VA BIRDers,
Eight people joined me for the regular Sunday morning Field Trip at Dyke
Marsh, sponsored by the Friends of Dyke Marsh and free to all. We started
in some medium morning fog which burned off into a beautiful day with light
breezes from the south. Top bird was Fox Sparrows: two of which perched up
nicely for all to see at close range - the first along Ramp Rd and the
second along the beginning of the dogleg. There was a third Fox Sparrow
singing brief stanzas of its song near Dead Beaver Beach.
We started out in the picnic area - now mostly bereft of leaves except for a
few bushes. Birding began with kinglets plus a couple of juncos -
curiously, juncos are never common at Dyke; the relative lack of conifers
for roosting may be the reason? Our scan of the Potomac produced only
Mallards plus the 4 typical gulls and a few DC Cormorants. Fortunately, Ray
Smith snatched a male Lesser Scaup out of Maryland waters to improve our
waterfowl list (good hands Ray!). Two adult Bald Eagles on the mudflats and
2 more found as the day wore on. Brown Creepers were also present in the
picnic area and all got fine looks of at least one. Belted Kingfishers put
on a good show starting from the picnic area and continuing through the
marina and then at the end of the trail on the boardwalk deck - including a
pair dueling over winter fishing rights. An immature Red-shouldered Hawk
near the marina got scope looks by all. More kinglets were observed along
Haul Road plus a single Yellow-bellied Sapsucker that was seen by a few.
Haul Road produced a good number of Winter Wrens - 10 in all - including 2
that broke out into song and a couple that actually SHOWED themselves!
Excellent numbers of White-throated Sparrows along the trail, too. As we
got to the marsh edge, we encountered many Swamp Sparrows. The trees held
finches -red and gold were the colors, plus Red-winged Blackbirds. At
trails end we added 2 Pied-billed Grebes near the island, had a flyby and
southbound Forster's Tern go past at arm's length, and, as we retraced our
steps to our cars, a Turkey Vulture popped up overhead.
I finished my day at Dyke counting gulls at the Stone Bridge near sunset -
the tide was lowish. Laughing Gull numbers were about the same at
Ring-billed Gulls - I tallied ca. 1350 each. Also there were 3 surprises -
a fourth year Lesser Black-backed Gull, 2 male Bufflehead and a Red-throated
Loon. I tried to convert the loon into something more conventional or even
unconventional, but the dainty upturned bill and lack of chin strap stopped
me. The latter is a fine and unusual bird in our Northern Virginia area.
The species total was one shy of fifty.
Dyke Marsh is one of the many fine birding places in the DC CBC. For more
information or to sign up, contact the compiler Larry Cartwright at
prowarbler at verizon.net
Kurt Gaskill
