[Va-bird] Northern Neck merlin, sapsucker, warblers, white-crowned sparrow

From: Frederick Atwood <fredatwood@xxxxxxxxx>
To: Virginia Bird <va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 6 Oct 2008 05:50:05 -0700 (PDT)

Oct 5.   A few notes follow the list:

Canada Goose

228
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Wood Duck
85
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Ring-necked Duck
2  King George

Wild Turkey
2
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Northern Bobwhite
9
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Double-crested Cormorant
2
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Great Blue Heron
18
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Black Vulture
1
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Turkey Vulture
22
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Bald Eagle
21
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Northern Harrier
1
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Red-shouldered Hawk
3
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Red-tailed Hawk
3
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American Kestrel
8
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Merlin
1
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Killdeer
11
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Wilson's Snipe
2
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Laughing Gull
19
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Ring-billed Gull
21
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Herring Gull
8
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Forster's Tern
6
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Rock Pigeon
9
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Mourning Dove
248
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Yellow-billed Cuckoo
2
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Great Horned Owl
1
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Barred Owl
1
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Chimney Swift
2
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Belted Kingfisher
2
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Red-bellied Woodpecker
25
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Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
1
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Downy Woodpecker
16
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Hairy Woodpecker
5
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Northern Flicker
43
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Pileated Woodpecker
6
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Eastern Phoebe
16
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Red-eyed Vireo
1
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Blue Jay
43
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American Crow
35
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Carolina Chickadee
33
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Tufted Titmouse
37
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White-breasted Nuthatch
4
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Carolina Wren
65
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House Wren
1
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Eastern Bluebird
32
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American Robin
2
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Gray Catbird
12
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Northern Mockingbird
17
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Brown Thrasher
6
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European Starling
70
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Cedar Waxwing
3
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Nashville Warbler
1
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Northern Parula
3
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Magnolia Warbler
1
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Cape May Warbler
2
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Yellow-rumped Warbler
14
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Pine Warbler
24
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Palm Warbler
3
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Blackpoll Warbler
4
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Black-and-white Warbler
2
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Ovenbird
1
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Northern Waterthrush
1
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Common Yellowthroat
25
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Eastern Towhee
1
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Chipping Sparrow
58
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Field Sparrow
23
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Savannah Sparrow
27
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Grasshopper Sparrow
4
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Song Sparrow
1
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White-crowned Sparrow
1
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Northern Cardinal
54
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Blue Grosbeak
1
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Indigo Bunting
6
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Red-winged Blackbird
810
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Eastern Meadowlark
30
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House Finch
14
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American Goldfinch
68
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House Sparrow
1
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77 species.
I started at King George Ponds along route 3. The ponds were invisible in the
thick fog so I did not stay long.  There were two Ring-necked Ducks there.
Then I went to Toby's Pt and WIlmont Rd in King George.  A merlin was perched
on top of a dead snag across the river and a yellow-bellied sapsucker was on a
tree in the parking lot. There was a good number of beautifully-singing
meadowlarks, 3 grasshopper sparrows, several savannah sparrows and 5 kestrels
along WIlmont Rd.

From there I went to Washington's Birthplace in Westmoreland Co where I found
the Nashville Warbler in the thicket near the beach and the Cape May in the
cedars along the road near the burial site. I savored every second watching
the Nashville as he searched for bugs among the marsh elder blossoms since I
hadn't seen one this well in several years.

On the way to Leedstown along WInter Harbor Rd there was a dead deer off to the
side in field.  On the carcass and on the ground and trees nearby there were 15
black vultures, 4 turkey vultures, and 14 immature and 4 adult bald eagles.
In Leedstown there were a lot of mourning doves amd goldfinches in a field of
planted sunflowers,  a northern waterthrush, another Cape May, a harrier, a
covey of quail, 2 turkeys (the last two of a flock?) running from a field into
the woods, one blue grosbeak, a few indigo buntings, and several field
sparrows.  The immature white-crowned sparrow (first of the season) was in a
place where I do not generally see this species, with a flock of chipping
sparrows near Peedee Creek. Great views of parula and ovenbird (maybe my last
of the season?). At my muck-pond on Peedee Creek it was great listening to the
squeals of the wood ducks and catching an occasional glimpse of them back in
the alder swamp. 69 wood ducks flew over Mothershead (RapRivValNWR) in small
groups 2-24 towards Troy Creek after sundown; I wonder if they spend the night
in the beaver ponds of Troy Creek. This is the opposite direction from the way
they used to fly after sundown.
Pine warblers and yellowthroats were very common but other warblers were hard
to find; still a respectable total of 12 warbler species. The first of the
yellow-rumpeds have arrived.  Notable absence of mallard, great egret,
swallows, and tanagers. Only one song sparrow all day and no swamp or
white-throated sparrows.  Soon there wil be scores.

All the best
I hope you have a great week
Fred

Frederick D. Atwood fredatwood@xxxxxxxxx
Flint Hill School, 10409 Academic Dr, Oakton, VA 22124
703-242-1675
http://www.agpix.com/fredatwood
http://www.flinthill.org
http://tea.armadaproject.org/tea_atwoodfrontpage.html

[Va-bird] Northern Neck merlin, sapsucker, warblers, white-crowned sparrow

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