VA Birders:
The Northern Virginia Bird Club held its second of the year Birds and Trees ID
walk this morning at Riverbend Park in northern Fairfax county. The walk was
led by our tree expert - Joanne Hutton -- and me. We started in the parking
lot of Nature Center taking awhile to ID all the trees nearby, then walked
around the meadow and finally the paved trail behind the Nature Center. We
found 44 birds species -- many of them just heard birds. We did not find a
single bird species that I would consider a migrant -- they were all our local
breeders -- I think spring migration is essentially over. Notable birds found
were a distantly heard Yellow-throated Vireo, great scope-looks at a male
Indigo Bunting and brief looks at a pair of Scarlet Tanagers.
We identified and described the following 26 tree species:
Redbud - Cercis canadensisFlowering dogwood - Cornus floridaAmerican beech -
Fagus grandifolia
Sweetgum - Liquidamber styracifluaEastern White pine - Pinus strobusNorway
spruce - Picea abies
Black locust - Robinia pseudoacacciaNorthern Red Oak - Quercus rubraScarlet Oak
- Quercus cocciniaWhite Oak - Quercus albaRed maple - Acer rubrumBox elder -
Acer negundoTulip poplar - Liriodendron tulipiferaTree of Heaven - Ailanthus
altissimaPawpaw - Asimina trilobaPaulownia tomentosa ("Paulownia" or "Princess
Tree")Willow sp. (probably Black willow - Salix nigra)Hickory sp., esp.
Mockernut hickory - Carya tomentosaBlack Walnut - Juglans nigraSassafras -
Sassafras albidumEastern redcedar - Juniperus virginiana
Water oak - Quercus nigraChestnut oak - Quercus montanaAlder sp - probably
Smooth Alder - Alnus serrulataBlack gum or Tupelo - Nyssa sylvaticaGrey dogwood
- Cornus racemosa
I think I am beginning to remember most of these trees!
The complete eBird list is below.
Elton MorelArlington, VA
Riverbend Park - CGF11, Fairfax, Virginia, US
May 30, 2015 7:05 AM - 10:40 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.5 mile(s)
Comments: NVBC Birds & Trees ID Walk led by Joanne Hutton & Elton Morel.
Started at the Nature Center, walked around the meadow plus the paved trail
behind the Nature Center. Also a couple of incidentals near the Visitors Center.
Canada Goose 1 Down by the Visitors Center.
Double-crested Cormorant 2 Flyovers.
Great Blue Heron 3 Multiple flyovers all morning; 3 herons seen at once.
Black Vulture 2
Turkey Vulture 2
Bald Eagle 1 Flyover.
Red-shouldered Hawk 1 Carrying prey in its talons -- looked like a frog.
Mourning Dove 2
Yellow-billed Cuckoo 1 Heard only
Barred Owl 1 Briefly seen in flight near the parking lot.
Chimney Swift 6
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 6
Downy Woodpecker 3 Heard only
Hairy Woodpecker 1 Heard only
Pileated Woodpecker 1 Heard only
Eastern Wood-Pewee 3 Heard only
Acadian Flycatcher 3 Heard only
Great Crested Flycatcher 1 Heard only
Yellow-throated Vireo 1 Heard only
Warbling Vireo 1 Heard only below the Visitors Center
Red-eyed Vireo 12
Blue Jay 6
American Crow 3
Tree Swallow 10
Carolina Chickadee 12
Tufted Titmouse 15
White-breasted Nuthatch 4
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 3
Eastern Bluebird 6
Wood Thrush 2
American Robin 1 Heard only
European Starling 2 Flyover
Ovenbird 2 Heard only
Louisiana Waterthrush 1 Heard only
Common Yellowthroat 2
Chipping Sparrow 3
Scarlet Tanager 4
Northern Cardinal 12
Indigo Bunting 4
Common Grackle 1 Flyover
Brown-headed Cowbird 8
Orchard Oriole 2
American Goldfinch 15
View this checklist online at
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S23704838
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)
