Photo: Bufflehead, Mick Thompson
Tom Blackburn
It’s cold outside, and the short days are often cloudy! This is a perfect time to go winter birding!
Spring migration, when birds from Central and South America move into or through Northern Virginia to their breeding grounds, gets lots of attention among birding enthusiasts. Winter migration, when waterfowl come into the area from further north in search of ice-free water, gets much less attention but it provides even beginning birders lots of enjoyment. Unlike warblers and other songbirds that can be difficult to see, waterfowl are large and in plain sight.
Right now, local waters are filled with birds that you can’t see most of the year. When it’s not iced over as it has been for the past couple of days, as many as 200 magnificent Tundra Swans can be found at Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck Wildlife Refuge. Your best spot to see them is at the shelter on the Woodmarsh Trail, but check the tide table and try to get there near high tide to get the best views. Rafts of thousands of diverse waterfowl species gather at Pohick Bay Regional Park, although it’s often best to use a scope to see them. On a recent walk from Great Falls Park to Riverbend Park I spotted over 100 Buffleheads, as well as Ring-neck Ducks, Redheads, Lesser Scaup, Ruddy Ducks, and Common Mergansers, all easily visible with binoculars. I always enjoy watching the little Buffleheads as they leap up before diving for food and bob up like corks a few seconds later.
Bufflehead, Mick Thompson
Loudon County boasts several spots to watch waterfowl. Beaverdam Creek Reservoir and the Dulles Greenway Wetlands Mitigation Project often host Gadwalls, American Wigeons, Northern Pintails, Green-winged Teal, Common Loons, Redheads and an occasional Common Goldeneye. Many of these birds winter at other spots as well. The Warrenton Reservoir in Fauquier County, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Prince William County, and Huntley Meadows Park near Alexandria are other good spots to see waterfowl.
If you are new to watching waterfowl, ASNV is offering a great way to get to know them. We recorded our January 27 program on identifying waterfowl, presented by Greg Butcher, our Vice President and the Migratory Species Coordinator for the U.S. Forest Services’ International Programs. You can view it here for free.
Winter is a good time to look for other kinds of birds as well. With no leaves on the trees, it’s much easier to see birds that are more difficult to spot during the rest of the year. Downy, Hairy, Red-headed, Red-bellied, and Pileated Woodpeckers, as well as Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, are busy in most local woods. Bluebirds provide bright spots of color in the gray and brown branches. Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets move frantically through the trees, and Brown Creepers work their way methodically up a tree trunk in search of insects and fly down to another tree to begin again. You won’t see the Kinglets and Creepers when the weather warms up – they’ll be flying north to build nests in the spring.
So don’t succumb to cabin fever! Get outside, breathe some fresh air, and get a little exercise. While you’re out, look for winter birds. You’ll be glad you did. You can get a preview of all of the birds mentioned in this article in the free on-line Audubon Bird Guide.