On Friday Marty and I kayaked with Ranger Corker past a sandy cliff bank in
Lake Anna State Park where Belted Kingfisher's nest annually, according to the
Ranger. We could see many holes in the bank. There are numerous Kingfishers on
Lake Anna but we've never seen nest holes before. While watching the antics of
a pair of resident Kingfisher's we also saw several brown-backed swallows. We
did not have binoculars since we were in kayaks, so we returned on Saturday
prepared to determine whether these are Bank or Rough-winged swallows. We
identified three Rough-winged Swallows, which, according to the guides, often
reuse Kingfisher excavations for their own nests.
While waiting for the swallows to appear on Saturday, we heard the first of
season Ovenbirds. These were not present on Friday.
Donna Finnegan and Marty Wright
Spotsylvania side of Lake Anna
