VA Birders:
The Northern Virginia Bird Club conducted its Saturday morning walk in Stafford
county at Aquia Landing and then Crow's Nest Natural Area Preserve. A
remarkably warm morning's worth of birding resulted in finding 65 species.
The highlights at Aquia Landing were the continuing Blue-gray Gnatcatcher found
behind the restrooms / picnic pavilion, 3 Catbirds, a briefly seen Brown
Thrasher, 5 female Common Goldeneyes distantly scoped to the northwest up Aquia
Creek, a flyover American Pipit, a female Northern Harrier, 3 Horned Grebes,
distantly scoped Redheads & Canvasbacks, ~15 Forster's Terns, ~10 Rusty
Blackbirds & many Tundra Swans.
We then moved over to Crow's Nest NAP's new boardwalk and found a flock of
Green-winged Teals flying about. We walked the half-mile trail from the parking
lot to the northeast and found about 5 Red-headed Woodpeckers, 3 Purple
Finches, and a beautifully singing (but unseen) Fox Sparrow -- the majority of
these highlights were at the end of the trail.
The complete eBird lists for both locations are listed below.
Elton MorelArlington, Virginia
Aquia Landing - CFB01, Stafford, Virginia, US
Nov 28, 2015 7:30 AM - 10:45 AM
Protocol: Traveling
0.5 mile(s)
Comments: NVBC walk led by David Ledwith & Elton Morel.
53 species (+1 other taxa)
Canada Goose 60
Mute Swan 4
Tundra Swan 160
Gadwall 500
Mallard 30
Canvasback 4
Redhead 8
Lesser Scaup 3
Bufflehead 150
Common Goldeneye 5 All females seen very distantly up Aquia Creek.
Ruddy Duck 10
Pied-billed Grebe 75
Horned Grebe 3
Double-crested Cormorant 35
Great Blue Heron 5
Northern Harrier 1
Bald Eagle 4
Red-shouldered Hawk 1
American Coot 90
Laughing Gull 30
Ring-billed Gull 50
Herring Gull 8
Great Black-backed Gull 10
Forster's Tern 15
Belted Kingfisher 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 8
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1
Downy Woodpecker 3
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 1 Heard only
Blue Jay 1 Heard only
American Crow 8
Fish Crow 1 Heard only
crow sp. 20
Carolina Chickadee 12
Tufted Titmouse 2
White-breasted Nuthatch 1 Heard only
Carolina Wren 10
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1 Continuing bird, found in the shrubs behind restrooms.
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 4
Eastern Bluebird 1 Heard only
Hermit Thrush 1 Heard several times, briefly seen.
Gray Catbird 3 2 at entrance, 1 in the middle.
Brown Thrasher 1 Briefly seen.
Northern Mockingbird 1
American Pipit 1 Flyover, calling "slip-it".
Yellow-rumped Warbler 15
White-throated Sparrow 25
Song Sparrow 15
Swamp Sparrow 8
Northern Cardinal 12
Red-winged Blackbird 50
Rusty Blackbird 10
American Goldfinch 8
Crow's Nest Natural Area Preserve, Stafford, Virginia, US
Nov 28, 2015 10:55 AM - 12:35 PM
Protocol: Traveling
0.5 mile(s)
Comments: NVBC walk led by David Ledwith & Elton Morel. Walked the new board
walk and the .5 mile trail.
35 species
Tundra Swan 2
Green-winged Teal 25 Mostly flyovers
Hooded Merganser 4
Double-crested Cormorant 2
Great Blue Heron 6
Turkey Vulture 1
Cooper's Hawk 1
Bald Eagle 4
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Laughing Gull 30
Ring-billed Gull 75
Red-headed Woodpecker 5 Found a couple mid-way down the trail, the rest at the
end of the trail.
Red-bellied Woodpecker 7
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 2
Downy Woodpecker 3
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 1
Pileated Woodpecker 1 Heard only
Blue Jay 6 Heard only
American Crow 100
Carolina Chickadee 8
Tufted Titmouse 2 Heard only
Carolina Wren 4 Heard only
European Starling 4
Cedar Waxwing 7
Yellow-rumped Warbler 6
Fox Sparrow 1 Heard singing at the end of the trail.
White-throated Sparrow 25
Song Sparrow 15
Swamp Sparrow 3
Eastern Towhee 3
Northern Cardinal 4
Red-winged Blackbird 40
Purple Finch 3 Found at the end of the trail.
American Goldfinch 6
