Greetings,
Sunday was spent birding in Fauquier County with Ian Topolsky for the whole
day, and Sue Heath and Greg Justice for portions of the day. We started the
day at the Chester Phelps Wildlife Management Area in southern Fauquier, then
Ian and I drifted up the Rappahannock stopping at various points, getting as
far north as I-66 before hitting a few ponds in the central part of the
county.
Best bird was the male Prothonotary Warbler that Ian picked out of about a
dozen Palm Warblers at Phelps. The bird was gleaning insects in the tree
tops with Yellow-rumpeds and Palms. It was a bit of a surprise for all of
us, as it is neither a common bird in the county nor has it been found at
this location. Other recent spring arrivals included at least four
Black-and-White Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, and two Vesper Sparrows, one
at Phelps, and one near Remington. Gnatcatchers have clearly arrived in
numbers. Ruby-crowned Kinglets were heard singing, and they were seen
foraging along side Golden-crowned Kinglets. An Osprey or two was seen
flying upriver. Surprising misses were Louisiana Waterthrush, and I was
hoping for an Ovenbird.
After a few hours at Phelps, Ian and I split from Sue. Some decent finds
were Horned Larks singing on territory a few miles north of Remington, an
area where they've bred in years past. Savannah Sparrows heard in the same
general area. The Rappahannock was loaded with Gnatcatchers at just about
all stops, as well as calling Phoebes, and a few more singing Ruby-crowned
Kinglets. Disappointing was our inability to find a Parula along the
Rappahannock.
In the mid-afternoon, Ian and I stopped at the pond on Belvoir Road, route
709 just east of US 17, and were met by forty Bonaparte's Gulls and a similar
number of Ring-billed Gulls. Here there was also a Horned Grebe
transitioning into breeding-plumage, Pied-billed Grebe, Blue- and
Green-winged Teal, a couple stunning drake Ruddy Ducks among about six
others. An adult Bald Eagle was perched near by, unnerving the Canada Geese
some. The Bonaparte's Gulls kept arriving, and a few were seen leaving. Our
high count was 65, about the time we were rejoined by Sue, with Greg in tow.
We slipped over to the pond on Harrison Road. Not too much happening on the
pond, but in about fifteen minutes we had three Osprey fly in, take a hard
look at the pond, and then continue north. Another half hour and we had a
few more Osprey in the bag, most doing about the same thing. After Sue and
Greg left, Ian and I stayed watching, and ended up tallying sixteen Osprey
from this location, along with four Northern Harriers, a couple of very
distant accipiters, and a male Merlin. Piedmont hawkwatching is pretty much
a matter of luck, but we had a fun little push in about ninety minutes time.
A flyby Wilson's Snipe was a nice bonus.
We ended the day at Airlie Reservoir, and added an Osprey (bringing our total
for the day over 20), three more Harriers, eight Great Blue Herons either
heading to a roost or migrating, five in a tight formation. A Red-necked
Grebe first found on 12 April at this spot (bringing the number of locations
for Fauquier to four), was still present. Two Common Loons found there on 12
April by Sue were gone. We observed a pair of copulating kingfishers, lots
of swallows (but only Barn, Tree, and Rough-winged), and two Green Herons.
It was a nice, unscripted day with just a few expectations and a bunch of
surprises.
Cheers,
Todd
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Todd Michael Day
Jeffersonton, VA
BlkVulture@xxxxxxx
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