VA BIRDers,
A wonderful day with puffy clouds, low humidity and a bit of breeze met the
3 people who joined me for the Sunday morning Field Trip at Dyke Marsh, and
open to all comers for these past 18 or so years. The beginning of August
can be a tough time to go birding although today we tried hard to break
history! Highlight was the Osprey show where the fledged birds flew about
and showed their flying abilities and, occasionally, fishing prowess.
We started in the picnic area where we watched many Forster's Terns diving
here and there and a Bald Eagle perched on a bit of driftwood watching it
all with hardly a yawn. Hatch year Laughing Gulls were evident here and
there with the adults as well as a single Pied-billed Grebe. Great Egrets
posted up nicely at the beginning (the tide was high early AM) on the
pilings near Port O'Veccio and we counted 51 at the beginning of the trip.
We were nicely surprised with an Eastern Phoebe sallying forth in the picnic
area from a Mullberry Tree - not a breeder at Dyke so migrant is the likely
designation for this bird. A Warbling Vireo gave its "race car" noise but
we were unable to find it. Yet, the best sighting in this area may have
been an Orchard Oriole at the top of a Zelkovia Tree.
The walk down Haul Road produced several Yellow Warblers and a few
Hummingbirds. We noted a several Eastern Kingbirds - we saw more on the
dogleg near the marsh. A Great Crested Flycatcher flew by and later we
heard one and later still another was perched on a limb near the trail.
Swallows over the bay near the marina were mainly Barn but one Northern
Rough-winged was south of the dogleg. Three Marsh Wren called from the
island and the adjacent marsh and one actually flew over the cattails
briefly while it sang. A few Common Yellowthroats still sang and one came
into pishing. Two adult Bald Eagles flew by and the Osprey showed due
concern. Lastly, a Baltimore Oriole was noted over the trail as we hiked
south.
Altogether we tallied a bit over 50 species. Later that day (after 630pm) I
visited the Stone Bridge overlook as the tide was lower then. I added quite
a few species for my short stay, to wit:
Wood Duck adult female with 7 chicks (chicks noted 2 weeks ago and were
about 1 week old then (Nice job mama!)
Blue-winged Teal 1, there may be more but I ran out of time to study the 90+
ducks out on the SAV
Little Blue Heron 1, hatch year
Killdeer 6
Greater Yellowlegs 2
Semipalmated Sandpiper 2
Least Sandpiper 15
Pectoral Sandpiper 1
(no sign of the Semipalmated Plovers from yesterday)
and one Great Black-backed Gull
Kurt Gaskill
