Folks,
*Quick Notes*
Great Dismal Swamp NWR (Washington Ditch) - 10:00 AM - 2:15 PM -
Prothonotary Warblers, American Redstarts, Prairie Warblers, heard Northern
Parula and Ovenbirds. FOY Winter Wren, FOY Wild Turkey. Leaves have really
popped up since last week (see comparison shot at link below).
*Outing Photographs*
*http://www.rbnature.com/galleries/we-20150412/
<http://www.rbnature.com/galleries/we-20150412/>*
*Last Week's Recap*
*http://www.rbnature.com/blog/we-20150405
<http://www.rbnature.com/blog/we-20150405>*
*Full Outing Details*
With several days of rain during the week, and now sunny skies the past 2
days, the trees are really starting to look green around the region. I went
out to the Great Dismal Swamp NWR this morning and arrived about 10 AM to
find only one other vehicle present, with a pair of bikers heading off down
the trail. In the parking area, I encountered some *Blue-gray Gnatcatcher*
overhead, and a *Dark-eyed Junco* that posed for a photograph on one of the
wooden railings. Heading down the Washington Ditch Trail, the first mile
was pretty quiet, with just a few *Prothonotary Warblers* calling from both
sides of the ditch. Once I reached the Lynn Ditch Trail junction, the birds
started showing themselves a lot more. The water elevation gauge at the
weir read 20.82 feet today, down from the 20.97 feet it was on Good Friday
last week. Over the gurgling sound of the moving water, I could hear a pair
of *American Redstarts* (first of year birds), singing, and soon put eyes
on a female, then the male, snapping a few photographs as well.
Prothonotary Warblers have really arrived to the park now, and could be
heard singing the entire length of the trail. I saw probably 15-20 birds,
and heard far more along the 10 mile hike. I had forgotten just how
difficult they can be to track down after hearing them though, since
they're such small birds, and with the sunlight streaming in at me from the
east, it was tough on the trip out to pick them out. *Belted Kingfishers*
were also plentiful today along the ditch, with individuals hunting over
the ditch on their length of territory. Interestingly, not one of them
cackled at me as it flew off, and I spooked at least half a dozen of them
today. No grebes were seen this outing, so the Horned Grebe I saw last
Friday must have moved onward from the swamp. At about the 3 mile mark in
the trail heading eastward, I spotted a dark blob about a half mile ahead
move out onto the trail, and with binoculars raised, could tell that it was
a *Wild Turkey* (another FOY bird). As I approached it moved back to the
north side of the trail, and so when I reached the spot, I stopped to see
if it was still in close enough to spot. After a minute of so of looking, I
was just about to move on, when it exploded out from the brush about 10
feet away, rose up in elevation, and flew off northward over the treetops.
The sound of wings hitting brush made me jump off the ground, and I stood
there helpless as it disappeared, camera still in hand.
Shortly thereafter, the bikers that had gone to Lake Drummond passed me on
their way back to the parking area, mentioning that they'd seen a log with
16 turtles situated on it. Turtles were indeed all over along the ditch
once I hit about mile 2. In the final mile of the trail before Lake
Drummond, *Prairie Warblers* were heard calling their signature ascending
series of rapid notes that decrease in length. I finally put both my eyes,
and my camera on one up in the treetops, though it was quite high up. Also,
a second one showed up very low in the brush, but I was unable to manually
focus it fast enough as it moved through the branches. Nearby, I could hear
a *White-eyed Vireo* calling, but was unable to spot it. The last mile was
absolutely covered in Zebra Swallowtails also, with Tiger Swallowtails, and
Black Swallowtails also being present. The insects are definitely out now,
though I didn't encounter any biting flies. Six-spotted Tiger Beetles were
seen along the trail as well, showing their beautiful turquoise colored
bodies off (see photo at link above). With the sunny skies, and just some
whispy clouds, the view over Lake Drummond was a gorgeous one today, and
one boat was out on the water taking advantage. After a few minute stop to
enjoy the view, I turned around and headed westward down the trail. My
first encounter was at the first bend, where a Dark-eyed Junco was flitting
about in the lower branches, and a *Song Sparrow* was also seen just down
the way. More American Redstarts showed themselves in the first mile, and
also a *Common Yellowthroat* in nearly the same spot as I'd seen one last
Friday. Prairie Warblers continued to call, as did Prothonotary Warblers.
This farthest mile is really a wealth of birds, and I think most folks
don't walk all the way out there, making it a very special area for me. *Wood
Ducks* were seen in multiple spots on the way back, taking quickly to the
air before I even saw them on the water in the flooded trees. One of the
neater sightings I had on the day was when a White-tailed Deer was seen
running along the north of the trail, moving off through the swamp. I
believe this is the first deer I've seen, especially this far out in the
swamp, though I'm sure there are tons of them out there.
The Belted Kingfishers continued to be seen, and also a few stray
flocks of *Rusty
Blackbirds* could be seen. For as many as I saw, they're quite difficult to
actually get photographs of. They stick close to the water, in thick brush,
and their coloring also make them a tough target for photography. The black
feathering makes details difficult to capture, even in good light like I
had today. In the shallow puddles along the north side of the trail, at
least 4 Spotted Turtles were seen, but in every case, they took to the
water just as I was focusing my lens on them. One of these days, I'll get a
good shot of them though, I've seen them in the same spots twice in a row
now. Near the turtles, at about mile 2 (measured from the parking area), a
large Black Racer was seen sliding along the trail, then disappearing into
a hole. I've seen a number of Ratsnakes and Racers in the park, but never a
Cottonmouth. I wonder how many of them are out there, it seems like a great
habitat for them afterall. One *Great Blue Heron* was seen rising out of
the ditch at about mile 1.5, but this was the only wading bird sighted on
the day. When I hit the Lynn Ditch Trail junction, I started running into
other hikers, and several couples passed me on their way eastward, but none
appeared to be birding. When I reached the junction with the boardwalk
trail, I turned right onto it, and moved in on a bird I could hear calling
from the canopy. The call was that of a Northern Parula, but after about 10
minutes of searching, I was unable to locate the bird. I ran into a pair of
birders here, one from Virginia, and one from Oregon, who said they'd
spotted a Black-and-White Warbler and a Palm Warbler along the boardwalk.
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to re-spot these two species, but, I was able
to find a tiny *Winter Wren*, my first on the year, rummaging through the
leaves on the forest floor just off the boardwalk. That bird turned out to
be the final bird of the outing, though I did see a lot more Tiger Beetles,
and even a couple of skinks running through the ground litter, the first
I've seen on the year. It was a great weekend for hiking, and I loved
seeing the warblers of the swamp again, it is truly a magical place to hike
during the month of April! If you haven't ever been, now is the time to go
check it out!
Rob Bielawski
Virginia Beach, VA
www.rbnature.com
