[va-bird] had fun Sunday!

Joy,

It was good running into at Huntley Meadows late Sunday afternoon.  I had just 
gotten back from a business trip out to the coast and I admit that I felt like 
I was missing the spring migration since I was away.  I tried getting a "fix" 
Saturday, but the weather was far less than accommodating (gawd, it would rain, 
and then stop, then rain, then stop, then. UGH!).  So when Jay (Keller, the guy 
with me at Huntley) called late Saturday proposing an early start for Sunday, I 
figured, "sure, maybe it won't rain and we can find a few new migrants".  
That's why I/we began so early (yes, I saw that look you gave!).  Despite the 
early date, we managed to find 133 species. Since I didn't get a chance to tell 
you all the gory details, I thought I would send this note. 

We loaded the car at my house, listened to the local Barred Owl and then left 
and headed south on 95, taking the Prince William Forest Park exit - Rt 619 aka 
Joplin Rd.  We stopped near the intersection with the road that goes to 
Breckinridge Reservoir and found a chipping Whip-poor-will and a nearby a 
Chuck-will's-widow that kept singing and singing!  If we had a flashlight (yes, 
I know, turn in that scout merit badge) we probably could have found it sitting 
in the tree near the road.  (But, no flashlight!)  Anyway, we got into the car 
and went on to Nokesville.

I like Nokesville even though more houses are going up (I feel sorry for the 
commuters, it must be murder!).  We headed to this nice road that last year was 
kind to us and was kind again this time around - American Woodcock displaying!  
Nearby, a couple of Grasshopper Sparrow sang their quiet insect song.  It was 
getting light - maybe half an hour to sunrise which would have been beautiful 
IF there were no clouds!  Lots of robins singing, towhees, Chipping Sparrows, 
Field Sparrows, and Eastern Meadowlarks. and a couple of hound dogs ('natch, 
it's Virginia, right?).  We then headed over to Cedar Run Wetlands and heard 
the grunting of a Virginia Rail.  Then off to Fleetwood Rd for a White-crowned 
Sparrow and further down the road, a Solitary Sandpiper in a wet meadow.  Yet, 
all that driving and its getting light and all but no kestrel?  I wished we 
could have checked a few more roads for the falcon, but we wanted to get to 
Possum Point early-ish.  So, we left and drove on, only we stopped briefly at 
this really innocuous gravel lot next to some transformers.  We stopped here 
once before last year hoping for Pine Warbler but not finding any (lots of pine 
trees near this spot).  So, we stop again and. no Pine Warbler.  Yet, we find 
this Blue-winged Warbler singing away and we look at it and its pretty clean- 
not a hybrid.  Great!  We also hear a Ruby-crowned Kinglet going nuts with its 
patriot song and spot two Eastern Kingbirds on the wires.  Anyway, we needed to 
make tracks and so eastward!

We make the Point after stopping for a traditional Scottish 
breakfast(wink-wink, HA!).  We check a few turnouts on Possum Point Rd and find 
not one, not two, but THREE Tundra Swans!  I can only guess these birds "missed 
the boat" when the adults left (ya know, young swans learn their migration 
routes from the adults).  Anyway, we also found a Snowy Egret which was pretty 
neat since it had lots of plumes and we so seldom find them up here in spring 
looking so handsome.  Of course there were many Bald Eagles, two Red-shouldered 
Hawks, a Red-tailed, and a couple of Prothonotary Warblers along the road.  We 
then drove onto the show near the power plant.

Lots of fun - we find a quiet Great Crested Flycatcher fly catching in the 
woods, many Gray Catbirds and White-eyed Vireos, a Blue-headed Vireo up in a 
pine with a Scarlet Tanager (the former sang, the latter was quiet).  (Oh, I 
should mention we saw Larry Meade and Phil Kenny here, I think Phil found the 
Scarlet Tanager.)  At the crest in the road I see a Blue Grosbeak perch on a 
wire and there a lot of Orchard Orioles! Caspian Terns fly over heading for 
Quantico Creek.  Both yellowlegs down in the pond.  Down the road, most 
everything is the same as Marc Ribaudo wrote about the day before. We find this 
pair of Purple Finch, several Palm and Worm-eating Warblers (this one wormie 
would chase this other bird - I think it was a cardinal - away from its singing 
perch, then return and sing again, and then the cardinal returns and it all 
repeats - very funny).  Hermit Thrush, Warbling Vireo, Summer Tanager, Northern 
Parulas, LA Waterthrush, Yellow-throated, Pine (yea!) B&W and Prairie Warblers, 
Ovenbirds and Wood Thrush singing in the woods, and lots of Blue-grays.  And 
LOTS of yellow-rumps!  It's a great spot even when neo-trop migration has just 
barely started!

We left, but not before spotting 4 Blue-winged Teal in the river near the road. 
 Next was Leesylvania SP which was still great with many birds (like parulas 
and yellow-throateds and more dendroica coronata) plus we added Boneparte's 
Gull, Forster's Tern, Purple Martin, White-breasted Nuthatch, and E. Bluebird.  
Veteran's Park was our next stop and we found more Snowy Egrets - two!  Plus 
Wilson's Snipe. 

There is this nice overlook at a marina near the mouth of Occoquan Bay and you 
can scope about half the bay.  Here we added a lot of new species: Ring-necked 
Ducks, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Red-breasted Mergansers, Common Loon, and 
Herring Gull.  And ya know there are ten Osprey nests all around you!  We then 
went to Occoquan Bay NWR and walked around a bit and we were just AMAZED at the 
number of Yellow Warblers!  It was past noon and we counted at least 15 
singers.  There was also Yellow-breasted Chat and King Rail, plus Savannah 
Sparrow and a few Rusty Blackbirds by the automatic gate near the entrance. 

Jay thought we needed more raptors, so we headed over the Lorton area, driving 
the roads around the old prison site.  Yes I know; more new houses here.  But 
it still attracts the birds and we find our first Black Vultures and manage to 
log in a Cooper's Hawk plus Red-shoulders, Red-tails, Osprey, and eagles.  And 
this little pond has a Spotted Sandpiper!  We left, passing a few singing 
meadowlarks.

We head to Pohick Park and scoped across the bay and pick out 50 or so American 
Coots and one Pied-billed Grebe off Fort Belvoir.  Scanning above the forest 
also paid off with a Northern Harrier!   I thought we should go to Dyke Marsh 
but first a brief stop along the river for Bill McGovern's Red-headed WP near 
Waynewood Dr.  Sure enough - it's still there and another too!  Maybe they will 
stick around and breed???  Anyway, we continue northward and stop at Dyke and 
find a Ruddy Duck and an American Black Duck! It seems like Dyke always has a 
bit of luck attracting waterfowl late into the season.  Next stop was the 
Wilson Bridge looking for one of the Peregrine's - and sure enough, it must see 
us drive up because it lifts off its "blue girder perch" and gives a nice 
welcome flight over Virginia.  Very nice!

So, we headed to Huntley where we met up with you.  The Glossy and
White-faced Ibis were a nice tic to the day's list, although the overhead 
flight made viewing them difficult. And it seems like there were 2 American 
Bitterns - besides the one you found to the east there was one just west of the 
raised portion of the boardwalk loop, posing on this grassy tussock for the 
looongest time!  And Green-winged Teals, a single Hooded Merganser, a calling 
Yellow-crowned Night Heron in the woods near sundown, and eight Least 
Sandpipers running around on a little square of mud.  We also spotted about 100 
Rusty Blackbirds (really close looks at some feeding near the boardwalk), not 
too mention at least 7 Solitary Sandpipers, many Greater Yellowlegs and one 
Lesser.

I was surprised how well the day went considering we are not really near 
migration peak.  But it was lots of fun as well as good to get out and stretch 
the legs.  Hope to see you soon - maybe get you out to the spring count in 
Fairfax (May 6) or at Cape Charles (May 13) or even Highland County (May 15)?  
And maybe you know a friend interested in the counts too???  Let me know - I 
might be able to help find a place for a sleeping bag.  However it works out, 
until next time - keep spotting those owls!

Kurt
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