FreeLists / va-bird / [va-bird] Occoquan Bay NWR, Prince William Co., March 4 - Osprey, Redhead, Brown Thrasher

[Scott Baron <brnpelican@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hello, birders.

Birded Occoquan Bay NWR from 9:15am to 1:00pm today. 
Much  of my time was spent watching ducks along
Belmont Bay.  Conditions were sunny, cool and quite
windy.

Complete list, with comments, below:

-Can. Goose, 60+
-Gadwall, 3 (2 f, 1 m)
-Am. Widgeon, 10+
-Mallard, 20+
-G.w. Teal, 10+

-Canvasback, 1 m
     saw him resting, with a male Redhead for     
comparison.  Then he mysteriously disappeared
-Redhead, 19 (13 m, 6 f)
     each time I scanned I found more individuals,
somehow.  My first Virginia Redheads, and a good total
at that.
-Ring-necked Duck, 2 m
-Lsr. Scaup, 700+/-
-Bufflehead, 5 (3 m, 1 f)

-Gr. Blue Heron, 3
-T. Vulture, 1
-Osprey, 1
     soaring over woods, drifting northward.  First of
year!
-B. Eagle, 2+
     at least 1 ad., at least 1 imm.  Probably 2 each.
-No. Harrier, 1 f
     soaring over fields, occaisonally perched.  Got
nice look in scope as she surveyed the area from a
small tree.

-Sharp-shinned Hawk, 1
-R.t. and/or R.s. Hawk, poor looks, 2
-Ring-billed Gull, 16
-Herring Gull, 27
-Gr. Black-backed Gull, 4

-B. Kingfisher, 1
-Red-bellied Woodpecker, 1 m
-No. Flicker, 3
-B. Jay, 2
-Am. Crow, 1

-Fish Crow, 6
-also, other unid'd crows.  A pair flew over the
entrance road, just south of the parking lot.  One was
carrying nesting material.  This bird seemed to land
in the woodlot to the west.
-Car. Chickadee, 3
-T. Titmouse, 1
-Car. Wren, 4

-R.c. Kinglet, 1
     Pretty much feeding by itself, low in trees along
the bay.
-B. Thrasher, 1
     Throwing leaves aside on forest floor, looking
for food.
-E. Towhee, 1
-Field Sparrow, 2
-Savannah Sparrow, 1

-Song Sparrow, 21
-Wh.-throated Sparrow, 11
-No. Cardinal, 4
-Red-winged Blackbird, 1
     with several grackles where Easy Rd. meets the
bay
-Com. Grackle, 24+
     many males, "singing"

The route I walked was from the parking lot to Bayview
Rd. to Easy Rd. to Belmont Bay.  Along shore of
Belmont Bay/Deephole Point Rd. N to Charlie Rd. and
back to Bayview Rd. and parking lot.  Took one more
walk down Easy, to look for an eagle nest that was
reported to me by a gentleman.  He said that you could
see it from the marshy area, off in the distance.  Not
sure if I saw it, nest I saw looked too small.

The diving ducks were all on the bay, mostly where
Easy Rd. meets Deephole Point Rd. and close to shore. 
The dabblers were almost all in the marshy area which
Charlie Rd. passes through.  The second walk down Easy
Rd. gave me many more songbirds than the first time.

Scott Baron
Fairfax, Va.

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