Mary Ann Good and Mike Scott led five enthusiastic birders through the Dulles Greenway Wetlands on the morning of April 27. Clear and calm, with temperatures making their way up from the 40s to the 70s, the team had numerous exciting encounters, tallying a count of 54 bird species.
Great Blue Heron.
Photo by Sheri Knauer
The group got off to a hot start, noting several very vocal Blue-gray Gnatcatchers and an Eastern Meadowlark by the parking area. Later, we took turns on the scope, giving everyone a chance to view the juvenile Bald Eagle occasionally poking its head out from the top of its impressive nest. While watching the eagle, five Great Egrets circled in from above, eventually landing in a tree nearby. Red-winged Blackbirds, Tree Swallows, Swamp Sparrows and Blue Jays were all abundant and active in the marshy reeds.
As the group made their way closer to the Goose Creek, we got a handful of chances to observe four White-eyed Vireos singing energetically. A mother Wood Duck with four tiny ducklings quietly greeted us at the wetlands as an Osprey cruised overhead. Two kingfishers were active on the creek, as well as a Northern Rough-winged Swallow and a Spotted Sandpiper teetering on a partially-submerged log. Nearby, a family of flying squirrels was seen sleeping in a tree cavity.
Six Double-crested Cormorants and four migrant Broad-winged Hawks surprised us with flyovers on our return trip. Warblers observed were Common Yellowthroat (10), Yellow-rumped Warbler (3), Palm Warbler (3), Northern Parula (2), Yellow Warbler (1), and Prairie Warbler (8). Other field trip highlights included an Orchard Oriole, a Green Heron, a Gray Catbird, a Red-tailed Hawk, two Red-shouldered Hawks, and a Cooper’s Hawk.
For a complete list of the birds observed at the Dulles Greenway Wetlands see the list below or view on eBird at https://ebird.org/checklist/S86487785.
Eastern Bluebird.
Photo by Sheri Knauer
Species List:
Canada Goose 12
Wood Duck 5
Chimney Swift 2
Spotted Sandpiper 1
Double-crested Cormorant 6
Great Blue Heron 2
Great Egret 5
Green Heron 1
Black Vulture 2
Turkey Vulture 6
Osprey 1
Cooper’s Hawk 1
Bald Eagle 2
Red-shouldered Hawk 2
Broad-winged Hawk 4
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Belted Kingfisher 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker 5
Downy Woodpecker 1
Pileated Woodpecker 1
Eastern Phoebe 1
White-eyed Vireo 4
Blue Jay 56
American Crow 20
Fish Crow 4
Carolina Chickadee 3
Tufted Titmouse 1
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 1
Tree Swallow 16
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 7
House Wren 2
Carolina Wren 3
European Starling 1
Gray Catbird 1
Eastern Bluebird 4
American Goldfinch 10
Field Sparrow 2
White-throated Sparrow 24
Song Sparrow 3
Swamp Sparrow 3
Eastern Towhee 1
Eastern Meadowlark 1
Orchard Oriole 1
Red-winged Blackbird 20
Brown-headed Cowbird 5
Common Grackle 2
Common Yellowthroat 10
Northern Parula 2
Yellow Warbler 1
Palm Warbler 3
Yellow-rumped Warbler 3
Prairie Warbler 8
Northern Cardinal 10