Wow! When you're forced to take a particular date because of
previous commitments, you rarely luck out. But we did today. It was
absolutely gorgeous and birdy. The temperature was only 45F at 7:00am
when our group (Tracy, Andy, Gerald, Dan, Dave) assembled. The area
around the parking lot had a trio of Ovenbirds, but we had to wait until
we got back to record our Pine Warbler. But let's take first things
first. Yes, we did have a Swainson's Warbler. The singing bird was
pretty much in the same place it has been for the last several years,
namely about 60% of the way to Lynn Ditch on the north side of the road
not far from the first tree-embedded F&W sign. It was singing clearly,
but not persistently so it really didn't allow a good chance to be seen.
Fear not! It will, as will the other Swainson's Warblers in the
swamp. Today's date represents my latest FOY date for this species in
the last six years. Our group recorded ten other warbler species giving
me my highest warbler species total yet this year. American Restarts
and Northern Parulas were new for me for the swamp this year. We had
some great conversations with Barred Owls as they circled our position,
allowing some brief looks. Yes, the leaves are emerging, making birding
a little more challenging. But then we all like a challenge, don't we?
Most of the warblers were seen, some quite well including an up-close
Hooded Warbler. There were several loud, calling Great Crested
Flycatchers, some courting and calling Red-shouldered Hawks, a nearby
Yellow-throated Vireo. Two surprises were: a couple of Rose-breasted
Grosbeak males, singing softly but not giving their sharp pink call; and
a singing Purple Finch which when we finally tracked it down turned out
to be a female-plumaged bird, a bit of a disappointment. We continued
to find some Rusty Blackbirds, this time mixed with Red-winged
Blackbirds in a flock in which the Red-wings outnumbered the Rusties.
Only two mammals; a white-tailed deer and several gray squirrels.
On the butterfly front we had E. Tiger Swallowtail - 7, Zebra
Swallowtail - 5, azure sp. - 5, Questionmark - 4, E. Comma - 1, Henry's
Elfin - 1, Pearl Crescent - 3, Falcate Orangetip - 8. As usual most of
these butterflies were seen on our way back to the parking lot. With
the temperature rising rapidly I'm sure the butterfly show continued to
improve after we left.
The next walk will leave from the Great Dismal Swamp NWR
headquarters parking lot on Desert Road at 7:30am on Tuesday, April 21,
2015. We'll park and assemble in the parking lot and assess the
weather. If it looks okay, we'll take a walk along Railroad Ditch, then
return to our cars for a ride to Lake Drummond and the burn area. If
the weather is iffy, we'll just drive, getting out of the car as
conditions permit. No reservation is necessary; just show up. Hope
you'll be able to join me.
BTW The Great Dismal Swamp Birding Festival is at the end of next
week, April 23-25, 2015. For information check out their website
http://www.fws.gov/nwrs/threecolumn.aspx?id=2147564299 The event is
free and open to the public, but reservations are needed for the field
trips. Check it out.
Today's complete bird list follows:
Dismal Swamp NWR Washington Ditch, Suffolk, US-VA
Apr 13, 2015 7:11 AM - 11:21 AM
Protocol: Traveling
3.0 mile(s)
42 species
Wood Duck 5
Turkey Vulture 3
Red-shouldered Hawk 3
Barred Owl 5
Red-bellied Woodpecker 5
Downy Woodpecker 4
Hairy Woodpecker 2
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 2
Pileated Woodpecker 3
Great Crested Flycatcher 5
Yellow-throated Vireo 1
Red-eyed Vireo 5
Blue Jay 2
Carolina Chickadee 3
Tufted Titmouse 3
White-breasted Nuthatch 5
Carolina Wren 7
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 4
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1
Hermit Thrush 4
Ovenbird 3
Louisiana Waterthrush 2
Prothonotary Warbler 18
Swainson's Warbler 1
Common Yellowthroat 3
Hooded Warbler 2
American Redstart 5
Northern Parula 4
Pine Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 3
Yellow-throated Warbler 2
Eastern Towhee 3
White-throated Sparrow 5
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) 3
Northern Cardinal 1
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 2 2 males with rosy breasts singing their
pretty robin-like song, white-spotted black wings.
Red-winged Blackbird 40
Rusty Blackbird 15
Common Grackle 1
Brown-headed Cowbird 4
Purple Finch 1 singing female-plumaged bird
American Goldfinch 5
Robert L. Ake
6603 Catherine Street
Norfolk VA 23505
