Springfield Snowy Owl

Popped down to Springfield after work today in hopes of spending some time with our newest Snowy. By sheer dumb luck, I bumped into a group of birders at the top of one of the parking garages, and they were kind enough to point out the Snowy. It was tucked into the corner of the roof of the mall, and from my original viewing angle, I could just barely make out his eyes (picture included). After staring stupefied for many minutes, I decided to use my brain for a minute and move back about 50 yards. The viewing then was much improved.

This marks the third Snowy Owl I've seen this season. If I'd really tried (as others have), I could've seen at least five others, but I'm delighted with the three I've been lucky enough to see. Many thanks to all the folks who've provided detailed sightings and locations!

(Bonus: some pictures of the Pink-footed Geese I saw this past weekend in Maryland. Many thanks to Larry Meade for the directions!)

First Great Horned Owl

I was lucky enough to secure a spot on the Birds of Prey excursion with
Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy this past weekend. Things began a little slowly, but the afternoon findings more than compensated. I picked up my first Great Horned Owl (thanks to Liam and Laura!), and we had extended and indescribably beautiful views of multiple Short-eared Owls and Northern Harriers. (Extra pic included to illustrate just how excellently the Great Horn uses its camouflage.)

There was much gasping from the spectators, you better believe it. There were also extreme measures taken--craning and straining necks, peeking out of sunroofs, crawling on the floors--by those of us in backseats to get good views. It was all worth it because it was a great day.

Sandhill Crane @ Temple Hall Regional Farm Park

A life bird appeared out of the morning mist in Loudoun County today. A lone Sandhill Crane picked through the field for its breakfast, affording long looks and many good photos.

Peregrine Falcons @ Jones Point

After receiving a tip from another birder, I hightailed it over to Jones Point to see if the Peregrine Falcon was still perched near the parking lot. Well, not only was the bird still there, but it was also joined by another Peregrine! You'll notice that at least one of the birds is clearly banded.

Sandy Point and Riverbend

Spent the day with some water birds, visiting both Maryland and Virginia sites. Started at Sandy Point, where the birding was very good and the weather was good enough. Had some really lovely views of a male and female Common Goldeneye, as well as a Red-breasted Merganser. Bald Eagles were on the hunt, too, which really got the ducks in a frenzy.

The afternoon brought me back to Riverbend, which is easily one of favorite places to bird lately. The diversity of species today was the best I've seen at Riverbend, and I managed to spot a Northern Shoveler, Canvasbacks, a Redhead, numerous Common and Hooded Mergansers, a Wigeon, a Mute Swan, and the highlight of the day... a male Wood Duck!

(Please forgive the poor quality of the photos, as the distance was much too great for my little camera to overcome. Just wanted to be sure I documented the Wood Duck more than anything.)

200th bird! sedge wren @ occoquan

Today, I made quick stops at Riverbend, Occoquan Bay NWR, Mason Neck State Park, and Pohick Bay, with my primary objective to find the Sedge Wren at Occoquan. Well... success! Thanks to the many tips from our birding community and this morning's presence of Jim Goehring, I was able to get really good views of the Sedge Wren within 10 minutes of my arrival. To say the least, the bird did not disappoint. No matter how much you study the bird in books, nothing can prepare you for just how diminutive it really is. Awesome little bird, indeed. (I'm also including a couple of photos to illustrate just how splendidly the Sedge Wren uses camouflage.)

Most notable during my other stops were the numerous Bald Eagles and Great Blue Herons (nearly side-by-side!), as well as over 200 American Coots at Pohick; a handful of Wigeon at Mason Neck; and two Winter Wrens and a Merlin hunting at Riverbend. Gotta love winter vacation!

(Here's a bonus photo of an American Crow eyeing a juvenile Bald Eagle and his breakfast.)

big day highlights

in honor of Neil Hayward's record-breaking big year, I thought I'd take advantage of mild weather and a day off to do my first "big day" (see list below). 

kicking things off at the Huntley Meadows Monday walk did not disappoint, as I picked up a life bird (American Wigeon) and many other lovely water birds.

made my way up to Dyke Marsh/Belle Haven in hopes of more water birds, and though the weather was gloomy, the second life bird of the day (Canvasback; part of the raft shown below with buildings for scale) lifted my spirits. the raft of Canvasbacks was massive, as were the numbers of Great Blue Herons and Ruddy Ducks.

after lunch and coffee, I finished the day at Riverbend Park, where water birds were in full display. from Common Mergansers to Buffleheads to Pied-billed Grebes to a flock of well over 50 American Coots, there was plenty to keep my mind off the quickly-dwindling temperature. this, by the way, was the second time in two weeks that the group of American Coots were present at Riverbend. you can find them on the northwest side of the island (south of the boat ramp).

in all, I managed 60 species (I'm sure the number would have been much larger were I more skilled at IDing). a good day indeed.

list with locations

Canada Goose (all 3 sites)

Gadwall (all 3 sites)

American Wigeon (Huntley)

American Black Duck (all 3 sites)

Mallard (all 3 sites)

Northern Shoveler (Huntley)

Northern Pintail (Huntley)

Green-winged Teal (Huntley)

Canvasback (Belle Haven: huge raft!)

Redhead (Riverbend)

Ring-necked Duck (all 3 sites)

Bufflehead (all 3 sites)

Hooded Merganser (Huntley)

Common Merganser (Riverbend)

Red-breasted Merganser (Riverbend)

Ruddy Duck (all 3 sites)

Pied-billed Grebe (Dyke Marsh; Riverbend)

Double-crested Cormorant (Dyke Marsh)

Great Blue Heron (all 3 sites)

Black Vulture (Riverbend)

Turkey Vulture (Riverbend)

Bald Eagle (Riverbend; Huntley)

Red-shouldered Hawk (Huntley)

American Coot (50+ at Riverbend!; 1 at Huntley)

Laughing Gull (Belle Haven)

Herring Gull (Belle Haven)

Ring-billed Gull (Belle Haven)

Great Black-backed Gull (Belle Haven)

Rock Pigeon (all 3 sites)

Mourning Dove (all 3 sites)

Red-headed Woodpecker (Huntley)

Red-bellied Woodpecker (all 3 sites)

Downy Woodpecker (all 3 sites)

Hairy Woodpecker (all 3 sites)

Northern Flicker (all 3 sites)

Pileated Woodpecker (Riverbend)

Blue Jay (all 3 sites)

American Crow (all 3 sites)

Fish Crow (all 3 sites)

Carolina Chickadee (all 3 sites)

Tufted Titmouse (all 3 sites)

White-breasted Nuthatch (all 3 sites)

Winter Wren (Huntley)

Carolina Wren (all 3 sites)

Golden-crowned Kinglet (Riverbend; Dyke Marsh)

Eastern Bluebird (all 3 sites)

American Robin (all 3 sites)

Northern Mockingbird (Huntley)

European Starling (all 3 sites)

Eastern Towhee (Huntley)

American Tree Sparrow (Dyke Marsh)

Song Sparrow (all 3 sites)

Swamp Sparrow (Dyke Marsh)

White-throated Sparrow (all 3 sites)

Dark-eyed Junco (Riverbend)

Northern Cardinal (all 3 sites)

Red-winged Blackbird (Huntley)

Rusty Blackbird (Huntley)

House Finch (Dyke Marsh)

House Sparrow (Riverbend)