I went to Pohick Bay this morning, and there were seven Red-necked Grebes
very close to the docks. One of them had a lot of red on the neck, and I
took some photos of this bird. I also took a photo of a grebe with its neck
stretched across its back, showing that its neck and head are the same
length as its body. And I took a photo that shows why the genus name comes
from words meaning "rump foot." Below is a link to the photos.
http://www.slickpic.com/u/WilliamYoung/RedneckedGrebeAndDucksMarch82014?wallpaper
I was there from 8:30 to 10:30. and there were no other birders. The number
of waterfowl is down considerably from a few weeks ago. There were about 50
Tundra Swans on the far shore. There were a few Lesser Scaups and some
Red-breasted and Common Mergansers. The album at the link above also
features a photo of a Red-breasted Merganser who was very close to the
docks. The most common species at Pohick Bay was American Coot.
I then stopped at Occoquan Bay NWR. There were hundreds of scaup. I did not
have a scope, but most looked liked Lesser Scaup. There is a photo I took
of a Lesser Scaup you can see at the link above. Other duck species
included many Canvasbacks and a few Buffleheads. I also saw a few Wood
Ducks and a pair of American Black Ducks.
There is an active Bald Eagle nest on the Fox Road at Occoquan. It is
visible at close range from the path. Later when I was on Easy Road, I
could see the nest from a greater distance away, and there were two eagles
perched near to it. At one point, one of the eagles landed on the nest and
nestled down into it.
Bill Young
Arlington, VA
