returned to the Oaks Landfill (restricted) in
Montgomery Co, MD and fields near Rectortown, Fauquier Co, VA, with two
observed on December 19 and one on December 20 at these respective
locations.
On December 17 a RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD was seen again at feeders in a
residential yard in Norfolk, VA, which is well past this species' extreme
late date of November 12.
On December 16 two ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHERS* were reported at the end of the
main road in the Cavalier Wildlife Management Area, Chesapeake Co, VA, near
the border with North Carolina. This report is unconfirmed but follows
recent confirmed sightings of this species in North and South Carolina.
A possible NORTHERN SHRIKE* was photographed near the intersection of
Emmanuel Church and Wolfe Ridge Roads in western Augusta Co, VA during a CBC
on December 19 but may not be definitively identifiable to species unless it
is seen again. At the request of a local landowner, birders should be
careful to avoid trespassing on private property while looking for this
bird.
During a CBC on December 16 two BLUE-HEADED VIREOS and two WHITE-EYED VIREOS
were found at Jericho and Hudnell Ditches in the Great Dismal Swamp NWR,
Suffolk Co, VA, and four WHITE-EYED VIREOS were encountered along the West
Ditch in this refuge on December 20. A WHITE-EYED VIREO also was found at
Occoquan Bay NWR, Prince William Co, VA on December 20.
During the week lowland COMMON RAVENS were observed in Washington, DC,
Alexandria, VA and Anne Arundel and Prince George's Counties, MD.
A late NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW was spotted at Swan Creek Wetland/Cox
Creek, Anne Arundel Co, MD on December 16 and at Pleasure House Point in
Virginia Beach, VA on December 20.
Late BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHERS continue to be found in the reporting area, with
single birds at Hains Point in Washington, DC, Rocky Point Park, Essex, MD
and Holly Neck, Baltimore Co, MD on December 19 and at Curles Neck (private)
in Henrico Co, VA and in Hopewell, VA on December 20.
On December 20 several birders saw two LAPLAND LONGSPURS along Whitehall
Neck Road in Kent Co, DE. A single SNOW BUNTING was seen on the north end of
Grandview Nature Preserve, Hampton, VA on December 15 and 19.
Incredibly, four GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLERS and two CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLERS were
reported at the same location in Gaithersburg, Montgomery Co, MD during the
Seneca CBC on December 20. According to the reporter, these birds were in a
mixed species flock on Stonebridge View Drive between Muddy Branch Road and
Rolling Green Way and eventually flew south and west over a couple of
private residences toward Muddy Branch Park.
An ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER was found at several locations, including a
continuing individual at Southwest Area Park, Baltimore Co, MD on December
15, 16 and 19, LBJ Memorial Grove, Washington, DC on December 18-21, Jones
Point Park, Alexandria, VA on December 19 and along Stockholm Street in
Baltimore, MD on December 20. Warblers at the LBJ Memorial Grove in DC also
included an immature AMERICAN REDSTART on December 18-21, a PINE WARBLER on
December 18 and four YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS on December 20. Noteworthy
warbler sightings also included a WILSON'S WARBLER found along the River
Walk Trail at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens during the DC CBC on December 19
and a NORTHERN PARULA photographed at Bridgeview Park, Rockingham Co, VA on
December 20.
A LINCOLN'S SPARROW was seen again at Meadowbrook Park, Howard Co, MD on
December 16 and 21 and at Hughes Hollow in Montgomery Co, MD during the
Seneca CBC on December 20.
A late BALTIMORE ORIOLE was seen again at Occoquan Bay NWR, Prince William
Co, VA on December 16 and along Carroll Island Road in Baltimore Co, MD on
December 19.
***
This week's report was based on reports on the DE, MD, VA, and WV list
servers via the ABA Internet links, and on eBird records.
The Audubon Sanctuary Shop (301-652-3606, <http://anshome.org/shop>
http://anshome.org/shop)is an excellent source for guidebooks and many other
nature-related titles.
To report bird sightings, e-mail your report to <mailto:voice@xxxxxxxxxxx>
voice@xxxxxxxxxxx. Please post reports before midnight Monday, identify the
county as well as the state, and include your name and a Tuesday morning
contact, e-mail or phone.
Thank you for your interest, and best wishes to all this holiday season and
coming new year.
*Of interest to the applicable state records committee
