Shorebirds and Ducks at Hunting Creek
KurtCapt87@aol.com
Mon, 12 Oct 1998 15:13:42 EDT
So when the going gets slow the slow get... eh? Whatever.., stopped by
Hunting Creek, just south of Alexandria, VA on the Potomac for the weekly
census about 1000 today, 12 Oct 98 just as the tide was coming in. As huge
numbers of ducks were about, I did a very quick census of the ducks (subject
to much error I am sure), but took my time being careful on the shorebirds.
So, in addition to the usual cormorants, Great Blues, Great Egrets, the usual
4 gulls, Canada Geese and even a Kingfisher or two the following were
spotted...
Pied-billed Grebe - 1
Green-winged Teal - 4
Black Duck - 22
Mallard - 30
No. Pintail - 148
Blue-winged Teal - 6
No. Shoveler - 130
Ruddy Duck - 32
Am Coot - 8
Killdeer - 31
Greater Yellowlegs - 19
Lesser Yellowlegs - 16
Least Sandpiper - 4
Pectoral Sandpiper - 21
Caspian Tern - 14
Forster's Tern - 32
At Jones Point, Alexandria, VA, looking on the hydrilla mats north of the
Wilson Bridge, the following were spotted
Pied-billed Grebes - 37
Green-winged Teals - 4
Mallards - 90
Blue-winged Teals - 3
Larry Cartwright spotted 6000 Laughing Gulls yesterday during the regular Dyke
Marsh walk. Today less were evident, perhaps about 1000 between the mudflats
and the hydrilla mats.
Kurt Gaskill