Hi Va-bird,
I took a non-birding trip down Rt. 29 on Friday the 19th and noted the
following birds mainly from the road (passerines were at stops):
Broad-winged Hawk - 1 Greene County
American Kestel - 1 Fairfax County
Chimney Swift - 25 Albemarle and Fairfax Counties
Barn Swallow - 8 Madison and Fairfax Counties
Blue-headed Vireo - 1 Albemarle County
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 15 Albemarle County
Eastern Towhee - 2 Albemarle County
Later that afternoon I stopped by the Sunrise Valley Park with Jessie Barry
and we saw among other things:
Red-shouldered Hawk - 3 the standard pair and an immature
Killdeer - 3
Solitary Sandpiper - 1
Eastern Phoebe - 1
No. Rough-winged Swallow - 4
Gray Catbird - 4
Brown Thrasher - 1
Swamp Sparrow - 1
Dark-eyed Junco - 2
Rusty Blackbird - 3
I had the following interesting yard birds over the weekend in Oak Hill:
Red-shouldered Hawk - 2
Broad-winged Hawk - 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 3
Wood Thrush - 1
Black-throated Green Warbler - 1
Sunday the 20th I had an interesting time birding in the rain at Mason Neck,
Huntley Meadows, and Dyke Marsh. Highlights included the Prothontary
Warblers on territory at Mason Neck. A female was seen with nesting
material and a male was seen inside a cavity in a snag. Eastern Wood-Pewee,
Great Crested Flycatcher, Ovenbird, Red-eyed Vireo, Blue-headed Vireo,
Yellow-throated Warbler, Northern Waterthrush, and Northern Parula were
among the other highighligts. After the rain started bird song decreased
somewhat and eventually we just bagged Mason Neck and headed to Huntley
Meadows. There were several Blue-winged Teal, Common Snipe, Common
Yellowthroats, Worm-eating Warbler, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Green Heron, and
Swamp Sparrows here. A stop at Hunting Creek had Greater Yellowlegs,
Solitary Sandpiper, Spotted Sandpiper, and Caspian Tern. Dyke Marsh was not
too productive, but there were a few ducks, Purple Martin, Osprey, Lesser
Yellowlegs, etc... Here is the complete list:
Double-crested Cormorant - 163
Great Blue Heron - 5
Great Egret - 4
Green Heron - 1
Turkey Vulture - 3
Canada Goose - 42
Wood Duck - 7 (2 at Huntley the rest at Mason Neck)
Mallard - 18
Blue-winged Teal - 2
Lesser Scaup - 67 (2 at Dyke the rest at Mason Neck)
Ruddy Duck - 9 at Mason Neck, numbers are way down
Osprey - 5
American Coot - 130 or so
Killdeer - 2
Greater Yellowlegs - 1
Lesser Yellowlegs - 1
Solitary Sandpiper - 1
Spotted Sandpiper - 2
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Caspian Tern - ~45
Rock Dove
Mourning Dove - 16
Yellow-billed Cuckoo - 1
Chimney Swift - ~35
Belted Kingfisher - 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 4
Downy Woodpecker - 7
Northern Flicker - 1
Eastern Wood-Pewee - 1
Eastern Phoebe - 3
Great Crested Flycatcher - 1
Purple Martin - 2
Tree Swallow - ~15
No. Rough-winged Swallow - ~20
Barn Swallow - ~30
Blue Jay - 7
American Crow
Fish Crow
Carolina Chickadee - 11
Tufted Titmouse - 18
White-breasted Nuthatch - 3
Carolina Wren - 23
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 14
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 7
Eastern Bluebird - 4
Wood Thrush - 9 Mason Neck entrance road
American Robin - 27
Northern Mockingbird - 4
European Starling
Blue-headed Vireo - 2
Red-eyed Vireo - 16
Northern Parula - 24
Yellow-rumped Warbler - ~30
Yellow-throated Warbler - 1
Prothonotary Warbler - 5
Worm-eating Warbler - 2
Ovenbird - 1, quite odd... I heard none on the way in, a quick stop at
Woodmarsh on the way out had 1 singer despite the downpour
Northern Waterthrush - 1
Common Yellowthroat - 9
Northern Cardinal - 19
Eastern Towhee - 5
Chipping Sparrow - 6
Field Sparrow - 2
Song Sparrow - 13
Swamp Sparrow - 4
White-throated Sparrow - 22
House Finch - 6
American Goldfinch - 17
Red-winged Blackbird - 34
Common Grackle - 15
House Sparrow - 8
That's about it,
Alex
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alex Merritt
Oak Hill, VA
cerulean182@xxxxxxxxxxx
"It's just a box of rain
I don't know who put it there
Take it if you need it
or leave it if you dare"
- Grateful Dead
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