[MDOsprey] Manassas Airport, 2 Jul 99 (Very late)

BlkVulture@aol.com
Tue, 6 Jul 1999 18:36:14 EDT 

Folks...

I wrote the following last Friday and for some reason I never sent it.  But, 
since I did write it, I figure I should send it along.  
__________________________________________________________________
Hello all...

This morning from about 7:15 until 9:45 I birded the west acces road to the 
Manassas Airport with my father.  This road is Piper Lane (VA 660) and runs 
south from VA 28, just west of the airport.  

The west side of the road is wooded, with Broad Run running through it, in 
places only a few yards from the road.  Kingfisher could be heard flying up 
the river, as well as Wood Thush, Acadian, Pewee, and Red-eyed Vireo calling 
from the woods.  

The east side of the road starts off wooded, but then becomes a series of 
small, overgrown fields, then the airfield, complete with buildings.  One of 
these fields, about five acres in size, is mostly young sycamore trees, and 
some type of black-raspberry.  Virtually every time I saw a chat in this 
area, it was flying with one of the few ripe ones in its bill.  (Most are 
still green, and a fair amount of red ones).  The end of Piper Lane is  a 
cul-de-sac with woods, field, and a transition area.  

Many birds were either observed with young, feeding young, or the juvs were 
seen.  'Tis the season. 

Temp started about 65, and rose to about 75.  Wind was about 10-15 mph, from 
the SW.  

When I returned to my office in Gainesville there was a sharp-shinned hawk 
over my office.  Something I don't see everyday in July.  

The List:

Great Blue Heron (2)
Green Heron (1)
Turkey Vulture (6)
Red-tailed Hawk (1 adult)
Rock Dove (12)
Mourning Dove (10)
YB Cuckoo (1)
Chimney Swift (10)
RT Hummingird (2)
Kingfisher (1)
Red-bellied Woodpecker (1)
Flicker (1)
Pewee (2)
Acadian Flycatcher (1)
E. Phoebe (1)
GC Flycatcher (2)
Eastern Kingbird (2)
Barn Swallow (59)
Blue Jay (4)
Am. Crow (20)
Chickadee (2)
Carolina Wren (2)
BG Gnatcatcher (1)
Eastern Bluebird (12)
Wood Thrush (2)
Robin (8)
Catbird (18)
Mockingbird (5)
Waxwing (3)
Starling (40) 
Red-eyed Vireo (6)
Common Yellowthroat (20)
Chat (12)
Cardinal (16)
Indigo Bunting (18)
E. Towhee (6)
Field Sparrow (16)
Song Sparrow (6)
Red-winged Blackbird (7)
Cowbird (6)
House Finch (8)
Goldfinch (40)
__________________________________________________________

Cheers,

Todd Day
Jeffersonton, VA
BlkVulture@aol.com