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Subject:

DC birding 4/4/09

From:

Ian Davies

Reply-To:

Ian Davies

Date:

Sat, 4 Apr 2009 18:05:07 -0400

Paul Pisano and I birded DC today in what will be my last day of  
birding in the MD/DC area for quite some time. My goal was to finally  
crest 100 for DC, but we fell just short, and I'll have to settle with  
a DC list of 96 for a while.
We started today with a vigil at Gravelly Point for (hopefully) Little  
Gull, but despite seeing over 300 Bonies, we came up empty with  
Littles. Good duck show there too, with 7 species, highlights being a  
female Red-breasted Merganser and a pair of Blue-winged Teal, not bad  
consolation prizes. We decided to skip Hains Point, which turned out  
to be a bad call, as we later ran into Kurt Schwarz, who told us that  
there had been a Common Goldeneye there, among other things. Not much  
at Anacostia Park, just a few swallows and a Caspian Tern, but  
Kenilworth Park was quite nice. Best bird there was a Vesper Sparrow  
seen at the end of the dirt road that is on the right as you head in,  
most likely one of the ones found by Michael Bowen. There were also 4  
Eastern Meadowlarks, first seen down by the far goalpost, then flushed  
up into the treetops (!!), and eventually came back down to feed on  
the short grass. Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens was mostly lackluster, but  
6 Blue-winged Teal brought our total for the day in DC to 8, Paul's  
personal high count, and of course mine!  To round things out we  
headed to Fletcher's Boathouse hoping for a Yellow-throated Warbler or  
some early migrants, and although we heard a report of Blue-gray  
Gnatcatcher, we had to settle with some more Northern Rough-winged  
Swallows and a male Red-breasted Merganser. A quick stop at Georgetown  
Reservoir yielded 3 Caspian Terns roosting with the gulls, a Pied- 
billed Grebe, and eight Ring-necked Ducks.
All in all a great last day, and I look forward to coming back to this  
part of the country.
Full lists from today below.




Gravelly Point  (DC waters) (0630-0725):


Mallard     4
Blue-winged Teal     2 - pair on the Potomac, flew over VA briefly (DC  
and VA)
Ring-necked Duck     1f
Greater Scaup     2 - pair
Lesser Scaup     1m
Bufflehead     2
Red-breasted Merganser     1f
Double-crested Cormorant     250
Turkey Vulture     1
Osprey     1
Bonaparte's Gull     304 - Nice movement of Bonies, but no Little Gulls
Ring-billed Gull     400
Herring Gull (American)     35
Great Black-backed Gull     10
American Pipit     1 - calling (VA)


15 species



Anacostia Park (0740-0755):


Canada Goose     25
Mallard     4
Double-crested Cormorant     15
Killdeer     3
Ring-billed Gull     50
Herring Gull (American)     15
Caspian Tern     1
Mourning Dove     5
Tree Swallow     9
Barn Swallow     1
European Starling     20
Red-winged Blackbird     15
Common Grackle     10
Brown-headed Cowbird     3


14 species



Kenilworth Park (0805-0900):


Canada Goose     52
Double-crested Cormorant     5
Turkey Vulture     2
Bald Eagle     1 ad
Red-shouldered Hawk     3
Red-tailed Hawk     2
American Kestrel     2 - Pair being repeatedly harassed by crows
Killdeer     1
Ring-billed Gull     5
Herring Gull (American)     5
Rock Pigeon     5
Mourning Dove     5
Northern Flicker     16
Eastern Phoebe     1
Blue Jay     3
American Crow     25
Fish Crow     45
Barn Swallow     2
Eastern Bluebird     2
American Robin     5
Northern Mockingbird     2
European Starling     50
Field Sparrow     5
Vesper Sparrow     1 -
Savannah Sparrow     3
Song Sparrow     12
White-throated Sparrow     3
Dark-eyed Junco     3
Northern Cardinal     2
Red-winged Blackbird     15
Eastern Meadowlark     4 - Perching in treetops at one point!
Common Grackle     10
Brown-headed Cowbird     4
House Finch     2
House Sparrow     5


35 species



Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens (0905-1000):


Canada Goose     8
Wood Duck     13
Mallard     5
Blue-winged Teal     6 - 4m 2f
Double-crested Cormorant     5
Great Blue Heron     4
Black Vulture     1
Bald Eagle     1
Red-shouldered Hawk     1
Red-bellied Woodpecker     2
American Crow     5
Fish Crow     120
Tree Swallow     1
Northern Rough-winged Swallow     2
Song Sparrow     8
Swamp Sparrow     3
White-throated Sparrow     5
Northern Cardinal     2
Red-winged Blackbird     15
Common Grackle     5


20 species



C&O Canal--Fletcher's Boathouse (1035-1115):


Wood Duck     3
Red-breasted Merganser     1m - Flying inland up the Potomac
Double-crested Cormorant     25
Turkey Vulture     2
Red-shouldered Hawk     2
Ring-billed Gull     10
Mourning Dove     4
Red-bellied Woodpecker     2
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker     1
Downy Woodpecker     3
Northern Rough-winged Swallow     5
Carolina Chickadee     11
Tufted Titmouse     4
Carolina Wren     2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet     2
American Robin     5
European Starling     12
Yellow-rumped Warbler     12
Song Sparrow     4
White-throated Sparrow     2
Dark-eyed Junco     6
Northern Cardinal     3
American Goldfinch     6


23 species



Georgetown Reservoir (1120-1125):


Canada Goose     2
Ring-necked Duck     8
Pied-billed Grebe     1
Ring-billed Gull     50
Herring Gull (American)     5
Great Black-backed Gull     5
Caspian Tern     3


7 species

62 species total


This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)


Good birding,
Ian Davies
Manomet, MA

www.pbase.com/daviesphoto
http://picasaweb.google.com/goshawk227