Six people joined me for the weekly walk at Dyke Marsh, sponsored by the
Friends of Dyke Marsh. It was a gorgeous morning for a walk, but migrants (and
birds in general) were scarce. We tallied 54 species in all. We found one
little pocket of warblers that contained 2 black and whites, a magonlia, and a
northern parula. Near the boardwalk we found 2 yellow warblers and 3 palm
warblers. Other highlights were a black tern feeding over the hydrilla mats
off the marina, a sharp shinned hawk, 5 pied billed grebes, a coot, and 5
kingfishers. Also of note were the many, many robins. They were everywhere,
from the picnic area to the end of the boardwalk. We also saw a bright red fox
along the shore towards Hunting Creek.
Here is the list:
pied-billed grebe - 5
double-crested cormorant - 30
great blue heron - 8
great egret - 33
canada goose - 200
mallard - 100 (bald guess)
black duck - 1
northern shoveler - 4
osprey - 2
bald eagle - 1
sharp-shinned hawk - 1
American coot - 1
greater yellowlegs - 2
ring-billed gull - lots
herring gull - 3
laughing gull - 75
Caspian tern - 8
Forster's tern - 25
rock pigeon - 25
mourning dove - 10
chimney swift - 12
ruby-throated hummingbird - 1
belted kingfisher - 5
red-bellied woodpecker -- 3
downy woodpecker - 3
northern flicker - 1
tree swallow - 2
carolina wren - 10
house wren - 1
gray catbird - 9
northern mockingbird - 2
American robin - 300
Carolina chickadee - 6
tufted titmouse - 6
white-breasted nuthatch - 2
blue jay - 15
American crow - 10
fish crow - 1
starling - 100
house sparrow - 6
warbling vireo - 1
house finch - 4
American goldfinch - 5
northern parula - 2
yellow warbler - 2
magnolia warbler - 1
palm warbler - 3
black and white warbler - 2
American redstart - 1
common yellowthroat - 1
northern crdinal - 18
red-winged blackbird - 40
common grackle - 10
Marc Ribaudo
Woodbridge, VA
