Important Field Trip Pointers
Code of Birding Ethics 

January 1 (Tuesday) EARLIEST-BIRD WALK, GEORGETOWN RESERVOIR AND DC HOTSPOTS. Half day. Start the New Year right. Meet 8 a.m. at Georgetown Reservoir, DC, by the gate leading to the dike between the pools. Reservations required. Limit: 20.

LEADER: Mike Bowen, 301-530-5764. 

RESULTS:  Participants 14, Weather:  Unexpectedly pleasant, mostly sunny and warming up from the mid-30’s. Forecast showers never materialized but winds were strong from the NW by midday.  Species count:  39.

Highlights:  Georgetown Reservoir disappointed this year, with only 4 Bufflehead in the duck department and no uncommon gulls.  However, an immature Bald Eagle kept us entertained as it plummeted repeatedly over the Buffleheads, causing them to dive to avoid being struck.  Fortunately, the pond at Constitution Gardens, which we visited next, was terrific and gave us a large flock of Ring-necked Ducks, a pair of American Wigeon, and single drake Lesser Scaup, Wood Duck and Redhead, as well as easy-to-study Ring-billed Gulls of all ages.  Hains Point yielded a perched adult Bald Eagle, two small rafts of Scaup, and Red-tailed and Red-shouldered Hawks. We also found 5 Black-crowned Night-herons in their customary daytime rest area at the head of the Washington Channel.  The group, sandwiched into three cars, then headed over the Memorial Bridge to the seldom birded LBJ Memorial Grove and Columbia Island Marina (which are in D.C. due to the vagaries of the Potomac’s side channels), where we saw the only Hooded Mergansers of the day, picked up a nice Cooper’s Hawk and another adult Bald Eagle, and encountered a most cooperative and chirpy Winter Wren, giving some of us the best looks of our lives.  Last stop of the day was at Roaches Run Waterfowl Sanctuary in Arlington County, where there were several small groups of Pied-billed Grebe.  This trip is becoming a New Year’s Day tradition, with many repeat participants, and most of us could not think of a more fun way to spend the first morning of a new year.

COORDINATOR: Cyndie Loeper, 301-530-8226.

RESULTS:  Nine of us – including representatives of the Howard and Frederick chapters – ventured into Virginia on January 5 for a half day gull field trip, taking in the delights of both the Fauquier and Prince William sanitary landfills.  We were blessed with below freezing temperatures overnight, which kept the mud mostly solid at both sites, though as it warmed up in late morning conditions got distinctly stickier.The focus was of course on gulls – both looking for the rarer white-winged species as well as getting to grips with the commoner gulls in all of their varied plumages.  We went to the Fauquier landfill at Warrenton first.  Our first scan of the assembled gulls revealed a couple of Lesser Black-backed gulls, both adults.  Soon after that we found our first Kumlien’s (Iceland) Gull of the day, a first-cycle bird, which came in very close to us to feed in the tipping area and gave great views.  We had the chance to compare first-cycle Lesser Black-back with Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls of the same age.We then all caravanned off to the Prince William county landfill. Here we found a total of three (!) first-cycle Kumlien’s Gulls – easily the most I have ever seen at the site at one time.  It is clearly a good winter for these very attractive birds.  Despite all nine pairs of eyes scanning we did not find a Glaucous or Thayer’s Gull, but we found several more Lesser Black-backed Gulls.  The eagles – around 7 or so in sight at one time at the PW landfill – provided a diversion from the gulls for a few of  the participants. Many thanks to the staff at both landfills for being so accommodating, both to ourselves and to visting birders in general.  And now Gull Heaven:

LEADER: Lydia Schindler 301-977-5252.

February 2 (Saturday) BLACKWATER NWR/ELLIOTT ISLAND. Full day (to dusk). Bring food and warm drinks. Hoped-for species include Cackling Goose, Ross's Goose, ducks, Rough-legged Hawk, Short-eared Owl, and Brown-headed Nuthatch. Will American White Pelicans winter again this year? Meet 8 a.m. at the new Visitor Center. Reservations required. Limit: 12. For reservations and directions, contact:

LEADER: Bill Hubick, 443-854-9753 or bill_hubick@yahoo.com.

RESULTS:  On February 2nd, a group of fifteen birders set forth on a well-timed field trip to Blackwater NWR, Hoopers Island, and Shorters Wharf. Lovely weather, cooperative birds, and excellent company combined to make it an outing to be remembered. The weather was chilly, but sunny and clear. Great birds were found consistently throughout the day, and many of them were unusually cooperative. Highlights included two Greenland Greater White-fronted Geese, Cackling Goose, Redheads amidst the excellent waterfowl showing in Cambridge, watching an American Bittern via scopes for 20 minutes, Rough-legged Hawk, two Golden Eagles, Peregrine Falcon, Eurasian Collared-Dove, and Short-eared Owls. A winter visit to this area is always enjoyable, but this trip exceeded even the most optimistic expectations. An impressive 88 species were tallied for the day.

February 10 (Sunday) BLACK HILL REGIONAL PARK. Half day. We’ll focus on identifying winter waterfowl on the lake, but look for landbirds, too. Short easy walks with car jaunts in between. Area can be windy so dress appropriately. Scopes are helpful. Reservations required. Limit: 10. Meet on the deck behind the Visitor Center at Black Hill at 8 a.m.

March 8 (Saturday) JUG BAY, PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY. Half day. Joint trip with ANS. Possible Rusty Blackbirds, migrating Wilson's Snipe, and courtship display of Osprey. Meet 8 a.m. For more info, check ANS News. Reservations required; call leader for details and driving instructions. LEADER: John Bjerke, 240-401-1643.

March 16 (Sunday) LINGERING WATERFOWL AND SPARROWS. Half day. Meet at Riley's Lock at 7 a.m. Then follow the leader to a sequence of interesting places. Reservations not required. LEADER: Dave Powell, 301-540-8776. 

April 19 (Saturday) BLUE MASH NATURE TRAIL. Half day. Interesting walk at this relatively new and surprisingly birdy site. Waterproof boots helpful. Meet 7:30 a.m. at Zion Rd parking lot. Call leader for reservations and directions. Trip is limited to 8-10 participants. LEADER: Mark England, 240-252-4218 (h) or 240-375-4500 (cell).

RESULTS: 12 birders joined the leader on this cusp-of-spring walk.  42 species were seen or heard in ideal weather.  Resident Yellow Warblers had just returned, and were easy to find.  We also had good looks at Yellow-rumped Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Eastern Bluebird, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, and Eastern Towhee.  Both ponds were unfortunately devoid of waterfowl, except for Canada Geese and Mallards. A female Northern Harrier flying over the landfill was well-seen by all, and an adult Cooper’s Hawk glided into the “back-corner” woods where we stood looking for possible migrant songbirds.  Sharp-eyed Don Messersmith was first to note distant Double-crested Cormorants and Broad-winged Hawks headed our way, as we rounded the little pond near the end of the walk. One of the adult Broadwings was quite low overhead, and we had a good look at its field marks as it came by.

April 30 (Wednesday) ROCK CREEK PARK, DC. One-third day. Early migrant warblers, vireos, etc. Meet at 7 a.m. at Picnic Area #18, one-half mile below the Nature Center on Ridge Rd. Call the leader for more info or specific directions. Reservations required. LEADER: Wallace Kornack, 202-338-7859.

RESULTS: Rock Creek Park, April 30. Leader:  Wallace Kornack.  A group of 10 birders explored the Ridge, Equitation Field, and the Maintenance Yard.  The most interesting birding activity was in the Yard.  Nine warblers and three vireos plus 28 other species were seen or heard.  Highlights included the Blue-winged Warbler, Blue-headed Vireo, Yellow-throated Vireo, Scarlet Tanager, and striking views of Baltimore Oriole.

May 4 (Sunday) LITTLE BENNETT RP. Half day. Near peak migration for warblers and vireos, including those breeding in this varied habitat. Contact the leader for time and directions. Reservations required.
LEADER: Gemma Radko, 301-514-2894.

May 7 (Wednesday) EXPLORING CALVERT COUNTY Three-quarters day. Sue Hamilton will guide us as we cover some of the birding hotspots of Calvert Co. Participants will meet at 7 a.m. at the road leading to Flag Ponds. We’ll then move to Battle Creek Cypress Swamp and other spots before stopping for lunch. Reservations required. Limit: 10. Call the coordinators for detailed directions and more info. LEADER: Sue Hamilton. COORDINATORS: Lydia Schindler, 301-977-5252, and Linda Friedland, 301-983-2136.

RESULTS: Wednesday, May 7, Exploring Calvert County* A sunny almost summer-like day with temperatures starting in the 50’s and reaching 80. The trip began at 7 a.m. at the Flag Ponds entry road. Last year the woods and brushy areas on both sides of the road provided a bonanza of warbler activity; this year we were sad to see much of the habitat had been destroyed by the “clearing” of the power line area. Still, we caught some good warblers there- Chat, Black- and- White, Palm, Yellow, Prairie, Blackpoll- and male and female Summer Tanagers. The group of 13 under the expert leadership of Sue Hamilton began the walk on the South Ridge Trail, stopped at the ponds and headed over to the beach before returning back via the North Ridge Trail- a delicious mixture of habitats. During our time at Flag Ponds we tallied 21 species of warblers including Kentucky, Hooded, Magnolia, Northern Waterthrush and the park specialty - Yellow-throated Warbler. Swainson’s Thrush was a nice find as was Blue Grosbeak and Rose-breasted Grosbeak. At the ponds we scoped several Solitary Sandpipers, a Pectoral Sandpiper, some Least Sandpipers; a Little Blue Heron flew by followed by a Green Heron. Acadian Flycatchers kept us company on our walk as did Red-eyed and the occasional Warbling vireo. At the beach we picked up Spotted Sandpiper, Semi-palmated Plover, Caspian Tern, Savannah and Seaside sparrows. Then a quick run to over to Battle Creek Cypress Swamp where Andy Brown gave us a fine introduction to this lovely sanctuary of 100 foot cypress trees. We heard Prothonotary Warbler and saw some amazing frogs. Finally, at Scientist’s Cliffs, after enjoying lunch and hunting for fossils on the beach , we tallied the group total:100 birds!

May 9 (Friday) PENNYFIELD LOCK: BIRDING BY EAR. The emphasis is on listening, so tune up your ears for this half-day C&O Canal walk. Migrant and nesting landbirds. One-way walk to Violette’s Lock with car pooling return a possibility. Meet 7 a.m. at the end of Pennyfield Lock Rd. Reservations required. For more info and reservations call LEADERS: Cyndie Loeper, 301-530-8226, and Ann Lucy, 301-229-8810.

May 10 (Saturday) MAY COUNT. Wherever you’re birding in Montgomery County this day, backyard or in the field, bring along a copy of the May Count Checklist and keep track of the variety and numbers of birds you see. The May Count Checklist can be downloaded from the MOS website at http://www.mdbirds.org/counts/namc/namcchecklist.pdf. Please submit completed checklist forms by mail to Andy Martin, 3 Thorburn Rd, Gaithersburg, MD 20878 or fax at 301-294-4805 by June 15. For more info contact Compiler, Andy Martin, 301-294-4805 (h), 301-529-2066 (m), or apmartin2@comcast.net. 

May 10 (Saturday), 25^th Annual World Series of Birding. New Jersey Audubon will host this event, which has changed the birding landscape and raised over $8 million for bird conservation. Every species found/every dollar raised preserves and protects critical bird habitat. 

May 13 (Tuesday) ROCK CREEK PARK, DC. One-third day. Active time for migrant warblers, vireos, etc. Meet at 7 a.m. at Picnic Area #18, one-half mile below the Nature Center on Ridge Rd. Call the leader for more information or specific directions. Reservations required. LEADER: Wallace Kornack, 202-338-7859.

May 24 (Saturday) HOT SPOTS FOR RED KNOTS. Full day. Joint trip with Howard County Bird Club.  We’ll start at 8:30 a.m. at the Visitor Center at Prime Hook NWR and work our way north along Delaware Bay, including a stop at the new Nature Center at Mispillion Light. We’ll go until dark or exhaustion, whichever comes first. Bring binoculars, scopes, food, water, sunscreen, and insect repellent. Trip limited to 12 persons/3 vehicles per club. Reservations required. Kurt Schwarz, krschwa1@comcast.net or 410-461-1643 will co-lead for Howard Co. For reservations and info, contact co-leader Cyndie Loeper, cyndieloeper@comcast.net or 301-535-8584.

July 9 (Wednesday) HATTERAS, NC, PELAGIC CHARTER. All-day deep-water pelagic trip to the Gulf Stream aboard the 61-foot Stormy Petrel II, a trip that typically nets 9-15 species of pelagic seabirds, including Black-capped Petrel, Audubon's Shearwater, and Band-rumped Storm-Petrel. Designed to introduce MBC birders to pelagics and encourage more participation in Lewes, DE trips for MD birds. For reservations, directions, and details, contact leader, Paul O'Brien, at pobrien776@aol.com.