VA BIRDers,
I birded Huntley Meadows Park today doing the "Big Circuit;" from the
Visitor Center to the boardwalk then down Barnyard Run (poking into the
wetland thru Greenbrier whenever possible) to the power line crossing at
Jackson Abbott/Ft Belvoir and then back. (5+ hrs and 5+ miles). Warming
morning yet very breezy with winds out of the south, mostly blue skies early
becoming overcast at finish. The day's highlight came early with 3 Snow
Geese mixed in with 30+ Canada Geese heading south well west of the pond -
never easy to find Snow Geese in Fairfax Co! Other notables for this
relatively unbirdy day were a good dabbler showing with the arrival of
Hooded Mergansers in mixed sex pairs, Herring Gulls (never easy to find at
Huntley), Red-headed WP, Eastern Towhees, and Fox Sparrows. Notable misses
were no sapsuckers, no kinglets (I hope this is not a trend), no Winter
Wrens, no Hermit Thrush, etc. The list of 41 species is below.
Kurt Gaskill
Snow Goose 3
C. Goose 63
Gadwall 5
Am. Wigeon 1
Mallard 42
No. Pintail 2
Green-winged Teal 82, a magnificent flock!
Hooded Merganser 6
Black Vulture 3
Turkey Vulture 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Ring-billed Gull 12
Herring Gull 2
Belted Kingfisher 2
Red-headed WP 1, down Barnyard Run, well past the Coast Guard tower
Red-bellied WP 11
Downy WP 7
No. Flicker 5
Pileated WP 2
Blue Jay 4
Am. Crow 14
Fish Crow 19
C. Chickadee 11
T. Titmouse 9
White-br Nuthatch 8
C. Wren 7
E. Bluebird 7
Am. Robin 16
Cedar Waxwing 4
Yellow-rumped Warbler 2
E. Towhee 2
Fox Sp 2
Song Sp 69
Swamp Sp 28
White-thr Sp 90
Dark-eyed Junco 2
No. Cardinal 12
Red-winged BB 94
Am. Goldfinch 25
