23 birders from the Northern Virginia Bird Club came out for a fairly birdy
morning at Silver Lake Park in Haymarket. Our group explored the picnic area,
walked around the lake and then birded the quarry area. We tallied 47 bird
species with several highlights. We all enjoyed watching the local colony of
Red-headed Woodpeckers flying around the picnic area. There were at least six
adults and one juvenile. Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers were also showing themselves
well. Perhaps the birds of the day were a male and two female Purple Finches
seen in the field near the quarry. We also found at the park three Bufflehead,
a female Hooded Merganser, two Bald Eagles, a Brown Creeper, DC Cormorants, and
GC Kinglets. The hawks we observed had red tails, red shoulders and sharp
shins. There were good numbers of sparrows, but we could not find anything
unusual. Late insects included a Common Buckeye, a Variegated Fritilllary, a
Common Checkered Skipper, and an Autumn Meadowhawk.
Larry Meade
Merrifield, VA
