VA BIRDers,
I visited a few locations along the Potomac River near Fort Hunt and at
Riverside Park the highlight was a Baltimore Oriole that perched, albeit
briefly, in a young tree just across from the Riverside Park parking area
near the Potomac River's edge. Also notable at this location were well over
200 Cedar Waxwings - plus many crows, starlings, a few yellow-rumps, some
cardinals, a few robins and a couple of white-throats. It was wonderful.
The other highlights today were Gray Catbird and Brown Thrasher at Fort Hunt
Park. These were found in the tangled brush near the last ball field as you
travel the park road after it becomes one way. Also notable at Ft Hunt Park
were Red-headed WPs (at least 7), Rusty Blackbirds (15) and Brown-headed
Cowbirds (11).
I visited a few other nearby parking lots along GW Parkway (Collingwood,
Potomac overlook, Waynewood, and River Farms Rd pullout and came across
Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, Brown Creepers, Winter Wrens, both kinglets,
Hermit Thrush, Yellow-rumped Warblers, and Eastern Towhees - which was a
fairly productive day considering it was on and off wet!
Kurt Gaskill
