Hello Everyone,
This morning I birded Great Falls National Park followed by Riverbend Park.
Perhaps the only bird of note at Great Falls is the SPOTTED SANDPIPER that was
flying around the rocks, and the usual BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERONs.
At Riverbend, I walked the trail along the Potomac in the direction of Great
Falls. About 1/3 of the distance to GF a small island appears between mainland
VA and MD. At this northern point of the island, three drake RING-NECKED DUCKS
were strongly associating with 7 hen and one drake Mallards. I watched them
for about 20 minutes, and during this time they swam to and fro with the
mallards, at one point getting into a scuffle with a couple of the hens. They
disappeared for several minutes between the island and the MD shore but
reappeared with the flock later.
Also at this island, two adult Bald Eagles repeatedly flew into and out of
some trees with fish, apparently dropping the fish and leaving since it would
take a while for even an eagle to down a foot-long fish. By their behavior, I
would tend to believ ethere is a nest there, but I could not see into the
leaves. It would likely be visible from the MD shore, and if there is a nest
there I am sure others are already aware of it.
Composite MD/VA Riverbend list follows, generated by eBird:
Jay Keller
Arlington, VA
Location: Riverbend Park
Observation date: 7/4/06
Number of species: 58
Canada Goose 58
Wood Duck 3
Mallard 15
Ring-necked Duck 3
Double-crested Cormorant 4
Great Blue Heron 12
Green Heron 1
Bald Eagle 2
Mourning Dove 18
Black-billed Cuckoo 1
Yellow-billed Cuckoo 4
Chimney Swift 3
Belted Kingfisher 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Downy Woodpecker 4
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 2
Pileated Woodpecker 1
Eastern Wood-Pewee 5
Acadian Flycatcher 3
Great Crested Flycatcher 4
Eastern Kingbird 4
Yellow-throated Vireo 1
Warbling Vireo 1
Red-eyed Vireo 6
Blue Jay 8
American Crow 9
Tree Swallow 5
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 2
Barn Swallow 4
Carolina Chickadee 12
Tufted Titmouse 7
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Carolina Wren 8
House Wren 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 2
Eastern Bluebird 4
Wood Thrush 7
American Robin 9
Northern Mockingbird 2
European Starling 8
Cedar Waxwing 3
Northern Parula 2
Prothonotary Warbler 1
Worm-eating Warbler 1
Ovenbird 2
Scarlet Tanager 4
Eastern Towhee 1
Chipping Sparrow 1
Northern Cardinal 8
Indigo Bunting 9
Red-winged Blackbird 2
Common Grackle 5
Brown-headed Cowbird 5
Orchard Oriole 2
Baltimore Oriole 1
American Goldfinch 8
House Sparrow 4
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