Hello VAbirders,
Having returned home Friday night after a visit with my mother-in-law in
Queens, NYC, I was in need of a peaceful place, a place full of nature, a
place with birds. On Saturday morning, I dropped off my daughter at her
spinning class in Alexandria and then drove to Belle Haven along the
Potomac River. The tide was in, so birds were out, except for the usual
landlubbers hanging around the picnic area. And gees, there sure was a lot
of "humanity" clogging the parking lot. So, I drove to Jackson Abbott
Wetlands on Pole Road, near Woodlawn Plantation, where Old Mill Road
intersects Route 1. I didn't know what to expect, since I've only birded
Jackson Abbott in cold weather. Quiet filled the air, bugs were
non-existant, the sun felt pleasantly warm, and I had some birdee company
to cheer me. Just what my soul needed.
A Great Egret had a fish in his bill and since it was as big as his head,
he was having some difficulty swallowing it. Fascinated, I watched him for
awhile but after about 10 minutes my attention was pulled upwards by the
cries of a family of 4 Ospreys circling overhead. When I looked back at
the Egret the fish was gone and there was a large lump about midway down
his long neck. <smile> His diligence had been rewarded.
A family of E. Phoebes bopped through some small trees. Several hummers
zipped into view. Aha, I knew I heard hums! One broke away and blasted
off, hot on the tail of a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. Beyond the hums and
fleeing Gnat, a blip of yellow caught my eye. A warbler, but what
kind? The pathetic waif was so ratty that it looked as if it had gone
through a fan a few times. My best guess was a Prairie Warbler.
Two E. Kingbirds flew over noisily and landed on a snag in the middle of
the marsh. A young, wide-eyed B. Kingfisher sitting several branches below
watched them, never moving from its perch. Off they went again, chattering
at each other. A Red-tailed Hawk soared above the scene. I scoped the
distant side of the marsh and found another Great Egret, some young Wood
Ducks, and a couple of "fake ducks" (domestic). Two honking Canada Geese
arrived and splashed down among them all.
Roping in my attention again, I concentrated on the vegetation next to the
boardwalk I was on. All seemed quiet. Other than Song Sparrows, no birds
were close by. I pished, hoping for a wren or another kind of sparrow, but
none called out to me or popped up to peer at me. But hey look at
that!!! A Monarch butterfly! And another! They were the first Monarchs
of the season for me and the sight of them happied my heart a touch more.
Walking towards my truck I dodged E. Bluebirds as they flew across the
path, a Mockingbird flipped its tail at me, a Catbird mewed out repeatedly,
and I finally heard a Carolina Wren singing. I had been there about 1 1/2
hours and had enjoyed myself so much that I hadn't noticed the time
slipping away. Nature's tonic had fixed me up once again.
Lori Markoff
Vienna
Fairfax County
canyon.eagle@xxxxxxxxxxx
You are subscribed to VA-BIRD. To post to this mailing list, simply send email
to va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx. To unsubscribe, send email to
va-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field.
