The morning began slowly and didn't look very promising. I began at Oxbow
Road where there were numerous Common Loons,1 Red-throated Loon, Pied-billed
Grebes, Horned Grebes, small rafts of Hooded Mergansers, mallards and a few
Canada Geese. This was almost enough to make me turn around and go home.
Next stop was the boardwalk at Area M. The large rafts that were present
earlier in the week were gone. There were small numbers of Pied-billed Grebes,
Horned Grebes, small rafts of Hooded Mergansers and some Mallards. At this
point I thought the day would be a complete bust. I decided to hit Old Sunbury
Road and the east shore. This proved to be a good decision.
At Old Sunbury Road I quickly located the resident Barred Owls, although the
Eastern Screech Owl was not up. Last year this area was inundated with
Red-breasted Nuthatches but thus far this year I have yet to see one here. The
pine grove did have Golden-crowned Kinglets, Brown Creepers, and a
Yellow-bellied sapsucker in addition to the owls. It was then that I heard the ducks. With
the cold air and breeze they had accumulated along the east shore and the
islands just off the shore where they were protected from the winds. I managed
to identify Mallards, American Black Ducks, Ring-necked Ducks, Lesser Scaup,
Hooded Mergansers, Northern Shovelers, Gadwall Ruddy Ducks and a few
Green-winged Teal along the east shore. I also located 2 adult Bald Eagles in a large
cottonwood tree. Further out there were more Common Loons and at Pelican
Island there were Double-crested Cormorants. In the brush along the old roadbed
I spotted White-throated Sparrows and a few Winter Wrens. The day had
definitely improved.
I headed home the long way about via Vans Valley Road and Miller-Paul Road
where I spotted a few Horned Larks and Northern Harriers.
Charlie Bombaci
Hoover Nature Preserve
Delorme 58 C (2) & (3)
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