Trip report: Fair Lakes, Virginia, USA, december 1999

28 december 1999

Sjaak Schilperoort, Voorschoten, The Netherlands; sjaak@xs4all.nl

Trip description

From 20 to 24 december 1999 I made a business trip to Fair Lakes, Virginia. Not many opportunities to do some birding due to the program and bad time of year. I once walked from the hotel to the office building (pm 5 km/3 mile). The next day I took an early taxi to a park site in Fair Lakes, called Rocky Run Park and spent 2 hours there.

I was hoping to see the Virginia symbol, the Northern Cardinal, and I'm happy to say I got good views of several birds. I also managed to see some Blue Jays and some other east-coast species as Carolina Wren and Carolina Chickadee. I added 8 new species to my life list (well, I don't actually keep one, but you know what I mean ...), including several beautiful Hooded Mergansers on a lake just outside the Washington Dulles airport.

Sites visited

Literature

Bird species list

The bird names are taken from the AOU checklist of North American birds. I have seen 33 bird species, 8 of which were first-timers.

Dates are in ISO format (yymmdd).

1. Pied-billed Grebe - Podilymbus podiceps
991223: Several on a small lake near Washington Dulles Airport
2. Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodias
991223: 1 on a small lake near Washington Dulles Airport
3. Turkey Vulture - Cathartes aura
991221: several over Fair Lakes.
4. Canada Goose - Branta canadensis
Common, even in Fair Lakes and on parking lots, 991222: 80 migrating.
5. Gadwall - Anas strepera
991223: 20 on a small lake near Washington Dulles Airport
6. American Black Duck - Anas rubripes
991223: 40 on a small lake near Washington Dulles Airport
7. Mallard - Anas platyrhynchos
Common
8. Ring-necked Duck - Aythya collaris
991223: 60 on a small lake near Washington Dulles Airport
9. Hooded Merganser - Lophodytes cucullatus
991223: 6 male and 1 female on a small lake near Washington Dulles Airport
10. Ruddy Duck - Oxyura jamaicensis
991223: 50 on a small lake near Washington Dulles Airport
11. Red-shouldered Hawk - Buteo lineatus
991221: 4 in Fair Lakes.
12. Red-tailed Hawk - Buteo jamaicensis
991221: 1 in Fair Lakes
13. Merlin - Falco columbarius
991222: 2 males near Rocky Run Park
14. American Coot - Fulica americana
991223: 30 on a small lake near Washington Dulles Airport
15. Ring-billed Gull - Larus delawarensis
991223: 20 on a small lake near Washington Dulles Airport
16. Rock Dove - Columba livia
Common
17. Mourning Dove - Zenaida macroura
Common
18. Downy Woodpecker - Picoides pubescens
991222: several near Rocky Run Park
19. Blue Jay - Cyanocitta cristata
991221: 2 in Fair Lakes, 991222: 1 near Rocky Run Park
20. American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos
Common
21. Carolina Chickadee - Poecile carolinensis
15 around Rocky Run Park
22. Tufted Titmouse - Baeolophus bicolor
991221: 2 in Fair Lakes, 991222: over 6 around Rocky Run Park
23. White-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta carolinensis
991222: 1 at Rocky Run Park
24. Carolina Wren - Thryothorus ludovicianus
991221: 1 in Fair Lakes, 991222: 2 around Rocky Run Park
25. Eastern Bluebird - Sialia sialis
991222: 6 in Greenbriar Park along Stringfellow Rd.
26. Northern Mockingbird - Mimus polyglottos
Common
27. European Starling - Sturnus vulgaris
Very common
28. Song Sparrow - Melospiza melodia
991223: 10 along the borders of a small lake near Washington Dulles Airport
29. Dark-eyed Junco - Junco hyemalis
991222: Several in suburbs around Rocky Run Park
30. Northern Cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis
991221: 1 male in Fair Lakes, 991222: 20 in suburbs around Rocky Run Park
31. House Finch - Carpodacus mexicanus
Common
32. American Goldfinch - Carduelis tristis
991222: 2 in Greenbriar Park along Stringfellow Rd.
33. House Sparrow - Passer domesticus
Common