Weekend Birding

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bobolink, female, birding, Clarke County, pond, creek,

Female Bobolink

Went birding this past weekend looking specifically for Bobolinks and Dickcissels. We got lucky on one account, a female Bobolink. It was a beautiful location to spend four/five hours. Along with the Bobolink, we spotted: Kingfisher, Cardinal, Canada Goose, Gold Finch, Towhee, Orchard Oriole, Red-winged Blackbird, Song Sparrow, Indigo Bunting, snapping turtle, Eastern Blue tails, and others. The Blue tails were especially friendly. At any one time I had at least one on me and often had five.

Honor Flight

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WWII, vet,kiss,

A brave soldier!

dance,Honor Flight, gottaswing, Dulles, Airport,

dancers, gottaswing, Honor Flight, Dulles, airport,

On Wednesday morning, Southwest airlines once again delivered a plane full of World War II vets to Dulles airport. It was the beginning of a day long tour to visit the WWII memorial and other DC sights. The Honor Flight Network (http://www.honorflight.org/) sponsors these trips so that WWII vets may see their memorial at no charge to them. Many people and organizations volunteer their time and resources to assist with the visits. I am happy to be a part of a swing dance organization which entertains the troops as they are waiting for their departure back home. If the expressions on these vets faces is any indication, they enjoy it, too.

Nap Time

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kit, fox, nap, sleeping, Bombay Hook, NWR, Delaware Bay,

Caught Naping


I spent a couple of days at the Bombay Hook NWR last week. I was hoping to see a Ref Knot on the mud flats. But that didn’t happen. It was already a bit late in the season. There was still some evidence of Horse Shoe crab mating and egg laying, though. Along with plenty of other bird sightings, I was lucky enough to spot three fox kits on a small island – I believe it is only an island at high tide. Several hours were enjoyed watching the kits play and explore. The one in this picture took a quick nap after all the activity.

Lunch!

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Normally a Great Blue Heron snatches a fish from the water and then gulps it down. This bird managed to spear the fish and then had to figure out how to eat it. It took several minutes but finally the bird tossed the fish off and quickly snatched it up and gulped it down. yum!

Lunch Time!

New to the Neighborhood

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There’s no shortage of new home construction in this neighborhood. Not if you’re a migratory bird that is! After selecting the perfect bit of grass, a Yellow Warbler (or is it a female Orchard Oriole?) pauses to make sure no predators are watching before disappearing into the shrubs to work on the new nest. Welcome to the neighborhood!

New Home Construction - Warbler Style