Re: Lazy Sightings in Fairfax County

Harry Fisher (fish8553@dpnet.net)
Mon, 05 May 1997 14:52:06 -0400 

Hey Kurt:
Interesting sightings, as always.  Haven`t been out and about too much
lately
myself.  Xmas and all that, you know.

KurtCapt87@aol.com wrote:

> Folks,
>
> Well, I managed to wake up early today AND get out of the house early (8 am,
> do tell!).  So, I headed over to Huntley.  As I made my way to the boardwalk,
> the Winter Wren by the visitor center started calling; as I reached the
> boardwalk the seep and tsep call notes of Song and Swamp Sparrows became
> clear.  Looking up, I saw a quickly moving bird flying north from the south
> side, almost bill-on.   MoDo?  Looking through my bins I saw the Merlin fly
> past, somewhat leisurely I thought.  No outright 60 mph powered flight, it
> occasionally went into a glide!  It flew past, circled back to the south and
> perched on a high snag about 300 yds away.  I thought it may be carrying
> something as twice it lowered and raised its legs, somewhat like a Red-tail.
> Some nearby birders called me over as the bird was in their scopes.  Viewing
> the Merlin through the scopes, I could see it hold the sparrow somewhat like
> we would hold an ice cream cone

Mmmmm, a sparrow icecream cone.  Your description gave me a laugh.

> - not straight up though, at an angle -
> grasping with one claw the bottom portion of the sparrow.  The sparrow's head
> was gone, and the falcon was feeding from the shoulder area down.

Nothing delicate about these falcons!!

>  Later, the
> bird flew to another perch (an Am. Crow tried to harrass the Merlin, taking
> the falcon's new perch, but the Merlin merely circled from the perch and
> charged the crow (it powered up, if you know what I mean); the crow flew off.
> >From this new spot, I could see that the falcon was now down to about mid-
> breast.  Interesting.

And how!!  Another chuckle.

> As I walked back, another Winter Wren went chit-chit
> chit, chit chit...
>
> For lunch I ate my hot dog at Accotink Bay, Ft. Belvoir.  The usual umpteen
> hundred

Can I use umpteen hundred as an accurate asessment on my Xmas count
area?

> of Black Ducks and Mallards were scattered about the mudflats (the
> tide was quite low).  As I scoped across the bay to the opposite side (passing
> a dozen or so Great Blues) I chanced upon a brick red duck.  Ah, the Cinnamon.
> Still here.  His escort of other Blue-wings were absent - gone south?  west?
> Perhaps the CBC for Mason Neck will shed some light.  Still, its great looking
> at a Red Duck.  On the east coast.  Real close to home.
>
> Its been a good year.

Yes, it has.  Merry Xmas and Happy New Year to all you Ospreyers out
there in
cyberspace.

>
>
> What will show up next year?
>
> Kurt Gaskill, kurtcapt@aol.com

Leslie FisherNorth East MD