Thank your lovely description of the day. It brings the day to life, for those
of us who couldn't be there.
Nancy
Sent from my iPhone
On May 21, 2017, at 8:07 PM, Lewis Barnett <blbarnett3@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
We had a nice day for the monthly bird walk at Dutch Gap Conservation
Area/Henricus Historical park. I decided to offer an earlier option, walking
the trails that start at the Dutch Gap Boat landing, and had about four
people join in. The trails lead through a more densely forested stretch of
the river with some good damp bottomland, but the thick foliage made for
difficult viewing. We did get looks at a White-eyed Vireo, and there were
several Osprey on three nests visible from the landing itself. We also heard
Blackpoll Warbler, Northern Parula, Yellow-throated Warbler and Prothonotary
Warbler, as well as Acadian Flycatcher, Great Crested Flycatcher and Eastern
Phoebe.
I apologize for confusion about the 8:00 am start for the walk proper. It
turned out that the main gate for the park was open earlier than advertised
yesterday, and several participants ended up waiting in the visitor center
parking lot. Usually the gate isn’t open until 8:00 am or later, so we have
to wait there, and that has become the de facto starting point for these
walks.
The treat of the day came at the first observation platform with long flights
from two Least Bitterns. This species has been present in the marsh for a
number of years, and is suspected to breed there, but actual evidence has
been difficult to come by. Sharp-eyed observer Abby Walter picked out plumage
differences in the two birds that allowed the species to be upgraded from
Possible to Probable breeding status for the Virginia Breeding Bird Atlas in
the Hopewell NW block with the P = Pair in suitable habitat code. We also saw
evidence for breeding for Brown Thrasher (carrying food), European Starling
(fledged young) and Red-winged Blackbird (carrying food), though these were
previously confirmed species for the location. We also had the usual suspects
at this location including Wood Duck, Great Blue Heron, Osprey, Killdeer, and
many Red-winged Blackbirds.
We next walked the trail to the river overlook beyond the historical park. A
lone adult Bald Eagle perched in a tree top across the river, and we were had
some distant views of a Spotted Sandpiper picking through the mud across the
gap. We had good looks at Eastern Wood-pewee, and heard several Acadian
Flycatchers along this segment of the walk. We had singing Yellow-throated
Warbler, Prothonotary Warbler and Common Yellowthroat, and got brief looks at
a Magnolia Warbler.
The trails behind the visitor’s center were fairly productive. There were
good scope views of a first year male Orchard Oriole perched and singing in a
snag. We heard a number of singing Prothonotary Warblers and Yellow-throated
Warblers, but views were hard to come by. We had up-close looks at a calm
Great Blue Heron along the Sycamore Spur trail, and fly-by views of Green
Heron and Great Egret. The puzzle of the day came as Brian Turner and I were
walking back to the parking lot - an unfamiliar sparrow perched on the barbed
wire fence line. We ran through the usual suspects and rejected them all,
briefly considered Dickcissel, which had been seen recently across the river
at Shirley, but remained stumped. Kudos for the ID to Janice Frye - she was
doing point counts for the VABBA and stopped to chat as I was on my way out
of the park. After my verbal description, she quickly homed in on Grasshopper
Sparrow. While not unusual in the area, it was the first time I had
encountered that species in that spot.
—
Lewis Barnett
blbarnett3@xxxxxxxxx
eBird Checklists:
http://ebird.org/ebird/atlasva/view/checklist/S37009740 ;(Drewry’s Bluff SE
priority Atlas block)
http://ebird.org/ebird/atlasva/view/checklist/S37009764 ;(Hopewell NW Atlas
block) - marsh side
http://ebird.org/ebird/atlasva/view/checklist/S37009806 ;(Dutch Gap SW Atlas
block) - river overlook
http://ebird.org/ebird/atlasva/view/checklist/S37009817 ;(Hopewell NW Atlas
block) - lagoon side
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