About 20 people turned up for the regular 8 am birdwalk around Dyke Marsh,
Fairfax County, this morning. Pleasant morning, although getting hot by 10 or
so. Relatively quiet, as might be expected, although 48 species noted. Nothing
unexpected.
Double-crested Cormorant 9
Great Blue Heron 7
Great Egret 4
Canada Goose 40+
Mallard 65+ [As it was so quiet, we tried to identify sexes in a couple of
small rafts. I was amazed to find how many participants did not even know about
eclipse plumage, and how even less could identify males in that plumage.]
Osprey 35+(including some distant soarers. There were 15 on the mudflats
near the Stone Bridge alone.)
Bald Eagle 1 (reported by a participant but not seen by me)
Cooper's Hawk 1 (immature)
Killdeer 15
Greater Yellowlegs 3
Lesser Yellowlegs 2
Spotted Sandpiper 2 (reported by a participant but not seen by me)
Semipalmated Sandpiper 15
Least Sandpiper 10
Pectoral Sandpiper 1 (reported by a participant but not seen by me)
Laughing Gull 30
Ring-billed Gull 100s
Herring Gull 4
Great Black-backed Gull 4
Caspian Tern 2
Forster's Tern 12+
Rock Dove 9
Mourning Dove 25
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker 2
Downy Woodpecker 2
Northern Flicker 1
Eastern Kingbird 2
Purple Martin 1
Barn Swallow 20+
Blue Jay 4
American Crow 12
Carolina Chickadee 1
Tufted Titmouse 6
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Carolina Wren 6
House Wren 1
Marsh Wren 2 (heard, none seen. Song very weak and seldom)
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 6
American Robin 6
Gray Catbird 1
Northern Mockingbird 1
European Starling 30+
Common Yellowthroat 4
Northern Cardinal 12
Song Sparrow 2
Red-winged Blackbird 20+
Common Grackle 6
Orchard Oriole 1 (female)
House Finch 2
American Goldfinch 20+
House Sparrow 40+
Stephen Eccles
