Hi Virginia Birders,
On Sunday from 5:12 to 10:15 AM on Sunday June 23
I did the USGS Breeding Bird Survey that goes
from Taylorstown through Waterford, Paeonian
Springs, and Leesburg and finishes up just beyond
the entrances to Banshee Reeks and Dulles
Greenway Wetlands Mitigation Site. In a USGS
BBS, count-points are 1/2 mile apart along roads.
At each point every bird seen or heard during the
three minute count period is noted. This doesn't
get everything but it is still useful when
compared over the years since all surveys are
done using the same procedure and each route
always has the same sites done in the same order.
Most of the sites are old farmland, some of which
is now being converted to large acreage house
lots. The route passes through a couple small
patches of woods but there is very little
woodland along the route. Leesburg sprawl
definitely seems to be having an effect on the
bird populations when the data is compared with
results over the last few decades.
You might be interested in seeing other results
at the USGS BBS website
http://www.mp2-pwrc.usgs.gove/bbs/
Here are my results from this year. The first
number is the total seen in the 50 stops. The
second number is the % of sites which had this
species.
The most abundant bird was starling, the most
widely distributed was American Crow. It's nice
to see that there are still bobwhites,
meadowlarks, grasshopper sparrows, and blue
grosbeaks around. The prettiest section is
probably Loyalty Road between Taylorstown and
Waterford. This section is where I had singing
bobolink and dickcissel, one record each in the
past 5 years (but not this year). The highest
numbers of grasshopper sparrows, bobwhites, and
meadowlarks are also in that section.
Great Blue Heron 1/2
Green Heron 1/2
Black Vulture 2/4
Turkey Vulture 10/8
Canada Goose 35/4
Mallard 3/4
American Kestrel 3/4
Bobwhite 7/10
Killdeer 3/4
Rock Dove 15/14
Mourning Dove 38/52
Yellow-billed Cuckoo 1/2
Chimney Swift 14/16
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1/2
Red-bellied Woodpecker 13/24
Downy Woodpecker 14/22
Hairy Woodpecker 2/2
Flicker 5/8
Wood Pewee 7/12
Willow Flycatcher 2/4
Eastern Phoebe 7/12
Great Crested Flycatcher3/6
Eastern Kingbird 13/22
WHite-eyed Vireo 1/2
Yellow-throated Vireo 2/4
Warbling Vireo 3/6
Red-eyed Vireo 4/6
Blue Jay 25/32
American Crow 95/84
Fish Crow 4/8
Purple Martin 2/4
Tree Swallow 2/4
Rough Winged Swallow 4/6
Barn Swallow 75/38
Carolina Chickadee 16/22
Tufted Titmouse 29/42
White-breasted Nuthatch 3/6
Carolina Wren 29/38
House Wren 24/36
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 6/12
Eastern Bluebird 30/32
Wood Thrush 9/8
American Robin 62/44
Catbird 63/54
Mockingbird 70/68
Brown Thrasher 7/10
Starling 124/46
Cedar Waxwing 6/8
Prairie Warbler 3/6
Ovenbird 1/2
Yellow Warbler 4/6
Common Yellowthroat 13/14
Yellow-breasted Chat 1/2
Scarlet Tanager 2/4
Towhee 11/20
Chipping Sparrow 50/52
Field Sparrow 25/34
Grasshopper Sparrow 18/16
Song Sparrow 43/52
Cardinal 92/66
Blue Grosbeak 7/12
Indigo Bunting 33/46
Meadowlark 30/30
Red-winged Blackbird 65/40
Common Grackle 51/42
Cowbird 7/14
Orchard Oriole 5/10
Baltimore Oriole 1/2
House Finch 20/18
American Goldfinch 48/58
House Sparrow 35/24
I'm off to Cape Cod pretty soon.8-)
All the best
Fred Atwood
=====
Frederick D. Atwood fredatwood@xxxxxxxxx
Flint Hill School, 10409 Academic Dr, Oakton, VA 22124
703-242-1675
http://www.agpix.com/fredatwood
http://www.flinthill.org
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