HUDSON-DELAWARE1

FrankSenchef, St., Dom Sherony,Robert & WilliamWatson, Rich Waynor, George Wen- SusanSpahn (RSp/R&SSp; Genesee Ornitho- zelburger,Carol & OwenWhitby, Frank Win- RichardR. Veit, BiologyDepartment, CSI-CUNY, 2800 logicalSociety), Lloyd Spitalnik(New York felder,Will Yandik(Hudson-Mohawk region VictovjBoulevard, Staten Island, New York 10314, City area),Derek L. Stoner,Pat Sutton(Cape of New York: 269 SchneiderRoad, Hudson, ([email protected]); May B.¸.), W. Symonds,S. Taylor,David Tet- NY 12534), Peter Yoerg,Robert E Yunick, RobertO. Paxton,460 Riverside Drive, Apt. 72, New low, Matt Victoria, ChristopherJ. Vogel, LouiseZemaitis. I• York,New York 10027, ([email protected])

MiddleAtlantic

x Blue-wingedTeal hybrid and Var- Mar 0G)- Twosibling Trumpeter Swans that ied Thrush in Maryland, and a werebanded as hatch-year in Ontarioat White-winged Crossbill,a Long- Wye Marsh,Grand Valley 15 Oct 2005 were eared Owl, and a state-thirdTufted reportedseparately in Maryland:the first with Duckin Virginia. a yellowwing-tag numbered 962 on 4 May+ at SchoolhousePond, Prince Georgek (FS), the Abbreviations:Bay (Chesapeake other at Indian Cr., near Benedict, Saint Bay);Chinc. (Chincoteague N.W.R., Mary,, wing-tagged960 on 4 May (fide Accomack, VA); Chino (Chino MLH); 960 would later relocateto Patux- Farms,Queen Annek, MD) Craney ent Oxbow Nature Preserve,Anne Arun- (Craney I., Portsmouth, VA); del,where it wouldsummer (Jay Sheppard, E.S.V.N.W.R. (Eastern Shore of Vir- fide Marcy Stutzman). Swans were ginia N.W.R., Northampton,VA); widely reported12 Mar, with severalob- ToddM. Day Hart (Hart Miller I., Baltimore,MD); Picker- serversnoting hundreds; the high of thislot ing(Pickering Creek Audubon Center, Talbot, was 813 at Loch Raven Res., Baltimore,MD Pring2006 held little to distinguish it- MD). (Steve Collins). selfin the way of weather patterns, bird A maleCinnamon Teal x Blue-wingedTeal records,or dramaticintersections of the WATERFOWLTHROUGH hybridwas well describedat Jug Bay,Anne two, but recent trends continue: uncommon FRIGATEBIRDS Arundel 11 Mar (tJeff Shenot, Danny kites,ibises, pelicans, doves, and Anhinga are The 6 Greater White-fronted Geese at Clear Bystrak);the bird mostlyresembled Cinna- turningup in greaternumbers and more loca- CreekL., Washington,VA werelast reported 4 monTeal but showed a whiteflank patch. The tions;careful searches for rare nestersare de- Mar (SamCross, Rack Cross); in Maryland, EurasianTeal from 14Jan at HuntleyMead- tectingspedes like NorthernSaw-whet Owl, one was at the ChestertownS.T.P., Kent 12 owsPark, Fairfax, VA wasreported sporadi- CommonMerganser, and Golden-winged Mar (NLM). A Ross'sGoose was at Edmund's callythrough 25 Mar (RH, LM et al.); anoth- Warbler in new locations;and even rarities, Park,Halifax, VA 18-20 Mar (JB1,AD), a first er wasfound 29 Mar at Pickering,where one such as PacificLoon, MagnificentFrigate- for that countyand the s. VirginiaPiedmont. wintered in 2005 (David Curson). A well-de- scribedGreen-winged Teal x EurasianTeal in- tergradewas at SwanHarbor, Harford, MD 11 Apr (JLS,MH, HH, JBr).A lateNorthern Pin- tail was at HuntleyMeadows Park, Fairfax, VA 27 May 0Ba). Good numbers of Aythya were foundin w. Maryland18 Mar,all in Garrett: 40 Canvasbacks,40 Redheads,and 120 Less- er Scaupat BroadfordRes., and 50 Greater among200 LesserScaup at Deep CreekL. (JLS,MH, HH, JBr).A Canvasbacklingered at Great Oak , Kent through 27 May ThisCommon Mergamer family group, including eight ducklings, was observed atV/olette's Lock, Montgomery County, I•ary- (WGE, NLM). Fifteen Redheadswere at Falls laud23 May (here) through 14 June 2006; more were observed along the Potomac River throughout the summer, including Mills, Tazewell,VA 26 Mar (Jim & Judy inthe District ofColumbia. Photograph byDave Czaplak. Phillips).The mostunusual Aythya of the seasonwas a drakeTufted Duck at Airlie, birds (most in June), Eurasian Whimbrel, At least3 CacklingGeese of the nominate Fauquier 26 Apr-3 May (TMD, Eric M. Scissor-tailedFlycatcher, and Townsend's subspecieswere among the few thousand Hynes,ph. SAH, ph. ESB,JKe), seenwith Warbler,seem to be partof largerpatterns, at CanadaGeese 5 Mar at the pondon Belvoir severallingering Ring-necked Ducks; Vir- leastin theEast as a whole.Other unexpect- Rd.,Fauquier, VA (TMD); 15 Cacklingswere giniahas just two other reports of thespecies. ed visitors this season were a Cinnamon Teal with 5000 CanadaGeese flying over Chino 9 A first-wintermale King Eider at the C.B.B.T.

VOLUME 60 (2006) - NUMBER 3 357 MIDDLEATLANTIC

AnEared Grebe at Violetres Lock, Montgomery County, Maryland was present 10-12 (here 11) April 2006, a typicalpassage peflod for this species inthe Middle Atlantic region. Photographs byDave (zaplak. 31 Mar furnishedVirginia• only reportbe- and19 May ORe,fide LR) andat Hog1., Sur- 23 Apr 0Sh); andone at LaurelL. 6 May was tween autumn and spring (Mike Iwanik, ry, VA 19 & 23 Apr (BW,BTa). The breeding a first for Buchanan,VA (fideRM). Twelve VickieGullet). Four HarlequinDucks were colonyof Double-crestedCormorants on the Great Blue Herons nests were found near seen from the C.B.B.T. 11 Mar (DLH et al.). PotomacR. in Montgomeryhad 20 nests,with BeaverdamCr., at Damascas,Washington, VA Two Surf Scoterswere in the Anacostia R., all butthree occupied (Clive Harris); another 29 Mar 0WC); severalnests were also located D.C. 22 Apr (RH, PP), and 2 wereat Rocky colonywith nests on powerline towers along near FranksMill, Augusta,VA 30 Apr (AL, GapS.E, Allegany, MD 23 Apr 0BC).A Com- thePatuxent R. on thePrince Georgek/Calvert Sarah Splaun, Mac Houff,ph. BTe).A Great monGoldeneye was at theAberdeen Proving line reportedlyhad at least100 nesting birds. Egretwas at the CumberlandTerminus, Alle- Grounds,Harford 25-26 May (Chris Star- Thefirst cormorant nest in Marylandwas dis- gany2M3 Apr 0BC). TwoLittle Blue Herons ling). Hooded Mergansersagain bred at coveredin 1990, and the speciesis now wereat KenilworthPark 14 May (RH). A Tri- HuntleyMeadows, with youngnoted 14 May known to breed in at least Dorchester,Talbot, coloredHeron at SilverL. 7 Maywas Rocking- (Harry Glasgowet al.); a hen and 4 young Montgomery,Prince George•, and Calvert. ham,VAts first (Cheryl Lyon, fide CM); anoth- wereseen at PineyRun Park,Carroll 25 May Therewere five reportsof Anhingathis sea- er wasat DykeMarsh, Fairfax 18 May (Scott (RFR). Once again, Common Mergansers son. Four were seen over the Dulles Toll Priebe).A 28 Mayvisit to Dorchester'sHolland nestedalong the PotomacR., eitherin Mont- Road,Loudoun, VA 10 Apr (HH); onewas at I. confirmedthat all of Maryland•breeding gomery,MD or Fairfax,with young pho- Lilypons,Frederick, MD 18-23 Apr (Dan heronsand ibis can be foundnesting here tographed27 Apr (DCz); severalsightings Eberly,Linda Friedland, Lydia Schindler, ph. (HTA). Yellow-crownedNight-Herons nested from that section of the Potomac would fol- MB, m.ob.);one was at StumpyL., Virginia in severalareas in metropolitanD.C.: along low; anotherlate sightingwas 21 May at SligoCr., Montgomery,MD, at SusquehannaS.E, Harford (MH, JLS,MB et • leastfour nests were found 29 al.). A Red-breastedMerganser was at L. of • Mar and 13 Apr (Howard theWoods, Orange, VA 29 May (PK). Youth; Tom Stock);birds fre- The Pacific Loon found 1 Feb at Kerr was quentedRock Cr. at Chevy presentthrough 27 Mar 0B1, AD, Wendy • *• Chase,Montgomery, MD, Ealding),and a Red-throatedLoon there 27 • wherenests would be found in May,in breedingplumage, was most unusu- summer; and at Reston, Fair- al-perhapsthe first Virginiareport of that fax, at a sitewhere the species (David Spears).The high inland • hasbred previously, a pair was count of Common Loons was 55 at Mill Creek • nestingthisspring, noted 27 L.,Amherst, VA 17Apr (Mark Johnson). Some Apr (MatthewBender). One 150 Horned Grebes were noted at Ft. Small- found at L. Shenandoah 31 wood, AnneArundel 29 Mar (HLW). A Red- {•. Maywas good for Rocking- neckedGrebe was at L. Orange,Orange, VA ham'sfirst since ]968 (ph. Asmany as four White-faced Ibis were at HuntleyMeadows Park, Fairfax County, 27 Mar (George& RosemarieHarris). An Virginia17-23 (here 19) April 2006, keeping company with one or two Glossy Ibis. GregMoyers). As many as 4 Eared Grebe was on the Potomac R. at Vio- PhotographbyCliff Otto. White-facedIbis spenta week letresLock, Montgomery 10-12 Apr (ph. BH, at HuntleyMeadows, with the ph. DCz); the last one at SouthHoiston L., Beach,13 & 28 May (ESB;BL); and one was first noted 17 Apr (Ed Eder).Over the next Washington,VA was seen 29 Mar 0WC). alongNawney's Creek Rd., Virginia Beach 29 six days,many observers were able to seeup A SootyShearwater at Chinc.13 May (VK, May(RLAk). At BellyacheSwamp, Southamp- to 4 workingthe mudwith oneor 2 Glossy LM et al.) markeda typicalarrival date. A ton,VA, a male Anhingawas first noted 27 Ibis, the last sightingbeing one bird 23 Apr NorthernGannet was well up theRappahan- May (Bill Keith)and documented displaying (SAH, ph. PS,HFD, TMD, JKe,KG). Other nock R., observedfrom Lancaster,VA at Belle 30 May (ph. BTe).An ad. malefrigatebird not White-facedIbis reportswere 11 May at the Isle S.E 28 Mar (VK); one was also at Cobb 1. identifiedto specieswas noted perched on a causewayto ChincoteagueI., (KG), 24 Mayat on the Wicomico R., Charles, MD (Mike light poleon FishermanI., Northampton,VA Chinc. (PJM), and 20 & 22 May at the S. Callahan). Thirteen American White Pelicans 26 May (ESB). Point area of Worcester(ph. MLH; Wayne were seen at Carvins Cove on the Laubscher).A GlossyIbis wasat the Kenil- Roanoke/Botetourt,VA line 31 Mar (Bill & BITTERNSTHROUGH CRANES worth Aquatic Gardens,D.C. 25-26 Mar Katie James,fide Mike Purdy); 4 were at An AmericanBittern was at ChesterPhelps (Nick Lund,RH et al.). FortyWhite Ibis were SouthHoiston L. 8 Apr 0WC et al.);and sin- W.M.A.20 Apr, the 2nd for Fauquier(TMD, seenflying over First LandingS.P., Virginia gleswere at Poplar1., Talbot8 Apr (fideJRe) MikeDay); one was at KenilworthPark, D.C. Beach23 Apr 0Ru).

358 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS MIDDLEATLANTICJ

Againthis year,a pair of BlackVultures 183 birds;disappointing were only 10 Amer- SHOREBIRDSTHROUGH TERNS nested on the 3rd floor of the Ruscombe icanKestrels, despite good coverage (BTa). TwelveSemipalmated Plovers made an ap- Mansion, Baltimore, this time while renova- Twoor 3 BlackRails were heard along El- pearanceat RuralRetreat L. 23 May(GE,JM). tionsof thebuilding were underway; thank- liott IslandR., Dorchester20 Apr (HLW,LD); A PipingPlover was a surpriseat FlagPonds fully,the developerwas w•lling to allowthe twoparties heard one Black Rail each on the S.P.,Calvert 7 May (TB,JKo). Black-necked breedingattempt to continue (fide Elliot DorchesterMay bird count 6 May (HTA). Stiltsare expected at severalcoastal marshes Kirschbaum).Two circlingBlack Vultures KingRails were again easily heard and often in Marylandand Virginia, as well as at Craney, wereseen 4 Apr fromalong 1-68 in w.Garrett seen at Occoquan Bay N.W.R., Prince though10 at ElliottIsland Rd. 20 Aprwas no- (TMD). A Swallow-tailed Kite was seen over William, throughoutthe reportingperiod, table (HLW, LD). Less-expectedlocations FairfaxCounty Parkway 17 Apr (?SAH);an- with the season'sfirst report of 4 there 12 wherethe species was reported this season in- otherwas at Ft. Smallwood24 Apr (SR).At Mar; onewas noted 14 Apr atJulie Metz wet- cludedShirley Plantation, Charles City, VA 22 Gloucester Pt., Gloucester,VA, a Swallow- lands(both MR); Maryland•lone report was Apr (ph.Allen Bryan); 3 at Pickering5 May tailedKite was noted i May (fideBTa); this one calling 13 Mar along the PatuxentR., (SA,EA); and 4 at E.S.V.N.W.R.on 24 May locationhas had reports of thisbird in previ- PrinceGeorgek (FF, Jane Fallon). A Soraat (VK). An UplandSandpiper was early at ousyears in summer,but breedingremains Laurel L. 6 May was the first record for PricesFork, Montgomery,VA 28 Mar (CK); unknown.The onlyMississippi Kite reports Buchanan(fide RM). A PurpleGallinule was anotherwas at CapeCharles, Northampton 5 camefrom Virginia, most from known May (ESB). Twenty Whimbrel were or suspectedbreeding locations in unexepectedat Tydings,Harford 21 Southamptonand Fairfax.Exceptions May, but the biggersurprise was a includedone at Stonewall,Appomattox Eurasian Whimbrel of the nominate 9 Apr,which was the season•first re- subspecies,the first for MarylandOH, port (PeggyLyons); one at the Julie ph. BH, MH, JLS,MB et al.) and only Metz wetlandsmitigation site, Prince the7th for the Region. The Long-billed William 18 Apr, wherenearby-breed- at Chimney Pole Marsh, ingis likely(MR); an ad.at RuntPowo Northamptonwas last seen 2 Apr (Alex ell• farm,Halifax 6 May,where seen in Wilke). Red Knots were seenat Chine. yearspast but not annually0B1); a 24 May (2 birds; ESB) and at As- subad.near E.S.V.N.W.R. 13 May (BTa, sateagueI., Worcester26 May (6 birds; KG); andone along Back Rd., Shenan- Bill Schreitz);aerial surveys for the doah14 May (SAH,BL, J&BJL). Bald speciesin May-Junfound about 6000 Eagleswere confirmed nesting in • • in the intertidalareas of the Virginia Rockinghamfor the first time ever barrier islands,about 4000 fewer than (J&BJL,John Irvine); anotherbit of •' lastyear• survey. A Sanderlingwas diligenceby Tekinand othersresulted w•th 11 SemipalmatedSandpipers at in the9 Apr discoveryof the firstBald Huntley Meadows29 May 0Ba); 5 Eaglenest in Highland,VA. The 2006 White-rumpedSandpipers were there BaldEagle survey conducted by Bryan ThisWhite-faced Ibis was found 20 May 2006 (here) in the South Point area of 27 May (PJM).Rural Retreat L. had 5 D. Wattsand MitchellA. Byrdof the WorcesterCounty, Maryland and seen again two days later. Although reported late-ishPectoral , 8 Least Centerfor ConservationBiology at the annuallyinVirginia since 1999, the species isnot found annually in Maryland. Sandpipers,and 28 Dunfins, all 23 College of William and Mary, PhotographbyMark L. Hoffmann. May (GE, JM). Twenty-twoPurple Williamsburg,showed an increaseof over seen12 Apr alongthe L. Meadecauseway, Sandpipersat PoplarI. 23 May wererelative- sevenper cent in nestingpairs, w•th this Suffolk, VA (Don Schwab); another was ly late OR,fide LR). Two Dunfinsat Swan year'stotal of 485 beingthe most ever record- alongPitch Kettle Rd., Suffolk22 Apr (fide Harbor,Harford 2 Mar wereunusual for the ed in Virginia.The surveycovers Virginia's Sheila Scoville);another was found dead at date(MH). A Ruff(Reeve) was a nicesurprise portionof theBay and the major coastal Irib• an unlikelylocation, Great Fails N.P, Fairfax at Pickering22-26 Apr (ShepardKrech, LR, utaries.Known pairs of eaglesproduced a 15 May (ph. Cheryl Bresee).A Common m.ob.). Long-billedDowitchers were seen, record705 chicksin 2006,pushing the five- Moorhenat RuralRetreat L., Wythe23 May andheard, 1 Aprat Hart(EJS), 3 Mayat Oys- year total over3000 young.A Broad-w•nged wasthe Region'sonly report well awayfrom ter, Northampton(TS, ESB),and 24 May at Hawk flew over Chestertown,Queen Anne• the CoastalPlain (GE, JM). SixtyAmerican Chine.(ESB). A Red-neckedPhalarope was 29 Mar (JG).An imm.Golden Eagle at Lang- Cootswere at Hart 6 May,with oneseen on a foundat BlackwaterN.WR. 13 May (fide ford,Kent 12 Mar wasa goodfind; one near nest (EJSet al.). A flock of 15 SandhillCranes HTA); it or anotherwas there 16-17 May MontereyMt., Highland9 Apr was rather late was seen on the Summers Tract, Frederick, (JoshuaStone); another was at Chesapeake (fideBTe). Twelve Merlins noted in onehour MD 12 Mar (?AndySewell); one was at Mid- Farm,Kent 22 May (DP,fide MH). Interesting fromFt. Story,Virginia Beach 23 Aprwas in- dlebrook,Augusta 5 Apr (PaulCabe); anoth- shorebirdsfound at thePEG. at North dicativeof a goodflight for that day (RLAn). er wasat the VirginiaPolytechnical Institute Branch,Allegany 23 May includeda Wilson's The CollegeCreek Hawkwatch, James City, campusat Blacksburg,Montgomery 16-17 Phalaropealong w•th White-rumped,Semi- VA completedits 10thspring season, w•th a Apr (ph. N&MM, JohnKell); another was at palmated,and Least Sandpipers, Dunlin, and near-record amount of hours of observation. PricesFork, Montgomery, VA 25 Apr (Henry SemipalmatedPlover (Mikey Lutmerding). Observerstallied a newseason-high number Floyd);and 2 wereseen at Hog I. from the Baltimore'sBack R. continuesto be thespot of raptorsand vultures.Tops in this group CollegeCreek Hawkwatch and noted in both in the Regionfor LittleGull, w•th a reportof wereOsprey, setting a new site recordwith Surryand James City 10 May (BW,BTa). 2-3 there2 Mar w•th 1100Bonaparte• Gulls

VOLUME 60 (2006) NUMBER 3 359 MIDDLEATLANTIC

(GM, BC); moreunusual were 2 first-summer NorthernFlickers showing at leastsome red- 70 near the Carrollline (HH); 6 May at Pa- Little Gulls at Tydings,Harford 21 May, a dish colorationin remigeswere bandedat tapscoValley S.E (Bonnie Ottet al.); and two plumagerarely seen in the Region(ph. BH, Chino21 & 26 Mar (JG).Seventeen reports otherreports from different locations 27 May MH, JLS,MB). A Black-headedGull wasseen of Olive-sidedFlycatcher from 13 locations (fideJSo).Other ravens included one at James at SandyPoint S.E, AnneArundel 13 Mar (FS). 13-29 May reachedthe editor;only one was RiverS.E, Buckingham, VA 22 May (SB)and The gulls at Hooper'sRestaurant, Worcester awayfrom the Piedmontor Mountainsand oneat KerrRes., Mecklenburg 25 May (Frank included a first-winter Gull and a Valleys:23 Mayat Chinc.(PJM). By contrast, Enders).There were two reportsof Philadel- first-winter GlaucousGull 18 Mar (SM). Back therewere only four reports of Yellow-bellied phia Vireo this spring:12 May at Rock Cr. BayN.W.R. is knownas the Region's best spot Flycatcher,18-29 May, all in Maryland.Alder Park (GM) and 20 May at SmallwoodS.E, for highcounts of LesserBlack-backed Gulls: Flycatcher'smigration is poorlyknown in the Charles(GMJ). A HornedLark was unexpect- 50 were there 13 Mar (PLAk, DS). Larger Region;thus singingbirds in springaway ed at KenilworthPark, D.C. 14 May (RH). gullsare rarelyreported from w. Maryland, fromexpected breeding areas are always note- and a Lesser Black-backed Gull on the Po- worthy One was singingat PocahontasS.P., SWALLOWSTHROUGH FINCHES tomac around Antietam Cr. 24-31 Mar fur- Chesterfield,VA (WendyEalding); one was TwoTree Swallows nests examined in lateApr nished Washington'sfirst record (ph. HH, alongRiver Rd., Montgomery, MD 24-26 May tied Virginia'searliest records for eggs,one RFR,MH, m.ob.);with thisgull wasa Great (Jim Green, DP); another was at Fort Hill with 6 andthe other7, bothLoudoun 23 Apr Black-backedGull, providingpossibly only ShoppingCenter, Lynchburg, VA 28 May (RBC). A Red-breastedNuthatch was late at the 2nd county record,as 4-12 were seen (Gene Sattier). One of winters most unusual IdylwoodW.A., Caroline, MD 28 May (Glen here 19-31 Mar OH, RFR, MH, m.ob.). The finds was an Ash-throatedFlycatcher that Lovelace).A Black-cappedChickadee, the last lastGlaucous Gull reportedwas a first-winter winteredalong the JamesR. at Richmond of thewinter invasion, was caught and band- bird 29 Apr at Ocean City Inlet (Taylor (Manchester),last reported4 Mar (Arun ed at Chino 27 Mar (JG). Brown-headed McLean).Forty CaspianTerns at the Wash- Bose).The Ft. McHenryWestern Kingbird Nuthatchesare at then. edgeof theirrange on ington Navy Yard, D.C. 20 Apr was a good that hasspent spring and part of summerat Maryland'sEastern Shore, specifically at Kent count(jSh); 4 at ClaymrL., Pulaski,VA 22 Baltimorefor fouryears returned 25 Apr and I., QueenAnne• and also in Kent, and is rare Aprwas a notablelocation (CK). wasreported through 18 May (Jim Peters,fide despiteseemingly good, extensive . Keith Eric Costley,m.ob.). A Scissor-tailed EasternNeck N.W.R.has pethaps had pairs DOVESTHROUGH LARKS Flycatcherwas photographed at Townsend, continually,and there were severalreports EurasianCollared-Doves were engagedin a Northampton25 Apr (SheriYaros, Tim Dixon, from therethis spring,all aroundthe Boxes territorialdisplay at theBelspring area, Pulas- TS, ph. ESB),the 12th for that county.Log- Point Trail. Three were noted 12 Mar (WGE, ki 1 & 13 Apr (CK, RayCallahan), and one gerheadShrike reports were all fromVirginia: NLM), 2 on 2 Apr (MH,JLS), one on 22 Apr was seen 16 Apr at Radford,VA (CK). In 8 Mar at ChaseCity, Mecklenburg (Grace Mc- (WGE, NLM), and two pairswith two active Maryland,the species is stilldecidedly rare; a Crowell);at Sky MeadowsS.P., Fauquier 2 nestswere discovered 13 May,totaling 7 birds Worcesterfeeder that attractedone 19 Apr-3 Apr+,with a bird seenon nest(SB, m.ob.); (WGE, NLM). At Stevensville,Queen Anne•, 3 Mayprovided just the 5th or 6th recordfor and3 km w. of Wavefly,Sussex 19 May (SL, were seen26 Mar (Holly Merker).Perhaps the stateand the 2nd for the county(MLH). fide PS). moreexciting was one foundat Ft. Small- Virginia's4th springWhite-winged Dove was Common Ravens continue to march east- wood27 Apr,Anne Arundel's first (HLW, SR); at CapeCharles 10-13 May (JimmyPruitt, ward,slowly Reports from areas that onlya lastly,as manyas 4 werefound along Lloyd TS,ESB, m.ob.). The Dulles Airport, Loudoun, few yearsago would have been extremely BrownRd., Calvert 28 May,with an ad. seen SnowyOwl was last seen 17 Mar (Justin noteworthyare becoming more expected. At feedingyoung (TB, JK). Anotherinteresting Dysart,Jim Emery, m.ob.). A Short-earedOwl Richmond, one was at Commerce Park and reportwas of a nest-buildingBrown Creeper, wasat Elliott islandRd. 20 Apr (HLW,LD); Carter's Creek Rd. 2 Mar (Brent & Jane well documentednear the edge of the Patap- 10 at Rectortown,Fauquier were last reported Tarter); one was heard and seen at Fort C. E sicoR. at HalethorpFarms Pond, Baltimore 27 10 Mar (TMD). SmithPark, Arlington, VA 3 Mar (VK); one Mar (ph. BrianSykes, SA). A W-mterWren Chuck-will's-widowsat the n. edgeof their wasat GreatFalls N.P. 4 May (RalphWall); a was bandedat OccoquanN.W.R. 12 May rangeon Virginia,sPiedmont included one nestwas found on Maryland'sPiedmont on a (JoannaTaylor). A SedgeWren was at Occo- singingat PrinceWilliam Forest Park, Prince tower in se. Frederick19 Mar (MH); four re- quanN.W.R. 26 Mar (KG,JKe); another was William23 Apr+ 0Ke, KG, MR) andone near portsfrom Howard,MD--where the mostre- at DykeMarsh 5-6 May (fideKG); and one LocustGrove, Orange30 Apr (PK). Two centrecord was from 1978--were 2 Mayon 1- was at Rock CreekPark, D.C. 5 May (GM, BC). A Marsh Wren was noted along the TheVirginia SocietyofOrnithology's springforaythis year targeted NorthernSaw-whet Owls, ascarce breederin the North R. at Route42, Rockingham18 Apr I Istate,with only four previously confirmed records ofnesting. Some 125 locations were visited, anaudio-lure was (Dave Nealon). A Bicknell,s Thrush was seen and heard at broadcast,andthere were responses in15 locations. Sitesin Giles were surveyed 28Apr, with one bird located (Mary Ratlift). Upper WattsBranch Park, Montgomery16 Twoobservers found 5Saw-whets 6May at stops inMontgomery (CK,Bruce Grimes). On9 May,two observers covered sev- May (PaulO'Brien); 2 werebanded at First eralkm along the s. portion ofSkyline Drive inShenandoah H.P.,making seven stops and finding 3owls, one in Albemarle LandingS.P 20 & 22 May(JRu); 4 wereheard and2 inAugusta; theobservers alsonoted 23 Whip-poor-wills alongthe route (Marl(T. Adams, Dave Hngg). Another ob- among60 Swainson,sand 50 Gray-cheeked serverfound Saw-whets onAllegheny Mr.,Highland 9-13 May; these efforts also yielded one vocalizing Long-eared Owl Thrushesan hourbefore midnight over Bel 10My, an extremely scarce breeder inthe state (JSp). On30 May, Saw-whets werefound atthree locations inFrederick (Judy Air,Harford 25 May(MH). AnotherBicknell,s Palladinetti).Breeding wasnot confirmed bythis survey, butmany new potential breeding locations were identified. washeard singing at RockCreek Park 27 May Mythanks toClair Mellinger forinformation summarized here. (GM, BC). These dates--16 through 27 May•definethe peak of springmigration for

360 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS MIDDLE ATLANTIC,

A Clay-coloredSparrow was at tinely from the ConfederateBreastworks, S AInMay, aspart ofthe Center forConservation Biology'ssurveyof Sky Meadows S.E 6 May,only the straddlingthe Highland/Augustaline, with as /-•Golden-wingedandBlue-winged Warblers inw. Virginia, four held 5th recordfor VirginiasPiedmont manyas 5 birdsseen, the lastreport 30 Apr; technicianssurveyed eight counties: Highland. Bath. Botetourt, Rockbridge, and Fauquier's2nd ('•SB).A Ves- alsoin Highland,Red Crossbills visited a feed- Rockingham,Green,•lbemarle, andAugusta (fide Mike Smith). Intotal, 32 per Sparrowat KenilworthPark er at BearMt. throughoutthe season.A male Golden-winged,5 Blue-winged, and4 hybrid warblers were located. 22-26 Apr was a goodfind (PP, White-wingedCrossbill was photographed at RH) but paledin comparisonto a feeder at the Ruffins Pond Subdivision, County Date Results the Lark Sparrowseen there 23 Spotsylvania5 May (ph. Pat Holland).Four Highland 16-19May Golden-winged:23male, 2female May (FF). Henslow'sSparrows Evening Grosbeakswere in a Glen Echo, were reportedfrom Old Legisla- Montgomery,MD yard 5 Apr (Robert E Blue-winged:0 tiveRd., Allegany 31 May,a typical Abrams).In Clapp's15 yearsof monitoring Hybrid:0 breeding area (Steve Sanford). EasternBluebird boxes, he discoveredwhat is Two Nelson'sSharp-tailed Spar- possiblyNorth America's first truly runt egg Bath 4-5 May Golden-winged:6 male rowswere at SwanHarbor 26 May (thatof a HouseSparrow) 28 Apr;such eggs Blue-winged:3 male (ph. MH). A Lincoln'sSparrow havebeen previously recorded in . wasbanded at First LandingS.œ Hybrid:0 25 May 0Ru), the only report Contributors(subregional/county compilers Botetourt 26-31May Golden-winged:O I from the immediate coast of the in boldface):Robert L. Ake (RLAk),Robert L. 17 reportsbetween 29 Apr-25 Anderson(RLAn), Henry T. Armistead, Blue-winged:1 male May. A Gambel'sWhite-crowned Elaine Arnold, Stan Arnold, Frederick At- Hybrid:3 Sparrowwas banded at Chino 12 wood (e. Virginia),Scott Baron, John Bazuin Apr 0G). A White-throatedSpar- 0Ba), TylerBell, Jeff Blalock 0BI), MichaelR. Rockbridge23/31 May Golden-winged:1 row at CapeCharles 21 May was Boatwright(cen. Virginia), Jim Brighton Blue-winged:0 late for the coast (Paul E. 0Br), EdwardS. Brinkley,Mike Burchette,J. Hybrid:1 Lehman).A second-yearfemale B.Churchill, Roger B. Clapp,Barry Cooper, J. PaintedBunting was bandedat WallaceCoffey, Dave Czaplak(DCz), Lynn Augusta 22May Golden-winged:0 First LandingS.œ 11 May 0Ru). Davidson,David Davis, H. FentonDay, Todd Two Dickcissels were at the Vir- Blue-winged:1 M. Day,Adam D'Onofrio (se. Virginia), Glen ginia PolytechnicalInstitute cam- Eller, Walter G. Ellison, Fred Fallon, Kurt Hybrid:0 pus8 Mar (N&MM). Gaskill, Jim Gruber, Matt Hafner, SusanA. A male Yellow-headed Black- Heath, RobertHilton, Mark L Hoffman,Hans thisscarce and clearlydeclining migrant in birdvisited a Kempsville,Virginia Beach feed- Holbrook,John Hubbell, Bill Hubick, David theRegion. A WoodThrush at GloucesterPt. er 20 Mar (Gary Schafmn);one flew over L. Hughes,Marshall J. Iliff, GeorgeM. Jett, Jay 19 Mar was a bit early even for this early Staunton,VA 21 May (Pat Laruer).Rusty Keller(JKe), Phil Kenny,Clyde Kessler, Va- thrush(Hayes & JoyceWilliams). The Anne lerie Kitchens,Jane Kostenko(JKo), Arundel Varied Thrush from winter was seen Allen Larner,YuLee Larner (Augusta, through26 Mar(fide GMJ). An American Pip- VA), BeverleyLeeuwenburg; Jon& B. it at MathiasPt., Charles23 May was late J. Little 0&BJL), SharonLynn, Gall (GMJ). Mackiernan,Nancy L. Martin, Roger A fewwintering warblers survived the win- & LindaMayhorn (sw. Virginia), Sean ter. The Nashville Warbler at Carroll Park, McCandless,Nicole & Michael McKe- Baltimorewas last seen 6 Apr (JimWilkinson); own (N&MM), Larry Meade, Clair thefemale Black-throated Blue at anArlington Mellinger, PeterJ. Metropulos,Jim feederwas seen through 21 Mar (LindaFields, Minick, Helen Patton(Montgomery, Alan Schreck);and the Yellow-throatedWar- MD), PaulPisano, Elizabeth L. Pitney blerat IndianHead, Charles was noted 2 Apr (Tri-County Bird Club, MD), Dave (CarolGhebelian). An Orange-crownedWar- Powell,Kyle Rambo,Jan Reese(jRe), bler was bandedat Chino 9 May 0G). A Marc Ribaudo,Sue Ricciardi. Robert E Townsend'sWarbler was discovered 10 May Ringler, Les Roslund,Jethro Runco at SenecaLanding, Montgomery along the Po- ATownsend's Warbler found 10 March 2006 (here) at Sycamore Land- (JRu); Norm & Fran Saunders,Tom tomacR. (ph. DCz).Another Townsends had ing,IVlontgomery County, Maryland was 24 kilometers from a Freder- Saunders.Eugene J. Scarpula,Fred ickCounty site that had held aTownsend's twomonths earlier--thus beenseen upriver at NolandõFerry Rd., Fred- ahnostcertainly a different individual. Photograph byDave ½zaplak. Shaffer, John Sherwood (JSh), Jo erick2-6 Jan.An earlyOvenbird was early at Solem (JSo) (Howard, MD), John theGreat Dismal Swamp N.W.R., Suffolk, VA Blackbirdreports were predominantly of sin- Spahr(JSp) (w. Virginia),James L. Stasz,C. 12 Mar (DLH). On the samedate, a Louisiana gle-digitnumbers of birds,with a fewexcep- MichaelStinson (s.-cen. Virginia), Dorie Stol- Waterthrushwas noted early at Rapidan tions. Huntley Meadowshad a wintering ley,Paula Sullivan (n. Virginia),Brian Taber N.W.R., Madison,VA (Alex Minarik). A Ken- flockthat a 30 Mar tallyhad as 600+ (Mark (BTa),Brenda Tekin (BTe), Hal L. Wierenga, tuckyWarbler at CapeCharles town 13 May Moran);others routinely posted numbers be- BillWilliams (Coastal Virginia). • wasa goodcoastal find (TS). Hooded Warbler tween 50-200. The Great Dismal Swamp bestedits early date for Virginia, heard 28 Mar N.W.R.also claimed a fewtriple-digit reports ToddM. Day,5118 Beaver Dam Road, Jeffersonton, Vir- at PrinceWilliam ForestPark (PS, SL). (RLAk et al.). Red Crossbillswere seen rou- ginia22724, ([email protected])

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