On Monday, May 15, Renee Hudgins, Joyce Neff, and I walked into the swamp along
Railroad Ditch. We started the walk at 6 am. It was cool and cloudy, but not
unpleasant. There were two Red-headed Woodpeckers right at the entrance gate.
Further on we did encounter four Swainson's Warblers, one of which we saw well.
It seems to me the trick, as with many birds, is to find a singing bird
relatively near the road. If he's on a singing perch, he may stay there for
several minutes allowing birdwatchers to scan the likely perches which are
usually about fifteen feet up in a small tree. I've had good luck this year
producing sightings with this technique. We turned around about 9:30am and
exited the swamp at 11:30. It turned quite sunny for the last hour producing
some butterflies, which had been totally absent until after 10am.
The bird list follows: Eastern Towhee 3, Carolina Wren 11, Prairie Warbler
2, Carolina Chickadee 1, Pine Warbler 5, Fish Crow 1, Red-headed Woodpecker 2,
Great Crested Flycatcher 7, Eastern Wood-Pewee 7, Ovenbird 10, American Crow 1,
American Robin 1, Prothonotary Warbler 16, Indigo Bunting 6, Acadian Flycatcher
4, Brown-headed Cowbird 3, Summer Tanager 3, Red-bellied Woodpecker 6, Hooded
Warbler 4, Northern Bobwhite 2, Yellow-billed Cuckoo 7, Common Yellowthroat 18,
Pileated Woodpecker 5, Common Grackle `19, Red-shouldered Hawk 1, Blue Jay 1,
American Redstart 8, Swainson Warbler 4, Red-eyed- Vireo 6, Northern Cardinal
2, Wood Duck 7, Downy Woodpecker 1, Tufted Titmouse 1, White-breasted Nuthatch
2, White-eyed Vireo 4, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 2, Louisiana Waterthrush 2, Grey
Catbird 3, Northern Flicker 2, Great Blue Heron 2, Turkey Vulture 3, Mourning
Dove 2, Great Egret 1, Black Vulture 1, Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1, Barred Owl
1.
The butterflies were: Palamedes Swallowtail 7, Orange Sulfur 2, Zabulon
Skipper 3, Red-spotted Purple 4, Question Mark 5, E. Tiger Swallowtail 5,
American Lady 1, Cabbage White 1, E. Comma 1, Spicebush Swallowtail 2, Carolina
Satyr 6, Clouded Skipper 1, Spring Azure 3, Silver-spotted Skipper 2.
My last walk in the Great Dismal for this year will be on May 31 leaving
from Jericho Ditch Lane parking area at 6:00 am. If you'd like to join me
please do. No reservation is necessary. Hope to see you there.
Robert L. Ake
6603 Catherine Street
Norfolk VA 23505
