FreeLists / va-richmond-general / [va-richmond-general] Re: westmoreland trip report

["Lee Adams" <ladams42@xxxxxxx>]

I had a great time on the trip to George Washington Birthplace 
National Monument with RAS on February 8. I'd like to thank Tyler 
Turpin for leading the trip and for his meticulous attention to detail 
in planning and coordinating a "road trip".
While the group headed to Colonial Beach I peeled off and did another 
circuit of the Birthplace. As I approached the cemetery area near the 
beach the male Northern Harrier was coursing low over the field to the 
right. The sun finally came out strong and I walked the beach in 
comfort. A trip to the picnic area didn't turn up anything remarkable 
but it is a spot for a closer view of the sand strips at the entrance 
to the river from the cove. Bald Eagles continued to ply the air.
At the small pond on the left leaving the beach road my eye was caught 
by a Great Blue Heron flying off. His movement called my attention to 
a pair of Hooded Mergansers in the pond at close range. I checked the 
Eagle nest in the tall pine in the front yard of the farmhouse on the 
left just after passing the fields with cattle in them. This nest has 
been here a long time. Looking with binoculars from the road I 
couldn't see if anyone was home in the nest.
At Westmoreland State Park I found a flock of small birds in the trees 
just as the road flattens at the river. Both Ruby-crowned and 
Golden-crowned Kinglets, a White-breasted Nuthatch, chickadees and 
titmice, and three Purple Finches were feeding. I don't think I've 
ever seen Purple Finches there but House Finches are common. I held my 
breath as a flock of small birds foraged along the beach, but they 
were American Goldfinches. The sunlight was strong, the wind died and 
the river was flat for a time. I found myself almost hypnotized at a 
picnic table looking out over the Potomac. (Oh, okay, so it was very 
similar to napping!)
I moved on south to the Wilna Unit of the Rappahannock River Valley 
NWR. There another male Northern Harrier was hunting.
On Sunday morning I took my father out for a drive. The wind was 
gathering speed. We saw a few American Kestrels on roadside wires. At 
Jones Creek Landing the Rappahannock was whipped to a froth. We saw a 
huge flock of Canada Geese after they had risen from fields across the 
river. Bufflehead and Double-crested Cormorants bobbed among the 
whitecaps. Mergansers bouncing on the waves at the end of my range of 
vision defied identification.
Back at Wilna the Northern Harrier made another appearance. My father 
called to me to stop the truck as we were coming to the end of Sandy 
Road. A Red-shouldered Hawk took several more bites finishing whatever 
was lunch before it relocated to the top of a small bush in the nearby 
stream running through a field. At Cat Point Creek the Rappahannock 
was washing onto the road in the wind.
Lee Loudenslager Adams
Fredericksburg, VA
ladams42@xxxxxxx 

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