wybranie@dtrc.dt.navy.mil (Wybraniec) (01/02/91)
I went on 2 Christmas Bird Counts this year (my first two BTW). Both were
in Northern Virginia. One area included a light industrial park and open
fields bordered by a creek. This is close to Dulles airport and it was a
very windy day, so birding by ear was pretty much out of the question.
The other included a golf course, some residential (i.e. backyard birdfeeder
attracters), and a creek. On this day we had 4" of snow covered by 1/4" of
ice, and low clouds/fog; so seeing anything soaring was out of the question.
Actually - walking that day wasn't very easy, and definitely unpleasant after
I misstepped and put myself in knee-deep ice-cold muddy water.
The first count (half day only) we had 28 species and 212 birds.
The second count (full day) we had 35 species and 547 birds.
The highlights/lowlights were:
. 2 little flocks of bluebirds (15 altogether)
. 1 winter wren - so cute to watch for a long time even though we were
cold and tired
. 1 common snipe - on the golf course where some underground heat source
(I guess) melted the ice and snow and it was digging
in the watery grass
. 6 robins
. 2 turkeys
. 1 kestrel - hover hunting in high winds - he hovered soooo long and
so perfectly, I could have been watching a hummingbird!
. good populations of hawks - especially red-tails
. 4 blue jays heard and not a one seen - where are they?
. 0 grackles - the count coordinator said he'd never thought he'd see
the day he would be begging us to see a grackle - where are they?
.18 house finches - same trend as above, AND
. 3! house sparrows - not that I miss them, but what is happening??
The scarcity of jays in particular, and grackles, and the finches/sparrows
was the subject of conversation at the after-count get-together. I've
noticed it at my backyard feeders. Anybody out there got any facts?
Suzanne (Northern Virginia)edm@vrdxhq.verdix.com (Ed Matthews) (01/03/91)
In article <5170@oasys.dt.navy.mil> wybranie@dtrc.dt.navy.mil (Suzanne Wybraniec) writes: >I went on 2 Christmas Bird Counts this year (my first two BTW). Both were >in Northern Virginia. One area included a light industrial park and open I live in Northern VA at Dulles Airport. > . 1 kestrel - hover hunting in high winds - he hovered soooo long and > so perfectly, I could have been watching a hummingbird! > . good populations of hawks - especially red-tails Route 28 from I-66 to Route 7 and Route 50 west from Route 28 are great for raptors. I have seen many, many kestrels this year especially along the phone wires and some days there will be ten or more red-tails to the mile. You can also see the occaisonal Sharpie, Broad Wing, Red Shoulder, and Rough-Leg. These roads are also excellent for Turkey Vultures if you, like I, like to watch these guys soar. An anecdote: the morning after it snowed, my wife and I were driving in I-66 to the Beltway and there on top of a light pole in the middle of 66 at the Vienna Metro station in the fog sat a *huge* raptor. My wife, who is far-sighted in the extreme, yells, "An eagle! an eagle!" Ever the skeptic (and knowing my wife's raptor ID skills) and being near-sighted in the extreme, I had to wait a minute or two to ID the bird. The eagle had a snowy white breast, flecked with dark, and a dark hooded head. I said to my wife, "When was the last time you saw a white-breasted eagle?" She said, "Oh, maybe a Red-Tailed Eagle then?" "Maybe." > . 0 grackles - the count coordinator said he'd never thought he'd see > the day he would be begging us to see a grackle - where are they? I sent them away! Seriously, they left here about November 15 and I have not seen them since. > .18 house finches - same trend as above, AND We have our share of house finches. They seem to be as plentiful as ever. On December 16, four purple finches showed up at my feeder and are still here. These are the first purple finches I have ever had at the feeder. Nothing like getting a purple and a house finch side by side on the feeder 15 feet away from the kitchen table and watching them in the binocs to clearly see what the differences are. > . 3! house sparrows - not that I miss them, but what is happening?? All the house sparrows (and these guys had at least three broods this year -- they were still fledging in late September) vanished about the first week in December. Good riddance I say. Drove my blue birds away did the buggers. >The scarcity of jays in particular, and grackles, and the finches/sparrows >was the subject of conversation at the after-count get-together. I've >noticed it at my backyard feeders. Anybody out there got any facts? Here are my facts as taken from my backyard journal: 1. House finches are on par with last year, estimated at about 50 birds. 2. Goldfinches are way up this year, estimated at 12 established pairs and about 6 fledgling females and 7 fledgling males. 3. Starlings are much fewer than last year with one roving flock of 25 birds. 4. House Sparrows, estimated at 100-125 birds, vanished the first week of December. 5. Blue Jays, one pair with two young, have not been seen since the first of Novemeber. I heard one calling last week. 6. Robins vanished to the woods during October after spending two weeks in the tree tops. They are still in the woods. 7. Grackles have been intermittent this year, mostly as foraging mobs. They left about 15 November as usual. >Suzanne (Northern Virginia) -- Ed Matthews edm@verdix.com Verdix Corporation Headquarters (703) 378-7600 Chantilly, Virginia