Jason Waanders, Philip Kline, and I did some scouting for the Birding Dads'
Fairfax County Big Day today. We started at Bull Run Post Office Rd. at
5:15, then to the Upper Occoquan Water Treatment Plant, Burke Lake, Lorton,
and Mason Neck (Great Marsh Trail only), finishing around 1 p.m. Highlights
were nocturnal birds (whips, woodcock, SEOW and screech) and sparrows
(grasshopper and savannah) at BRPO Rd., water birds at the middle stops, and
raptors throughout. (At the risk of being a downer, driving from BRPO Rd.
down through Clifton, Lorton, and Mason neck is a real eye-opener: Habitat
about to be destroyed (much of Lorton, and the field with the grasshopper and
savannah sparrows on BRPO Rd. is already 1/3 gone, with a sign proudly
declaring the future "Fields of Dreams" double digit ballfields), hanging on
but likely to be gone in 10 years (much of Compton Rd.), or recently
obliterated by "single family homes from the mid-400s." The only bright spot
is Meadowwood, and, frankly, it pales in comparison to everything that is
being lost. Support the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust, or anyone else
who can help save even a sliver of the county. Sorry, end of sermon.)
83 species listed below.
pied-billed grebe 1 UOWTP
red-necked grebe 1 UOWTP
cormorant 100+ Burke (interesting behaviors: they were in a raft almost as
tight
as coots, the birds in the front diving and flapping (apparently
bathing); later
many birds swam along with their wings outstretched, as if they were
perched)
ruddy duck 3+ Burke
Canada goose
wood duck UOWTP/Great Marsh
gadwall 2 UOWTP
mallard
(lesser?) scaup 1 female UOWTP
(red-breasted?) mergs 3 female Burke
great blue heron
black vulture 2
turkey vulture
bald eagle 2
Cooper's hawk 1 Burke
red-shouldered 1
broad-winged 2 over gas station near Clifton
red-tailed 4+ Lorton
kestrel 3+ BRPO
woodcock 3+ BRPO
spotted sandpiper 12+ (84 by Philip's count) UOWTP
greater yellowlegs 1 Great Marsh
killdeer 1 BRPO
ring-billed gull
Caspian tern 2 UOWTP
Forster's tern 2 Great Marsh
common loon 2 Burke
rock dove
mourning dove
screech owl 1 BRPO
short-eared owl 1 BRPO (seen several time quartering the usual field -- I'm
surprised
it's still here this late)
whips 2
swift
kingfisher 1 Burke
red-bellied WP
downy
flicker
pileated
phoebe 2
kingbird 3
blue jay
American crow
fish crow
white-eyed vireo 1 BRPO
red-eyed vireo 2 Great Marsh
bluebird
wood thrush 2 BRPO
robin
catbird 2
mocker
thrasher 3
starling
nuthatch
Carolina wren
gnatcatcher
tree swallow
barn swallow
rough-winged 1
RC kinglet 2 (singing)
chickadee
titmouse
goldfinch
parula 5 Great Marsh
yellow warbler 1 Burke
yellow-rumped 25
prairie 10 (mostly BRPO)
prothonotary 1 Great Marsh
ovenbird 3
LA H2Othrush 1 (driving near Clifton)
yellowthroat 3?
song sparrow
white-throated
savannah 1 BRPO
grasshopper 2+ BRPO/Lorton (the site formerly known as the Nike Site)
chipping
field sparrow (lots)
towhee (lots)
cardinal
orchard oriole
red-wing BB
meadowlark
grackle
cowbird
Ben Jesup
Alexandria
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