Spring has struck Huntley Meadows with a vengeance. The 21 birders on today's Monday Morning Birdwalk tallied 61 species, with several highlights. First of the Season sightings of Prothonotary Warbler, Northern Parula, and American Pipits, coupled with a pair of Barred Owls near the parking lot, made the day a great outing. One of the owls was perched on a branch in a shaft of sunlight that created a scene that would have made deMille proud. A growing number of shorebirds off setting a diminishing number of ducks marks the transition to spring at Huntley. Canada Goose 25 Wood Duck 8 Mallard 11 Blue-winged Teal 12 Northern Shoveler 2 Green-winged Teal 13 Hooded Merganser 1 Pied-billed Grebe 1 Double-crested Cormorant 3 American Bittern 2 Great Blue Heron 4 Green Heron 2 Turkey Vulture 1 Red-shouldered Hawk 1 American Coot 8 Killdeer 6 Greater Yellowlegs 2 Lesser Yellowlegs 7 Solitary Sandpiper 3 Least Sandpiper 1 Wilson's Snipe 5 Ring-billed Gull 1 Mourning Dove 3 Barred Owl 2 Belted Kingfisher 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker 10 Downy Woodpecker 2 Northern Flicker 1 Pileated Woodpecker 2 Eastern Phoebe 2 White-eyed Vireo 1 Red-eyed Vireo 1 Blue Jay 3 American Crow 1 Fish Crow 2 Tree Swallow 30 Northern Rough-winged Swallow 2 Barn Swallow 1 Carolina Chickadee 4 Tufted Titmouse 7 White-breasted Nuthatch 2 Carolina Wren 8 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 2 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 17 Eastern Bluebird 2 American Robin 8 Brown Thrasher 1 American Pipit 1 Northern Parula 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler 6 Prothonotary Warbler 1 Common Yellowthroat 6 Field Sparrow 1 Song Sparrow 2 Swamp Sparrow 15 White-throated Sparrow 10 Northern Cardinal 20 Red-winged Blackbird 50 Rusty Blackbird 5 Common Grackle 2 American Goldfinch 8 The Monday Morning birdwalk has been a weekly event at Huntley Meadows since 1985. It takes place every week, rain or shine, at 7 AM, is free of charge, requires no reservation, and is open to all. Birders meet in the parking lot at the Park's entrance at 3701 Lockheed Blvd, Alexandria, VA. For questions call the Park during normal business hours at (703) 768-2525. Harry Glasgow Friends of Huntley Meadows Park You are subscribed to VA-BIRD. To post to this mailing list, simply send email to va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx To unsubscribe, send email to va-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field.