VA BIRDs,
Despite damp weather, nine birders showed up at 8 am for the regular Sunday
morning Field Trip at Dyke Marsh, sponsored by the Friends of Dyke Marsh and
free to all. In between mist, drizzle, light rain and virtually no
precipitation, we managed to find a few fun species. Best bird of the day may
have been a Lesser Black-backed Gull that Tom Ewert and I scoped before others
arrived - possibly the same one found in PG Co across the river the day before!
We started in the picnic area studying the many passing Caspian Terns and
Osprey - the latter were often screaming this way and that showing off the
latest fish! A group of Red-breasted Mergansers dotted Hunting Creek Bay in
between many DC Cormorants. A dozen plus Tree Swallows danced in the air in
between sail boat masts in the marina.
The first few hundred yards of Haul Rd were most productive for passerines with
3 Blue-gray Gnatcatchers (first female of the season for all of us) mixed in
with several Yellow-rumped Warblers and a Brown Creeper and RC Kinglet.
Further down the trail along the dogleg we spotted more RB Mergansers and some
scaup in the distance. Two male Belted Kingfishers patrolled the shoreline
here. No sign of the pair of Sharp-shinned Hawks that I spotted moving through
the area at about 7 am.
The following is the results of our day of discovery.
Kurt Gaskill
DC Cormorant 60
Great Blue Heron 5
C. Goose 4
Mallard 3
scaup sp. 3
Red-breasted Merganser 17
Osprey 10
Sharp-shinned Hawk 2
Greater Yellowlegs 2
Laughing Gull 6
Ring-billed Gull 300
Herring Gull 12
Lesser Black-backed Gull 1
Greater Black-backed Gull 20
Caspian Tern 50
Rock Pigeon 5
Mourning Dove 4
Belted Kingfisher 2
Red-bellied WP 4
Downy WP 2
No. Flicker 1
Blue Jay 4
Am. Crow 2
Fish Crow 1
Tree Sw 13
No. Rough-winged Sw 1
Barn Sw 1
C. Chickadee 7
T. Titmous 1
Brown Creeper 1
C. Wren 5
RC Kinglet 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 3
Am. Robin 7
Brown Thrasher 2
E. Starling 15
Yellow-rumped Warbler 7
E. Towhee 2
Song Sp 2
White-throated Sp 11
No. Cardinal 12
Red-winged Blackbird 35
Com. Grackle 2
Brown-headed Cowbird 4
Am. Goldfinch 10
House Sparrow 5
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