Peter Ross and I were treated to an absolutely beautiful morning at Leesylvania
SP in Woodbridge, complete with authentic October weather and plenty of birds.
Right from the start we ran into small mixed flocks of warblers. Most were
blackpolls, followed by yellow-rumped, palm, Cape May, parula, redstart, and
magnolia. Because of the wind (I guess) they stayed low in trees exposed to
the sun, offering great views. Phoebes were in high number (12) as they seem
to be pushing through. Other notables were blue-headed vireo, yellow-billed
cuckoo, FOS golden-crowned kinglet, ruby-crowned kinglet, brown creeper. and
white-throated sparrow. A real treat was a barred owl perched at eye level
less than 10 feet from the trail, at the boardwalk next to the small wetland
near the train trestle. It seemed bothered more by some yelling blue jays than
by us, and I was able to get some fantastic photos, Here is the link to the
e-bird list: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S49136790
Marc Ribaudo
