Flowering maples and a menage a trois of Red-bellied Woodpeckers
cavorting near a possible nest hole were among the signs of spring
enjoyed by this morning's birders on the regular Sunday walk sponsored
by the Friends of Dyke Marsh. Large rafts of Lesser Scaup continue to
the south off the peninsula, along with a few Common Mergs, and a
single, drake Red-breasted Merg. A Brown Creeper, 3 Golden-Crowned
Kinglets, and 2 Winter Wrens (one of them singing) were reminders that
it was still winter. Quick stops to look for the California Gull at
Hunting Creek before and after this morning's walk were not productive,
but before 8:00 am there were about 20 Killdeer and 5 Lesser Yellowlegs
feeding on the mud flats.
The numbers below include birds seen in Hunting Creek, to the west of
the stone bridge, the Belle Haven picnic area, the Potomac river off
Dyke Marsh, Haul Road, and from the new boardwalk.
Pied-billed Grebe 7
GB Heron 19
Great Egret 1
Canada Goose 300
American Black Duck 17
Mallard 125
Lesser Scaup 1500, minimum, possibly a thousand or two more in rafts too
distant to scope
Bufflehead 8
Common Merganser 20
Red-breasted Merganser 1
Bald Eagle 5, all immatures
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
Killdeer 20
Lesser Yellowlegs 5
Ring-billed Gull 350
Herring Gull 3
Great Black-backed Gull 15
Rock Dove 3
Mourning Dove 8
Belted Kingfisher 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 10
Downy Woodpecker 2
Hairy Woodpecker 1
No. Flicker 3
Blue Jay 3
Amer Crow 20
Fish Crow 4
Carolina Chickadee 12
Tufted Titmouse 3
Brown Creeper 1
Carolina Wren 12
Winter Wren 2
Golden-crowned Kinglet 3
Amer Robin 2
No Mockingbird 4
Euro Starling 50
Song Sparrow 10
Swamp Sparrow 1
White-throated Sparrow 5
No Cardinal 15
Red-winged Blackbird 20
Co Grackle 4
House Finch 2
Amer Goldfinch 1
House Sparrow 14
Paula Sullivan
Alexandria, VA
paulas@xxxxxxxxx
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