[va-bird] FAS Autumn Sparrow Field Trip, Pr Wm Co, 10/25/03

VA BIRDers,

Participants on Fairfax Audubon Society's Autumn Sparrow Field Trip had a fine 
time as we arrived near the peak of migration for many sparrow species; we 
encountered a couple hundred sparrows at North Forks Wetlands this morning.  
This mitigation site is located in the Northern Piedmont zone of Viginia, built 
to mitigate wetlands takings at various locations including the Wilson Bridge 
replacement.  

The trail seemed alive with sparrows darting to and fro, perching on seed 
heads, fence lines, trees, grass stems, or any other perch that was available, 
holding on for a few seconds to several minutes.  All the while, groups of 
Eastern Meadowlarks coursed the air above our heads.  We used dozens of 
opportunities to compare and contrast by bins and scopes the overall plumage 
patterns of many species with great opportunities to study the back patterns of 
Savannah vs. Song Sparrows perched in the same tree, or the head coloration of 
immature vs. adult White-crowned Sparrows side-by-side.  It was also a great 
time to brush up on pishing and call note skills - and I should also mention 
that quite a few Song Sparrows sang or at least attempted to sing!  Our sparrow 
highlights were Grasshopper Sparrow on one of the logs in the pond and a 
Lincoln's Sparrow (the latter a lifer for a few).

We were also treated to a female/immature and a male Northern Harrier, the 
latter a magnificently plumaged bird imaged against the wetland and nearby 
forest edge.  Several saw an American Kestrel snatch a sparrow from the 
grassland edge and carry the prey into the woods.  Ducks were a bit thin on the 
pond, but several times many dozens of Green-winged Teal took to the air, a 
fine sight on a chilly morning.  An overflying American Pipit gave us a chance 
to hear its call note.  We also found a few Palm Warblers, adding a splash of 
bright color to the russet autumn hues about us.  Many Eastern Meadowlarks were 
about, some perched on small trees busily singing away.  And a couple of flocks 
of Common Grackles flew over early in the morning, setting out on their morning 
journeys.

Below are the statistics of today's discovery.

Kurt Gaskill

Great Blue Heron 1
Black Vulture 2
Turkey Vulture 8
Canada Goose 4
Mallard 4
Green-winged Teal 50
Northern Harrier 2
Red-shouldered Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 1
American Kestrel 1
Killdeer 1
Rock Dove 10
Mourning Dove 8
Belted Kingfisher 1
Red-bellied WP 1
Downy WP 1
Northern Flicker 2
Eastern Phoebe 1
Blue Jay 10
American Crow 1
Fish Crow 2
Carolina Chickadee 2
White-breasted Nuthatch 2
Golden-crowned Kinglet 1
Ruby-croowned Kinglet 2
Eastern Bluebird 3
American Robin 2
E. Starling 30
American Pipit 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 12
Palm Warbler 3
Chipping Sparrow 3
Field Sparrow 3
Savannah Sparrow 60
Grasshopper Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 80
Lincoln's Sparrow 1
Swamp Sparrow 35
White-throated Sparrow 4
White-crowned Sparrow 4
Dark-eyed Junco 7
Red-winged Blackbird 3
Eastern Meadowlark 30
Common Grackle 65
American Goldfinch 6

Access to North Forks Wetlands is made possible through an agreement between 
the Boy Scouts of America Capitol Council and Fairfax Audubon Society, which 
FAS gratefully acknowledges.
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