VA BIRDers,
After viewing the Neotropical Cormorant from the Maryland side as it made
its incursion into Virginia airspace (as well as noting the male
White-winged Scoter, a Pied-billed Grebe, 2 Horned Grebes, 3 Am. Wigeon,
some Mallards, 12 Green-winged Teal, a second year Bald Eagle,
Red-shouldereds and Red-taileds, 23 Tree Swallows, Winter Wrens and a Purple
Finch), Rich Rieger, Peter Ross and I took White's Ferry over to Virginia
and birded the Lucketts area of Loudoun Co.
Highlights in the Lucketts area were Eastern Phoebe, Blue-headed Vireo, more
Tree Swallows, 3 Red-breasted Nuthatches, two American Pipits, an
Orange-crowned Warbler (Montressor Rd area), about 50 Yellow-rumped
Warblers, Eastern Towhee, a couple of White-crowned Sparrows (Hibler Rd),
and at least 4 Purple Finch (var. ages). There was also this Great Horned
Owl having a conversation with a Red-shouldered Hawk on an adjacent tree
branch (Hibler Rd).
We went south after lunch and noted another Eastern Phoebe near Beaverdam
Reservoir, nearby Winter Wren, American Pipit (Dulles Wetlands), and 2
Vesper Sparrows in a field. Beaverdam had only American Black Ducks and
Dulles Wetlands contained one Mallard. We also noted 2 Northern Harriers at
Dulles Wetlands and 2 Common Ravens on the east side of Banshee-Reeks.
Kurt Gaskill
