Friends of Dyke Marsh Sunday Morning Walk;
0745 to 1045 EST
1 to 11 observers;
checking mouth Hunting Creek, Potomac from shore picnic grounds; to S end
marina; then down Haul Rd to N tip platform; return; (~2.2 km, one way)
5 to 9 C; overcast to mostly cloudy; after 1100, scattered clouds, bright sun;
N 20 to 30 km/hr; gusting to 40 km/hr;
sunrise 0636, but no visible sun until after 0900; low tide 1050;
almost no birds on water off Hunting Creek early; some gulls on small exposed
portions of bars then;
many more after 1030;
afterwards, I walked the bike path north to the Stone Bridge and returned down
the W side of the GW Parkway; species and numbers for that extension are
included separately below, although there was considerable overlap with birds
tallied from the picnic grounds;
Canada Goose 28
Tundra Swan 1 not seen around 0800; present along shore S of Stone Bridge
at 1030;
Wood Duck 4
Mallard 42
Bufflehead 3 on river well S of Haul Rd
Red-breasted Merganser 2 pair in marina cove (moving out of N arm)
Pied-billed Grebe 5
Double-crested Cormorant 4
Great Egret 1 along shore S of Stone Bridge 1045;
Osprey 1
Bald Eagle 3 1 2nd year on flats off Hunting Creek @ 0800;
1 im far down river at ~1000;
ad soaring over Hunting Creek E flats at 1030;
Red-tailed Hawk 1 after evidently unsuccessful attempt at grabbing prey
from woods between Haul Rd and marina,
sat perched just W of Haul Rd for 10 min, allowed
approach down to 5 m before it moved off;
American Coot 1 just S of boat ramp;
Ring-billed Gull 470 only 85 off Hunting Creek early; at 1040, numbers up
to 425;
Herring Gull 45 only 15 off Hunting Creek early; up to 35 later;
Great Black-backed Gull 6
Rock Pigeon 4 on bar off mouth Hunting Creek, 0800;
Mourning Dove 12
Red-bellied Woodpecker 9
Downy Woodpecker 6
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Yellow-shafted Flicker 2
Blue Jay 5
American Crow 8
Fish Crow 15
crow sp. 30 most on sand bars off mouth Hunting Creek
Tree Swallow 1 working N into wind over marsh just N of Haul Rd, then
continuing upstream
Carolina Chickadee 19
Tufted Titmouse 8
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Carolina Wren 11
Winter Wren 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 2
American Robin 12
European Starling 35 picnic grounds; marina;
Fox Sparrow (Red) 1 with WTSp along N side brushy area between picnic
grounds and marina access road;
Song Sparrow 34
Swamp Sparrow 3
White-throated Sparrow 21
Slate-colored Junco 12
Red-winged Blackbird 65
Common Grackle 10
American Goldfinch 1 along S side Haul Rd, 50 m W of S platform, on return;
House Sparrow 7 marina
43 species
*** *** ***
1045 to 1135 EST:
Belle Haven Picnic Grounds to Hunting Creek Bridge and return; (1.3 km one way)
1 observer;
8 to 9 C; partly cloudy (scattered clouds between 2.5 & 7.5 km), bright sun; N
24, gust 40; low tide 1050;
Canada Goose 18
Tundra Swan 1 great deal of staining on neck and head
Mallard 8
*Common Merganser 5 in Hunting Creek to W of Stone Bridge; not visible
from BH
Double-crested Cormorant 1
Great Egret 1 along shore to S of Stone Bridge
*Turkey Vulture 1
Bald Eagle 1 soaring about over exposed flats E of Stone Bridge; standing
on debris on bars;
Ring-billed Gull 415
Herring Gull 32
Great Black-backed Gull 6
Rock Pigeon 7
Mourning Dove 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Downy Woodpecker 2
Blue Jay 6
American Crow 3
Fish Crow 5
crow sp. 27
Carolina Chickadee 7
Tufted Titmouse 2
Carolina Wren 3
American Robin 34
*Northern Mockingbird 2
European Starling 40
Song Sparrow 9
White-throated Sparrow 7
Slate-colored Junco 3
Northern Cardinal 5
Red-winged Blackbird 7
Common Grackle 2
*House Finch 4
House Sparrow 4
32 species
[4 (*) not recorded earlier in the morning at Picnic Grounds and Dyke Marsh]
Sherman Suter
Alexandria VA 22307 / Port Republic MD 20676
ssuter aaas org
