Back To Belle Isle: Winter Edition

 The drive from our river place to Belle Isle State Park in Lancaster, Virginia was winter beautiful. Overnight a light snow had fallen and the fields of were dusted in a bright white sprinkling between harvest stubble and roadside grass. The sky was that wonderful crisp winter blue when the humidity is next to zero and the sun shining in a nearly cloudless sky. The snow was melting before our eyes as the sun rose higher and the temperatures rose above freezing.

Belle Isle in winter is, as in most wild winter landscapes, a play of contrasts. Bare tree limbs, brown grasses, fields nearly flat with soil laid bare from fall harvests, and clear water reflecting the sharp blue sky are what makes this landscape a delight to spend a mid-January morning. 

 

 

 The birding was winter typical meaning that birds we expected to see at Belle Isle in winter gave us great views even if some at a distance. Song Sparrows and White-throated Sparrows foraged on the roadside and edges of the fields.

This Song Sparrow with its distinctive stripes and dark triangle shaped markings on either side of its throat foraged with a small flock of its same species on the edges of one of several parking lots.

Hundreds of ring-billed Gulls and Canada Geese gleaned the fields for grains of wheat left behind in the harvesting. Belle Isle State Park is unique in the state for renting its land for farming. 

The Ring-billed Gulls were also resting in profusion on the narrow beach of Porpoise Creek. If you look closely in the center of the photo you can make out a larger Herring Gull in the flock.

Way in the distance in one of the fields we saw a Bald Eagle hopping on the bare ground gathering nesting material. There is a huge and abandoned eagle's nest in the park as well as an active nest more hidden in the tree tops of the forested part of the park.

Other very distant views across Porpoise Creek revealed four Tundra Swans, visitors from the far north to these unfrozen waters where the food is abundant.

A lone Great Blue Heron fished patiently in the marsh.

In a woodsy wind break between the fields, wintering Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers drilled shallow holes in the trees to get the sap. The bird in the top photo is a male and the bird in the bottom photo is a female. And speaking of wintering birds we were thrilled to see the Brown Creeper, a small comma-shaped bird, methodically and slowly climbing a tree in search of any insects sheltering in the bark crevices. The curved bill is an effective tool at prying those tasty buggy morsels.

The trails marked with detailed posts were a little muddy in spots and some were a little cozy with borders of the brown remains of tall grasses and thick greens of the loblolly pines. Song Sparrows flitted across these paths finding a tall piece of grass with a few seeds still left behind, riding the grass, bending it to the ground where they took the seeds before flying to another to repeat the process.

 The boardwalk trail near the canoe launch was still encrusted with snow and ice making for a treacherous walk so we chose the dirt road to the water for a quick look.

Belle Isle is one of our very favorite places to bird. We saw 30 different species on this sunny Sunday. A great day indeed!

Not Every Outing Is A Winner

 A new year and we decided to beginning it by birding on a Saturday in what is arguably Northern Virginia's most popular birding destination: Huntley Meadows Park in Alexandria. We arrived right after sunrise and the parking lot was already a quarter full. This park with its forested trails and boardwalk over the wetland attracts scores of photographers as well as birders. Dan and I go for the birds first and take photos if the opportunity presents itself. 

You may or may not know that the American Birding Association (ABA) has rules of ethics for birders and one of them is not to stress or harass birds. Pretty obvious, right? It really applies to all of us who enjoy being in nature in what is basically the homes of our feathered friends.  At the park just off the boardwalk was a bird not commonly seen in Huntley Meadows: Clapper Rail. The amount of photographers crowding the boardwalk, all wearing masks, leaning over the railing to catch a glimpse of this reclusive, solitary bird tucked in the bracken looked like the paparazzi along the red carpet at the Oscars. One woman parked a stroller, packed full of thousands of dollars worth of optics, and a wide open tripod on the 6 foot wide passage. Social distancing was non-existent. We managed to catch a distant and brief glimpse of the Clapper Rail with our binoculars before moving away. Pandemic or not, it's just not a good idea to crowd a bird and possibly cause it stress. We moved quickly on to the less populated parts of the extensive boardwalk. 

We observed a male Red-winged Blackbird pulling bits from a swamp milkweed stem getting at the tasty matter inside.

 

A White-throated Sparrow stood out from the flock of dozens on the shadowy path. The sweet gum "ball" was in an interesting place when I took the photo.

Northern Shovelers dabbled the muddy bottom of the wetland so getting a photo of their entire head with distinctive wide bill was an exercise in futility. They were enjoying a nice breakfast away from the "rail madness" crowds. We enjoyed watching them eat as they do it so methodically and calmly. These birds breed in Western and Central Canada, and they also occur in Europe and parts of Asia. They are also monogamous. The female is headfirst with tail up just ahead of the male.

 

We arrived home at mid-morning and decided to walk to our neighborhood park, but the best bird we saw was while we were standing on the front porch. A beautiful Cooper's Hawk swooped to a small tree near the end of the house. 

Sometimes home can bring wonderful sights. And I just happened to have my camera. So the morning of birding ended on a very nice note.