VA BIRDers,
A fine day to go birding what with the December heat bubble we are having!
I started at the Huntley Meadows VC parking lot at 0730 and continued on to
the boardwalk then bushwhacking up Barnyard Run (which becomes Dogue Creek)
poking through the greenbriar when I could. I traveled nearly to the Jackson
Abbott/Ft Belvoir housing border then back again - 4 hrs and 2.5 miles one
way. Highlight of the trip was Red-breasted Nuthatch in the pine grove
where I turned around. Other highlights of the 53 species encountered were
Outstanding numbers of Red-headed Woodpeckers - 13 was my conservative
count; a record for Huntley for any time of the year! Yellow-bellied
Sapsuckers were well represented, too, with 7 noted (an incredible total for
Huntley Meadows in December!). I also tallied 9 Fox Sparrows, again an
excellent number for December. Only 1 Purple Finch and 1 Pine Siskin found.
The list is below.
Kurt Gaskill
C. Goose 158
Gadwall 20
Am. Black Duck 2
Mallard 89
No. Shoveler 8
No. Pintail 6
Green-winged Teal 27
Hooded Merganser 5
Great Blue Heron 1
Turkey Vulture 1
Bald Eagle 2, adults
Sharpie 1
Coopers 2
Red-shouldered 3
Mourning Dove 15
Barred Owl 1
Red-headed WP 13
Red-bellied WP 24
YB Sapsucker 7
Downy WP 8
Hairy WP 5
No. Flicker 9
Pileated WP 4
Blue Jay 16
Am. Crow 8
Fish Crow 3
C. Chickadee 12
T. Titmouse 10
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
White-breasted Nuthatch 8
Brown Creeper 1
C. Wren 5
W. Wren 3
RC Kinglet 1
E. Bluebird 13
Am. Robin 76
E. Starling 4
Cedar Waxwing 59
E. Towhee 5
Field Sp 5
Fox Sp 9
Song Sp 81
Swamp Sp 22
White-thr Sp 121
DE Junco 17
No. Cardinal 9
Red-winged BB 116
Rusty BB 3
Common Grackle 17
Purple Finch 1
House Finch 4
Pine Siskin 1
Am. Goldfinch 16
