VA-Birders,
We explored a few nearby roads in the southeast tip of Gloucester County this
afternoon. We had sunny skies and temperatures in the upper 50s, so it was a
great day to be outdoors. This is a low-lying, coastal area, with the Severn
River to the north, Mobjack Bay to the east, and York River to the south.
Almost every road in this area leads to the water. The only one listed on the
VA Coastal Wildlife guide for the Gloucester County Loop is #7, the end of
Maryus Road (Rt 649). The only interesting birds there were a group of six
HOODED MERGANSERS that flew off as soon as we approached.
Two other roads are actually better, if you ever want to visit. Brown's Bay
Road had:
1 Horned Grebe
2 Ruddy Duck
1 Northern Harrier
2 Eastern Bluebird
1 Song Sparrow
15+ Yellow-rumped Warbler
King's Creek Road is great because it parallels a creek before ending at a nice
turn-around on the Severn River. On the creek we had another group of 9 HOODED
MERGANSERS and along the road to the river we had SWAMP SPARROW, 7 more EASTERN
BLUEBIRD and many more YELLOW RUMPS. We saw the following on the river:
15 Dunlin (in flight)
5 Tundra Swan
300+ Ruddy Duck
10 Bufflehead
6 Common Loon
We were a bit disappointed not to have more species of waterfowl, but we
enjoyed what we did find!
As we approached our driveway, we saw 2,000+ COMMON GRACKLES land in a nearby
corn field. Quite a sight!
Meredith Bell
Hayes, VA
