Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Recent Bird Sightings

Dominic, a reader from England, spent some time in the D.C. area recently and emailed me a list of his sightings. Most are from Magruder Park and its surroundings in Hyattsville, Maryland. Some are from Washington, D.C., in the Arboretum and around the Mall. Here is the list:

Pied billed grebe (1 *),
Double crested cormorant,
Great blue heron,
Great egret,
Green heron,
Black-crowned night heron,
Canada goose,
Wood duck,
Mallard,
Common merganser,
Black vulture (2 overhead, Magruda Park),
Turkey vulture,
Red shouldered hawk (2 *),
Bald eagle (1 National Arboretum and 1 *),
American kestrel (hovering by road near Dulles Airport),
American coot,
Ring-billed gull,
Great black backed gull,
Caspian tern (1 fishing in Tidal Basin, Jefferson Memorial),
Rock dove,
Mourning dove,
Chimney swift,
Belted kingfisher (2 *),
Yellow-bellied sapsucker,
Red-bellied woodpecker,
Downy woodpecker,
Northern flicker,
Pileated woodpecker (one flying over R95 where it is heavily wooded, approaching BWI airport!!!),
Eastern phoebe,
Red-eyed vireo,
Blue-headed vireo (1 Magruda Park, first seen by a local birder),
Blue jay,
American crow,
Brown creeper (1 *),
Tufted titmouse,
White-breasted nuthatch,
House wren,
Carolina wren,
Golden-crowned kinglet (several near Magruda Park),
Ruby-crowned kinglet,
Eastern bluebird,
Veery (1 Rock Creek Park),
Wood thrush (1 National Arboretum),
American robin,
Gray catbird,
Brown thrasher (1 Magruda Park),
Northern Mockingbird,
Cedar waxwing (1 *),
European starling,
Northern parula (1 Magruda Park, first seen by a local birder),
Magnolia warbler (1 Magruda Park, first seen by a local birder),
Cape May Warbler (1 near Ranger's Station, S of Washinton Monument)
Black-throated blue warbler (1 Magruda Park, first seen by a local birder),
Black-throated green warbler (1 National Arboretum),
Yellow-rumped warbler,
Palm warbler (2 in shrubs near West Hyattsville Metro Station),
American redstart (2 *),
Common yellowthroat,
Indigo bunting,
Northern cardinal,
Eastern towhee (1-2 *),
Chipping sparrow,
Song sparrow,
White-throated sparrow,
Dark-eyed junco,
Eastern meadowlark (a real surprise this one! 1 flew into meadows near Columns in National Arboretum - unmistakable, although brief view),
Red-winged blackbird,
Common grackle,
Brown-headed cowbird,
House sparrow,
American goldfinch,
House finch.

* = found in the woods and riverbanks adjacent to Magruder Park
The eastern meadowlark in the Arboretum was a really nice find. I have not seen one there yet myself. Thanks, Dominic!

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