Sparrow numbers at Occoquan Bay NWR have increased greatly over the past
several weeks. I encountered 11 species this morning, including 1 fox, 1
chipping, 2 Lincoln's, 2 white-crowned, 2 eastern towhees, 3 dark-eyed juncos,
5 savannah, 5 field, and numerous song, swamp, and white-throated. There was a
push of accipters early, with 3 Cooper's and 5 sharp-shinned. Other notables
were an eastern meadowlark, red-headed woodpecker, greater yellowlegs,
Bonaparte's gull, many yellow-rumped warblers and ruby-crowned kinglets, palm
warbler, eastern phoebe, king rail, kestrel, and about 1,000 laughing gulls,
most in a dense flock around the island just off Deephole Point Road. I saw 62
species in all.
Marc Ribaudo
Woodbridge
