Sunday Dyke Marsh Walk
KurtCapt87@aol.com
Sun, 29 Nov 1998 19:10:40 EST
Folks,
A great time was had by the participants at the regular Dyke Marsh Walk held
today at 0800 from the picnic area. Highlights were 7 Bald Eagles sitting on
the Hunting Creek mudflats (4 adults), many Laughing Gulls flying (south)
overhead, and 3 Winter Wrens breaking into song along the Haul Rd as we walked
the trail. (We counted no less than 5 Winters for our short foray.) After
viewing the Eagles at the beginning of the Walk, we encountered a male and
female Common Merganser who flew and landed 50 yds from us in the Potomac as
we viewed the regular 4 Potomac River gulls on a nearby sandbar (it was low
tide). As we continued through the picnic area, the call of a nearby bird got
all our attention - yours truely thought it might be a Sapsucker but boy was I
wrong! A female Northern Harrier flew out of the trees and continued south
along the river. Walking down Haul Rd (and listening to all the Winters
singing) we came across a group of sparrows dominated by White-throats and
about 10 Songs. In nearby trees 2 Fox sparrows were playing chase the tail.
Above us a single Rusty Blackbird fed in a Tulip Tree in distant association
with a group of Red-wing Blackbirds. Moving down the dogleg, we viewed the
river again to see a close Pied-billed Grebe diving and behind it were 2
Common Loons also actively feeding in the main channel of the river.
Occasionally a Double-crested Cormorant flew by. Near the end of the trail we
encountered a Belted Kingfisher patrolling the channel near us and a Red-
tailed Hawk perched in a distant tree. We ended the day with 45 species.
Kurt Gaskill, kurtcapt87@aol.com