field_report from "Hughes Hollow, Sunday, March 22, 2009" on 03/22/2009 - 7:30am

Hughes Hollow field trip report, March 22, 2009

 

Sunday, March 22, was a frosty morning indeed at Hughes Hollow, but we still had a fully booked trip with 15 participants.  While it felt as though we began our walk in Winter, it warmed up slowly but surely as the day wore on.  Ah, Spring!  And just as the day seemed to combine a mix of seasons, the birds were an interesting mix of lingering winter visitors and early Spring arrivals, together with our year-round residents. 

 

The birdiest part of Hughes Hollow is often the area around the watered impoundments where the group met up.  In the largest pond on the East (left) side we saw Ring-necked Ducks, Wood Ducks, Hooded Mergansers and Pied-billed Grebes, together with a few Canada Geese.  The Ring-necked Ducks will be leaving us fairly soon for nesting grounds farther North, but representatives of the other species will very likely stick around to breed here.  Over the ponds, the Tree Swallows were back in force—they can afford to arrive early, since they can subsist on berries if need be until insect prey becomes available.  Some were already staking a claim to the available nest boxes atop metal poles in the water.  We saw a merganser alight on one momentarily.  They are supposed to use the larger duck boxes placed around the perimeter of the marsh, but perhaps they did not get the memo.  Years ago, several large tractor tires were laid out in hopes of attracting herons and egrets to nest therein, and a few accepted the invitation, but these have now been removed.  Probably they were not really necessary (and not too appealing aesthetically either).  Both Song Sparrows and White-throated Sparrows were plentiful; often they came right out on the dike path to scratch in the gravel.

 

Another smaller dike divides the pond on the West (right) side in two.  In the second of these, which is more wooded, we saw Eastern Bluebirds, and caught a glimpse of a lone Swamp Sparrow, a colorful bird with a rusty red cap.  Red-winged Blackbirds seemed to be everywhere, as did their larger cousins, the Common Grackles—identified by their larger size and keel-shaped tails.  A few Rusty Blackbirds were present as well.  While this species can superficially resemble a Red-wing hiding its bright epaulets, they can be distinguished by their pale, yellowish eyes.  And while Grackles have yellow eyes as well, they are much larger by comparison, with a much heavier appearing head and bill structure and longer tail, and they tend to be more iridescent.

 

Hughes Hollow is a large area, some 2,000 acres in extent, and there are many routes one can take.  Often, birders proceed straight ahead from the main dike and across a series of open fields to where the path bends to the left and then turns right again toward the C&O Canal towpath and the Potomac River.  We chose instead to turn to the West (right) after passing through the tree line at the far end of the main dike, since this is the best area to see Red-headed woodpeckers.  Before doing so, however, we did check the dimly lit interior of the stand of Norway spruce beside the main path, hoping for Barred Owl.  No luck this time, but it’s a fairly reliable spot, especially on overcast days.  Shortly after returning to our planned route, we heard distant Tundra Swans giving their strange whistling flight calls; unfortunately, we never got to see these birds, now on their way back North.

 

We had much better luck finding Red-headed Woodpeckers.  These colorful birds really live up to their name, and we found 6 or 7 individuals in the course of our trek.  They show a distinct preference for dead snags in the midst of swampy woods—exactly the environment Hughes Hollow offers, and this is why it is the most reliable spot in the county to see these remarkable birds.  Try returning later in the season to look for active nesters.  They become a bit more secretive in their movements once young are in the nest.  Many of them appear to drift away to more northern areas as breeding time approaches.  Possibly this is due to their dependence on the local acorn crop, and these are sometimes not up to par—as happens to be the case this year, for example.  It is possible to see all seven local woodpecker species here; on this day we found Downy, Red-bellied, Flicker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, and heard Pileated—missing only on Hairy Woodpecker, often the most difficult to find.

 

If one continues along the treeline proceeding West, eventually the path leads into deeper woods.  Shortly thereafter, a rickety bridge leads over a tributary of Horsepen Branch.  We found some lingering winter residents here, including Brown Creeper, Golden-crowned Kinglet, and a few Juncos.  We were also lucky enough to have a Bald Eagle pass overhead.  What a treat to see this regal bird soaring wild and free!  It reminds us that environmental efforts can have big rewards, since this is a species brought back literally from the brink of extinction by those who fought so hard to ban DDT and similar chemicals by proving they led to a thinning of the birds’ eggshells.

 

Before reaching Sycamore Landing road on this woodland path, we turned to the right towards the dog-training pavilion where we took a short snack break.  This roofed shelter has tables and benches, and sometimes a portable toilet (but sometimes this convenience is removed).  If you visit on your own, you will of course want to sidestep this area when an actual field trial is in progress.  Nearby fields can be productive; from a path along the southern edge one can see the wooded swamp from the opposite side.

 

After passing the pavilion on our right, we turned left toward the tree line along a different, smaller impoundment.  This puts you in the corner of a field where there is a path leading to an overlook of another swampy area, which has additional duck nesting boxes in place.  We proceeded East along the edge between swamp and field, here planted with millet and very attractive to blackbirds, sparrows, and on this day, a lone Chukar.  This bird, a cousin of the partridge and quail, was in this case doubtless an escape from one of the various field trials held here using captive birds to test sporting dogs and their retrieval capabilities.  While not of wild origin, and therefore not technically “countable,” it was still fun to watch it.  A Hermit Thrush came out of nearby woods to investigate; perhaps he was jealous of the attention paid to this “exotic” species.

 

At the far northeast corner of this field, we took a path over an old beaver dam, emerging onto the middle dike that we passed on our outbound journey.  Once again, we chalked up a successful field trip at Hughes Hollow. 

 

There are two more parking areas along Hunting Quarter Road, though none with impoundments.  In Spring, though, the road itself can be productive.  Use a bit of caution driving it after heavy rains.  Another caution:  McKee-Beshers is a Wildlife Management Area and hunting is permitted in season.  If you come on your own, familiarize yourself beforehand with the hunting schedule on the Maryland Department of Natural Resources website.  Alternatively, just visit on Sundays when hunting is not permitted.  As the weather warms, be prepared for lots of insects, and for ticks as well.  Spray up with repellent or keep pants tucked into socks (or both).

 

A list of birds identified follows.  Thanks to all of you for your sharp-eyed contributions.  Please let me know should anything be missing.

 

1.      Canada Goose

2.      Tundra Swan

3.      Wood Duck

4.      Mallard

5.      Ring-necked Duck

6.      Hooded Merganser

7.      Chukar* (origin exotic)

8.      Pied-billed Grebe

9.      Great Blue Heron

10.   Black Vulture

11.   Turkey Vulture

12.   Bald Eagle

13.   Sharp-shinned Hawk

14.   Red-shouldered Hawk

15.   Red-tailed Hawk

16.   Ring-billed Gull

17.   Mourning Dove

18.   Red-headed Woodpecker

19.   Red-bellied Woodpecker

20.   Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

21.   Downy Woodpecker

22.   Northern Flicker

23.   Pileated Woodpecker

24.   Eastern Phoebe

25.   Blue Jay

26.   American Crow

27.   Tree Swallow

28.   Carolina Chickadee

29.   Tufted Titmouse

30.   White-breasted Nuthatch

31.   Brown Creeper

32.   Carolina Wren

33.   Golden-crowned Kinglet

34.   Eastern Bluebird

35.   Hermit Thrush

36.   European Starling

37.   Yellow-rumped Warbler

38.   Eastern Towhee

39.   Song Sparrow

40.   Swamp Sparrow

41.   White-throated Sparrow

42.   Dark-eyed Junco

43.   Northern Cardinal

44.   Red-winged Blackbird

45.   Rusty Blackbird

46.   Common Grackle

47.   American Goldfinch