FreeLists / va-bird / [va-bird] Huntley Meadows 9/30/06 - Late Posting - Swans In Flight

["Jeff Clark" <jeffc666@xxxxxxxxx>]

I am only now getting around to posting sightings from some Saturday morning
birding at Huntley Meadows. Greg Beck and I arrived early ~6:30am and beat
the rain (that was not at all predicted!). The weather was quite cool, 43F
when we started and still only about 50F when we left. The total number of
birds was better than the previous weekend but still not as high as I had
expected (or hoped), only 36 species. We only got into one mixed foraging
flock but it stayed around for a while and gave us some good looks. This
flock first made its presence known as it was mobbing a Red-shouldered Hawk
that grew annoyed and flew away. Within the flock were several of each:
Magnolia, Black-throated Green, Northern Parula, and Chestnut-sided
Warblers. A Red-eyed Vireo and several Ruby-crowned Kinglets also joined the
fray along with the usual Chickadees and Titmice.

The three highlights of our morning were all non-passerines:

First, and most exciting, was a trio of flyover TUNDRA SWANs. The birds were
headed SE and were definitely Swans (huge with very long necks, these were
no geese). I am assuming that they were Tundra and not Mute Swans, though I
have had very few opportunities to see Swans in flight so I am quite
possibly wrong about the species.

When we got to the overlook we were surprised at how little was going on
(this was right at sunrise) A few geese that was all, then I saw something
big fly in and land on the far side of the marsh, it was an OSPREY. It
stayed on the ground (presumably feeding) for a bit. Later we got good looks
at it in flight as it vacated the area.

Later in the morning we went back to the overlook and watched a lone
NORTHERN SHOVELER take off and fly to the SE. Then it started to rain...

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Jeff Clark
Fairfax City, VA
http://www.nothoo.com