Hello VA-Birders,
Today, Kurt Gaskill and I braved the chilly and windy conditions and birded
many areas all over Fauquier County, as well as a couple of spots at the nearby
Prince William and Culpeper Counties. At the end of the day, the total number
of birds seen was 55,511 individuals. Most of this was tied up in one flock of
over 40,000 birds, mostly Common Grackles. We were also amazed to find not
one, but two EASTERN PHOEBES today in two locations. More on all of this below.
We began near Opal in Culpeper County in a field looking for any Snow Buntings
and Longspurs that may still be around. Neither of these were found, but we
did find an EASTERN MEADOWLARK and our only PURPLE FINCH of the day.
Fauquier County had several highlights. In Remington we found the usual HORNED
LARKS (8) and EASTERN MEADOWLARKS (8), as well as two EASTERN TOWHEES. The
best birds were on Savannah Branch Rd, with an EASTERN PHOEBE on a branch over
a pond and two RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS (1 adult seen). Two NORTHERN HARRIERS
(males) cruised the fields, and a SAPSUCKER and PILEATED WP near Lake Brittle
rounded out all 7 woodpecker species for the day. On a sad note, we came upon
a dead EASTERN SCREECH OWL that had apparently caught it's primaries in a
barbed wire fence along a farmer's field, and it looked as if it happened in
the past couple of days. In addition, one field held a WILSON'S SNIPE, a
single HORNED LARK, and 29 SAVANNAH SPARROWS.
The blackbird flock I mentioned was found about 1 mile south of the
intersection of Dumfries Rd and Greenwich Rd (Rtes 603 & 605), and was spread
out all over the area before amassing at this spot. At one point, Grackles,
Starlings, and Red-winged Blackbirds filled the trees and sky. There were
barely any places to safely pull off the road to scan for vargants, but we did
manage to find two BREWER'S BLACKBIRDS among all the madness. There were
likely more in the flock, but we didn't have time to continue the search.
In a brief stopover at Lake Manassas (Pr Wm Co), we found a PIED-BILLED GREBE
and 550 COMMON MERGANSERS as well as an adult BALD EAGLE.
On the way to Rectortown, we found our second PHOEBE just north of Marshall as
it crossed in front of our vehicle. Closer to Rectortown we scoped a COMMON
RAVEN harassing three BALD EAGLES while another adult Eagle perched in a tree.
Several HARRIERS, RED-TAILS, and other birds of prey were otherwise present.
We ended the day on Crenshaw Rd to see if any Short-eared Owls were about, but
we left before seeing any as we wanted to get to our homes at a reasonable hour.
Below is an amalgamated list of all birds seen at all locations. If anyone
wants any more info, please e-mail me off the listserv.
Thanks,
Jay Keller,
Arlington
Canada Goose 1,640
Gadwall 3
American Wigeon 7
American Black Duck 2
Mallard 14
Ring-necked Duck 18
Lesser Scaup 18
Bufflehead 3
Hooded Merganser 7
Common Merganser 553
Pied-billed Grebe 1
Black Vulture 37
Turkey Vulture 77
Bald Eagle 6
Northern Harrier 7
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
Cooper's Hawk 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 17
Red-tailed Hawk 24
American Kestrel 10
Killdeer 16
Wilson's Snipe 1
Ring-billed Gull 420
Rock Pigeon 72
Mourning Dove 67
Belted Kingfisher 1
Red-headed Woodpecker 4
Red-bellied Woodpecker 13
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1
Downy Woodpecker 7
Hairy Woodpecker 2
Northern Flicker 7
Pileated Woodpecker 1
Eastern Phoebe 2
Blue Jay 46
American Crow 104
Fish Crow 4
Common Raven 2
Horned Lark 9
Carolina Chickadee 9
Tufted Titmouse 11
White-breasted Nuthatch 3
Carolina Wren 18
Golden-crowned Kinglet 3
Eastern Bluebird 17
American Robin 71
Northern Mockingbird 19
European Starling 6,475
Cedar Waxwing 27
Yellow-rumped Warbler 4
Eastern Towhee 2
Field Sparrow 39
Savannah Sparrow 29
Song Sparrow 31
Swamp Sparrow 19
White-throated Sparrow 120
White-crowned Sparrow 12
Dark-eyed Junco 43
Northern Cardinal 45
Red-winged Blackbird 165
Eastern Meadowlark 10
Brewer's Blackbird 2
Common Grackle 45,000
Brown-headed Cowbird 35
Purple Finch 1
House Finch 41
American Goldfinch 4
House Sparrow 31
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