All,
Erika Wilson and I spent a couple hours at Julie Metz Wetlands in Prince
William County this morning. We were, of course, hoping to find the
Harris's Sparrow(s) but they eluded us. We had a fine morning anyway
though. The best bird was a likely Short-eared Owl that we spooked off
the side of the trail near the wooden bridge where the Harris's Sparrow
has been spotted a couple times. This bird was hunkered down on the
side of the trail most likely hunting rodents or small birds along the
trail or out in the wetland. We were yabbering to each other and did
not notice the bird until it flew. It startled us both so much that we
barely got a look at it. Erika did better than me as I was watching an
accipter fly by. Times must be tough for this bird to be hunting in
broad daylight. The snow is definitely affecting the birds. It might
be a good idea to check out the wetland at dusk to verify there are
Short-eared Owls there.
Our other good sighting was a Cooper's Hawk that sped in and landed in
full view on a snag giving us ample time to study the shape of the tail,
the barring on the tail, and the coloring and size of the head and
bill. We found only four species of sparrow including Song,
White-throated, Swamp and American Tree. Other birds included a
Wilson's Snipe, the usual woodpeckers (minus sapsucker), a couple Rusty
Blackbirds, Belted Kingfisher, and the other usual species.
Sue
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