The Northern Virginia Bird Club visited the Occoquan Bay National Wildlife
Refuge in Prince William County this morning. It was a bit chilly as the sun
periodically appeared and disappeared. It was pretty good birding however, as
we tallied 55 species total. Waterfowl put on a decent show with a couple rafts
of a few thousand Lesser Scaup, Red-breasted Mergansers and a male Long-tailed
Duck. We also saw a large collection of Redhead, a couple of Wood Ducks,
Green-winged Teal and American Black Ducks. As we walked the trails, we found
Fox Sparrows, American Tree Sparrows and Brown Creepers. Three vocalizing King
Rails on Easy road provided another highlight. One birder got a glimpse of one
the rails, but most of us scanned the marsh in vain for the rails which were
calling tantalizingly close to us. We were hoping for an Osprey and/or a Tree
Swallow which should be arriving around this time of year, but no luck.
The full checklist is at https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S53641226
Larry MeadeMerrifield, VA
