VA BIRDers,
Cloudy, damp and a bit chilly but definitely spring-like! Marc and Jay have
already reported the Yellow-throated Warbler at the Point (take Possum Pt
Road east from Rt 1 at the light, just north of Dumfries and south of Rt 234
intersection, the whole length of the road is good but after crossing the
bridge you get to Dominion Power Property where the land birds such as the
Yellow-throated Warbler was located; Quantico Cr is to the south and try a
few pull outs for birds and waterfowl). Let me add to the postings.
I thought the group of 4 Horned Grebes off Dominion Property in Quantico was
good, (but clearly the 4 Red-necked Grebes found by Mark Moran off Occoquan
Bay NWR - guest leader at Dyke Marsh tomorrow - were excellent). I tallied
18 Horned Grebes from various locations today (other than Mark M.'s) and I
suspect tomorrow will also be excellent! The Point was a bit slow (but its
March) yet it yielded up at least 57 species in less than 2 hrs with other
highlights of Northern Pintail, Pied-billed Grebe, American Coot (100), 5
Eastern Phoebes, Tree Swallow, Winter Wrens, many GC Kinglets, 4 Hermit
Thrush (3 singing), Yellow-throated Warbler, and Field and Fox Sparrows.
Neabsco Creek and Julie Metz produced a surprising 2 Forster's Terns - quite
early up here. Also an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull with clean head and
nape, a Lesser Yellowlegs mixed in with ca. 6 Greater Yellowlegs, 2 more
phoebes, 25 Tree Swallows, 3 Barn Swallows, 2 Brown Creepers, more GC
Kinglets, a Brown Thrasher, a Fox Sparrow, and 20 Rusty Blackbirds.
Leeslyvania SP added Pine Warbler plus more GC Kinglets.
I visited Occoquan Marina and observed the Red-necked Grebe - kudos to Jay
for a timely report of an interesting bird!
Pohick Bay, as noted recently by Rick and Karen Jones, held the
aforementioned Tundra Swan (yesterday Earl H. reported a Mute Swan at this
location) as I viewed from Pohick Park plus 8 Pied-billed Grebes, another
Forster's Tern and Pine Warbler and the others already noted.
Mason Neck SP was fine and viewing Belmont Bay produced 20 Canada Geese, 4
Gadwall, 1 No. Pintail, 20 Canvasback, 600 Lesser Scaup, 24 Bufflehead, 6
Common Mergansers, 12 Red-breasted Mergansers, 100 Ruddy Ducks, a Common
Loon, 6 Horned Grebe, 80 DC Cormorants, 2 Bald Eagles, and 3 Chipping
Sparrows. Jodi Bucknam and Earl H. reported 3 Purple Finch at the Visitor
Center feeders just before I arrived.
Jackson Abbott Wildlife Refuge had 2 Pine Warblers, 2 Northern Rough-winged
Swallows, and 2 Hooded Mergansers.
On the way home I stopped at Riverside Park off GW Parkway and was surprised
at the fine mix there, to wit: 1 Wood Duck, 12 Gadwall, 1 Am. Wigeon, 1
Canvasback, 1 Redhead, 1 Greater Scaup, 100 Lesser Scaup, 4 Bufflehead, 6
Common Mergansers, 12 Red-breasted Mergansers, 10 Ruddy Ducks, 4 Horned
Grebes, 2 Osprey, 3 Boneparte's Gulls, and my first Yellow-rumped Warbler of
the day.
And my last stop (ca 6pm) was Dyke Marsh which produced more Bald Eagles,
more Osprey, another 34 Red-breasted Mergansers and a surprising Caspian
Tern!
Kurt Gaskill
You are subscribed to VA-BIRD. To post to this mailing list, simply send email
to va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx. To unsubscribe, send email to
va-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field.
