Stopped by Huntley meadows around 7:45 this morning. Upon reaching the
boardwalk,
I was greeted by a very rude wind blowing across the ice and water. For a
moment,
I thought I’d been transported to some pot hole near Minot, North Dakota!
However, I was
cheered by a rather large flock of rusty blackbirds—conservative estimate would
between
75 and 100 birds-- along the right side of the boardwalk and all along the
shoreline toward
the observation deck at the end of the “hike/bike” trail.
Many were in the trees making for easy viewing while many more were on the
ground foraging
in the woods beyond the edge of the marsh. Haven’t seen a flock of rusties this
big at Huntley
Meadows in some time! There some redwings and a few grackles thrown in, but
generally speaking, almost
all the birds were rusties.
Also of note: a female hoodie checking out the possibilities of nesting box #6.
Ron Vogel
Annandale,VA
