While others were looking for Eared Grebes at Dyke Marsh or White-winged
Scoters and Long-tailed Ducks at Pohick Bay, a few of us ventured down to
Quantico to see the waterfowl situation there.
Quantico Creek was perhaps 70 percent frozen, but there was good numbers of
waterfowl concentrated in the open water near the railroad bridge. Almost
all our birds were seen there. The Quantico Marina had a lone Gadwall and 2
Pied-billed Grebes and Chapawamsic Creek hosted over 40 Tundra Swans on the
ice. Nick Nichols spotted a Merlin and we were all delighted to watch it fly
across the airfield. Melina Tye found a Cackling Goose with Canadas under
the railroad bridge and I found an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull along the
Quantico Creek shoreline.
Today's totals
Cackling Goose 1
Canada Goose 493
Tundra Swan 54
Gadwall 341
American Wigeon 9
American Black Duck 36 (mostly near the air facility)
Mallard 22
Northern Pintail 11
Canvasback 115
Redhead 2
Ring-necked Duck 36
Lesser Scaup 2
Bufflehead 50
Hooded Merganser 50
Ruddy Duck 82
Pied-billed Grebe 7
Double-crested Cormorant 61
Great Blue Heron 21 (perched on rocks along the shoreline, a
few on the ice)
American Coot: 300
Others:
Merlin at airfield: 1
Bald Eagle: 40, 28 around the air facility
Red-shouldered Hawk: 1
Ring-billed Gull 181
Herring Gull 1
Lesser Black-backed Gull 1
Great Black-backed Gull 21
Belted Kingfisher 2
Larry Cartwright
prowarbler@xxxxxxxxxxx
