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Voice of the Naturalist
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. This is the Voice of the Naturalist, a service of the Audubon Naturalist Society. This report was completed Tuesday, February 2, at 8:40 AM. Top birds this week are ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER* in VA and WESTERN TANAGER* in VA. Other birds of interest include AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN, GREEN HERON, geese, ducks including COMMON TEAL*, GREAT CORMORANT, raptors, rails, SANDHILL CRANE, gulls, SHORT-EARED OWL, BLUE-HEADED VIREO, COMMON RAVEN, wrens, ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, AMERICAN TREE SPARROW, LAPLAND LONGSPUR, SNOW BUNTING, PAINTED BUNTING, RUSTY BLACKBIRD, and EVENING GROSBEAK. An ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER* was seen again Jan 26, 27, and 29 on Tim Rd, Virginia Beach, VA. Birders are cautioned to be careful in this area. A WESTERN TANAGER* was reported on Jan 30 after several days of coming to a feeder in Williamsburg, VA. This may be the same tanager, which visited the feeder in January and February 2009. An AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN was spotted on Jan 27 at Blackwater NWR, Dorchester Co, MD. Another AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN flew over Hampton, VA on Jan 31. A GREEN HERON was reported at Ben Brenman Pk, Alexandria, VA on Jan 31. Among geese sightings, a ROSS’S GOOSE was near the Visitor’s Center at Blackwater NWR on Jan 26. CACKLING GOOSE reports have come from various locations. A CACKLING GOOSE was seen Jan 27 on Schoolhouse Pond, Upper Marlboro, Prince George’s Co, MD. Two CACKLING GEESE were at Great Oak Pond, Kent Co, MD on Jan 27. Two CACKLING GEESE were spotted at Bombay Hook NWR on Jan 27. Three CACKLING GEESE were observed on the ice in front of the Black Hill Regional Park Visitor Center on Feb 1. A drake COMMON TEAL* (the Eurasian form of the Green-winged Teal) was found at Truitt's Landing, Worcester Co, MD on Jan 26 and 28. A female KING EIDER was spotted Jan 26 at the Ocean City Inlet, Worcester Co, MD. About 60 COMMON EIDERS were at the Ocean City Inlet on the same day. Two HARLEQUIN DUCKS were reported at the Ocean City Inlet on Jan 26 and on Jan 31. A WHITE-WINGED SCOTER was seen at Dyke Marsh, Alexandria, VA on Jan 29. A BLACK SCOTER was spotted in the Bay Ridge community, Anne Arundel Co, MD on Jan 28. Two REDHEADS were at Dalecarlia Reservoir, Washington, DC on Jan 30. An immature GREAT CORMORANT was located in Fort Armistead Pk, Baltimore Co, MD on Jan 26. Four GREAT CORMORANTS were found Jan 27 at Indian River Inlet, DE. On Jan 31 a GREAT CORMORANT was at the West Ocean City Marina on Sunset Ave, Worcester Co, MD. Two GOLDEN EAGLES were seen at Blackwater NWR on Jan 26. An adult GOLDEN EAGLE was seen in the Swoope area near the Boy Scout Camp, Augusta Co, VA on Jan 29. An immature, light phase ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK was found along the Wildlife Loop of Blackwater NWR on Jan 26. A ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK was on School Hall Rd, Stuarts Draft, Augusta Co, VA on Jan 29. A KING RAIL was reported at Truitt’s Landing, Worcester Co, MD on Jan 26, 27, and 28. A KING RAIL was heard at Huntley Meadows Pk, Fairfax Co, VA on Feb 1. A VIRGINIA RAIL was observed at Truitt’s Landing, Worcester Co, MD on Jan 27. Four SANDHILL CRANES were spotted flying south over Back Bay NWR, Virginia Beach, VA on Jan 31. Among gull sightings, a first-winter ICELAND GULL was found at Schoolhouse Pond, Upper Marlboro, Prince George’s Co, MD on Jan 29. A GLAUCOUS GULL was reported at Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary, Anne Arundel Co, MD on Jan 31. About 34 BONAPARTE’S GULLS were in the Washington Channel at Hains Point, Washington, DC on Jan 30. LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS continued to be reported from many sites in the region during the week. A SHORT-EARED OWL was spotted at Deal Island WMA, Somerset Co, MD on Jan 31. A BLUE-HEADED VIREO was found on Purnell Crossing Rd about one mile west of the Pocomoke River, Wicomico Co, MD on Jan 31. A COMMON RAVEN was seen on Jan 28 flying over Davidsonville Pk, Anne Arundel Co, MD. Wren sightings included two MARSH WRENS at the Dundee Creek fishing area of Gunpowder Falls SP, Baltimore Co, MD on Jan 26 and a MARSH WREN along Truitt’s Landing Rd, Worcester Co, MD on Jan 31. A SEDGE WREN was heard at Truitt’s Landing, Worcester Co, MD on Jan 30. Two ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS were on the Jacob’s Farm property near Pt. Lookout SP, St. Mary’s Co, MD on Jan 28. A PINE WARBLER was reported in a yard in Alexandria, VA on Jan 29. An AMERICAN TREE SPARROW was spotted on Jan 31 resting on a hedge before flying from the intersection of Wheatly and Oak Grove Rds, Dorchester Co, MD. LAPLAND LONGSPURS have been seen at a number of locations, often among HORNED LARKS and sometimes with AMERICAN PIPITS and SAVANNAH SPARROWS. Twelve LAPLAND LONGSPURS were reported in a flock of over 400 HORNED LARKS on Coveys Landing Rd, Talbot Co, MD on Jan 31. A LAPLAND LONGSPUR was spotted along New Design Rd, Frederick Co, MD on Jan 31 and two other LAPLAND LONGSPURS were seen along Oland Rd, Frederick Co, MD on Feb 1. Six LAPLAND LONGSPURS were found close to the unpaved section of Sparks Rd, Caroline Co, MD on Jan 31. About four or five SNOW BUNTINGS were found on Jan 31 along Raymond Neck Rd close to Bombay Hook NWR, DE. A female PAINTED BUNTING was at a feeder on Peach Street in Cape Charles, Northampton Co, VA on Jan 30 and 31. Three RUSTY BLACKBIRDS were found on Jan 28 on Mill Swamp Rd, Harwood, Anne Arundel Co, MD. The RUSTY BLACKBIRD BLITZ started Jan 30 and extends through Feb 15. An EVENING GROSBEAK was heard and seen in Silver Spring flying west from Layhill Pk, Montgomery Co, MD on Jan 31. Some of this week's reports have been gleaned from the MDOsprey, VA-Bird, and DE-Birds list servers. The Audubon Sanctuary Shop (301-652-3606, To report bird sightings, e-mail your report to voice@AudubonNaturalist.org or call 301-652-1088 and select 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 the records committee
Reporting Guidelines The Voice of the Naturalist is written and recorded on Tuesday mornings. If you email your reports, please post them to the Voice mailbox, voice@AudubonNaturalist.org, by Monday midnight to make sure they are received in time. If you wish to report non-electronically, leave your report on the ANS voice mail at 301-652-1088, option 2. Reports prior to the preceding Tuesday will not be considered. The area covered is (with rare exceptions) DC, MD, VA, and southern DE; all other reports should be sent to the appropriate rare-bird alert for the area in which the birds were observed. Be sure to report only those birds that you actually saw, not ones that someone else told you about. And please remember to include a phone number where you can be reached on Tuesday morning; if you can't be reached to verify a rare bird, your report will almost certainly not be used. There are two main circumstances in which a bird sighting will not be reported on the Voice as a matter of policy. The first is if the report would jeopardize the bird's welfare: Reports of species that are threatened or endangered at the state or federal level are generally not used, especially during nesting season--local Loggerhead Shrikes are an example; similarly, owls are not listed, with two exceptions--Snowy Owl and Short-eared Owl; and rails are also generally not mentioned; the rails at Huntley Meadows Park, VA, are an exception because birders stay on the boardwalk. The second circumstance concerns private property: If the property owner does not want birders, the sighting will not be reported--at least in a way that identifies the location. Please keep your reports concise (no lengthy trip reports, please), and provide the following information:
Thanks in advance for your reports. You can be sure that they will be read. Don't be disappointed if your sighting isn't mentioned; when there are a lot of reports, summary comments sometimes have to be made. There are times, however, when every report is used in writing the Voice, for example, during the hot days of summer. -- Voice of the Naturalist
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