VA BIRDers,
Bitten by the bug, Rich Rieger, Peter Ross and I did a full day of birding
at local spots in Northern Virginia Sunday. We thought it would be great
since the wind was so light overnight but it turned out to be a tough day
with few new migrants over last week and somewhat muted numbers. We tallied
135 species for the day, which was nice. It was a day of ups and downs; the
north winds may be partly blamed.
Ups: Top sighting was Least Bittern at Occoquan Bay NWR in the pool to the
north of the wildlife drive when you cross the first bridge. This bright
orange bird flew in and got Peter's attention, then posed on a log for
nearly a minute! Also at OBNWR was a late-ish Junco. The Chuck-will's-widow
was still singing on Joplin Rd, as noted earlier by Marc Ribaudo. 12 goose
and duck species, 20 warbler species, and 10 sparrow species.
Downs: Where did the Tundra Swans go at Quantico Creek? No American
Woodcock display in Nokesville, no Yellow-crowned Night-Heron at Huntley, no
Peregrine at Wilson Bridge, no rails at Huntley (I do hope this is an
aberration), no Acadian Flycatcher and no Yellow-throated or Blue-headed
Vireos, zero Purple Finch, and we could not find a Bobolink.
Individual Highlights:
Prince William Forest Park and Nokesville netted American Kestrels, Chucks
and Whips, many Grasshopper Sparrows, some White-crowned Sparrows, and
Eastern Meadowlarks.
The Point showed us two female Hooded Mergansers, a Sharpie, Greater and
Lesser Yellowlegs, Solitary, Spotted and Least Sandpipers plus the Killdeer
with 3 young, our first Yellow-billed Cuckoo, 16 species of warbler
including a Nashville, both tanagers, Indigo Buntings, Blue Grosbeak, and
many orioles.
Leesylvania SP and Neabsco Creek produced our only Forster's Tern, another
YB Cuckoo, our only American Redstart, a very cooperative Northern
Waterthrush, and more orioles.
Occoquan Bay NWR, Veteran's Park, and Occoquan Marina displayed a fine duck
showing with Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Red-breasted
Merganser, and Ruddy Duck plus Great Egret, Northern Bobwhite, Bank Swallow,
many Yellow Warblers, a Palm Warbler, many orioles, plus the others already
mentioned.
Pohick Bay Regional Park was the place to see our only Common Loon plus more
Red-breasted Mergansers.
Driving the roads around the Lorton prison site produced a few Black
Vultures and our first Chimney Swifts.
A visit to Dyke Marsh was good for another Lesser Scaup, 10 Caspian Terns,
and a very cooperative Warbling Vireo plus more orioles.
And our last stop at Huntley Meadows yielded American Black Duck,
Blue-winged Teal (2), Green-winged Teal (6), another Ring-necked Duck, mama
Hooded Merganser with 2 merglets, American Bittern posing nicely, Glossy
Ibis (by itself), excellent numbers of shorebirds (Killdeer - 1, Greater
Yellowlegs - 6, Lesser Yellowlegs - 10, Solitary Sandpiper - 50, Spotted
Sandpiper - 2, Least Sandpiper - 10, and Wilson's Snipe - 3), 2 more YB
Cuckoos, and about 20 Rusty Blackbirds.
Kurt Gaskill
