VA BIRDers,
I went birding today despite the rain; an ANS field trip to the Mason Neck
area was scheduled and I was joining up with leader Larry Cartwright. But,
with the rain, the trip was literally washed out and Larry and I sat around
under a picnic shelter waiting for the (infrequent) reduction in vertical
water streaming. We managed maybe 1.5 hours of birding this morning. I
continued on in the afternoon, attempting to sample the various habitats at
Mason Neck SP and NWR (although I did not visit the Great Marsh since the
Gunston Hall Rd trail is STILL CLOSED! Going on 2 months now!) I think the
lateness in the day reduced numbers observed for some neotrops. Although the
day was a bit of slog, it was still fun and I left the Mason Neck peninsula
at 4 pm with nearly 90 species. I then visited the Lorton area and then
drove to the Dyke Marsh/Belle Haven Marina and thence to the Hunting Creek
mudflats. I ended the day as the next weather front began to pour forth at
6:30 pm, totaling 105 species in Fairfax Co.
Highlights were Great Egret at the Mason Neck rookery (prob. breeding,
again!), Greater Scaup, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Red-breasted Merganser and
Ruddy Ducks on Belmont Bay, Wild Turkey, Boneparte's Gulls on Belmont Bay, YB
Cuckoo at Mason Neck SP, Acadian Flycatcher, American Pipit, Savannah
Sparrow, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and 30 Bobolink in the grassy field at
Lorton across from the Nike sign on Furnace Rd. Below is the statistics for
the Mason Neck forest locations.
Kurt Gaskill
DC Cormorant 420
Great Blue Heron 100+, there is so many that you forget to keep counting!
Great Egret 1, flew into the middle of the rookery
Green Heron 2
Turkey Vulture 4
C. Goose 18
Wood Duck 3
Mallard 2
Greater Scaup 1
Lesser Scaup 16
Bufflehead 1
Red-breasted Merganser 5
Ruddy Duck 125
Osprey 8+
Bald Eagle 5
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 1
Wild Turkey, two bright toms complete with white pate and waddle, blue sides
of face and red buttons below where the neck joins the body - very impressive!
Bonaparte's Gull 65
Ring-billed Gull 8
Herring Gull 1
Great Black-backed Gull 1
Forster's Tern 1
Mourning Dove 6
YB Cuckoo 1
Chimney Swift 120
RT Hummingbird 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 6
Downy Woodpecker 1
Pileated Woodpecker 3
Acadian Flycatcher 1
E. Phoebe 3
Great Creasted Flycatcher 7
E. Kingbird 2
White-eyed V 4
Red-eyed V 51
Blue Jay 18
American Crow 18
Fish Crow 6
Purple Martin 12
Tree Sw 43
No. Rough-winged Sw 15
Barn Sw 35
C. Chickadee 14
T. Titmouse 14
White-breasted Nuthatch 2
C. Wren 4
H. Wren 2
RC Kinglet 4
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 39
E. Bluebird 7
Wood Thrush 5
Am Robin 1
Gray Catbird 5
No. Mockingbird 3
Brown Thrasher 1
E. Starling 3
American Pipit 1
No. Parula 33
Yellow Warbler 1
Black-thr Blue Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 15
Black-thr Green Warbler 2
Yellow-thr Warbler 1 (end of Sycamore road)
Pine Warbler 3
Palm Warbler 2
Black & White Warbler 2
American Redstart 1
Prothonotary Warbler 6
Ovenbird 11
LA Waterthrush 1
Common Yellowthroat 8
Scarlet Tanager 8
E. Towhee 1
Chipping Sp 7
Field Sp 4
Savannah Sp 1
Swamp Sp 4
White-thr Sp. 25
No. Cardinal 28
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1
Indigo Bunting 8
Red-winged Blackbird 227
Common Grackle 50
Brown-headed Cowbird 47
Orchard Oriole 1
Baltimore Oriole 3
House Finch 10
American Goldfinch 34
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