I visited King George ponds, viewpoints at the
Rappahannock River, Currioman Landing off the
Potomac, and George Washington's Birthplace.
Since I stepped on a nail yesterday (ouch!), I
didn't walk much today.
First STop about 9:30 AM: King George Route 3
sand/gravel-pit ponds were mostly frozen. Some
open water at the ponds near train tracks. Here
is what I saw from the edge of Route 3.
16 bald eagles on the ice (7 ad, 9 imm)
20 Canada Goose
1 snow (blue) goose
115 canvasback
21 ring-necked duck
16 coot
2 hooded merganser
1 killdeer
2 horned lark
about 4000 ring-billed gulls here and in nearby
fields
Then to Rappahannock River and nearby roads in
Westmoreland and northern Richmond Co (Cat-Point
Creek to Leedstown) ABout 11 AM to 2:30 PM and at
dusk (Leedstown). River and shallow marshy-ponds
mostly open. Deeper ponds frozen. Most notable
was the increase in red-breasted mergs and
decrease in common mergs in the river since two
weeks ago. Most of the dabbling ducks were on a
private farm managed for wildlife that I didn't
visit last time. ALso dramatic decrease in
sparrows seen--much fewer along the roads than
two weeks ago. The larks and longspurs seen in
Leedstown on last visit could not be found in
late morning or in late afternoon today.
common mergansers: 33
red-breasted mergansers: 224
common goldeneye: 1 female
bufflehead: 3
mallard: 62
black duck: 4
gadwall: 78
pintail: 2
shoveler: 7
green-winged teal: 22
Canada Goose: 1010
harrier: 2
red-tailed hawk: 4
red-shouldered hawk: 1
kestrel: 3
sharp-shinned hawk: 1
bald eagle: 9 adult, 10 immature
black vulture 52 (46 in one roost)
turkey vulture 77 (35 in same roost as BLVU)
kingfisher 1
red-headed woodpecker 2
flicker 13
ruby-crowned kinglet 1
yellow-rumped warbler 8
1 hermit thrush
great blue heron 17
white-crowned sparrow: 26 (3 adult, nice songs)
white-throated sparrow: 85
field sparrow: 1
savannah sparrow: 2
song sparrow: 35
swamp sparrow: 25
junco: 50
bluebird: 11
5 carolina wren, 6 chickadee
gulls: great black-backed 5, herring 37,
ring-billed about 80
I tried for a short-eared owl where the property
owner had seen one, but couldn't find it at dusk.
Currioman Landing: mostly frozen, about 3 PM.
275 canvasback
25 scaup sp
1 immature bald eagle
4 tundra swan asleep on the ice
George Washington's Birthplace (3:45-4:45)
No walking. Viewed from picnic area (mostly
frozen) and from beach (where most of the scaup
and goldeneyes were.)
canada geese 3085 (3000-ish were in the fields on
the way to the beach. The snow goose and
mostly-white Canada from last time were not in
this flock today.)
tundra swan only 32, and very quiet
canvasback 40
ring-necked duck 40
gadwall 33
american wigeon 6 (were they eating the goose
droppings as they walked on the ice? too far to
tell for sure.)
scaup both species: 910
common goldeneye: nice displays! 120
bufflehead: 50
coot 7
All the best
Fred
=====
Frederick D. Atwood fredatwood@xxxxxxxxx
Flint Hill School, 10409 Academic Dr, Oakton, VA 22124
703-242-1675
http://www.agpix.com/fredatwood
http://www.flinthill.org
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