7 August 2010
      Took a birding holiday today.  For the most part this year I have been 
taking regular counts for my E-bird site survey which means I cover the same 
area over & over-gathering a lot of good data, but has limited the area I 
cover.  Also gives me a chance to exercise Shane.  Today he was off to his 
first show so I took advantage to survey some different areas.
      The first thing I wanted to do  was to figure the movements of GREAT 
EGRETS in and out of the area.  I arrived just as it was getting light and 
there weren't any  white birds in the marsh. Then at 6 am a group of 28 flew 
in low from the SW and landed near the island. Then smaller groups came in 
until I had a count of 51 GREAT EGRETS feeding off the southwest side of the 
island.  I saw one little blue come in with the egrets, but I didn't see the 
rest arrive since soon  5 LITTLE BLUE HERONS were here, mainly on the fallen 
tree along Hunting Quarter Rd.
      At 6:35  I decided to check the area of dead trees at the west end of 
the buttonbush swamp. Jim  Moore
had told me that where he had been seeing martins there, but needed a 
telescope to see them.  My feeling about scopes is that if I need one to see 
birds they are too far away to interest me. Once there I found 2 BALD EAGLES 
(Has seen 3 from the main dike) a pair of nesting RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS, 
and 7 low flying PURPLE MARTINS- usually I just hear them flying over.
      By 8 am when I returned to the impoundments most to the egrets were 
gone.  I had hoped to watch them leave, but that will have to wait for 
another day.
       Before I left I went to Sycamore Landing and walked to Horsepen 
Branch.  There are some patches of stargrass in the river.  Highlight was 2 
adult CASPIAN TERNS flying downriver.  I also found 2 Great Egrets, so it is 
still a mystery where all the birds are going.

Paul Woodward
Fairfax City, VA