Hi VA Birders,
I made a brief stop in at Winkler Botanical Preserve in Alexandria
this morning, slipping through ahead of a group of 40 elementary
school kids.
It was overcast, with a bit of breeze that made the cold kind of
piercing. But quite birdy. Notable birds were a Fox Sparrow, Winter
Wren, and two Eastern Phoebes. Notable miss was no sign of the
previously very vocal and active pair of Red-shouldered Hawks.
Driving home through Tysons Corner on Wednesday night, around 7:30pm
or so, I encountered a "crow storm" in the high winds we were having
then. Centered in the area near the Rt 123 and Old Courthouse Rd
intersection there were several thousand crows swooping around in the
winds, some only 20' or so above the roadways. It was quite a
spectacle; I assume the weather disrupted a communal roost and they
were all just trying to find some place to set down for the night.
Cheers,
Russ Taylor
