This is my first year birding in Virginia, and first time at Riverbend
Park. Spent over 4 hours along the trails-- best locations were the stream
along Witch Hazel Bluff and the very small pond in the middle of Conn's
Farm Meadow, where over a dozen species came to drink within 30 minutes.
Highlights include a Pied-Billed Grebe, (near riverbank, dove underwater as
soon as I approached), FOS pair of Dark-eyed Juncos, 11 American Coots in
the center of the Potomac, a Mute Swan swimming in a group of Canada Geese
and many Black-throated Blues at close range in understory.
*One thrush I could not identify was eating the purple berries of a
callicarpa shrub just outside the nature center. It had spots that did not
descend as far down as a wood thrush, and I wasn't able to see its tail or
evaluate color due to dense shade.
12:30-5pm
39 species
Canada Goose 28
Mute Swan 1
Mallard 10
Pied-billed Grebe 1
DC Cormorant 10
GB Heron 3
Turkey Vulture 1
RT Hawk 2
American Coot 11
RB Woodpecker 6
Downy Woodpecker 5
Hairy Woodpecker 2
N Flicker 4
E Wood-pewee 2
E Phoebe 3
Blue Jay 10
American Crow 4
Carolina Chickadee 8
Tufted Titmouse 16
WB Nuthatch 6
Carolina Wren 8
GC Kinglet 1
RC Kinglet 5
E Bluebird 2
Gray Catbird 1
Common YT 5
N Parula 2
Magnolia W 1
Black-throated Blue W 6
Palm W 4
Y-R W 4
Black-throated Green W 2
E Towhee 3
Song Sparrow 2
Swamp Sparrow 3
W-Th Sparrow 12
Dark-eyed Junco 2
N Cardinal 5
American Goldfinch 6
*Thrush species 1
Keith Maley
Arlington, VA
keith.maley@xxxxxxxxx
