Hello birders,
I took my annual spring trip to SE Virginia over the
weekend. Birding was pretty good in the Dismal Swamp
area on Saturday the 3rd. I decided to try Railroad
Ditch, which I've never walked before. I went as far
as West Ditch and then turned around. I wish I had
time to check out Lake Drummond. I didn't find the
West Indian Whistling Duck but I did see and hear a
variety of other birds. I also checked out the
Washington Ditch entrance road, the fields near this
entrance and the Dismal Town Boardwalk Trail. The
weather was pretty crummy, breezy with cloudy skies
the whole time. There was a period of rain, too.
I arrived after 5am, hoping to hear noctural birds. I
parked along side the road at the headquarters but I
heard nothing singing. Presumably the weather played
a factor in this. When it started to get light at
5:45 the dawn chorus started and I quickly ticked off
lots of species. Some of my favorite birding today
was in the fields near W. Ditch, where I had a blue
trifecta (B. Grosbeak, I. Bunting and E. Bluebird), as
well as Horned Lark and Bobolink. Some highlights
follow:
-Y.b. Cuckoo - 1 heard at Railroad Ditch
-Barred Owl - 1 heard at Railroad Ditch
-4 flycatchers - E.w. Pewee, Acadian, E. Kingbird and
Great-crested
-2 vireos - White-eyed and Red-eyed
-Horned Lark - 2 heard in fields
-Am. Robin - including 1 PARTIAL ALBINO feeding on a
lawn nearby
-Wood Thrush - only 2 heard
-warblers
No. Parula
B.t. Blue
Yel.-throated
Pine
Prarie
B&W
Am. Redstart
Prothonotary (very common)
Worm-eating
Swainson's (all 4 at Railroad Ditch, I actually
saw one of them)
Ovenbird (very common)
La. Waterthrush (only 2)
Com. Yellowthroat
Hooded
Y.b. Chat
-Summer Tanager
-Scarlet Tanager
-Wh-.throated Sparrow (1, Railroad Ditch)
-Blue Grosbeak - 3 males and 1 female, each calling.
Also singing and chasing were going on.
-I. Bunting
-Bobolink - 5 in flying over field, 4 of which perched
in the top of a tuliptree. 1 sang.
No dragonflies or butterflies were seen because of the
weather.
S. Baron
Fairfax, Va.
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