Wood Ducks In Luria Park

On March 15th a pair of Wood Ducks were spotted in the creek in Luria Park to the north of the bridge.

Here is a photo of this colorful pair of waterfowl:

These ducks will nest in low holes in trees usually made by the Northern Flicker. Some parks, like Huntley Meadows in Alexandria, will put in Wood Duck boxes which look like giant bird houses on fairly short posts at the water's edge. This is breeding season for Wood Ducks, so having a resident pair of the "parrot-like" birds in our park is very special indeed!

Bluebirds and Pileated Woodpeckers

I was in Luria Park on Saturday, March 14th, between the rain showers and was pleased to spot a pair of Eastern Bluebirds perched near the bridge.

The female is in the top photo and the male is in the bottom. This pair was among other birds pairing up for spring. I also observed Brown-headed Cowbirds and Red-winged Blackbirds in Luria Park, both species early spring migrants to our area.

A few days ago, I heard a Pileated Woodpecker on Brad Street. I saw a male in the backyard of a neighboring home and rushed to get a photo as I have yet to adequately capture a decent image of a male Pileated. The male and female look very much alike, but the male has a red "mustache." This make was stripping the bark from a half-dead oak tree looking for insects. The female was nearby tapping her strong beak into a dead limb.

A pair of Red-shouldered Hawks have been seen in two different nests behind homes on Add Drive as well as flying around Raymondale being mobbed by American Crows. Here is one of the hawks on an oak in our backyard seen the morning of March 1st.

Happy Birding!!!!