As with a lot of other folks, backyard birding has really picked up since the
storm. We had 10 male cardinals in the yard at one time during the storm. A
brown thrasher has been a steady visitor to the feeder, where it seems to like
the suet. I put out a seed mix that contains berries and fruit to provide a
more varied diet. Other new visitors are a pair of towhees, a fox sparrow,
several red-winged blackbirds, and a cowbird.
I visited Occoquan NWR this morning to see the pipits that were reported by
Ryan Kelley. I was not disappointed. About a dozen were feeding along the
edge of the entrance road. I was able to get pretty close to them in the car,
and enjoyed the best looks I have had of this bird in a long time. I also saw
a single tree sparrow and quite a few savannah sparrows.
Marc Ribaudo
Woodbridge
