Great Spring Avian Migration

 After a LONG, cold winter, the avian Spring migration of  2014 was especially wonderful.  Of particular note, I had multiple sightings of Cape May, Blackburnian, and Bay-breasted warblers (all usually very difficult to see), a striking Summer Tanager, and a field full of Bobolinks. 
Here are a few images. 

 Male Cape May Warbler (Setophaga tigrina) Monticello Park, Alexandria Va.

 Male Cape May Warbler (Setophaga tigrina) Monticello Park, Alexandria Va.

 Male Blackburnian Warbler, (Setophaga fusca) Monticello Park, Alexandria, Va.

 Male Blackburnian Warbler, (Setophaga fusca) Monticello Park, Alexandria, Va.

Male Black-throated Blue Warbler (Setophaga caerulescens) Monticello Park, Alexandria, Va.

 Male Black-throated Green Warbler (Setophaga virens) Monticello Park, Alexandria, Va.


Two distant, and fortuitous, images of a Male Summer Tanager (Piranga rubra), not a common bird for this area, taken on River Road Montgomery County, Md.  

A couple of Images of a Male Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea) taken in a Serviceberry  bush at Great Falls National Park, Potomac Md.

I was fortunate to find a field  full of migrating Bobolinks (Dolinchonyx oryzivorus) on Harrison Road, Fauquier, Co., Va.   Once a fairly common bird, they are now often difficult to find.

This pair of American Redstarts (Setophaga ruiticilla) was building a nest along the trail at the Thompson Wildlife Management Area in Linden,Va.

   

 Male on the nest.

 Female on the nest.

 Female on nest, male on nearby branch.

And, finally, a lovely visitor to my very own bird feeder: Male Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus).

                   HAVE A NICE SUMMER  !!

Spring Images

  After this long and cold winter, harbingers of Spring are arriving at last. 
        Here are a few images from April 19 and 21. 

       Palm Warbler ( Setophaga palmarum), Riley's Lock C&O Canal.

                         Palm Warbler

               This is a female Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor), with a genetic aberration causing it to have partially white, (leucasistic), plumage on the otherwise brown head.  I have never seen a Tree Swallow like this before. Taken at Riley's Lock, C&O Canal.

  I thought the reflection of the Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica), in the water at Riverbend park was lovely and almost impressionistic.

                        More reflected Bluebells.

                      Virginia Bluebells.

    
                                ENJOY THE SPRING !!

Early Spring at Seneca

    The first signs of early Spring have appeared at Seneca, Md. (where Seneca Creek comes into the Potomac River, and where the C&O Canal tow path passes over the creek).  In addition to the numerous Red-necked Grebes noted in the last posting here, within the last week or so, there have been numerous Wood Frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus) calling from a local vernal pool, and also the appearance of an adult Black-crowned Night-Heron.
 Wood Frogs are found throughout Maryland,  and much of the eastern states as far south as Georgia.   The Night-Herons breed locally, and this bird may be the same one that has been seen at Seneca in other years. 
 I managed to get a few shots of both of those harbingers of Spring.

 Wood Frog, Lithobates sylvaticus in a vernal pool at Seneca.

                Another Wood Frog at Seneca.

                       Another View.

  I found this Black-crowned Night-Heron at the mouth

                      of Seneca Creek.

   Looking away and, perhaps, getting nervous.

  The heron soon flew away.  I managed to get a couple of 

       not real sharp or clear, but interesting shots of it in the air.

  I am not sure why the plumage that should appear black 

       seems to be blue here.  

 The heron appears larger in the air than it did sitting 

        on the side of the creek.

    That's all for now, but Spring has only just begun.

 

  

 

               

                      

Invasion of the Red-necked Grebes

The avian influx of this amazing winter seems to never end.
Red-necked grebes are not an uncommon bird in the mid-Atlantic in the winter, in small numbers. This year, however, they have recently appeared in numerous places in unusually large numbers.  The open areas at Riley's Lock (mile 22.7 on the C&O Canal), where Seneca Creek comes into the Potomac River has been especially fruitful for seeing these lovely birds, some now in Spring breeding plumage.  More than twenty Red-necked grebes have been counted there on a number of occasions in the past ten days.    One day, we had nineteen in view at the same time, with two or three more up the creek and at least ten more in the scope across the river.  Truly astounding.
  Here are some images of breeding plumage Red-necked grebes taken at Riley's/Seneca in the first two weeks of March.

While the grebes are quite stunning in their own right, it is especially fun to see them fishing and interacting with the prey they catch.   Here's a couple of grebes in a squabble over a fish one has just caught.

And a different grebe, with a mouthful.  

More competition . . . . and a squabbles. 

Also, peaceful co-existence . . .

In addition to the wonderful grebe show, the confluence Seneca Creek and the Potomac River has been fruitful for large numbers of assorted species of ducks, along with Tundra swans and a Red-throated loon. There have often be large rafts of many hundreds of Redhead, Canvasbacks, American Widgeon, and even some Long-tailed ducks, Scaup, Ring-necked ducks, and a dozen or more White-winged scoters.  What a show !!
 Here is a distant image of a small part of one of those rafts showing mostly Redhead, Canvasbacks, and Widgeon along with several Tundra swans; in the foreground is the Red-throated loon.

And, finally, we were treated often to large number of ducks flying up and down the river. Here is a small group of airborne Redhead.

   In the midst of all these wonderful winter avian treats, it's difficult believe that they will, in a month or so, be gone and replaced in the nearby trees with Prothonotary warblers, Baltimore Orioles and other breeding songbirds.Spring is coming.  Stay tuned!!

A Winter Afternoon

 Burke Lake Park, in Fairfax County, Va. is often a good place to see lots of wintering waterfowl , especially in late February.  Over 200 Common Mergansers, along with other waterfowl, had been seen on the lake on February 26th.  So, I spent two cold, but useful, hours there the following afternoon. 
 Initially, I visited the small parking and boat launch area reserved for fishing by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland fisheries, which actually owns the lake.  I wanted to scan that end of the lake as a guide as to where to hike in.  Much to my surprise, I found an adult, Red-shouldered Hawk pecking away at the ice; it soon took flight and flew right in front of me. 

 

                                Notice the small fish in it's talons.

        Just before it flew past me, I had seen it sitting on the ice eating a small fish.

   Fish is an unusual prey item for a Red-shouldered hawk, which usually eats small mammals, snakes, amphibians, or other birds. It must have been a hard winter for this raptor.

As I was hiking in to where I thought I could get some good light on most of the birds on the lake, I noticed this adult, male, Red-breasted Merganser (in full breeding plumage) slowly swimming near the trail.

                       What a serenely beautiful bird.

  When I finally arrived at my observation point, there were many Common Mergansers on the far side of the water.

  

  There were many more Common Mergansers, both spread out on the water and in large groups, than the 22 in this image. The green-headed, orange-billed males and the brown-headed females both show adult breeding plumage.

       Adult, male Common Merganser taking flight.

       Adult, female Common Merganser in flight. This bird appears to have a fish in it's mouth.

   The dark-green head, bright-orange bill and legs, and the bold black-and-white, upper-wing pattern make this adult, male Common Merganser a striking bird in flight.

         Adult, male and female Common Mergansers in flight.

  I also discovered these White-winged Scoters (a quite unusual bird for Burke lake), probably there because of the very cold winter this year.  The dark-black, male (on the right), has the orange bill and bright-white "eye comma," of a breeding plumage bird. Behind the male appears to be a female, and then perhaps a first-winter (non-breeding) male . 

  The bright-white patches on the upper wing of this adult, male White-winged Scoter, landing on the water, are what give the bird it's name. 

 I also saw, but could not photograph an adult, female, Common Goldeneye, numerous Lessor Scaup, Ring-necked ducks, and Bufflelhead, Ruddy ducks, several Horned Grebes, a Red-necked Grebe, and two adult Blad eagles flying and interacting together over the far shore (there is an active eagle nest just across the lake from the park marina area).
  Before long, the warblers and other songbirds of Spring will arrive in the woods surrounding the lake, and the ducks and other waterfowl will fly off to breed again.  Best to see them when one can.