Here are some sightings made in the District of Columbia, Arlington County,
VA, and the City of Alexandria, VA, today, Wednesday, August 14:
The previously reported TUNDRA SWAN is still at a very accessible location
on the Arlington side of the Potomac, just downstream of the Roosevelt
Bridge. I saw it at 2:30 p.m. this afternoon, dozing in the company of
Canada Geese and lots of eclipse plumage ducks. It is an apparent adult
bird, with no visible bands or wing restraints. Its bill is all black with
short but visible slivers of yellow on both sides running from just below
the eyes. Its head and neck are lightly colored red from mud. It seemed
alert and well and walked around, feeding from time to time, when I got a
bit too close to it. It did not fly, but when I left it was swimming just
off shore.
To see this bird at this location, take the GW Parkway NORTH from the
Memorial or Roosevelt Bridges and exit into the parking lot for Roosevelt
Island. Park as close to the walkway to the Island as you can. Do NOT
take the walkway, but proceed downstream about 1/2-mile down the bike path
(which is mostly a pleasantly shaded boardwalk in this section) and look
for the swan near where another small arm of the river enters from the
Arlington side. This location is in the District of Columbia. Obviously
the bird must move around a bit, but the place described is very close to
where the bird has been seen previously.
Other DC sightings today were made this morning at around 11 a.m. on the
Anacostia River near the Langston Golf course, just north of Benning Rd.,
NE. (the so-called Kingman Lake area)
Highlights:
50-60 KILLDEER
4 GREATER YELLOWLEGS
5 SPOTTED SANDPIPER
2 SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER
2 LEAST SANDPIPER
1 PECTORAL SANDPIPER
2 GREAT EGRET
1 OSPREY
2 RED-TAILED HAWK
Amazingly, some people were playing golf in 95 degree heat. And they say
birders are crazy!
Over in Virginia, I visited the mouth of Hunting Creek in Alexandria. As
it was coming up to high tide, there was no visible mud and no peep to be
seen. About 50+ LESSER YELLOWLEGS were still around though. Best birds
here were about 40 CASPIAN TERNS (with 3-4 juveniles in attractive,
brown-flecked plumage) and 6 FORSTER'S TERNS. Most of the gulls were
Ring-billed, and 2 of the few Laughing Gulls were dark juveniles.
Cameron Run in Alexandria, along Eisenhower Avenue, lived up to its billing
after so many Virginia birders reported in sightings from there in the past
week. I had one group of mixed GREATER and LESSER YELLOWLEGS that had 114
birds in it, mostly Lesser. Other sightings at Cameron Run:
12 SEMIPALMATED PLOVER
20 KILLDEER
20 SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER
6 LEAST SANDPIPER
4 WESTERN SANDPIPER (one a gorgeously plumaged juvenile)
20+ PECTORAL SANDPIPER
4 probable SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER They did not fly or call, however.
1 BELTED KINGFISHER
There may well have been more birds and even more species here, but at 1
p.m. it must have been close to 100 degrees with no shade in sight. I
quit. These birds were al seen in a stretch of Cameron Run between
Bluestone Drive and Cameron Run Park, by the way.
A belated thank you to these Virginia birders who made it possible for us
northerners to know where to look for and then, happily, get to see, the
beautiful Swallow-tailed Kite in western Fauquier County last week. A
gorgeous bird indeed.
Good birding!
Mike Bowen
Bethesda, Maryland
D.H. Michael Bowen
8609 Ewing Drive
Bethesda MD 20817
Tel.: (301) 530-5764
dhmbowen@xxxxxxxxx
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