VA Birders,
I did some birding Saturday afternoon, after it had warmed up enough to
be quite pleasant. I stopped first at Roaches Run Sanctuary in Arlington Co.,
where highlights included an immature BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON perched on a
tree trunk/log on the south/west end of the big pond behind the spit where the
gulls congregate before high tide. I also counted about 20 HOODED MERGANSERS,
the first I have seen there this year. At least 6 PIED-BILLED GREBES and 6
GREAT BLUE HERONS were also present; most of the herons were perched up in
trees and bushes across the pond.
My next stop was Huntley Meadows Park in Fairfax Co., where I took a walk
to get some exercise and see what birds were about. Most of the main area
had open water, as others have reported, and I was happy to see that the
GREEN-WINGED TEAL, SHOVELERS, and PINTAILS were still there. I got to the
tower
about 3:30 pm. Ralph Wall and several other birders were there too. I hadn't
been there long when I happened to look down at the gut in front of the tower,
and there, standing in the middle of it, was a WILSON'S SNIPE! Happily, I
think
all of us on the platform got to see it well before it disappeared in the
reeds.
From Huntley I drove down to Riverside Picnic Area on the G.W. Pkwy.,
near Mt. Vernon in Fairfax Co., but the glare was awful in late afternoon, so
the
only new birds I saw there were AM. COOTS and RING-NECKED DUCKS.
Good birding,
Val Kitchens
Arlington, VA
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