This morning Erin an I went to Burke Lake, but found the gate closed so we turned and headed towards the Potomac. First stop was Riverside Park (eBird list below). After riverside we stopped at a lookout along the GW parkway and picked up !20 Chimney Swifts and many swallows (mostly BANK SWALLOW, and a few BARN). Many undidentified (probable Forster's Terns in the distance). We continued to another lookout across a bay from Fort Washington. There was an old pier with posts for gulls and terns to perch on there including what looked like a breeding plumage Forster's among many non-breeding plumaged birds. From here we went to Belle Haven Marina where I likely missed the tern flock perched nearby (that others later told me included Least tern) but could see a large tern flock perched north near the Hunting Creek Bridge. So we continued there. The Hunting Creek Bridge was the most productive spot (eBird list below), with a TUNDRA SWAN, 11 BLACK TERN in flight at one point towards the south, ~75 LAUGHING GULL, 26+ CASPIAN TERN, ~110 FORSTER'S TERN and 1 tern perched on the flats that was either an ARCTIC or a COMMON TERN in breeding plumage.
Good birding,
Dan Lebbin
Riverside Park - CMN03, Fairfax, US-VA
Aug 28, 2011 8:05 AM - 8:40 AM
Protocol: Stationary
Comments: post Hurricane Irene birding
11 species (+2 other taxa)
Mallard 1
Double-crested Cormorant 2
Turkey Vulture 1
Osprey 4
Bald Eagle 1
Laughing Gull 6
Ring-billed Gull 2
gull sp. 3
Caspian Tern 2
Forster's Tern 8
Chimney Swift 4
Blue Jay 1
swallow sp. 2
Hunting Creek Bridge, Fairfax, US-VA
Aug 28, 2011 9:54 AM - 10:45 AM
Protocol: Stationary
Comments: post Hurricane Irene birding
21 species
Canada Goose 8
Tundra Swan 1 Dave Boltz told me this bird has been here all summer
Mallard 8
Double-crested Cormorant 5
Great Blue Heron 4
Great Egret 15
Osprey 1
Bald Eagle 1
Greater Yellowlegs 9
Lesser Yellowlegs 2
Least Sandpiper 6
Laughing Gull 75
Ring-billed Gull 62
Caspian Tern 26 there were probably more before the eagle spooked the group up, and then later I counted this species
Black Tern 11
Common OR Arctic Tern 1 Not 100% sure of this ID. Either an adult Common or Arctic. Bird had grayish underparts with contrasting white cheek, short red legs and bill. Could not see bill tip well due to distance and wind on the scope. Bill shorter than nearby Forster's terns.
Forster's Tern 110
Mourning Dove 2
Chimney Swift 5
Bank Swallow X
European Starling 20
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2 (http://ebird.org)
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