VA Birders:
About forty(!) or so birders attended the Northern Virginia Bird Club walk at
Algonkian Regional Park in Loudoun county. The walk was led by Ruth Schrott
and me. We collectively found 48 species on a warm but rather slow spring
morning of birding complicated by an unexpected half-marathon starting at the
picnic area near the boat ramp. For awhile, I was worried that our count of
bird species wouldn't match the number of birders.
Our best birds were a roosting Barred Owl well spotted by Jean in the deciduous
woods along the Potomac and east of the golf driving range. We also found 3
Palm Warblers amongst many Yellow-rumped Warblers and Blue-gray Gnatcatchers.
We had a short raptor watch where the trail dead ends at Sugarland Run. We
spotted a distant Broad-winged Hawk as well as a Red-shouldered and Red-tailed
Hawk plus both vulture species. Other bird highlights were a couple of
occupied Great Blue Heron nests across the river and a pair of Wood Ducks
flying amongst the trees in the picnic area and even briefly landing in a
sycamore tree. I bet they were just as bewildered and overwhelmed with all the
commotion of the half-marathon start-finish line as we were.
I think our most interesting observation was of a frog -- I am guessing a tree
frog -- about 15 to 20 feet up in the knot of a tree. A couple of Carolina
Chickadees were making a racket and flying in to look at the tree frog in the
knot of the tree. I couldn't tell whether they were just inspecting the frog
or actually pecking at the frog. I have never seen that before.
Below is the complete eBird list for this morning's walk. If I have forgotten
to share this list with anyone, please send me an email.
Elton MorelArlington, VA
Algonkian Regional Park - MFF05, Loudoun, US-VA
Apr 18, 2015 7:15 AM - 10:40 AM
Protocol: Traveling
2.0 mile(s)
Comments: NVBC bird walk led by Elton Morel and Ruth Schrott.
48 species (+1 other taxa)
Canada Goose 6
Wood Duck 3 Includes a pair briefly perching high in a sycamore tree.
Mallard 4
Common Merganser 1 Male, flyover. Not rare at this location and time of year.
Uncommon breeder west of Great Falls NP.
Double-crested Cormorant 10
Great Blue Heron 8 Two herons on separate nests in sycamore trees.
Great Egret 1 Distant flyby.
Black Vulture 1
Turkey Vulture 7
Bald Eagle 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 1
Broad-winged Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Ring-billed Gull 3
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 1
Mourning Dove 1 Heard only
Barred Owl 1 Excellent looks at a roosting bird.
Belted Kingfisher 1 Flyby, calling.
Red-bellied Woodpecker 8
Downy Woodpecker 5
Hairy Woodpecker 2
Northern Flicker 1 Heard only
Pileated Woodpecker 2
Blue Jay 6
Fish Crow 20
crow sp. 5
Tree Swallow 7
Carolina Chickadee 20
Tufted Titmouse 25
White-breasted Nuthatch 4
Carolina Wren 6 Heard only
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 25
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 3
Eastern Bluebird 1
American Robin 8
Northern Mockingbird 1
European Starling 15
Palm Warbler 3
Yellow-rumped Warbler 30
Chipping Sparrow 12
Song Sparrow 1
White-throated Sparrow 6
Dark-eyed Junco 4
Northern Cardinal 12
Red-winged Blackbird 8
Common Grackle 6
Brown-headed Cowbird 8
Purple Finch 1
American Goldfinch 20
View this checklist online at
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S22921781
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)
