Jan 26 2011 - since we've no place to go....

And here it comes! 2,4,5,6 or 8 inches heading our way depending on the channel.

Jan 25 2011 Falconsville

The mostly overcast start gave a dramatic flaming sunrise and the dark and still relative cold may have resulted in the lateness of the last crows as they departed the roost area somewhere off to the north.


Relatively few Passerines today but (maybe because of) plenty of raptor activity. A Coopers flew over Cardinal bridge and both red-shouldered hawk and Merlin were perched near the confluence of the two streams. The latter bird much more crisply streaked on the breast than Saturday's smudgy bird.

Later a Peregrine flew over quite high but seemed to be on the look out for pigeon- breakfast.

Jan 22 2011 - a first field trip for Birding DC - Rock Creek Park and Haines Point

By way of preparation for Birding DC Chrystal and I explored one new large site and checked out another that we'd not done fully before
The trip started in Alexandria bur few birds were seen en route, probably due to the frigid conditions. The was a light but biting breeze but the temperature gauge in the car read 11 F early on.

Apart from the flocks of European Starling and Feral Pigeon nothing was seen until out first stop.

Around the Nature Center in Rock Creek Park we studied the various species visiting the feeders and then walked the wooded, hillside trail loop, disturbing - but only mildly - 8 White-tailed Deer in the middle of the loop. After completing the loop we studied the woodland around the Center, picking up a few feeding parties. After visiting the very nice Center briefly we drove Ross Drive stopping at a couple of locations and finally for the park, parked at the southern end of the closed section of Beach Road. Altogether a six Woodpecker morning with multiples found of each (excluding the lone Flicker).

Leaving the Park south on Beach Road we headed towards the Watergate building and the monuments, and headed out to Hains Point for the final bracing stop of the day. Here, however we connected with two quality birds in the form of a Merlin and the best bird of the day, a young Long-tailed Duck

Canada Goose - Branta canadensis     1000 seen at Hains Point plus 2-300 on the Potomac bank near the Lincoln Memorial
Mallard - Anas platyrhynchos     - a few pairs at Hains Point
Long-tailed Duck - Clangula hyemalis     - a young bird seen at Hains Point, at one point had to drive to avoid the attention of a pair of Bald Eagles
Bald Eagle - Haliaeetus leucocephalus     2 - Hains Point, see above!
Merlin - Falco columbarius     - 1 perched in a tree, Hains Point, made off up river, towards downtown
Ring-billed Gull - Larus delawarensis     - many around downtown, the Tidal Basin and Hains Point
Herring Gull (American) - Larus argentatus smithsonianus     - several adult and juvenile birds at Hains Point
Great Black-backed Gull - Larus marinus      - several at Hains Point, also on the ice by the Jefferson Memorial

Rock Pigeon - Columba livia     - seen at several locations downtown
Mourning Dove - Zenaida macroura     <10 seen around the Nature Center
Red-bellied Woodpecker - Melanerpes carolinus     a few seen around the Nature Center and Ross Road
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - Sphyrapicus varius     - the first bird we saw at the Nature Center, followed by another later there
Downy Woodpecker - Picoides pubescens     a few seen around the Nature Center and Beach Road
Hairy Woodpecker - Picoides villosus     a few seen around  Ross Road and Beach Road

Northern Flicker - Colaptes auratus     One on the Woodland Trail
Pileated Woodpecker - Dryocopus pileatus     two birds see destroying the integrity of rotting trees!

crow sp. - Corvus sp. (crow sp.) - a distant, still and silent bird at Hains Point

Carolina Chickadee - Poecile carolinensis     - many around the Nature Center and Beach Road

Tufted Titmouse - Baeolophus bicolor     - several around the Nature Center, c25 in a flock at Hains Point
White-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta carolinensis     - many seen and heard around the Nature Center and elsewhere
Carolina Wren - Thryothorus ludovicianus     - single bird(s) at the Nature Center feeder
European Starling - Sturnus vulgaris     many seen at various urban location
Song Sparrow - Melospiza melodia     - several seen along Beach Road
White-throated Sparrow - Zonotrichia albicollis     - many around the Nature Center and along Beach Road
Dark-eyed Junco - Junco hyemalis     a few around the Nature Center and a small flock at the first Picnic Area on Ross Road
Northern Cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis     - several seen with small flocks of 6-10 birds, along Beach Road
House Finch - Carpodacus mexicanus     - a few at the feeder
American Goldfinch - Spinus tristis     - a couple of birds along Beach Road

Location assessment
Nature Trial loop - rough terrain on hillside
Ross Road - stopping could be a problem when busy - no problem with 11 degree weather though ;)
Beach Road - the middle section is closed to cars 7am Saturday - 7pm Sunday and is easily walkable. Narrow footpath in places for other times of the week
Hains Point - easily birded by car for most of the area but undoubtedly busy at times (bad birding times anyway, fortunately), Short walk to the point.

Panerra's soup and sandwich is IDEAL for a frigid day!

Jan 21 2001 - getting brave

With the feeder 1/3 full and only two perches offering seed, goldfinches seem to shake off their reticence to feed in the open with up to 6 birds feeding from the table - albeit nervously. The squabbling for the productive perches shows them to be the preferred location however.

Jan 20 2011 - patch scenics

Jan 20 2011

The partially albino ring-billed gull was on the ice at the park this morning. Ratio of ages was 12 adult: 2 2nd winter : 1 1st winter
(increased to 97 birds in 10 st w and at least 3 2nd w by the time I finished my coffee)





For a second day, a raptor caused a last minute distraction with a young red-tailed hawk posing at the reception pool bridge

Jan 19 2011 - watch out little birdies...

A quick visit this morning with a couple of interesting raptor sightings.
A Merlin dashed through, over the new soccer field and away over Cardinal Bridge.
As I was preparing to leave I spotted a Coopers Hawk in the oft-used tree above the crossroads. I drove back to the crossroads and subsequently watched the bird fly down to a large bush in front of one of the houses. The bush moved s little and after a few seconds the Coopers appeared to be pursuing something on foot as it ran around the base of the bush before flying off, maybe following a bird that had decided to chance outfliyng the hawk.

Jan 18 2011 - a new twist to cod

A new twist on the cold overnight with a trifecta of snow sleet and freezing rain topped off with freezing temps

Jan 11 2011 - (another) one that got away

A quiet morning at the park.

8 Hooded Merganser were in the receiving pool area, the largest unfrozen water are. 30 Mallard were also there.

On the main pond 53 Canada Geese were standing. I scanned but only noted a slight presumably gender related size difference. Later as 20 or so geese flew over me at the 'magic spot' one of the birds looked securely short necked and slightly smaller. It didn't look small enough for a classic Cackling Goose but I didn't get a great look and must make a note to look through the flock some more.
A little further up the path a Carolina Chickadee reacted very strongly to Carolina song when played, reasonably well to Black-capped Song but (for good measure and in the name of science!) ignored that of Mountain Chickadee.

Jan 10 2011 - Meat!!

Good numbers at the feeders today (all things being relative....) the Niger feeder is often full I'd Goldfinches (6) with sometimes up to 3 waiting. They still seem to find it hard to eat the seed on the table although a couple did for a while. Interestingly I'd a perch became free they soon went there even though plenty of see remained on the table. One bird even visited the large seed feeder. The meal worms that were put out had been ignored for a week however today a Song Sparrow slowly worked through the worms

Jan 09 2011 - Keep off the Ice

  A bitterly cold day kept away the human customers at Riverbend. The River was mostly frozen but the bay on the Maryland side and a few other areas. In the bay there were a couple of hundred Ring-necked Ducks. Mixed in were a few Common Mergansers, a Hooded Merganser and (around) 19 Redheads. A single female Canvasback was also in the flock. As is usual in winter at Riverbend the vast majority of Ring-necked were male, maybe 90% in this group.

Futher up stream, in the next sizeable area of open water a close-knit group of 20 Redheads were found and a big raft of maybe 120 Bufflehead

At the Visitors' Center a block of suet attracted more than the usual customers including Tufted Titmouse and Cardinal. The female Cardinal that had been attacking its reflection the last two visits wasnt seen today.

A Squirrel ate fries from the rubbish bin outside the center :O

A mini invasion

A small flock (nine) of Junco this morning coming to the seed on the deck, the biggest number I can remember here

And the first 2011 bird is....

Actually I can't quite remember, i think it was an odd-calling Chickadee on the deck. I know it is considerably milder today but song already?

At the patch the lake remains frozen apart from the 'receiving pool' under the Green Heron nesting trees.
I thought the BEaver had been invited to leave by the authorities but if it has its friend has taken revenge by removing a pretty substantial tree

Over the first bridge there a first-winter red-shouldered hawk was sitting atop the first lamp post.

It proved to be quite tame and allowed close approach as it moved around the lake in front of me.

Back at the receiving pool, a Great Blue Heron fed from on top of the aborted Beaver lodge
I believe this is the same juvenile seen previously that shows pale coloration to the thighs

Apart from this interesting start, birds were thin today, probably die to the 9:40 start.
With the vegetation at its lowest of the year probably, Wrens are easier to see than usual, even when not responding to a surreptitious 'pish'.
The first Nuthatch for a while was near the 'Magic Spot'