About a dozen people showed up 8 AM Sunday for the weekly bird walk =
sponsored by the Friends of Dyke Marsh. An Audubon Naturalist Society =
trip led by Charles Charles Studholme had started at 7:30, and the two =
groups bunched together at several points during the course of the =
morning.
VA: Fairfax Co: Belle Haven Picnic Grounds and Dyke Marsh.
28 March 2004: 0800 to 1100 EST.
From shore of picnic grounds, scoping exposed flats and waters off mouth =
Hunting Creek and Potomac Rive N to Jones Point; after checking the =
marina, we wandered down the Haul Road and out the bed of the boardwalk =
destroyed by Isabel to the site of the former North platform; returned by =
same route;
12 to 15 C, complete overcast to partly cloudy with some direct sun; 5 to =
10 km/hr approximately N; low tide about 0650 EST;
Common Loon 2 =AF- both in MD waters well E and SE from SE tip of Haul =
Rd Point; one in alt plumage;
Pied-Billed Grebe 3 =AF- two of which were nearly as far down as the =
mouth of the big gut;
Horned Grebe 5 =AF- including a couple in nearly complete alternate =
plumage;
Double-Crested Cormorant 70 =AF- several small flocks heading up river
Great Blue Heron 11
Black Vulture 2 =AF- with small flock of TuVu climbing over GW =
Parkway S of S end Dyke Marsh
Turkey Vulture 9
Canada Goose 34
Wood Duck 2 =AF- a pair along N edge of island opposite S end =
of marina
Mallard 32
Green Winged Teal =AF- along edge of Hunting Creek Cove
Lesser Scaup 25 =AF-- a single flock off marsh S of Haul Rd
Bufflehead 1 =AF- a male in the scaup flock
Common Merganser 18
Red Brested Merganser 50 (including flock of 30 well out in Potomac)
Osprey 8 =AF- possibly a couple more; 3 pairs associating with =
nests;
Bald Eagle 3 =AF- 1 ad on nest on MD shore; 1 ad over VA shore S of =
Dyke Marsh; 1 2nd yr on HC flats;
Accipter sp 1 =AF- (Sharp Shinned in opinion of the observer who got =
the best look);
Red-Shouldered Hawk 1
American Coot 2
Killdeer 1 =AF- heard only; over marsh N of dogleg
Bonaparte's Gull 27 =AF- several on bar off picnic grounds; individuals =
& small flocks heading upstream
Ring-billed Gull 425
Herring Gull 16
Great Black Backed Gull 41
Rock Pigeon 3
Mourning Dove 12
Red-bellied Woodpecker 5
Downy Woodpecker 2
Yellow-Shafted Flicker 6
Eastern Phoebe 1
Blue Jay 7
Am. Crow 5
Fish Crow 3
crow spp 6
Tree Swallow 16 =AF- a dozen or so in single flock
N Rough-Winged Swallow 2 =AF- with flock of Tree Swallows
Barn Swallow 3
Carolina Chickadee 21
Tufted Titmouse 7
Carolina Wren 8
Ruby-Crowned Kinglet 1
American Robin 16
No. Mockingbird 2
Euro Starling 28
American Pipit 1 (fly over, at SE tip of Haul Rd Point)
Yellow-Rumped (Myrtle) Warbler 6
Eastern Towhee 4
Song Sparrow 17
White-throated Sparrow 8
No. Cardinal 23
Red-winged Blackbird 38
Common Grackle 9
Brown-Headed Cowbird 4
House Finch 7
Am. Goldfinch 12
House Sparrow 15
Sherman Suter
Alexandria VA 22307
ssuter@xxxxxxxx=20
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