VA Birders:
I led an Audubon Naturalist Society "Spring Early Bird" group on a
very pleasant morning walk at Dyke Marsh, Fairfax County, and the
adjacent Bell Haven Picnic area on Saturday, April 18th.
Warbler watching was pretty slow, but we had a few Yellow-rumps and
two yellow Palm Warblers. Best small bird was a singing BLUE-HEADED
VIREO. Ruby-crowned Kinglets flitted around everywhere; most were
singing small snatches of their regular song. Blue-gray Gnatcatchers
also were conspicuous -- we had 16 and found two nests being worked
on by birds. We saw at least 8 CASPIAN TERNS and two groups of
LAUGHING GULLS numbering about a dozen each, very noisy and for some
reason flying to the south. One participant spotted for us, aptly, a
nice SPOTTED SANDPIPER in attractive spotted breeding plumage.
Off the Belle Haven picnic area there were 6 late BUFFLEHEAD,
numerous Double-crested Cormorants (which have been migrating through
our area in large numbers the past few days) and, perhaps ominously,
2 MUTE SWANS.
There were numerous Osprey around, and we saw 3-4 nests. This is
just a great area to see this now delightfully common bird.
Swallows were surprisingly few in number -- lots of Tree Swallows but
only one Barn and a single CHIMNEY SWIFT.
After the formal trip had finished, a few of us stopped off at the
mouth of Hunting Creek just south of Alexandria and added a beautiful
alternate-plumaged GREATER YELLOWLEGS to our day list.
Good Birding
Mike Bowen
Bethesda, MD
ANS and MOS
D.H. Michael Bowen
8609 Ewing Drive
Bethesda, MD 20817
Telephone: (301) 530-5764
e-mail: dhmbowenATyahooDOTcom
