I visited Prince William Forest Park this morning. Pretty birdy in pockets,
with highlights being pine warbler, red-breasted nuthatch, and fox sparrow. I
saw or heard pine warblers at every stop I made, with over a dozen tallied in
all. I saw 4 red-breasted nuthatches. One was at parking lot H, and 3 were
together along Mawavi Rd. Also along Mawavi was a mixed flock of white-throated
and fox sparrows (about 8). Some of the fox were singing. I encountered a
small group of fox sparrows (about 4) at parking lot H. Other notables were
brown creeper (5), hairy woodpecker (2), red-tailed hawk, red-shouldered hawk,
golden-crowned kinglet (many), and eastern phoebe (5).
After the Park I made a short visit to Occoquan NWR. I made the loop from the
parking lot to the gazebo and around the field. No waterfowl off the gazebo
except for a few Canada geese. I did see a common yellowthroat in the field,
and heard some rusty blackbirds in the woods. I also saw a couple of savannah
sparrows.
Marc Ribaudo
Woodbridge, VA