Phenomenal VABirders, Just Phenomenal!!!!
That was this morning's surf! It started earlier today than Wednesday's
wave. Right outside the window, about 6:15am, I heard the advance man, a
Black-throated Blue Warbler, calling to me, giving me a head's up to get
ready for a big wave. He didn't say how BIG it was going to be and how
long it was going to last, however, so I didn't know I should have had
reinforcements!
I ran back and forth from window to window, hanging out the top windows for
better looks. My neighbors are used to my strangeness by now, but our
female hum was taken aback by my popping in and out of the windows and the
hunting foxes were getting irritated with me.
Thrushes were coming in, Veery, Swainson's, and I was sure I heard a
Gray-cheeked, but lost it among all the noise. All sorts of warblers
coming in, and Towhees, Indigo Buntings, Red-eyed Vireos, Catbirds,
Tanagers, flocks of Cedar Waxwings streaked by periodically, then would
dive back into the trees.....more more more....birds kept coming. It would
slow a moment or two, and then start up again, wave after wave. There was
too much action for me to follow, I needed help!!!! I was losing birds, I
needed more eyes!!! I tried triage, which worked sometimes and I'd pick up
a gem like Magnolia Warbler, other times it didn't and I wasted time on
something like a House Sparrow imitating a warbler. I did the best I could
though, my eyes and ears moving faster than I thought possible.
One hour passed, 2, then 3, the birds kept coming. My arms were tiring, my
shoulders ached, I was sneezing from all the oak blossom stuff falling from
the trees, it was getting in my eyes as I looked up, I needed a potty
break, ahchoo ahchoo, I startled the feeder birds and they flew off
momentarily. Another hour passed, by now the hum, the fox, and the feeder
birds were all getting used to me hanging out the windows, and the birds
kept coming.
Leaf blowers started up, trash trucks rumbled up the street, military jets
and helicopters flew overhead, a tree truck started cutting and shredding a
neighbor's tree! It didn't matter, the birds kept coming and I kept
listening and watching and cranking up higher and higher.
By 11:15 I knew I was in trouble for neglecting my duties, I HAD to get
going, I had work to do. I shut one window, then another, and then paused
to watch just a "little" longer out the third window. Finally at 11:30 I
forced myself to stop. Five plus hours. This morning topped anything this
yard has ever seen! Not only was there a large variety of species, but
there were several, bunches, or gobs of many species!
Several big surprises...Chipping Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, and
Cooper's Hawk...all late dates for our yard!
Here's the list of the ones that DIDN'T get away:
Black-throated Blue Warbler - a bunch
Yellow-rumped Warbler - gobs and gobs!
Magnolia Warbler - several
Bay-breasted Warbler - female
Blackpoll Warbler - gobs and gobs!
American Redstart - several
Wilson's Warbler - this was a rare treat in our yard!
Northern Parula
Canada Warbler - several
Yellow Warbler - several
Black-throated Green Warbler
11 species of warblers!
Red-eyed Vireo - gobs and gobs and gobs!
Warbling Vireo - lifebird and new yardbird!
Chipping Sparrow - late date for yard
White-throated Sparrow - late date for yard
Tanager - several females - at least one looked like Summer to me, wings
were light, but hard to tell for sure in early morning's low light.
Swainson's Thrush - a bunch - one hopping around on my neighbor's lawn like
a Robin!
Veery - several - new yardbird!
E. W. Peewee - several
Catbird - 3 extra besides our nesting pair
E. Towhee - several
Indigo Bunting - 2
House Wren - several
Cedar Waxwing - 30-40
Cooper's Hawk - late date for our yard! - came in and stirred things up!!!
Amidst all this special action, our regular crew of yardbirds came and went
about their business. Klutzy, our male Pileated woodpecker, rapped on the
suetfeeder to tell me it was empty, his new trick! And a White-breasted
Nuthatch youngster made its first appearance!
Wiped out and way behind schedule, I scrapped myself off the floor and got
to work...the sound of crashing waves ringing in my ears. Wanna hang ten?
;-)
Lori Markoff
Vienna
Fairfax County
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