Eight birders attended the weekly walk at Dyke Marsh, sponsored by the Friends
of Dyke Marsh. It was a beautiful morning, and we finished before the heat set
in. For the most part birding was rather slow-paced. Some species were
calling attention to themselves but many are busy with nestlings rather than
doing a lot of singing. We did find some really good birds, however. Off the
picnic area was a juvenile canvasback. Who knows where it came from. A
black-bellied plover was on the sandbar off Hunting Towers. While we were one
the boardwalk a least bittern flew overhead, crossed the channel and landed in
the southern marsh. A nice sighting, pointed out by Larry Cartwright, was an
easily viewed, eye-level yellow warbler nest with at least 3 young. We watched
as the male visited with a beakful of insects, singing without missing a beat.
We also heard one marsh wren. We tallied 51 species in all.
Here is the list:
Canada goose – 250
tundra swan – 1 (continuing on)
wood duck – 1
mallard – 30
canvasback – 1
least bittern – 1
great blue heron – 17
great egret – 5
osprey – 14
bald eagle – 1
black-bellied plover – 1
killdeer – 1
ring-billed gull – 9
mourning dove – 3
chimney swift – 5
belted kingfisher – 1
red-bellied woodpecker – 3
downy woodpecker – 4
eastern wood-pewee – 1
eastern phoebe – 1
great crested flycatcher – 1
eastern kingbird – 6
warbling vireo – 3
red-eyed vireo – 1
blue jay – 3
fish crow – 6
northern rough-winged swallow – 2
purple martin – 12 (building nests under the osprey nest in the marina)
tree swallow – 2
barn swallow – 7
Carolina chickadee – 8
tufted titmouse – 6
white-breasted nuthatch – 5
Carolina wren – 10
marsh wren – 1
blue-gray gnatcatcher – 1
American robin – 10
northern mockingbird – 1
European starling – 10
yellow warbler – 6
common yellowthroat – 2
song sparrow – 2
northern cardinal – 8
indigo bunting – 1
red-winged blackbird – 20
common grackle – 14
brown-headed cowbird – 2
orchard oriole – 3
house finch – 4
American goldfinch – 8
house sparrow – 8
Marc Ribaudo
Woodbridge
