[MDOsprey] Manassas Airport, 26 JUN 99
BlkVulture@aol.com
Sat, 26 Jun 1999 23:20:50 EDT
Hello all....
Having not had enough of the heat and humidity birding earlier with Kurt at
Prince William Forest Park and Possum Point, I stopped at Manassas Airport on
my way home. I went along the access road on the West side of the airfield.
Aside from the fact that there is a new hangar where there used to be field,
and the makings of a second new hangar, the place seems unchanged. Most of
the birds are away from the hangars anyway.
Only a few birds to report, but there were 4 Chats, one pair feeding a
juvenile, and another bird calling further away. 2 Grasshopper Sparrows. The
remaining birds are expected given the transition from field to wood-edge
habitat, e.g., Indigo Buntings, Common Yellowthroats, Barn Swallows, a couple
Tree Swallows, (lots if swallows over the airfield), White-eyed vireos, Field
Sparrows, a couple Prairie Warblers, and a couple catbirds.
This spot is easy birding. There is no place you can actually go except
along the road, but most of the birds are at the end, and can be heard or
seen from the cul-de-sac. I was there about ten minutes.
There is a lot of Chat/Prairie habitat along this road if you take it back to
Rte 28 without heading east across the airport and back to the main access
road. I did not stop to listen, but I suspect that there are another half
dozen or so Chats in these areas.
One other interesting observation is that blackbirds are beginning to gather
in flocks of 100 or so birds again. This was evident with two flocks of
birds flying over the airport. Makes sense since the Grackles that had bred
beside my office have fledged their young and are all gone. This was a
colony of about 30 pairs. I have not seen one in about two weeks.
Cheers,
Todd Day
BlkVulture@aol.com
Jeffersonton, VA