March 16, 2024, Governor Bridge

This was a really nice day for birding!  You could feel the spring coming with first of year sightings of a Brown Thrasher and some early wildflowers popping up near the river.  We had good looks at Bald Eagle, Cooper’s Hawk, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, lots of Yellow-rumped Warblers, and the cooperative Brown Thrasher.

In a surprise upset, the Bird of the Day honors went to… the Virginia Bluebells!  Crazy, right?  Normally we take the path along the river during our April Walk to see the wildflowers with the Virginia Bluebells being the star attraction.  But from the Good Spot, we could already see large patches of Bluebells on the Anne Arundel side of the river.  That triggered us to take an abbreviated side trip to the river path near the big pond.  May Apples, Tooth Wort, Trout Lily, Spring Beauties, and Virginia Bluebells  - all in early stages - were seen.  If you are into wildflowers, suggest you don’t wait for the April GBNA walk to visit that path or you will miss the peak bloom.

The complete list of 44 species seen is shown below – color coded with birds seen on both the February walk and March walk in green, and birds seen on the March walk but not the February walk in blue.

 At the bottom – color coded in orange – are the 2 species seen on the February walk but not the March walk.

Note: Our political representatives have exceeded expectations and avoided a government shutdown, so we will be meeting at the National Wildlife Visitor Center for the April 6th Bird Walk instead of the Fran Uhler Natural Area!  Expect to return to Fran Uhler Natural Area once the Horsepen Path reopens.  The latest date on the path reopening is “Spring of 2024”. 

Species

Great Blue Heron

Black Vulture

Turkey Vulture

Canada Goose

Wood Duck

Mallard

Hooded Merganser

Bald Eagle

Cooper's Hawk

Red-shouldered Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

Ring-billed Gull

Rock Pigeon

Mourning Dove

Barred Owl

Belted Kingfisher

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Downy Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

Pileated Woodpecker

Eastern Phoebe

Blue Jay

American Crow

Fish Crow

Carolina Chickadee

Tufted Titmouse

Carolina Wren

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Eastern Bluebird

American Robin

Brown Thrasher

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Eastern Towhee

Fox Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Swamp Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Northern Cardinal

Red-winged Blackbird

Common Grackle

Brown-headed Cowbird

American Goldfinch

Two Species seen in Feb and not on this March walk

Gull (sp)

Winter Wren

January 20, 2024, Governor Bridge

Yes, it was very cold – and we had a biting wind along with the low temperature to really peg the misery index meter!  The GBNA parking lot hadn’t been plowed and there was 4 inches of snow on the ground to trudge through.  Now, you probably think that nobody would be foolish enough to go birding in such conditions – that’s what I was hoping – but to my disappointment surprise 4 others showed up ready to bird like it was a spring day in April!  Go figure.

Anyhow, we sort of were rewarded for braving the weather with good looks at a perched Red-shouldered Hawk, two soaring Bald Eagles, several Winter Wrens, and a Brown Creeper.  Kendal found us an Eastern Phoebe and we had a lifetime supply of White-throated Sparrows.  The bird of the day honors had to be a male Hooded Merganser.  It’s not that it was so unusual that earned it this lofty title – it’s that we found it in the Good Spot!  Oh, I also need to mention that one part of the path had a sheet of ice covering the water.  I broke through the ice and dunked my boot in the water.  The low temperatures and the wet foot reminded me of the Jack London short story, “To Build a Fire”.  I mentioned this to my birding companions and none of them had heard of it.  I’ve attached a pdf of it for all to enjoy.

 The wind really started picking up around 10:30 so we quit early and headed home.  In total, we identified 32 species on this walk. 

Species seen (32)

Black Vulture

Turkey Vulture

Canada Goose

Hooded Merganser

Bald Eagle

Red-shouldered Hawk

Ring-billed Gull

Rock Pigeon

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Downy Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

Eastern Phoebe

American Crow

Carolina Chickadee

Tufted Titmouse

White-breasted Nuthatch

Brown Creeper

Carolina Wren

Winter Wren

Eastern Bluebird

Hermit Thrush

American Robin

European Starling

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Eastern Towhee

Song Sparrow

Swamp Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow

Northern Cardinal

Common Grackle

American Goldfinch

  Species (13) seen on the Dec walk but not the Jan walk. 

Great Blue Heron

Herring Gull

Belted Kingfisher

Pileated Woodpecker

Blue Jay

Fish Crow

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Brown Thrasher

Cedar Waxwing

Fox Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Red-winged Blackbird

House Finch

June 17, 2023 Governor Bridge

Species:

Species

Great Blue Heron, Green Heron, Turkey Vulture, Canada Goose, Wood Duck, Cooper's Hawk, Mourning Dove, Chimney Swift, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Red-headed Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Eastern Wood Pewee, Acadian Flycatcher, Great Crested Flycatcher, White-eyed Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, American Crow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren,Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Eastern Bluebird, Wood Thrush, American Robin, Cedar Waxwing, Northern Parula, Prothonotary Warbler, Ovenbird, Hooded Warbler, Summer Tanager, Northern Cardinal, Indigo Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird , Orchard Oriole, American Goldfinch

Eastern Wood Peewee

Bill Sefton reports: We had some nice late spring weather for the GBNA June walk with 18 birders able to participate.  We identified 39 species on the day with 4 Red-headed Woodpeckers as the star attraction.  We got to see the woodpeckers in flight and perched as well.  An honorable mention goes to a Summer Tanager.  We heard the tanager’s song at the beginning of the walk and caught just a glimpse of it as it flew, then heard it again at the end of the walk as we got back to the parking lot.  The complete list of the 39 species identified is shown above.  

July 1, 2023 Turtles & Birds at Fran Uhler!

Species

Species

Double-crested Cormorant, Green Heron, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Canada Goose, Wood Duck, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Red-shouldered Hawk, Mourning Dovem Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Barred Owl, Chimney Swift, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Eastern Phoebe, Great Crested Flycatcher, Eastern King Bird, Yellow-throated Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Purple Martin, Barn Swallow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Carolina Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Eastern Bluebird, American Robin, Northern Mockingbird, Brown Thrasher, European Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Pine Warbler, American Redstart, Chipping Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Blue Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, American Goldfinch

 Bill Sefton Reports: Stifling humidity with hardly a breath of breeze along with some substantial puddles wrought from the previous day’s heavy rain is what the 9 birders had to deal with for this walk.  In other words, normal July conditions.  What wasn’t normal was being blocked from getting to the parking area by a recalcitrant Snapping Turtle in the middle of the road.  We identified 44 bird species on the day along with 3 species of turtles (Common Snapping, Eastern Box, and Red-eared Slider).  I’ll give the bird of the day honors to the American Redstarts – there were 3 of them flitting about in the same clump of trees just a few yards from the path.  Since the Horsepen area is still fenced off, we swung by the Patuxent Wildlife Research Refuge Visitors Center to finish the walk.  The complete list of 44 species identified is shown below.  Actually it is above.

June 3, 2023 Great Sightings at Fran Uhler Natural Area

Species:

  1  Mourning Dove 7,   2  Yellow-billed Cuckoo 2,   3  Chimney Swift 3,   4  Ruby throated Hummingbird 2,   5  Black Vulture 1,c  6  Turkey Vulture 5,   7  Osprey 1,   8  Bald Eagle 2,   9  Red-shouldered Hawk 2, 10  Red-Bellied Woodpecker 2, 11  Downy Woodpecker 2, 12  Esatern Wood Pewee 5, 13  Acadian Flycatcher 3, 14  Great-crested Flycatcher  2, 15  Eastern Kingbird 1, 16  White-eyed Vireo 3, 17  Yellow-throated Vireo 2
18  Red-eyed Vireo 7, 19  Blue Jay 1, 20  American Crow 1, 21  Carolina Chickadee 1, 22  Tufted Titmouse 4,
23  Tree Swallow 1, 24  Barn Swallow 2, 25  White-breasted Nuthatch 1, 26  Blue Gray Gnatcatcher 10, 27  Carolina Wren 10, 28  Starling 30, 29  Brown Thrasher 3, 30  Northern Mockingbird 3, 31  Eastern Bluebird 3,
32  Wood thrush 1, 33  American Robin 2, 34  Cedar Waxwing 5, 35  House Sparrow 3, 36  American Goldfinch 5, 37  Chipping Sparrow 1, 38  Orchard Oriole 1, 39  Baltimore Oriole 1, 40  Red-winged Blackbird 1, 41  Brown headed Cowbird 10, 42  Common Grackle 10, 43  Ovenbird 1, 44  Louisiana Waterthrush 2, 45  Common Yellowthroat 1, 46  American Redstart 6, 47  Northen Parula 4, 48  Pine Warbler 1, 49  Summer Tanager 1,
50  Scarlet Tanager 1, 51  Northern Cardinal 5, 52  Indigo Bunting 10

Dave Mozurkowich reports:

Usually, when Bill misses one of these walks we're saddled with bad
weather.  Or if the weather is good, some other event makes the day
memorable.  Last year it was four trees downed on the road. Today was a
beautiful late spring day; warm, sunny and calm so only three of us
showed up; perhaps everyone else was expecting some sort of calamity.

Well, the day was certainly memorable but not for the conditions; for
the birds.  We started with the air full of birdsong.  It calmed down a
bit toward the middle but we ended with a number of flyovers and a final
burst of song.  We decided to call it a day when we dragged ourselves
out of FUNA at 11:15.  No time to do the second half of the trip.

The species list along with estimates of numbers is below.  Note the
complete absence of waterbirds.  You'll have to ask Bill for a
comparison to last year/month. I hope to see you at GBNA in two weeks.

Another Successful Red Knot Field Trip

Species

Canada Goose. Mute Swan, Northern Shoveler, Mallard, American Black Duck, Ruddy Duck, Mourning Dove, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Clapper Rail, Black-necked Stilt, Black-bellied Plover, Semipalmated Plover, Killdeer, Ruddy Turnstone, Dunlin, Red Knot, Least Sandpiper, White-rumped Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Short-billed Dowitcher, Greater Yellowlegs, Willet, Laughing Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Forster's Tern, Royal Tern, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Glossy Ibis, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Red-tailed Hawk, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Acadian Flycatcher, Great Crested Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird, White-eyed Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, Fish Crow, Tufted Titmouse, Purple Martin, Tree Swallow, Barn Swallow, Cliff Swallow, House Wren, Marsh Wren, Carolina Wren, European Starling, Gray Catbird, Northern Mockingbird, Wood Thrush, American Robin, Cedar Waxwing, House Sparrow, House Finch, American Goldfinch, Eastern Towhee, Chipping Sparrow, Yellow-breasted Chat, Red-winged Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, Common Grackle, Ovenbird, Common Yellowthroat, Northern Cardinal, Indigo Bunting, Blue Grossbeak

Once again Fred Fallon led a terrific Red Knot Field trip. We started at Bombay Hook observing numerous Semipalmated Sandpipers and Plovers, a flock of Glossy Ibis, lingering Dunlin and Black-bellied Plover. Black-necked Stilts had formed pairs and started nesting, but we did not see any chicks. The Canada Geese goslings resembled and acted like teenagers. Among the highlights were a flock of Glossy Ibis and a singing Yellow-breasted Chat. We moved on to Kitt’s Hummock were Ruddy Turnstone’s perched on some offshore rocks under the observation of an immature Bald Eagle. We also observed several Ring-billed Gulls mingling with the Laughing Gulls. No Red Knots here! Fred led the intrepid troup to the Dupont Nature Center. Semipalmated Sandpipers and Ruddy Turnstones mobbed the beaches. We had to search carefully among the flocks to find the Red Knots. David Mozurkowicz spotted a Lesser Black-backed Gull among Greater Black-backed Gulls. To celebrate the success of this trip Ken Cohen broke out home made chocolate chip cookies for everyone. Hope all of you can make next year’s trip

May 20,2023 Governor Bridge led by Bill Sefton

Species

Great Blue Heron, Green Heron, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Canada Goose, Wood Duck, Osprey, Killdeer, Mourning Dove, Barred Owl, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Eastern Wood Pewee, Acadian Flycatcher, Great Crested Flycatcher, Eastern King Bird, White-eyed Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, American Crow, Fish Crow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Eastern Bluebird, Wood Thrush, Cedar Waxwing, Northern Parula, Blackpoll Warbler, Ovenbird, Kentucky Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Hooded Warbler, Scarlet Tanager, Eastern Towhee, Field Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Indigo Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, Orchard Oriole, Baltimore Oriole, American Goldfinh

Bill Reports:

Now this was the type of May birding that makes getting out of bed early worthwhile!  We had 17 birders show up for this May 20th walk and we got some very nice looks at some cooperative birds.  No question, the bird of the day honors goes to the Kentucky Warbler.  We heard the rich, rolling song, but had sort of half given up on actually seeing it when Andrew Morris spotted it high up in a tree.  The bird stayed in that spot for several minutes giving everyone a chance to see it singing.  We also had good looks at Hooded Warbler, Scarlet Tanager, Killdeer, Belted Kingfisher, White-eyed Vireo, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, and Field Sparrow.  The complete list of the 48 species identified is shown below.   The list is color coded with species highlighted in green seen on both the April and May walks, and species highlighted in blue seen on the May walk but not the April walk.  At the end of the report – color coded in orange – are the 13 species seen on the April walk but not seen on the May walk.

P.S.  It should be noted that the fabled “Good Spot” yielded up the calling (but not seen) Barred Owl and a killer view of a siting Ruby-throated Hummingbird!  Take that all you “Good Spot” doubters!

May 6, 2023 Fran Uhler and Patuxent Research Refuge

Bill Sefton reports: This was a nice walk and the list below of the species identified is pretty impressive – but truth be told - the birding wasn’t that great.  We struggled getting good looks at many of the species.  Maybe the birds were too hopped up on hormones to sit still long enough to give us more than a short glimpse of them?  I’ll give bird of the day honors to the Blue Grosbeak since that was one species that everyone got to both see and hear.  2nd place goes to the Black-throated Blue Warbler – the only migrant warbler on the list.  None of us managed to see it, but we all heard its buzzy, lazy song as we neared the Patuxent River.  You should also note that there were a good number of shore birds on the list.  After we completed the FUNA walk, we stopped at the fishing area of the Patuxent Research Refuge Visitors Center.  That’s where we picked up Pied-billed Grebe, Killdeer, Lesser Yellowlegs, Solitary Sandpiper, and Spotted Sandpiper. 

Green heron

The complete list of 55 species seen is shown below.  The list is color coded with species highlighted in green seen on both the April and May walks, and species highlighted in blue seen on the May walk but not the April walk.  At the end of the report – color coded in orange – are the 2 species seen on the April walk but not seen on the May walk.  Note that the April walk was rained out after only 30 minutes so that really tilted the scale in favor of May. Hope to see you at GBNA in 2 weeks!

 The colors do not show on this report and the orange table has been omitted! 

Species: Common Loon, Pied-billed Grebe, Green Heron, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Canada Goose, Mallard, Osprey, Cooper's Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Broadwinged Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Killdeer, Lesser Yellowlegs, Solitary Sandpiper, Spotted Sandpiper, Mourning Dove, Chimney Swift, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, White-eyed Vireo, Yellow-throated Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, American Crow, Fish Crow, Purple Martin, Tree Swallow, Barn Swallow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Eastern Bluebird, American Robin, Gray Catbird, Northern Mockingbird, European Starling, Northern Parula, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Pine Warbler, American Redstart, Worm-eating Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Summer Tanager, Chipping Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Blue Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, Orchard Oriole, American Goldfinch, House Sparrow

Governor Bridge Bird and Wild Flower Walk 4/15/2023

Bill Sefton Reports:  

Pretty nice weather for this walk – in spite of a not so great forecast – with only a couple of minutes of rain the whole time.  I believe we had 19 birders on the walk with several of them visiting GBNA for the first time.  The changeover from winter birds to summer birds was striking with White-eyed Vireo, Northern Parula, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Prothonotary Warbler, and Ovenbird showing up on the list for the first time this year, and Brown Creeper, Winter Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglet, and Dark-eyed Junco falling off the list. 

I’m naming the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher as the bird of the day.  There were so many that everyone got a chance to see and hear them – we even got to see some on their nest!  The non-bird of the day went to the Virginia Bluebells.  We took the side trip down along the river to check out the wildflowers.  There were lots of Spring Beauties, May Apples and Dutchman’s Breeches*, along with the plethora of Virginia Bluebells.  Lovely!

May Apple in bloom

Virginia Blue Bells

The complete list of 37 species seen is shown below.  The list is color coded with species highlighted in green seen on both the March and April walks, and species highlighted in blue seen on the April walk but not the March walk.  At the end of the report – color coded in orange – are the 17 species seen on the March walk but not seen on the April walk.  

*Weird stuff that I learned from my wife:  In Victorian times, “breeching” was the occasion when boys were first dressed in breeches (trousers).  Before breeching, the boys wore gowns or dresses.,

 Species: Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Canada Goose, Wood Duck, Ring-necked Duck, Bald Eagle, Mourning Dove, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Eastern Phoebe, White-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, American Crow, Fish Crow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Carolina Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Hermit Thrush, American Robin, European Starling, Northern Parula, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Prothonotary Warbler, Ovenbird, Eastern Towhee, Swamp Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, American Goldfinch

April 1, 2023—Fran Uhler Natural Area

Species

Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Mourning Dove, Northern Flicker, American Crow, Fish Crow, Carolina Wren, Eastern Bluebird, American Robin, European Starling, Chipping Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Northern Cardinal, Common Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, House Sparrow

Bill Sefton reports:

Threatening skies, gusty winds, and finally a nearby rumble of thunder made us abort this cleanup day/bird walk after only 30 minutes.  That was enough time to gather up 5 bags of trash that had accumulated between the first and second gates as well as pick up some mostly “trash birds” along the way.  

I’m naming the Dark-eyed Junco as the bird of the day since this is probably the last time we’ll see this species at FUNA for 6 or 7 months . 

March 18, 2023—Governor Bridge Natural Area

Species

Great Blue Heron, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture. Canada Goose, Wood Duck, Ring-necked Duck, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Cooper's Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Wilson's Snipe, Ring-billed Gull, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, Eastern Phoebe, Blue Jay, American Crow, Fish Crow, Tree Swallow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Brown Creeper, Carolina Wren, Winter Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Eastern Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, American Robin, Northern Mockingbird, European Starling, Song Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird

Bill Sefton reports:

The March walk was also the Annual Cleanup Day at GBNA, so the 17 birders toted trash bags as well as binoculars for this one.  See photo below for just a handful of the people who assisted in gathering up broken glass, discarded beer cans, lost fishing lures, and various bric-a-brac along our usual route.  Special shoutout to Scott for heroically braving the brambles to reach the stuff that no one else could manage and also to Liz for taking all the filled bags with her at the end of the walk.

 Now, onto the birds!  It was chilly and breezy, but the birds made it very clear that spring was arriving.  The Red-winged Blackbirds were in full throat and we had first of the year sightings of Osprey, Wood Duck, Ring-necked Duck, Tree Swallow, and Wilson’s Snipe.  The Wilson’s Snipe earned the bird of the day honors – not because we got particularly good looks at it -  but because we wouldn’t have seen it at all if it hadn’t been Cleanup Day!  When Dave M. used a trash picker to reach a multi-hook lure and beer can stuck in the mud of the big pond, the snipe bolted from its hiding place near the beer can.  Pretty cool!

March 4, 2023—Fran Uhler Natural Area

Species

Great Blue Heron, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Canada Goose, Wood Duck, Mallard, Bald Eagle, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Ring-billed Gull, Herring Gull, Mourning Dove, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Downy Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Eastern Phoebe, Blue Jay, American Crow, Fish Crow, Common Raven, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Carolina Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Eastern Bluebird, American Robin, Northern Mockingbird, European Starling, Eastern Towhee, Song Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, House Finch, House Sparrow

Bill Sefton reports:

A very windy day with gusts above 40 mph greeted the 8 birders who braved the lion’s roar on this early March walk.  Fortunately, the temperatures were mild and the trees lining the side of the path provided enough of a buffer against the wind to make for some decent birding conditions.  The Eastern Bluebirds were glowing in the sunlight as they perched along the path and Red-breasted Nuthatches put on quite a show for us zipping around in the pines.  But this walk took a dark turn when we started down the path to the Patuxent River.

We were about a 300 yards along the way when we found a Bald Eagle on the ground just inches from the edge of the path.  Honestly, there wasn’t much hope for the bird – it may have been hit by a MARC train or perhaps one of the crazy wind gusts slammed it into the power lines above the tracks – but the injuries were severe.  Huge kudos to Dave and Lynette on this one.  They tag-teamed to get in touch with the Department of Natural Resources, opened the gates for them, and waited near the eagle for more than an hour before the DNR people arrived.  The bird had perked up a bit by the time the rest of us made our way down to the river and back – enough so that it had managed to cross the path and edged its way into the tree line.    

When the DNR arrived, they dropped a net over the eagle, and then cradled it like a baby (see photo below) before gently putting it in a crate.  They said that Bald Eagles generally do not do well in captivity so it was likely that they would have to euthanize the bird.  Not what we were hoping for but not unexpected.

February 18, 2023—Governor Bridge Natural Area

 Species:

Black Vulture. Turkey Vulture, Canada Goose, Trumpeter Swan, Bald Eagle, Sharp-Shinned Hark, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Ring-billed Gull, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, Blue Jay, American Crow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Red-breasted Nuthatch, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Carolina Wren, Winter Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Eastern Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, American Robin, European Starling, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Song Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, American Goldfinch

Bill Sefton Reports:

 Even with temperatures in the mid-twenties and iced over puddles from heavy rain the previous day, we had 19 (maybe 20?) birders show up for this outing.  The reward for those in attendance were sweet views of Belted Kingfishers, Bald Eagles, Eastern Bluebirds, both White-breasted and Red-breasted Nuthatches, Winter Wrens, and some very energetic Golden-crowned Kinglets.  But the bird of the day honors belonged 2 Trumpeter Swans that flew low over us while we birded the first big field – this is the 2nd month in a row for them!  The other highlight was having two young birders on this walk – they brought their non-birder parents along since neither were old enough to drive!  

February 4, 2023—Fran Uhler Natural Area

Species

(Numbers are subjective with the first column FUNA and the second Horse Pen.)

1 Goose, Canada, 2 Vulture, Black,  3 Vulture, Turkey, 4 Hawk, Sharp-shinned 0, 1, 5 Kestrel, American1, 0, 6 Dove, Mourning 2, 0, 7 Woodpecker, Red-bellied 0, 2, 8 Woodpecker, Downy 2, 0, 9 Woodpecker, Hairy   1, 0, 10 Flicker, Northern 3, 2, 11 Woodpecker, Pileated 1, 0, 12 Jay, Blue 4, 2, 13 Crow, American 1, 0, 14 Chickadee, Carolina 6, 2, 15 Titmouse, Tufted 3, 4, 16 Nuthatch, Red-breasted 2, 0, 17 Nuthatch, White-breasted 1, 1, 18 Creeper, Brown 1, 0, 19 Wren, Carolina 4, 4, 20 Kinglet, Golden-crowned 1, 0, 21 Bluebird, Eastern 2, 0, 22 Thrush, Hermit 1, 0, 23 Mockingbird, Northern 2, 0, 24 Starling, European 35, 0, 25 Cardinal, Northern 8, 15, 26 Towhee, Eastern 1, 0, 27 Sparrow, Field 2, 0, 28 Sparrow, Fox 1, 1, 29 Sparrow, Song 20, 4, 30 Sparrow, Swamp   2, 0, 31 Sparrow, White-throated 60, 20, 32 Junco, Dark-eyed 25, 0, 33 Grackle, Common 300, 0, 34 Finch, Purple 0, 10, 35 Goldfinch, American  2, 0

I know some of us have been accused of being fair-weather birders but what more can you ask for?  Today was windless with no clouds in the sky. Sounds perfect.  Sure, it was a bit chilly overnight but the temperature had risen to a balmy 16 degrees by the time the walk started and by the time we were done, the temperature stood at an almost tropical 23. Of course those temperatures aren't quite as nice when you realized they are in Fahrenheit, not Celsius but properly dressed, it was a great morning to be out. And with good weather comes good birding.  The 35 species was a bit lower than I expected considering the weather; a number of easy species were missed.  But the variety was good.  The outing was nicely bookended by highlights.  The first was a Kestrel that surveyed and flew around the MARC parking lot.  It was in view for the entire half hour I waited there for anyone to show.  After FUNA, the trip continued to the Horse pen for a quick walk down to the river (the spur trail is still closed for construction).  There, I found the largest flock of Purple Finches I have seen in years.  It was a nice mix of males and females/young. 

January 21, 2023—Governor Bridge Natural Area

 Species

Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Canada Goose, Trumpeter Swan, Bald Eagle. Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Belted Kingfisher. Red-bellied Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, Blue Jay, American Crow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Red-breasted Nuthatch, White-breasted Nuthatch, Carolina Wren, Winter Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Eastern Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, American Robin, European Starling, Eastern Towhee, Fox Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, American Goldfinch

 Bill Sefton reports:

So, I have to tell you right up front that even though we had some very nice weather and a crackerjack group of 17 birders, we really struggled to reach our well established competency threshold of 33* species for this walk.  When we headed to the upper fields to end the walk, we only had 22 species.  But, thanks to a small explosion of new birds in the upper fields, we finished the day at a respectable 34 species. 

The bird of the day honors belonged 5 Trumpeter Swans that flew low over us – and gave a nice nasally “honk” to cement the identification.  After the walk, some of the birders relocated the Trumpeters on a nearby pond and photographed them (see below – photo courtesy of Marc Manheimer).   Other good species included a singing Fox Sparrow and good looks at Winter Wren, Hermit Thrush, and Eastern Bluebirds.

 *For those new to our walks, one of our founding members – Fred Fallon – claimed that any competent birder could identify 32 species on any given day.  With that in mind, we set a goal of at least 33 species to demonstrate that not only are we barely competent, we are actually quite competent!  (Take that, Fred!!!)

January 7—2023 Fran Uhler Natural Area

Species

Great Blue Heron, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Canada Goose, Mallard, Ring-necked Duck, Hooded Merganser, Bald Eagle, Red-tailed Hawk, Wild Turkey, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, Blue Jay, American Crow, Common Raven, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Red-breasted Nuthatch, White-breasted Nuthatch, Carolina Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Eastern Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, American Robin, Northern Mockingbird, European Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Eastern Towhee, Song Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, American Goldfinch

Bill Sefton reports:

A really lovely day to kick off the 2023 FUNA birding season.  Plenty of sunshine and mild breezes made this a “light jacket” sort of day for the 10 birders attending this first Saturday of the month walk.  We found some pretty good birds among the 39 species seen including at least a dozen Red-breasted Nuthatches working the pinecones near the parking area, a similar number of Golden-crowned Kinglets, and no less than 7 Common Ravens.  We also had an adult Bald Eagle perched at the top of the power line tower right in front to the parking area – stayed there for at least 10 minutes! 

We had the usual small army of  White-throated Sparrows escorting us along the path to the river, and got nice views of Hermit Thrush, Swamp Sparrow, and some Eastern Bluebirds glowing in the sunlight as well.  I’d have to give the Bird of the Day honors to the Red-breasted Nuthatches.  It was so nice to see and hear that many of them all in the same place! 

After we finished birding FUNA, we went over to the National Patuxent Research Refuge Visitor Center to finish the morning since our normal Horse pen ending location is still closed for construction. 

White-breasted Nuthatch

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December 17—Governor Bridge Natural Area

  Species

Grreat Blue Heron, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Canada Goose, Cooper's Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, American Woodcock, Ring-billed Gull, Mourning Dove, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Eastern Phoebe, Blue Jay, American Crow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Carolina Wren, Winter Wren, Eastern Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, American Robin, European Starling, Fox Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Northern Cardinal, Common Grackle, and American Goldfinch

Bill Sefton reports:

We had lovely sunshine and crisp late fall weather for our last GBNA walk of the year.  We also had 17 birders show for this 3rd Saturday of the month walk – unfortunately the birding was pretty slow with only 36* species identified on the day.  If you really like White-throated Sparrows, Blue Jays, and Song Sparrows then this was a great day.  For just about anything else it was a challenge to get more than a quick glimpse at the birds on the list.  I’m going to give the “Bird of the Day” honors to a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.  We found that one in the upper fields and it was kind enough to fly from a difficult to view location to a brightly lit tree and then spent some time posing for us. 

 White-throated Sparrow photo by Ken Cohen 

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December 10, 2022—Piscataway Park

 Species

Pied-billed Grebe, Horned Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Ruddy Duck, Canada Goose, American Wigeon, Mallard,  Mallard / Black Hybrid with Mallards, Greater Scaup, Bufflehead, Great Blue Heron, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle,                             Red-shouldered Hawk, Ring-billed Gull,  Herring Gull, Rock Dove, Mourning Dove, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied Woodpecker,  Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker,  Northern Flicker,  Pileated Woodpecker,  Blue Jay,               Piscataway Park, American Crow, Fish Crow, Eastern Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, American Robin, Northern Mockingbird, American Goldfinch, Nashville Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Song Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Northern Cardinal, Baltimore Oriole, Red-winged Blackbird

Ken Cohen reports:

If you missed this field annual field trip to Piscataway Park, you missed some great birds.  We saw Downy, Hairy, Red-bellied, and Pileated Woodpeckers and a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.  Although the diving ducks were not in, we found both Horned and Pied-billed Grebes.  Juvenile, subadult and adult Bald Eagles showed off their different plummages.  At Farmington Landing those elusive Winter Wrens left the bushes to land on logs in plain sight!  The Black-throated Gray warbler continued to hang out at Colonial Farm and provided us several brief but decisive views.  As if that was not enough, a lingering Baltimore Oriole and Nashville Warbler also appeared.  We moved on to discover a hybrid Mallard / Black duck at the boardwalk.  Birding across the Potomac River from Mt. Vernon made us wonder if we were seeing the same birds George Washington saw.    

Dave, Linette, & Ken                    

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Governor Bridge 11/19/2022

Bill Sefton, the trip leader, reports: So, it was a little on the chilly side and with the Thanksgiving Holiday approaching, we only had 12 birders show for this 3rd Saturday of the month walk.  Those that did come out were rewarded with 40 species on the day with some really good looks at Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, Hermit Thrushes, Bald Eagles, and Eastern Bluebirds.  We also had several Winter Wren sightings – but those little rascals weren’t kind enough to sit still and pose for very long.  It was also a good day for woodpeckers with 6 of 7 usual ones found (missed the Red-headed).   I’m going to give the “Bird of the Day” honors to a swan that we couldn’t really ID.  I wrote it down as Tundra Swan on the list since that seemed the most likely but it could just as well have been Mute or Trumpeter.  Whichever, it was a spectacular sight as it flew over our group and disappeared into the morning sun.  The complete list of 39 species follows: Great Blue Heron, Black Vulture, Tukey Vulture, Canada Goose, Tundra Swan, Mallard, Bald Eagle, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, Blue Jay, American Crow, Fish Crow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Carolina Wren, Winter Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Eastern Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, American Robin. European Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Eastern Towhee, Fox Sparrow, Song Sparrow. Swamp Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, and American Goldfinch. Bill also reported the 18 birds seen only in October, but not in November as follows

Wilson’s Snipe, Chimney Swift, Eastern Phoebe, Common Raven, Tree Swallow, Brown Creeper, Gray Catbird, Magnolia Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Palm Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Field Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, House Finch,  

 Ken Cohen gives the flock of American Goldfinch drinking at one of the pools as the best sighting, and the elusive Winter Wrens as the most exasperating sightings. Here are some photos from the trip:

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