Eastern Wood-Pewee In Luria Park

This August, in Luria Park flies the Eastern Wood-Pewee. This small insect eater lives in our park in the warm weather months when insects are abundant. The Pewee perches on a branch, seen high on dead branches on the willow oak near the basketball courts, and flies out to catch his buggy dinner. Often he will fly back to the same branch and await the passing of another insect.

Nearly six inches long, this wee bird has olive brown feathers and a slight thick crest. Note the shallow fork in his tail.

The Pewee's song is quite distinctive. His sings his name: "Pee-a-wee!"
When the weather cools and fall migration is underway, the Pewee will head south to the northern countries of South America to spend the winter there. But we will see him return in spring to eat our insects and make more Pewees.

Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk Rescued on Add Drive

Raymondale's newest neighbors, the Wroblewski family of Add Drive, found an injured young Red-shouldered Hawk by the side of their house last week.

The Wroblewski children found the bird and alerted their mom. They could tell this wee raptor was injured but waited about an hour to see if it recovered. When the bird didn't leave its spot by their house, Fairfax County Animal Control was contacted and within 30 minutes an officer arrived. The officer assessed the hawk's condition and then took the injured bird to a nearby raptor rescue center.

Thanks to the Wroblewski family for rescuing this Red-shouldered Hawk. Raptors like these keep down our vermin population. We hope to see this guy soaring above Raymondale soon! And it was a very exciting day for the Wroblewski's second day as Raymondale residents!

Yellow-crowned Night Heron in Luria Park

This Sunday morning about 7:30 a.m., we saw a somewhat rare bird for our area: Yellow-crowned Night Heron.

This stocky creek fisherman was wading very slowly and meticulously where two small creeks meet. He was visible from the boardwalk on the Raymondale side.

The Yellow-crowned Night Heron breeds mainly in swampy areas in the deep south but can be found in smaller numbers in our area. Their main diet consists of crustaceans like the crayfish that live in the muddy Holmes Run tributary that runs through Luria Park. They spend winters in northern parts of South America.

Look carefully in the creek. You may see this summer visitor!

Tree Swallows In Luria Park

You may have noticed a few Bluebird nesting boxes around Luria Park. there is a nesting pair of blue birds in one box, but recently we saw a pair of Tree Swallows building a nest in the box closest to where Hartwell Road meets the park.

This female Tree Swallow has actively added nesting materials to this nesting box in recent days.

The male watches from a nearby post....

Tree Swallows are beneficial birds in that they are the most adept of all birds in catchung and eating mosquitoes--up to 1500 an hour!

So even though these boxes are provided to attract Bluebirds, the Tree Swallows are using them too. Please do not disturb. We needs these insect eaters on the wing in our neighborhood!

Luria Park Sightings

We are working on compiling a list of the birds we have seen in Luria Park for a complete year. It is always exciting to us when we see a bird in our small park that we had not observed before. Recently we saw a pair of Wood Ducks in the small stream under the boardwalk where the logs and debris have made a small dam. They were skittish and flew when we approached so I didn't get a good photo for you, but here is one from an outing at Great Falls National Park earlier this spring.

The Wood Duck is incredibly colorful and unmistakable in its plumage! You can see the male in front and the female behind him. They nest in abandoned woodpecker holes, anyplace in a tree they can squeeze in!

Another bird we saw recently for the first time in Luria Park is the Great Crested Flycatcher.

This Cardinal-sized bird likes to perch in a conspicuous place and wait for insects to come by. Then he'll dart from his perch and get his meal. You can find them high in the trees, usually on a dead branch/snag. Look for the puffy crest on top of the head.

Blue Grosbeak and Cedar Waxwings in Luria Park

On the evening of May 9th around 7 p.m., we saw two different species of birds enjoying the seeds in the straw laid down by the new bridge.

In the young white barked sycamore tree a small flock of Cedar Waxwings roosted briefly after eating some of the seeds, before flying off in a tight flock circling the park before heading over the trees. I didn't get a photo of them in Luria Park, but please enjoy this photo taken earlier this spring in the Northern Neck.

The Cedar Waxwings travels in small flocks and like trees with berries, like the Holly, or places where seeds are plentiful. Ravenous, these birds can strip a tree of its small fruit quickly. Such a distinctive bird. Smooth with a black mask and yellow tipped tail.

So keep an eye out for a flock of these Cardinal-sized birds in Luria Park!

We also saw a Blue Grosbeak. This is a summer resident to our neighborhood. He was enjoying the seeds in the straw  by the new bridge.

This is a young male. They are not a common bird to spot so we were excited to see him. His beak is quite large in proportion to its head, hence the name grosbeak.

They like the shrubby undergrowth along streams. Hopefully he has a mate and will live in our park!

(Bird Walk Postponed) Come Join Us and See New Spring Migrants!

Due to predicted rainy weather for Saturday, May 10, the bird walk is postponed. Please stay tuned for announcement of a new date!

Last Thursday (1 May) we spent a portion of the morning birding in Luria and Fairview Park and were rewarded with seeing three recent spring migrants to our area!

We heard the squeaky wheel song of the Black and White Warbler and found him on a low branch near the paved trail of Fairview Park.

He climbed on the lower tree branches looking underneath them for insects.

Later we heard high up in the tree canopy the distinctive call of the Red-Eyed Vireo which sounds like: "Here I am...where are you?"

I managed to get these photos very high up, so I apologize for the quality.

You may be able to see in the bottom photo the dark streak that runs through its eyes.

In the sale area and way high up in the canopy we saw an American Redstart. Again, sorry for the quality of the photo.

The American Redstart flaps and spreads its wings to startle insects so it can eat them.

We were also in Luria Park on Monday afternoon, and despite the thick cloud cover we saw a Ruby Throated Hummingbird and Bluebirds. Spring migration is at its peak and we would love for you to join us, Dan and Beth Fedorko,  on a birding walk in Luria and Fairview Park beginning at 7:45 a.m. on Saturday, May 10. Just meet us in our driveway with your binoculars! Who knows what spring migrants we will see!

Cheers and Happy Birding!~~Dan and Beth Fedorko