VA BIRDers,
The strong winds had passed by Sunday morning and 5 participants saw calm
Potomac River waters off the Dyke Marsh picnic area. This Field Trip is
sponsored by the Friends of Dyke Marsh (for the last 18 yrs or so), meets at
8am Sundays except during CBC season and is open to all visitors. Typical
early winter species were found this past Sunday (49 species were tallied)
and highlights were divers, raptors, the big American Coot raft, Wilson's
Snipe, Brown Creeper, Winter Wren, and Rusty Blackbirds.
We began near where the picnic area meets the Potomac and noted a decided
lack of dabblers although a few divers could be easily seen including Common
Loon, Bufflehead, Common Merganser and Ruddy Duck. The big American Coot
raft, ca. 500-strong, was nearby and we would watch and hear them scurry
across the water from place to place, feeding on the remaining SAV
vegetation just below the river's surface. Overhead, a Sharp-shinned Hawk
positioned himself (or was it herself?) at the top of a tree next to us,
scanning the picnic area for easy pickin's. We noted the typical 4 gull
species in Hunting Creek Bay but the terns were gone - migration has moved
nearly all of these south. On the Osprey nest platform, 2 adult Bald Eagles
took positions. Near the parking lot, a large Common Grackle flock was
moving about - later the flock would move into the marsh.
Our walk down Haul Road began with a calling Red-shouldered Hawk and large
numbers of American Goldfinch - diligent searching did not produce other
associate species. Nearby a calling Brown Creeper got our attention and we
set bins upon it. Mid-way down Haul Road we heard and then saw a Winter
Wren do its best to call our attention. The bird spent a few minutes
energetically calling and doing up-and-down bobbing antics, and then it
dived for cover and went silent, despite our many efforts to re-ignite its
display. We spot 2 Wilson's Snipe flying about over the little lagoon,
diving for cover in the brown marsh grass just to the north of dogleg of
Haul Road. As we continue down the road, we spot representatives of the
usual winter sparrows - Song and White-throated. As we near the marsh, we
hear a few Swamp Sparrows.
The dogleg produced many American Robins plus Red-winged Blackbirds and
passing by grackles. A large group of Eurasian Starlings were moving about
here - about 500-strong. The starling flock opened up and we noted a
Cooper's Hawk diving through it. At the end of the trail we watch foraging
sparrows and Red-winged Blackbirds. An odd-calling blackbird brings our
attention to the top of a tree where a Rusty Blackbird - completely "rusty"
in appearance - did its best to sing above all the other blackbirds.
Kurt Gaskill
