Birders!
All winter I watched a half dozen empty Oriole nests (reinforced with blue
fish line) in the Accotink Bay/Warren Rd. Recreation Area on Ft. Belvoir. I
didn't know which species to expect, but this week the birds arrived, and they
are Orchard Orioles. And just like all of the nesting Ospreys in the area, the
Orioles are highly tolerant of the people driving by, picnicking, fishing,
shouting, and jogging obliviously beneath them (they are also undeterred by the
pair of porto-potties immediately beneath them!).
Late this afternoon, another birder and I watched the Orioles flying
constantly from one tree to another in a relatively tight cluster of four
trees. I'm not sure how many there are, but I estimate maybe 8 to 12 in the
colony. In 15 minutes time, we observed two males fluttering their stuff at
each other maybe 3 feet apart (a spectacular display of color!), two adult
females together, and two first-summer females together (with noticeable black
throats), and countless single birds zipping to and fro.
If you'd like a map (pdf or PowerPoint) and instructions for getting on
Ft. Belvoir, send me an email.
Bill McGovern
Alexandria
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