Dan and Beth Go Birding In Luria Park: Early Spring Migration

Well, like the rest of the world, we are anxious for this "new normal" to end. However, no one knows exactly when that will happen. What Dan and I do know is that mid-April to Mid-May is a great time for birding in the Washington DC area. Parks are closed including many of the local birding hot spots. Many more people than usual are out and about and sometimes it makes social distancing a challenge. What we have learned that if we want to bird in Luria Park is to go into the woods. The appropriate footwear and longs pants are a must. Tick season coincides with spring migration, and the spring rains can make for a muddy trek.

Our local "pocket" park has a nice mixture of trees. Ironwood trees with their low canopy (about ten feet max) beneath the towering oaks and tulip poplars are a draw for different migratory songbirds.

Today we saw our first of year Black-and-white Warbler.  These migratory birds live up to their name with their distinctive striped plumage. Easy to spot as they hop along branches, gleaning insects and larvae from the undersides of leaves.

We also saw Palm Warblers, a nice little flock of Yellow-rumped Warblers, and White-eyed Vireo. The breezy conditions make for challenging birding, but we were delighted to see these other early spring migratory birds.

Another bird that is actually leaving our patch of woods to northern breeding grounds, is the Hermit Thrush.

This large-eyed cousin to the American Robin skulked along the forest floor, searching leaf litter and rotting logs for tasty treats. The bird gave us some great views as it perched on a log or mossy hillock.

Like the Hermit Thrush, the Swamp Sparrow prefers to breed a little farther north, and despite that we were delighted to see one picking at the muddy bank of the creek and fallen branches in the water.

These striking birds nest in wetlands. While not a threatened species, the decline of wetland habitat bears concern for the future of these sparrows.

Speaking of sparrows, we saw a flock of the tiny Chipping Sparrows picking up nearly microscopic bits of seeds from the asphalt path that rings the park's grassy field. Happy kids enjoying the sunshine and riding their bikes and scooters scared the flock into the river birches where I got this shot.

Today we continued to see the Eastern Phoebe, where about a week ago we observed it building a nest under the pedestrian bridge over the creek. Today one of the two birds we've counted gave us a very cute pose in the vicinity of the bridge. With all of the people walking over it, we hope the birds keep to their hidden nest and raise young there.

Once home, a shadow passing the bedroom window caught my eye. A male Pileated Woodpecker soared from the vicinity of the suet feeder to an oak in the backyard. He checked out a cavity in the tree before moving on. I managed to get a portrait close up of him before he soared away. I love to watch these big woodpeckers fly!

Happy Spring!

Hooded Mergansers at Fairview Park

If you drive along Fairview Park or Jaguar Trail and see the various ponds in the area you may see birds that are not Canada Geese on the water. These smaller waterfowl are most likely male and female Hooded Mergansers. They are small ducks with slender upward curving bills. The male has a bold black and white crest; the female has a crest that looks like a messy hair-do. Recently we saw a pair swimming in the pond on Fairview Park near the Marriott. The male raised his crest as we approached the edge of the pond. We stopped our approach and the crest was lowered. These are wonderful binds. Some find a place to breed here in eastern Virginia, and some continue migrating farther north.