VA BIRDers,
Today, Rich Rieger, Jay Keller and I worked the Possum Point area on a cold,
windy morning. The Quantico Bay mudflats produced a single Lesser
Yellowlegs mixed in with a few Greater Yellowlegs. We also spotted a big
group of Hooded Mergansers - eleven, and a Common Yellowthroat. Quantico
Bay showed 3 Lesser Scaup and 2 Common Mergansers.
A turn up Cockpit Rd yielded many of the sightings Marc Ribaudo noted. We
missed the Common Loon but added Blue-headed Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Hermit
Thrush, a single Yellow-rumped Warbler, and a Prairie Warbler. We headed
for Leesylvania SP and notched Chimney Swift. Julie Metz produced
Green-winged Teal, more Common Mergansers, King Rail, Forster's Terns, two
White-eyed Vireos, more Common Yellowthroats and a Swamp Sparrow. At this
point, Jay departed and Rich I drove through heavy traffic to the Prince
William County Sanitary Landfill.
We passed a Sharpie on our way to PWCSL; arriving at same we got fine looks
at a first summer Iceland Gull plus 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls of various
ages and a single Laughing Gull. The majority of the birds here were
Herring Gulls and not one Great Black-backed could be found. We continued
to the Nokesville area (Prince William Co) where we viewed a Broad-winged
Hawk flying out of the forest near Cedar Run. Nearby was an Eastern Phoebe
nesting under the bridge and another Prairie Warbler. A house with a feeder
on Parkgate Rd had 2 White-crowned Sparrows and American Kestrels and
Eastern Meadowlarks were everywhere.
We headed northish, checking a few lakes and ponds on the way (nada)
arriving at North Fork Wetlands (access courtesy of BSA). Here we spotted
an adult Cooper's Hawk taking a Starling, noted a Pectoral Sandpiper and
Wilson's Snipe, and found a Savannah Sparrow. We then moved to the Harrison
Rd region (Fauquier Co) and were pleased to find a Pied-billed Grebe, five
Gadwall, two American Wigeon, and a couple of Vesper Saprrows. It was
getting a bit late (almost 5pm) and so we headed east on I-66 to the Stone
Bridge over Hunting Cr - just north of the Dyke Marsh picnic area (plug: Jay
Keller will lead the FODM Field Trip Sunday).
The tide was high when we arrived yet it appeared to be going downward. We
looked over the larids frolicking in the river and quickly found our missing
Great Black-backed Gulls and Caspian Terns. We also spotted five
Boneparte's Gulls which netted us 9 larids for the day (missed the Royal
Tern). But our biggest surprise was - another Iceland Gull! We could tell
that this was not the Landfill gull because the coloration pattern on the
bill was different. As we drove away, we could hear the pleasant songs of a
few Rusty Blackbirds in the nearby trees.
The weather for tomorrow looks very good..
Kurt Gaskill
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