Hello VA-Birders,
Today at the Hunting Creek mudflats in Alexandria (adjacent to Dyke Marsh), I
observed a single ROYAL TERN mixed in with the 10 CASPIAN TERNS at about 5 PM.
It had a noticeably lighter bill than the Caspians around it and when it flew,
exhibited clean white underwing. At one point it came fairly close to me near
the bridge as it and the Caspians went for some useen bonanza in the water.
All of the nearby birds, including GREAT EGRETS, GB HERONS, and later Ospreys
came by to investigate. I never got a look at what was getting everyone so
excited, but a nearby GB Heron managed to grab a decent-sized fish. It almost
sliced off the tail on its initial stab and had a hard time getting it down. A
lsit of observations follows:
Jay Keller,
Arlington
DC Cormorant 22
Caspian Tern 10
Royal Tern 1
Forster's Tern 2
Laughing Gull ~250
RB Gull ~650
Herring Gull 3
GBB Gull 4
Solitary Sandpiper 2
Lesser Yellowlegs 3
Gr yellowlegs 1
Belted Kingfisher 2
Great Egret 6
GB Heron 5
Wood Duck 5
Blue-winged Teal 1
Mallard 16
Am Crow 5
Crow sp. 4
Osprey 4
ROPI 27
MoDo 5
RW Blackbird 12
Com Grackle 1
Eurostars 21
Downy WP 1
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