I rose early to try to get to some viewing spots in King George and upper
Westmoreland Counties in the early AM before the hurricane birds dissipated. I
started at the King George Ponds near Sealston along route 3 around 6:30, then
tried to go to Muse Rd and Washington's Birthplace to look into the Potomac.
Both of those roads were blocked by fallen trees. (Power was out all over this
part of Westmoreland Co and even route 3 had tree falls that narrowed the road
to one very narrow lane in several spots.) Since I could not see into the
Potomac, I decided to head to Leedstown to look into the Rappahannock R.
(Later I realized I could have gone to Colonial Beach for some unobstructed
Potomac viewing, but by the time I got there mid-day, I only saw local birds
and lots of swallows (mostly barn) flying in from MD across the river. Next
time I might go there first.) Then I spent the rest of the day exploring the
Leedstown area where some of the farm
fields were wet and full of shorebirds.
Here are the highlights:
KG Ponds 6:30-7:30 (almost no exposed shoreline or mud for shorebirds)
3 Least Terns (a county first for me, unusual for this far from the shore and
this far up the Neck)
6 Black Terns
12 Royal Terns (I think my first at this location)
13 Caspian terns
13 Forster's terns
22 bald eagles, most were perched along the sandy bank of the pond along
LaGrange Rd
2 bobwhite
4 bobolinks
I wonder what I would have seen if I had just stayed here. A lot of birds were
moving through.
7:30 to 9 Trying to get to my favorite Westmoreland spots along Potomac
Leedstown 9-10 AM Rappahannock River watch. Wayyyy more terns than usual; all
flying upriver.
247 Forster's terns
29 Royal Terns
5 adult Common Terns
Leedstown misc locations in afternoon
2 Black Terns back and forth over the marsh
2 Cliff swallows
warblers: prairie, yellow-throated, prothonotary, parula, black-and-white,
pine, ovenbird, but strangely, NO yellowthroats could be found anywhere all day
32 kingbirds at one farm
2 great egrets
1 green heron
8-10 wood ducks
2 spotted sandpipers
cooper's hawk chasing a flock of 450 cowbirds
Horner's Mill Rd, Leedstown about 5:45 to 7:30 PM
1 elegant Baird's Sandpiper, superb view in great light, my best view ever in VA
1 gorgeous crisp-looking immature short-billed dowitcher (not seen every year
here)
11 Semipalmated Plover ( a good number for this far from the coast)
1 American Golden-Plover calling as it flew over (but I could not find it when
I repeatedly scanned the fields)
280 Killdeer (much fewer than last week, but still a lot present)
17 Pectoral Sandpipers (I think this is my highest count in the region ever)
5 lesser yellowlegs
1 spotted sandpiper
1 solitary sandpiper
25 or so least sandpiper (probably many more hidden by furrows in the field)
10 or so semipalmated sandpiper
25 or so Horned Larks
All the best
Fred
Frederick D. Atwood fredatwood@xxxxxxxxx
Flint Hill School, 10409 Academic Dr, Oakton, VA 22124
703-242-1675
http://www.agpix.com/fredatwood
http://www.flinthill.org
http://tea.armadaproject.org/tea_atwoodfrontpage.html
