Ring-necked Ducks, Lesser Scaups, and Buffleheads
We had rain overnight and this morning. I did a short, one hour hike mid-afternoon under mostly cloudy skies, and ended up with 33 avian species. The golf course pond had a flock of about 40 ducks and 1 Pied-billed Grebe that had settled down there. I read that other birders had seen a duck "fall out" because of the rain in nearby central Virginia ponds.
Ring-necked Ducks, Lesser Scaups, and Buffleheads
Ring-necked Ducks and Lesser Scaups
Ring-necked Ducks
Lesser Scaups
Lesser Scaups
Buffleheads
Ruddy Duck
Pied-billed Grebe
Carolina Wren nest building
Red-shouldered Hawk
Downy Woodpecker
March 25th list:
Ring-necked Duck
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow |
It was bright and sunny this morning. I overdid my hiking a bit, and in 2-1/2 to 3 hours had 33 avian species again, but 8 of them were species that I had not seen yesterday. All of the ducks and the grebe had gone. I saw Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers in two locations. The first one must have been a young adult male, as it still had its brownish, juvenile, nape feathers. There were two adult males foraging together in the second location.
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers
Northern Flicker
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Golden-crowned Kinglet
White-breasted Nuthatch
Yellow-rumped Warbler
New species added on March 26th:
Canada Goose
Ruby-crowned Kinglet |
The forecast was for rain this morning, but there was only complete cloud cover. I hiked for about an 1-1/2 hours, and logged 29, or perhaps 30 avian species, including 3 (perhaps 4) species I had not seen during the previous two days.
Song Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Rusty Blackbird
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Carolina Wren
Brown Thrasher
Near the end of my hike, I was along Slabtown Branch Creek when there was a rustle in the brushy vegetation next to me, and a bird fluttered across the creek and disappeared in the dead ground leaves on the other side. I only saw its rear underside as it flew. Based on its size, the brownish-orange underside, and its wing flutter, I think that it might have been an American Woodcock, but I was unable to confirm the species identity. I did see this species near that location in February 2021.
New species added on March 27th:
Brown Thrasher |