G vy
-----Original Message-----
From: Kurt Gaskill [mailto:KurtCapt87@xxxxxxxxxxx] ;
Sent: Sunday, April 02, 2006 8:29 PM
To: (va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx)
Subject: Dyke Marsh, Frfx Co, 4/2/06
VA BIRDers,
The weekly Field Trip at Dyke Marsh, sponsored by the Friends of Dyke Marsh
and free to all started at 0800 (the first morning of Daylight Savings Time
- ouch!) to a group that eventually grew to 18 (I guess the time change had
an effect?). We had a wonderful field trip in extremely pleasant weather -
60-70F, slight westerly breeze.
We started off from the parking lot with a small group of Cedar Waxwings in
the trees and a 10 Common Mergansers flying northbound overhead. At the
edge of the Potomac we met with spectacular Osprey displays with much noise,
flying, kiting, fish-carrying and stick-carrying. It was a great treat. We
also managed to spot a young Bald Eagle on the mudflats of Hunting Creek
(river side), Tundra Swan on the river, fly by Wood Ducks, many DC
Cormorants, a fishing Great Egret, a Caspian Tern, a Rusty Blackbird and a
Junco in the picnic area (the latter is not common at Dyke; this may be due
to the absence of conifers which DE Juncos require for night roosts).
We headed towards the marina where a close-by Horned Grebe caught our
attention - off-shore 6 Pied-billed Grebes gathered in a small linear group.
At the end of the marina we found more Horned Grebes - 6 in a line swimming
north. We spotted an American Coot swimming with a few Mallards near the
boats.
We headed down the trail where we found 2 Eastern Phoebes and also 2 Eastern
Towhees. A Ruby-crowned Kinglet sang it's "Patriot Song" and a Brown
Creeper ran up a tulip poplar. We found a Field Sparrow at the dogleg
(another one was also singing at the Stone Bridge before 8 AM). Song
Sparrows peppered the trail and Swamp Sparrows were close by in the marsh -
another Great Egret and Caspian Tern flew over. Near the viewing area of
the "Little Gut" we found an immature White-crowned Sparrow mixed in with
more Song Sparrows. From the boardwalk near the end of the trail we spotted
2 Wilson's Snipe flying over the marsh and a Sharp-shinned Hawk moving north
along the tree line. A distant Bald Eagle soared over the trees, too. Two
more Coot were spotted, single Pied-billed and Horned Grebes, and a
Rough-winged Swallow. On the way back a few of us (thanks Bob and Nancy)
spotted a Palm Warbler.
At the end of the day I re-visited the Stone Bridge area and counted gulls
adding 2 Laughing Gulls and 2 Bonaparte's Gulls on the mudflats and an
overlying Killdeer.
The list follows.
Kurt Gaskill
Canada Goose 7
Tundra Swan 1
Wood Duck 3
Mallard 26
Common Merganser 10
Pied-billed Grebe 9
Horned Grebe 8
DC Cormorant 20
Great Blue Heron 6
Great Egret 2
Turkey Vulture 1
Osprey 12+ (6 nests were spotted plus another 2 in Maryland)
Bald Eagle 2
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
American Coot 3
Killdeer 1
Wilson's Snipe 2
Laughing Gull 2
Boneparte's Gull 2
Ring-billed Gull 280
Herring Gull 8
Great Black-backed Gull 12
Caspian Tern 2
Rock Pigeon 16
Mourning Dove 6
Red-bellied WP 3
Downy WP 3
Hairy WP 1
No. Flicker 3
E. Phoebe 2
Blue Jay 5
Am. Crow 1
Fish Crow 12
Tree Swallow 7
No. Rough-winged Swallow 1
C. Chickadee 4
T. Titmouse 5
Brown Creeper 1
C. Wren 8
RC Kinglet 2
Am. Robin 20
E. Starling 7
Cedar Waxwing 5
Yellow-rumped Warbler 2
Palm Warbler 1
E. Towhee 3
Field Sp 2
Song Sp 26
Swamp Sp 8
White-throated Sp 20
White-crowned Sp 1
DE Junco 1
No. Cardinal 15
Red-winged BB 30
Rusty BB 1
Common Grackle 10
Brown-headed Cowbird 2
Am. Goldfinch 6
House Sparrow 6
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