FreeLists / va-bird / [va-bird] Redhead, and others, at Riverbend Park, Fairfax County

["jay hadlock" <jaybirdncarol@xxxxxxx>]

Hello All,

What a great day to start birding in 2006.

With this nice weather, we visited Riverbend Park. The gate was open and there 
were lots of people out enjoying this first day of 2006.

We walked down river from the Visitor Center to the border between Riverbend 
and Great Falls Park and found the big raft of RING NECKED DUCKS mentioned by 
Ralph Wall in an earlier posting. They were hugging the shore line of the 
island in the middle of the river.

On the way, we spotted CANADA GEESE, BUFFLEHEADS, COMMON MERGANSERS, and 
MALLARDS. And, on the way back, we spotted two female and one male LESSER SCAUP.

We then walked upriver from the Visitor Center as far as the turn off to the 
Nature Center. From there we could see large numbers of RING NECKED DUCKS. In 
with them we spotted at least three male REDHEADS. Also, we counted a mixed 
group of 35, plus or minus, BUFFLEHEADS.

To make the day complete, we also saw:
YELLOW BELLIED SAPSUCKER
DOWNY WOODPECKER
BROWN CREEPER
GOLDEN CROWNED KINGLET
WHITE BREASTED NUTHATCH
BLACK VULTURES

as well as the usual residents including SONG and WHITE THROATED SPARROWS, 
CHICKADEES, NORTHERN CARDINAL.

Good birding in 2006 to all,
Jay and Carol Hadlock
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