A few additions Bart's post: At Huntley at about 6 a.m. (4/13) I heard 2
pairs and one single barred owl calling close enough in time from
sufficiently different directions that I think they were 5 individual birds.
Other interesting birds: only 5 heron sp. (we missed Sue's black-crowneds); 2
or 3 female hooded mergs; the views of the snipe were better than any I've
had to date -- what beautiful birds; 2 pileateds flying across the marsh; 3
thrashers; my frist gnatcatchers of the year (at least 7); ditto
yellowthroats (at least 3); 1 chipping sp.; at least 25 swamp (outnumbering
all other sparrow combined). None birds: a spotted turtle, a 10-inch plus
red-eared slider, the usual amorous snappers, 2 muskrat, and 1 beaver.
On Sunday, I walked the Haul Road from 5:45 to 8:15. The highlights were
more mammals: a pair of foxes working the marsh south of the peninsula (one
of which crossed the stream about 6 feet from me (at the foot of the bridge),
followed shortly thereafter by a possum ambling west down the path. Had I
not cleared my throat when he was 3 feet away, I am convinced he would have
walked right into my leg. I got video of both of the mammals (I bring my
digital camcorder with me sometimes to experiment with videodigiscoping).
There were birds too. In addition to what the weekly walk saw, I had a
great-horned owl vocalizing regularly from 6:00 to 6:30 -- by the sound of it
from the same location described by Kurt (west of the Parkway). While I was
listing to the GHO, I saw an owl perch in a tree in the same direction,
clearly a different bird. In the twilight, all I could make out was a rough
silhouette, but I saw no tufts, so I'm guessing barred. Also, 3 ruddy ducks,
2 wood ducks (and one of the 3 scaup looked a bit odd -- it's back was so
dark that at first I mistook it for a ring-neck (but it wasn't Firestone),
and it had a small, rectangular white patch just above the back of the right
wing), 1 great egret, 1 hermit thrush right by the beginning of the Haul
Road, 3 catbirds (including a pair that were migrants, not our winter
resident). Perhaps most interesting was a bird in the marsh on the north
side opening past the bridge. It was actively moving through the top of the
reeds. I got poor looks, but it weemed dull brown, with a curved bill, and
an eye-stripe. I heard no vocalization, but I immediately thought marsh
wren. It seems awfully early, and I didn't get a sufficient look to be
confident. I suggest others keep an eye and ear out.
Finally, I quick trip to Hunting Creek netted at least 55 Caspian terns, on
the flat, 3 yellowleg sp., 19 red-breasted mergs, and a chipping sparrow in
the parking lot. 5 groups of laughing gulls streamed by in non-stealth mode,
totaling about 105 birds.
In White Oaks Park this week, yellow-rump, ruby-crowned kinglet, hermit
thrush, blue-headed vireo, and chipping sparrow numbers were building. I've
had bluebirds singing twice this week -- I only had them once before in 5
years. I also had a flock of laughing gulls on Sunday right after leaving
Hunting Creek -- there must have been some kind of major movement going on.
Sorry for droning on so.
Ben Jesup
Alexandria, VA
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