We certainly dodged the raindrops this morning. Rain fell all the way
from Norfolk to Jericho Ditch Lane, but then stopped as I approached the
entrance gate which was still down. The gate opened at 7:01am. The
temperature at that time was 44F but there was virtually no wind. Rexanne,
Tracy, Jayne, and Carol joined me. I decided at that point since the
weather was a bit iffy to drive Jericho Ditch Lane with frequent stops to
check out the birds while seeing what the weather would decide to do. It
was a good strategy. We had firsts for the year in the swamp along the way
that included Green Heron, Prothonotary Warbler, and Hooded Warbler.
Several groups of Rusty Blackbirds squeaked and sat high up in trees where
they could be seen well. Many Common Yellowthroats and Carolina Wrens were
calling. No Louisiana Waterthrush nor Swainson's Warbler was heard at
locations where I usually have them. When we parked at the end of the
road, it was obvious why we locals call this location "Prairie Warbler
Corner." These were just the first of a succession of singing birds we
heard all the way along the south extension of Jericho Ditch. Other
warblers heard singing along the way included Palm, Orange-crowned, and
Black-and-white. Two Hermit Thrushes sang their beautiful flutey song. We
did see one distant Wild Turkey down Lynn Ditch. We could not confirm a
Red-shouldered Hawk although there were many sound-alike calls probably
from Blue Jays. Even though we scanned all the little twigs jutting out
from the leafless trees, we saw no hummingbird. Since I believe the
blooming of the yellow jasmine to be necessary for the hummingbirds to set
up in the swamp, and since the jasmine was just beginning to open, I'm
expecting to see my first swamp hummer next week.
American Redstarts and Northern Parulas are definitely around
although we didn't have any this morning. They are, however, more likely
to be found along Washington Ditch than Jericho so I expect we'll find them
next week. We could have heard Wood Thrush, Great Crested Flycatcher, and
Yellow-throated Vireo but they will have to wait until a later swamp walk.
Birds we could encounter next week for the first time other than those
mentioned above as misses include Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Eastern Wood-Pewee,
Eastern Kingbird, Red-eyed Vireo, Northern Waterthrush, Summer Tanager, and
Indigo Bunting. Some of these have already been seen or heard elsewhere.
And I feel very sure that we will hear and perhaps see a Swainson's Warbler
next week. I'm guessing someone will hear one before then.
My schedule for next week is tight, my only open date is Monday. So
I'm going to schedule the walk for Monday, April 13, 2015 leaving the
Washington Ditch parking lot at 7:00am. No reservation is necessary; just
show up. It's Thomas Jefferson's birthday. The complete bird list for
today's walk is given below. We saw no mammals or butterflies today.
Dismal Swamp NWR Jericho Ditch, Suffolk, US-VA
Apr 9, 2015 6:54 AM - 11:12 AM
Protocol: Traveling
4.2 mile(s) half by car along Jericho Ditch Lane, half walking south along
Jericho Ditch
37 species
Wood Duck 4
Wild Turkey 1
Great Egret 2
Green Heron 1
Turkey Vulture 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker 5
Downy Woodpecker 7
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 2
Pileated Woodpecker 4
White-eyed Vireo 5
Blue Jay 5
Carolina Chickadee 3
Tufted Titmouse 3
White-breasted Nuthatch 2
Carolina Wren 17
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 9 My goodness they were bugling up a storm. It
seemed we were never very far from a singing kinglet.
Eastern Bluebird 1
Hermit Thrush 2 Beautiful songs from these two. No Wood Thrush
encountered.
American Robin 2
Gray Catbird 2
Ovenbird 4
Black-and-white Warbler 2
Prothonotary Warbler 6 Got to see the first of the year air tussles
between sparring males.
Orange-crowned Warbler 2 First bird was singing the somewhat weak
trill that falls in pitch at the end. The second bird was seen well.
Yellow green, diffuse streaks on belly, broken eyering, brightest yellow
under tail.
Common Yellowthroat 8
Hooded Warbler 3
Palm Warbler 1 Singing
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 2
Prairie Warbler 13 Many were seen very well.
Eastern Towhee 3
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) 2
Northern Cardinal 2
Rusty Blackbird 100 Several groups seen along Jericho Ditch Lane,
largest was 60 birds. Many were perched allowing good looks, white eye,
thin bill, slightly longer and more rounded tail than redwing.
Common Grackle 4
Brown-headed Cowbird 10 Probably more; they were squeaking and
rattling up a storm while flying to and fro.
American Goldfinch 1
--
Robert L. Ake
6603 Catherine Street
Norfolk VA 23505
