The Northern Virginia Bird Club had a successful visit to Occoquan Bay NWR this
morning. Highlights were many. Before the trip started I head an eastern
meadowlark, American pipit, hermit thrush, and king rail from the parking lot.
As we were gathering around 8am three adult white-crowned sparrows appeared on
the edge of the parking lot. In the big field on the left as the wildlife
drive approaches the golf coarse two tom turkey’s were displaying for a bunch
of hens. Three more toms were displaying on a more distant hill. Along the
fence line we came across 2 chipping sparrows, 2 swamp sparrows, a blue-gray
gnatcatcher, and a small flock of rusty blackbirds. In Belmont Bay we noted a
flock of 5 horned grebes, a pie-billed grebe, and coots. A palm warbler gave
us some great views along Delta Road. From Deephole Point Road we noted many
Bonaparte’s gulls heading down river from Belmont Bay. At the marsh we saw 2
Wilson’s snipe and a great egret. Off Deephole Point we saw a small flock of
ruddy ducks and a few lesser scaup. At this point it started to rain and we
took Easy Road back to the parking lot. We totaled 61 species in all.
Marc Ribaudo
Woodbridge
