VA BIRDers,
Participants of Fairfax Audubon Society's Northern Virginia Sparrow and
Wetlands Field Trip met early Saturday morning at the Stone Bridge of the
Manassas Battlefield Park where we began our trek through the nearby portion
of the park looking for sparrows. Highlight of the trip was a Green Heron,
at the pond near the Battlefield Security Office. Observers were also
rewarded with fine views of Savannah Sparrows throughout the day. Otherwise,
it was fairly quiet bird-wise: perhaps the recent cold front and storms
slowed the north bound trek of migrants?
We began walking the trail along the Bull Run River and were quickly rewarded
with many Dark-eyed Juncos migrating along the Bull Run River corridor.
Nearby were two Eastern Phoebes, busy scouting out nest sites under the
bridge. The trail also yielded up several Blue-gray Gnatcatchers and
Red-crowned Kinglets - the latter species sang their odd song at several
locations. When we entered the field edge, a few Pine Warblers sang out
after a bit of coaxing. Our walk across the field netted a few Savannah
Sparrows and Eastern Meadowlarks. We visited the stable area and found
several cooperative Chipping Sparrows in the area. Our walk down Sparrow
Alley (best in the fall) produced Brown Thrasher, Eastern Towhee, and
White-throated Sparrows. We found a few more Savannah Sparrows on our return
to the parking lot via the southern loop trail.
We then traveled to North Fork Wetlands (access kindly granted through the
Boy Scouts of America). We immediately noted 2 Bald Eagles on the fallen
logs in the pond - 3rd and 4th year birds. We also found a nice assemblage
of waterfowl. As we viewed the birds our discussion touched upon the history
of North Forks Wetlands and some of the pros and cons of the mitigation
approach. Highlights at this location were Northern Shovelers, not always
easy to find in April. Also present were Gadwall, Mallard, Blue-winged Teal,
Green-winged Teal, Ring-necked Duck, Red-shouldered and Red-tailed Hawks,
American Kestrels, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Wilson's Snipe, and Caspian
Terns. A walk through the wetland produced a few Savannah and Song Sparrows.
After the trip concluded, a few of us visited the Harrison Road area of
Fauquier County to look for Vesper Sparrows (a lifebird situation you see).
After much effort, a few Vesper's were noted; they were mixed in with about
two dozen Savannah Sparrows.
Kurt Gaskill
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