An Unusual Sighting at Fairview Park Pond

This afternoon Whitney Redding sent me a message about a bird she saw at the small pond by the Fairview Park Marriott. She wanted to know what this sleek, hook-billed bird she saw was. She took a photo from a distance with her cell phone. At first and second glance of Whitney's photo, I knew the bird but for the life of me I couldn't figure out why it was in the little pond near the beltway.

Dan and I raced over there with our cameras. We saw the bird swimming along the edge of the pond, head down, fishing. The bird, which we have seen in great numbers in the Potomac and Rappahannock Rivers and Chesapeake Bay, was a Double-crested Cormorant.

The Double-crested Cormorant likes to do two things: fish and rest. They don't have as much preening oil as other water  birds so they dry their wings after time in the water.

Their feathers get soaked and makes them slick and fast underwater.

The birds are numerous and not endangered. They can be found in freshwater and brackish, pretty much anywhere there's fish.

Thanks, Whitney, for your keen eye. There's a new bird to add to our neighborhood birding list!

Ruby-throated Hummingbird: Fall Migration and Hurricanes

With September comes the ramping up of fall migration for neo-tropical songbirds. We have observed in our yard for over a week now, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds feeding aggressively form the cardinal vine's red flowers and from our feeder. Even in the rain that occurred all day on Wednesday, I observed two birds taking turns at the feeder. The rain ruffled their tiny feathers and made them a little more tired so they took rest breaks by the feeder before flying into the trees to get shelter from the rain.

I have been researching how hurricanes affect fall migration. Many birds, esp. seabirds, fly along the coast. They can fly further inland rather than use energy battling headwinds. Some larger seabirds will go through the hurricane and stay in the calm eye! Birds are quite sensitive to changes in barometric pressure and winds so they adjust their routes as needed. The biggest threat to birds in hurricanes can be the aftermath with destruction of habitat and food sources such as winds blowing fruit and seeds from vegetation.  Some birds not native the continental U.S.  have been shifted by hurricanes from their habitat to the U.S. mainland. It will be interesting to see any observations after Harvey and Irma on any birds native to Mexico or the Caribbean being blown into the U.S.

It's Fledgling Season!

On Wednesday, neighbor Tony Britton sent me photos of two fledgling American Crows. I have observed the adults earlier this spring carrying nesting material, just couldn't find the nest. So a big thanks to Tony for sending me these photos. She was concerned that the fledglings may come to harm on the ground, but from my research it is best to leave baby birds and other animals alone as the parents will usually take care of them. Keeping an eye on them is a good idea in case the parents don't return. In that case if there is not change after a couple of days, please contact Fairfax County Animal Rescue/Control at 703-691-2131.

Thank you, Tony, for your vigilance and for sharing your photos!

Warblers, a Rare Sighting, and Neighborhood Bird Walk

On Saturday, May 13th, despite the heavy cloud cover and occasional drizzle we found that warbler migration season is in full swing! Luria Park was packed full of these colorful wee migrants who most will only be in our area for a few weeks before working their way northward.

We saw brilliant Chestnut-sided Warblers.

Wonderful Black-throated Blue Warblers which gleaned insects from under poison ivy leaves.

A male Magnolia Warbler playing hide and seek from the leafy branches.

A stripey Black and White Warbler.

A Blackpoll Warbler gobbling insects from beneath the leaves.

And a singing Black-throated Green Warbler.

A big early morning surprise was this young male Baltimore Oriole singing from the top of a tree in the Byrd's side yard!

AND if the day couldn't hold enough birdy awesomeness we saw two Mississippi Kites,  rare birds to our area, perched high in dead branches near the first creek crossing on the boardwalk coming in from the Raymondale side of the park.

This bird has been seen in the Annandale area a few times in the past several years and has apparently nested in the the area as well. However, until recently this bird was primarily no further north than the Virginia Beach area. We will be keeping a close eye out for this wonderful raptor to see if he wants to nest in our park!


Dan and I are hosting a Raymondale Neighborhood bird walk in Luria Park on Tuesday, May 16th beginning at 5 p.m. We will meet at the info. kiosk on the Fallowfield side of the park. Please bring your binoculars and cameras (preferably with a good zoom lens). The warblers we may see are mostly a few inches long and you will need binoculars to see the details. The weather should be nice and sunny and the birds should be out! Who knows what we will see!

A Lot of Birding Going on In Luria Park

On Saturday morning, April 29th, Dan and I walked the boardwalk at Luria Park just off the footpath and up to the first (smaller) bridge. We didn't go much farther than that as we were content to observe all of the migrating birds in that small area. The tree canopy was nearly full which provided a cool shade from the climbing temperatures and sunshine.

We saw several birds for the first time in the park!

This is the Northern Waterthrush. He likes to forage on the damp ground, and in between was singing his little heart out. Notice the bold eye stripe and longer legs compared to his rotund body shape.

Here is the Ovenbird, so named because of the dome shape of their nests on the forest floor. He has a large eye with bold white monocle. He forages on the forest floor, strutting like a little chicken in the leaves.

What got us really excited was this bird singing up in the tree canopy between earnest foraging under the leaves: the Blue-winged Warbler. Notice his small dark black "mask" and dangerously sharp beak. He also has two white wing bars on his blue-grey wings.

There are so many birds migrating to and through our neighborhood and park, so please go out and look. Binoculars will certainly help you study the details especially of the birds that are up high! Happy Spring!

FYI: Dan and I are happy to host another mid-May late afternoon mid-week Luria Park birding walk. We had such a great time last year and saw so many birds, that we thought it would be fun to do that again this year. Stay tuned for the day and time!

In Our Yard: The Indigo Bunting

Welcome Spring and all of the birds migrating to and through our neighborhood!

This afternoon, I happened to see a young male (and molting) Indigo Bunting in our pink dogwood tree. He foraged for insects on the underside of the leaves, and then rose up from the behind the pink blossoms like The Great Pumpkin. Then he gave me a good look at the rest of him and it was apparent that he was still molting away his winter plumage to his full on bright indigo blue!

The Indigo Bunting can breed in our area and wouldn't that be exciting!

Oh, Say Can You See...A Bald Eagle in Raymondale!

On Tuesday, April 4th at one in the afternoon Mary and Mike Cogbill on Add Drive got excellent views of a Bald Eagle perched about 35 feet up in a tree in their next door neighbor's yard. To Mary the bird looked like it was just resting or sleeping.

We have seen Bald Eagles flying over Fairview Park but never one roosting in our neighborhood forests. Mary and Mike were quite fortunate indeed!

Early Wednesday morning, I was birding in Luria Park and heard Red-shouldered Hawks screaming in the direction of Add Drive. A minute later I saw a Bald Eagle flying from the Add Drive direction and over Luria Parka and out of sight. Most likely the Bald Eagle roosted over night on Add Drive.

Keep those great bird photos coming! And a big thanks to Mary and Mike Cogbill!

As a footnote, close examination of the photo revealed a chain ion the Eagle's leg, a small animal trap actually. If you see the Eagle again, please contact the following folks immediately and by phone:

 The Wildlife Center of Virginia at 540-942-9453 and Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries Wildlife Biologist Mr. Kevin Rose at 804-937-3193. They are handling all of the injured eagles in the state and if possible they will help this bird!

Nesting Season!

Dan, Lisa Byrd, and I walked Luria Park this afternoon and saw evidence of nesting!

Here is a female Red-bellied Woodpecker excavating a nest cavity. We watched her tossing out beak-fulls of saw dust as she made her happy home.

This pair of Carolina Wrens spent a lot of energy packing the crevice of a large rotted stump with moss and leaves.
Looking forward to seeing the hatchlings later this spring!

Forgaing for Buggy Delights

I spent a good part of the afternoon on March 7th in Luria Park near the Raymondale entrance. A lot of leaf flipping on the forest floor caught my eye. A male Northern Flicker was exuberantly thrashing about the leaf litter and probing the ground underneath.

 Northern Flickers love to eat ants and ant larvae. They have a tongue that will stick out about two inches from the end of their beak to get the tasty insectiod treats. They feed primarily on the ground and while walking through the woods or any grassy area you could scare them up from the ground.

A few feet from the Flicker was a male Red-bellied Woodpecker also foraging.

He chose to hunt near a fallen rotted tree for his favorite food: spiders. They will also eat seeds and nuts. It is possible he is finding tasty arthopod or nut in this location.

All I know is I am glad I don't have to shove my face and tongue into the ground to get dinner!

Merlin in Luria Park

Late in the day on March 1st,  we spied a slender silhouette darting above the tree tops like Top Gun fighter jet. The bird landed on a tall tree top to the north of the boardwalk in Luria Park and we got a nice view of it and identified the bird as a Merlin.

The Merlin is a smaller raptor that winters along the east coast before migrating north to breed in Canada. They like to eat birds and can catch them in mid-air. A fast and fierce raptor in a small 10-12 inch package.

More About Luria Park Red-headed Woodpeckers

Our Luria Park Red-headed Woodpeckers have attracted the attention of the local birding community. If you see folks in the park with binoculars you know why. And if you don't have a pair of binocs, you may want to get a pair as spring migration season is on the way and we'll host another late afternoon birding walk (date and time TBA).

In the meantime, here are some better photos I took recently of one of the Red-headed Woodpeckers who live near the Raymondale end of Luria Park.

Red-headed Woodpeckers in Luria Park

On the Raymondale side of Luria Park, to the left of the entrance, high on a tree snag is what we are pretty certain is a Red-headed Woodpecker nest cavity. Today we observed two RHWO in and around a hole near the top of the snag. A Red-bellied Woodpecker challenged the Red-Headed Woodpecker but didn't encroach on the cavity.

The snag is up very high so getting super clear photos even with a long lens was a challenge.

Here is a RHWO in the nest cavity. The bird was in here for a very long time.

The same bird fully emerged from the cavity. We are hoping that this spring brings us RHWO chicks! This cavity will be monitored on a regular basis. The population of the RHWO has declined drastically in the past fifty years due to habitat loss. They prefer dead old and tall oaks with a forested under story. Luria Park certainly has that! They are omnivores and will catch flying insects with great skill. They will store acorns and seeds in tree bark or the shingles of houses. They will also raid bird's nests for eggs or baby birds.

You will know they are near because they like to chatter. Just look up!