FreeLists / va-bird / [va-bird] Dyke Marsh for 8 December

["A/L Cartwright" <acartwright@xxxxxxxxx>]

Quite unhappy about my inability to participate in yesterday's waterfowl count 
and concerned about my availability for the uncoming CBCs, I nonetheless set 
off to lead the Dyke Marsh walk today with great enthusiasm.  OOOPS!  Forgot to 
turn on my cell phone.  Oh well, work can wait.

Four birders joined me today.  I was surprised at the poor diversity of ducks 
and other water birds (Great Egrets have apparently bailed), but good views of 
Pintails and a basic plumaged Horned Grebe were quite nice.  The pair of 
Catbirds were back at Dead Beaver Beach today, this time joined by a third 
bird.  There were also two Towhees vocalizing in the bushes.  Nice for 
wintertime.  

The list for the records:

Pied-billed Grebe-  1
Horned Grebe-  1
Great Blue Heron-   70
Canada Goose-  1150
Mallard-  650

Northern Pintail- 26 (15 drakes, 11 hens)
Bufflehead- 13  (8 drakes, 5 hens)
Ruddy Duck-  4
Bald Eagle-  8 (2 adults)
Cooper's Hawk-  1

Red-shouldered Hawk-  1
American Coot-  450
Ring-billed Gull-  475
Herring Gull- 2
Great Black-backed Gull- 13

Mourning Dove-  3
Belted Kingfisher-  3
Red-bellied Woodpecker-  2
Downy Woodpecker-  8
Northern Flicker-  3

Blue Jay-  5
American Crow-  4
Fish Crow-  2
Carolina Chickadee- 17
Tufted Titmouse- only one! 

Carolina Wren-  8
GC Kinglet-  6
RC Kinglet- 3
Gray Catbird- 3
Northern Mockingbird-  9  (mostly eating berries on haul Road)

European Starling-  60
Eastern Towhee-  2 (heard only)
Song Sparrow-  7
Swamp Sparrow-  1 (heard only)
White-throated Sparrow-  50

Northern Cardinal-  23
Red-winged Blackbird-  100 
House Finch- 2 ( one showing signs of eye disease)
American Goldfinch- 19
House Sparrow-  25

Now on to the CBCs!
                                                            
Larry Cartwright
acartwright@xxxxxxxxx



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