Just time for a short note.
Yesterday, Sunday the 13th, I spent time at my usual birding spots in King
George and Westmoreland counties. I don't have time for a detailed post, but
here are the highlights.
--A male Eurasian Wigeon with 16 American wigeons, distant view in the
Rappahannock River from private property in Leedstown
--A Lesser Black-backed Gull flying by the end of 624 (Muse Rd) Westmoreland
Co,
overlooking the Potomac, at close-range.
--Spring is here with several Pine warblers, phoebes, tree swallows,
ruby-crowned kinglets, and laughing gulls (2)
--A dramatic decrease in geese and other the waterfowl numbers, except 3400
scaup spp visible way in the distance from the end of 624 (Muse Rd) along with
185 surf scoters and 43 goldeneyes . It was fun to watch some of the goldeneyes
displaying for a female, cocking their heads way back, throwing them forward as
they kicked with their feet(but too far away to hear their call). Many
gadwalls,
shovelers, green-winged teals, and 2 drake blue-winged teal in Leedstown. (The
owner of this Leedstown farm also had pintails earlier in the day). Still over
100 tundra swans at Washington's Birthplace. More wood ducks than earlier in
the
winter but not as many as last week. Other waterfowl included canvasback,
ring-necked duck, bufflehead, ruddy duck, common merganser all with much lower
numbers than in the winter. Some waterfowl like black duck and long-tailed duck
could not be found.
--my first shoveler on my property(Peedee Creek, Leedstown) along with 9 wood
ducks, a coot, and 22 mallards.
--11 bald eagles eating a woodchuck carcass in Leedstown
-- male Red-breasted mergansers outnumbered females 24 to 1; female hooded
mergansers outnumbered males 52 to 9
-- more horned grebes than usual (14)
--a big flock of 41 wild turkeys with 65 mourning doves in a big farm field at
Washington's Birthplace, visible from the road to the beach.
--a group of 16 pipits in a recently plowed field at the end of Muse Rd
--singing frogs: leopard, pickerel, upland chorus, and spring peeper
--hooting great horned owl and barred owls
--only 1 killdeer all day, but 2 woodcocks at dusk and 14 snipe (8 King George,
6 Leedstown dusk)
I hope you have a great week
Fred
Frederick D. Atwood fredatwood@xxxxxxxxx
Flint Hill School, 10409 Academic Dr, Oakton, VA 22124
703-242-1675
http://www.agpix.com/fredatwood
http://www.flinthill.org
http://tea.armadaproject.org/tea_atwoodfrontpage.html
