Lazy Sightings in Fairfax County
KurtCapt87@aol.com
Thu, 17 Dec 1998 00:35:06 EST
Folks,
Well, I managed to wake up early today AND get out of the house early (8 am,
do tell!). So, I headed over to Huntley. As I made my way to the boardwalk,
the Winter Wren by the visitor center started calling; as I reached the
boardwalk the seep and tsep call notes of Song and Swamp Sparrows became
clear. Looking up, I saw a quickly moving bird flying north from the south
side, almost bill-on. MoDo? Looking through my bins I saw the Merlin fly
past, somewhat leisurely I thought. No outright 60 mph powered flight, it
occasionally went into a glide! It flew past, circled back to the south and
perched on a high snag about 300 yds away. I thought it may be carrying
something as twice it lowered and raised its legs, somewhat like a Red-tail.
Some nearby birders called me over as the bird was in their scopes. Viewing
the Merlin through the scopes, I could see it hold the sparrow somewhat like
we would hold an ice cream cone - not straight up though, at an angle -
grasping with one claw the bottom portion of the sparrow. The sparrow's head
was gone, and the falcon was feeding from the shoulder area down. Later, the
bird flew to another perch (an Am. Crow tried to harrass the Merlin, taking
the falcon's new perch, but the Merlin merely circled from the perch and
charged the crow (it powered up, if you know what I mean); the crow flew off.
breast. Interesting. As I walked back, another Winter Wren went chit-chit
chit, chit chit...
For lunch I ate my hot dog at Accotink Bay, Ft. Belvoir. The usual umpteen
hundred of Black Ducks and Mallards were scattered about the mudflats (the
tide was quite low). As I scoped across the bay to the opposite side (passing
a dozen or so Great Blues) I chanced upon a brick red duck. Ah, the Cinnamon.
Still here. His escort of other Blue-wings were absent - gone south? west?
Perhaps the CBC for Mason Neck will shed some light. Still, its great looking
at a Red Duck. On the east coast. Real close to home.
Its been a good year.
What will show up next year?
Kurt Gaskill, kurtcapt@aol.com