I started the morning at 6am at Breckinridge Rd in Dumfries. I heard one
distant whip-poor-will, and as the sky lightened the chorus picked up. Turkeys
were very vocal, and it was nice to hear FOY black-and-white warbler and
ovenbird join in (multiples of each). Also heard a number of pine warblers and
hermit thrushes. I then went to Possum Pt Rd where the highlight was a flock
of 6-8 vesper sparrows on the grass hillside below the ash pond. They were
sitting on the guard rail at the top of the hill, but a few flew down to the
road where I got much better looks. Also seen in the area were Wilson’s snipe,
eastern kingbird, winter wren, white-eyed vireo, northern parula,
yellow-throated warbler, Louisiana waterthrush, ovenbird, and yellow-bellied
sapsucker. After the Point I made a short stop at Neasco Creek and Metz
wetlands, where I saw 7 Bonaparte’s gulls on Neabsco Creek, flyover laughing
gulls, and 6 purple finches. When I got home a Cooper’s hawk was circling over
the house. I tallied 81 species in all.
Marc Ribaudo
