I joined my first Huntley Meadows Monday morning walk, and besides the many
species of ducks, highlights included a MARSH WREN moving through the reeds
inside the boardwalk loop and 2 RUSTY BLACKBIRDS below the observation
platform. Many thanks to Harry Glasgow for his expertise on Huntley Meadows
and its wildlife.
And thanks to Ed's report, and Larry's great photo from the previous day,
Phil Silas and I found the continuing EARED GREBE diving very close to
shore just off the Dyke Marsh boardwalk at 12:23 PM. We observed it for 15
minutes moving north to just off the south side of the island off the
boardwalk, where some logs and cement pieces are clustered together.
Huntley Meadows - 31 species
Canada Goose - 40
Gadwall - 30
American Wigeon - 2
Mallard - 45
Northern Shoveler - 12
Northern Pintail - 25
Green-winged Teal - 14
Great Blue Heron - 1
Cooper's Hawk - 1
Red-shouldered Hawk - 2
Ring-billed Gull - 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 1
Downy Woodpecker - 3
Northern Flicker - 2
Eastern Phoebe - 1 (Outside boardwalk loop, perched up, tail wag.)
American Crow- 8
Carolina Chickadee - 4
Tufted Titmouse - 10
Marsh Wren - 1 (Eye-line, light breast, streaky spot on nape, tail up, loud
chip).
Carolina Wren - 1
American Tree Sparrow - 2 (Rufous crown and eye line, wing bars, just
outside boardwalk loop, feeding on ground near field sparrows, wh-thr
sparrows)
Field Sparrow - 2
Song Sparrow - 6
Swamp Sparrow - 12
White-throated Sparrow - 10
Dark-eyed Junco - 2
Northern Cardinal - 4
Red-winged Blackbird- 30
Rusty Blackbird - 2 (On mud/ice just off observation tower, classic rusty
feathers, brown head into breast, yellow eye, eye line. Male and female
present.)
Common Grackle - 2
American Goldfinch - 1
Dyke Marsh - 25 species
Mallard - 2
Canvasback - 2
Lesser Scaup - 8
Bufflehead - 5
Common Merganser - 12
Ruddy Duck - 13
Pied-billed Grebe - 2
Horned Grebe - 2
Eared Grebe - 1 (Dark gray and skinny neck, gray face into whitish ear
patch, white under throat, head peaks towards the front, fluffy rump.)
Double-crested Cormorant - 1
Great Blue Heron - 2
Black Vulture - 1
Turkey Vulture - 2
Bald Eagle - 3
Red-shouldered Hawk - 1
Ring-billed gull - 14
Fish Crow - 2
Carolina Chickadee - 2
Winter Wren - 1
Carolina Wren - 1
European Starling - 12
Song Sparrow - 1
White-throated Sparrow - 2
Northern Cardinal - 3
House Sparrow - 2
