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Since low tide was early this morning, I headed over to Kenilworth to check for shorebirds. I got there when it opened, and very few other people were around aside from the garden staff. The aquatic plants are still in bloom, but most lotuses have already lost their petals.
The best perspective on the marsh for shorebirding is from the end of the river trail. For whatever reason, shorebirds seem to prefer the mudflats over there to the ones near the boardwalk trail. This morning I saw greater and lesser yellowlegs, spotted sandpipers, and lots of killdeer. That is not bad for D.C., but I had been hoping to spot another species or two.
There were many green herons in the gardens this morning. Most seemed to be hatch year birds. They gave a higher-pitched call than the adults when they flushed. As I walked through the impoundments, at least five flew up into the trees. Even more were out in the marsh.
SPECIES SEEN: 36
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Green Heron
Canada Goose
Mallard
Red-tailed Hawk
Killdeer
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Spotted Sandpiper
Ring-billed Gull
Laughing Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Downy Woodpecker
Eastern Phoebe
Eastern Kingbird
Barn Swallow
Cedar Waxwing
Carolina Wren
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
American Robin
Carolina Chickadee
American Crow
European Starling
House Sparrow
Red-eyed Vireo
American Goldfinch
Song Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Indigo Bunting
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
