Autumnal Equinox: Back To Belle Isle State Park VA

 September 22nd marked the Autumnal Equinox and was also one of the prettiest days of the year in our opinion. We greeted the first dim rays of sunlight at our place on the Great Wicomco River with a wonderful view of an adult Bald Eagle perched on of many bare branches or snags of a waterside old sycamore tree. After breakfast we drove to one of our very favorite birding spots in the Northern Neck: Bell Isle State Park. We lasted visited there early May during spring bird migration and were anxious to see what fall migration might reveal to us. 

Across from the small parking lot we looked at the old barn that serves as the park's landmark. In spring we observed Eastern Bluebirds on the barn's peak but today Turkey Vultures inhabited the space, some with wings spread out to dry and warm in the morning sun. 

Leaving the somewhat creepy carrion we headed down one of the trails edged in a thin strip of woods on one side and ripening soybean fields on the other.

Dan, ever the more eagle eyed of our group of two, saw that us bird watchers were being watched from the middle of the field.

A white-tailed doe watched us intently before bounding off in the opposite direction.

Past the fields the trail opened up into wonderful views of the marsh choked with marsh grass before yielding to open water where we saw Belted Kingfisher and Great Egret from a great distance with the aid of our binoculars.

In the pines we heard chattering that told us we were in Brown-headed Nuthatch territory. These fuzzy little birds seem to talk to themselves as they glean the pine branches for insects.

Past the marsh and pines the landscape changed to an open field lush with tall grasses bowed down by the weight of ripening seed heads.

 This grassy field with the occasional sweet gum sapling was inhabited by a migratory flock of a half dozen Indigo Buntings. The male was displaying just a fraction of its namesake color making it closer in brownish hue to the females of the flock. The non-breeding plumage is not as vivid as the spring breeding plumage, but it was a delight to see these south-bound birds on the equinox. 

We drove to another part of Belle Isle near the newish visitor center on the shore of the Rappahannock River. Double-crested Cormorant, Ring-billed and Laughing Gulls, and a lone Sharp-shinned Hawk flyover were the expected birds to find in mid-September. Between the visitor center and the river's shore is a lush meadow of native grasses and wild flowers. A path through this meadow gave us great views of many pollinators. We're not fully versed in butterfly identification and had to research these beauties later before presenting them here. From top to bottom: Common Buckeye, Coral Hairstreak, and Monarch Butterflies (on the bottom two photos). Monarchs migrate and these two among others enjoyed the goldenrod and tick seed flowers.

We traveled to a small creek off to the side of the visitor center and down a hidden informal path to find a Great Blue Heron perched in the trees on the far shore.

 

Autumn in its infant stage is a wondrous and colorful place to be in Belle Isle State Park. 

Belle Isle State Park

Early Saturday morning, we drove to Belle Isle State Park in Lancaster County, VA. Belle Isle SP is a lovely park of 892 acres on the Rappahannock River and bordered by Morattico Creek and Deep Creek. In normal times, camping, canoeing, and horseback riding are some of the recreational offerings as well as a new visitor and nature center located on the Rappahannock. The original house, Bel Air mansion built in 1790 and since restored, is privately owned but can be rented out. The state park also has farm fields which are used and harvested every year. This year winter wheat was growing.

There are lots of trails but we prefer the Watch House Trail which is .61 miles from the camp store to the Rappahannock River. It starts at the big red ban with the tin roof where Barn Swallows and Eastern Bluebirds compete for insects in the early morning sun. We often see a male Eastern Bluebird perched on the peak of the barn roof.

Along the trail bordered by a narrow old growth woods serving as a windbreak for the wheat fields, we spied two Indigo Buntings chasing each other from woods to field and back again. Occasionally they would alight on dry wild growth, taking a breather until the next chase.

It is possible these two males were competing for territory as Belle Isle is part of their extensive breeding range.

The trail leaves the fields and enters marsh and mostly mature pine woods with nice shrubby undergrowth.

A male Mallard looked very alert on the end of this log in the water, but then two other males flew over and this duck took off to join them and circle over the marsh. They looked like young males so it was probably three duck dudes enjoying the warm morning air.

Red-headed Woodpeckers, Northern Flickers and Brown-headed Nuthatches are frequently seen in this area and we saw all three species in the Loblolly pines. Migratory Prairie Warblers were flitting in and out of the bayberry (myrtle) bushes and undergrowth, pausing to sing their ascending somewhat mysterious spring song.

These small bright yellow warblers with distinctive black under eye curved stripe are fun to watch. The p[ark is part of their breeding range. The Prairie Warbler's numbers are declining thus putting them on the watch list of conservation groups. We saw and heard at least four during our morning at the park.

We pretty much had the park to ourselves early in the day. A jogger was the only human we saw. There are a a lot of trails here so seeing other people first thing in the morning is not a given. Social distancing is easy here.
Along the trail we spied a nest, most likely unused and possibly from last year, made from a combination of twigs, grass and plastic.

We drove to the visitor center, which was closed due to Covid-19. It's on the Rappahannock River and has a nice native plant garden and meadow. The rafters of the porch have some fake snakes nailed there to discourage Barn Swallows from nest building there, but during this time when few if any people are around the building the Barn Swallows took advantage and ignored the fake snakes, while building their grass and mud nest on the beams.

We walked the meadow path and saw butterflies and other insects in the grasses and young trees. This Halloween-hued butterfly landed on the ground right in front of us. I took a photo and looked up the name of the insect later.

It's a Meadow fritillary ( I had to look it up on-line) only 1-1/2 inches wide. At this moment we realized why a lot of birders we know also study butterflies and moths. They go hand in hand and are equally as beautiful and important to our natural world.
In the meadow an Eastern Kingbird gave us great views from a small tree.

The best field mark of these flycatchers is the white tail tip. These migratory birds spend winter in Central America and breed in most of the eastern U.S.

 We headed over to the Mulberry Creek boardwalk on, appropriately, Mulberry Creek.

Shady and scenic, and the perfect tonic for easing concerns about current events. It was about ten and time to head back to the river place to do some much needed work. Spring morning in a nearly deserted state park was the perfect way to begin a weekend.

Caledon State Park, King George VA

On our way to the river place to do continued repairs and upkeep, we decided to stop at Caledon State Park just off of route 301 in King George, VA. We had packed our lunch and ate it in the car while observing Eastern Bluebirds using one of several nesting boxes in and on the edge of the grassy field. Caledon is an over 2500 acre park on the Potomac River shore. In 1659 it was established as Caledon Plantation owned by the Alexander brothers who founded Alexandria VA. In 1974 the land was owned by the commonwealth. There are lots of trails there and one of the main attractions is the old growth tulip poplar trees.

We took a half mile trail (the Smoot Trail) through the forest with song of spring birds all around us. Summer Tanager, Ovenbird, Wood Thrush, Northern Parula, Red-eyed Vireo and Yellow-throated Vireo.

We saw two of these vireos gleaning insects from young tulip poplars. They are considered long-distance migrants, spending winters in Central America, the Caribbean, and Cuba. It's possible that they could breed in Celadon State Park.

The Smoot Trail is a wonderful wooden trail with a  nice bridge down on the gully of fallen trees, moss, ferns and young trees.

After Smoot Trail we walked around the grounds of the house which is now park headquarters before heading back to the car. A Chipping Sparrow was pulling little grubs from the grass. Here it is with a particularly juicy one.

We left this lunch time respite where social distance was very easy to do and continued on to our second home in the Northern Neck.

Birding from Our Deck with Beer and Wine

It is cloudy. It is cool. It is spring migration and yet we are supposed to stay close to home. So on this somewhat dreary Saturday afternoon we set up chairs, binoculars, cameras, got some wine, beer, and snacks and waited for the birds to visit the numerous feeders and the birdbath. We also have mature oaks with emerging foliage, dogwood with lovely flowers, azaleas in bloom, and assorted shrubberies to attract them. We wait for the show to begin.

A Grey Catbird was the first to show up,  pausing on the deck railing before flying up to the simple cage suet feeder to enjoy a tasty treat.

These birds earned their name because they "meow". Seriously, if you squint your ears you can hear it. They also have a distinctive "rusty" patch on the underside of their tail. Very cool birds who spend the summer here.

The year round birds were...around...knowing full well that our patch of green serves up a 365 days a year buffet.

The American Goldfinches, at least a dozen in view, were enjoying thistle seed, the males in their breeding plumage of lemony yellow, and the females are a bit less showy.

A White-breasted Nuthatch also enjoyed the suet feeder. These birds are great to watch on tree trunks as they walk down head first.

Dan got this shot of two Carolina Chickadees who have taken up residence in a bird house he made for them. We had left over purple and pink spray paint, hence the groovy colors. One is feeding the other an insect. How sweet!

Two Yellow-rumped Warblers flitted on the trees, gleaning insects form the branches and buds. They're just passing through, but it's so cool to see them! This male's breeding plumage is really attractive, and I'm sure the ladies agree!

Way up in the tree tops, we saw two Blue-headed Vireos insect hunting. So fast, very far away, and the lighting was terrible, but this not too great photo shows a distinctive field mark: the white "goggles" around the eyes.

While sitting on the deck enjoying our libations, Dan asked "where is the Red-breasted Grosbeak?" Good question as we have seen this striking bird each spring for the past few years, but so far not this year. They love to crack sunflower seeds with their big triangular beak. Had they made it as far north as our neighborhood? A minute after Dan had posed his question, as if on cue, this beauty flew to the top of a concrete gnome in our garden.

What luck! This male Rose-breasted Grosbeak is one of the most striking of the migratory songbirds. The afternoon was made for us. Time to take our empty glasses and head in to start dinner. We hope to see Mr. Gross and perhaps his Mrs. a few more times before they head off. Ahhh, spring!

Spring Migration Is Happening!

Well, like the rest of the world, we are anxious for this "new normal" to end. However, no one knows exactly when that will happen. What Dan and I do know is that mid-April to Mid-May is a great time for birding in the Washington DC area. Parks are closed including many of the local birding hot spots. Many more people than usual are out and about and sometimes it makes social distancing a challenge. What we have learned that if we want to bird in our neighborhood park is to go into the woods. The appropriate footwear and longs pants are a must. Tick season coincides with spring migration, and the spring rains can make for a muddy trek.

Our local "pocket" park has a nice mixture of trees. Ironwood trees with their low canopy (about ten feet max) beneath the towering oaks and tulip poplars are a draw for different migratory songbirds.

Today we saw our first of year Black-and-white Warbler.  These migratory birds live up to their name with their distinctive striped plumage. Easy to spot as they hop along branches, gleaning insects and larvae from the undersides of leaves.

We also saw Palm Warblers, a nice little flock of Yellow-rumped Warblers, and White-eyed Vireo. The breezy conditions make for challenging birding, but we were delighted to see these other early spring migratory birds.

Another bird that is actually leaving our patch of woods to northern breeding grounds, is the Hermit Thrush.

This large-eyed cousin to the American Robin skulked along the forest floor, searching leaf litter and rotting logs for tasty treats. The bird gave us some great views as it perched on a log or mossy hillock.

Like the Hermit Thrush, the Swamp Sparrow prefers to breed a little farther north, and despite that we were delighted to see one picking at the muddy bank of the creek and fallen branches in the water.

These striking birds nest in wetlands. While not a threatened species, the decline of wetland habitat bears concern for the future of these sparrows.

Speaking of sparrows, we saw a flock of the tiny Chipping Sparrows picking up nearly microscopic bits of seeds from the asphalt path that rings the park's grassy field. Happy kids enjoying the sunshine and riding their bikes and scooters scared the flock into the river birches where I got this shot.

Today we continued to see the Eastern Phoebe, where about a week ago we observed it building a nest under the pedestrian bridge over the creek. Today one of the two birds we've counted gave us a very cute pose in the vicinity of the bridge. With all of the people walking over it, we hope the birds keep to their hidden nest and raise young there.

Once home, a shadow passing the bedroom window caught my eye. A male Pileated Woodpecker soared from the vicinity of the suet feeder to an oak in the backyard. He checked out a cavity in the tree before moving on. I managed to get a portrait close up of him before he soared away. I love to watch these big woodpeckers fly!

Happy Spring!