A Day for LBJs

Birders have adopted a term "little brown jobs" (abbreviated "LBJs") as shorthand for any of the small brown bird species. "LBJ" refers principally to sparrows, but may include female finches, female buntings, pipits and larks, some warblers, some icterids, and even some thrushes, depending on one's perspective. The term expresses the mix of frustration and endearment that birders feel towards small brown birds. Perhaps the frustration of trying to differentiate cryptic birds is more prevalent. But even the most frustrated birder can find something to like among the small brown birds. These are, after all, among the most common birds that we encounter out in the field. Even in the city, it is hard not to see a few on any given walk. Today I saw more than my usual share of LBJs.

I started out at Constitution Gardens, and immediately I saw an adult bald eagle circling the Washington Monument. The lake at the gardens held basically the same group of waterbirds as the last time I visited: American wigeons, ring-necked ducks, lesser scaup, American coots, and superb redheads. A new waterbird species for this week was pied-billed grebe. The number of common grackles on the Mall has been building, and today I saw my first red-winged blackbird of the year. A few song sparrows and many robins worked the grassy areas around the lake.

From there I walked over to the DC WWI Memorial. As usual, the area around the memorial was quiet, but the azalea bushes held a trio of fox sparrows. All three let me approach closely for better looks at their rich rufous plumage.

The Tidal Basin and river held numerous double-crested cormorants. Cormorants are clearly making a push northward, but I am not sure that their numbers have peaked yet. Lesser scaup are also on the move. There were several large flocks on the Tidal Basin, river, and Washington Channel. Red-breasted mergansers are also passing through. A sure sign of spring is the return of the railroad bridge ospreys. One was arranging the nest on top of the trestle, and a second was perched on the piling below.

As I made my way south to the point, strong winds made it difficult to see what might be on the river. So I stayed close to the golf course fence instead. As a result, I got a decent look at a swamp sparrow. Near the point I deviated from my original plan and approached the river walk again. As a result of that chance decision, I saw two American pipits on the concrete path. This was a chance sighting in a second way as well; since the first bird I saw on the path was a song sparrow, I assumed the others would be as well, but took a second look anyway. (It is always a good idea to take a second look!) It was only then that I noticed the thrush-like posture, ungainly strut, and bobbing tail that are characteristic of American pipits. This was an exciting sighting since I have only seen pipits once before. There was a third pipit on the other side of the point. At the tip of Hains Point, I spotted three Bonaparte's gulls among the fleet of ring-billed gulls.

On the way from Hains Point, I encountered yet another odd LBJ. After checking through the various field marks - notched tail with white outer feathers, white eye ring, white supercilium with hatching, striped breast, etc. - I determined that the bird was a vesper sparrow. Like today's fox sparrows, this vesper sparrow was very cooperative and stayed in the grass about five feet away while I examined it in detail. It is not every day that one gets such a good look at an unusual bird.

Before calling it a day, I stopped by the Indian Museum to check the wetland display. Oddly enough, that was where I saw my first white-throated sparrows of the day. I am not sure how I went almost a whole day without seeing them. A final treat was a Cooper's hawk circling the Capitol's reflecting pool.

SPECIES SEEN: 41

Pied-billed Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Canada Goose
American Wigeon
Mallard
Redhead
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Red-breasted Merganser
Osprey
Bald Eagle
Cooper's Hawk
American Coot
Ring-billed Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
American Herring Gull
Bonaparte's Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Phoebe
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Northern Mockingbird
American Robin
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Blue Jay
Fish Crow
European Starling
House Sparrow
House Finch
American Goldfinch
Vesper Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle

Roll mouse over images for attribution and species name.

Wind and Waterbirds

As I mentioned in a prior post, some redheads were reported in the course of the Great Backyard Bird Count, and were reported again this past week. Today I finally walked down to Constitution Gardens to look for them. Today was one of those changeable, blustery days typical of late winter with the sun going in and out of the constantly moving clouds. I have visited Constitution Gardens on such days before. The pond there is somewhat sheltered from the winds, so it provides an inviting resting point for waterfowl.

As reported, several redheads were in the Constitution Gardens lake. I counted six - four males and two females. Redheads are always a treat, so I stood and watched them bobbing in the midst of a small crowd of American wigeons, lesser scaup, and ring-necked ducks. Oddly enough, I have now seen redheads more frequently in DC than canvasbacks; that says more about the random character of finding waterfowl in this city than the species' relative abundance. Elsewhere on the lake, a few American coots with the lake's usual denizens. One was displaying the white underside of its tail; I am not sure of the meaning of this display - whether it is a sign of fear or a rush of hormones.

From Constitution Gardens, I walked past the WWII Memorial to the DC WWI Memorial. The reflecting pool was almost bone dry. A large flock of robins foraged in the leaves and bushes around the WWI Memorial. A small flock of juncos was also present, along with a small helping of white-throated and song sparrows.

The Tidal Basin held more lesser scaup, as well as both red-breasted and common mergansers. The biggest surprise was mammalian rather than avian. A beaver was sitting near the Tidal Basin's outlet bridge! Not having had a good look at one before, I was amazed by how large it was. Its presence may be bad news for the cherry trees, but I was certainly happy to see it.

Because of the strong northwest winds, birding along the river was nearly impossible. All I could find there were a few dozen lesser scaup. Conditions were better on the Washington Channel, which is more sheltered than the river side of East Potomac Park. There were yet more lesser scaup, the usual winter gulls, plus my first double-crested cormorants of the year (in D.C., anyway).

One reason I had pushed on to the river and the channel, even though I was somewhat tired by that point, was that I was hoping that I might find a pied-billed or horned grebe. The bad news is that I did not see either species. The good news is that I saw a red-necked grebe instead. Not only did I see one, but it was one of the best views I have had, of any grebe. Distinguishing winter-plumage red-necked and horned grebes can be tricky at a distance, but up close the differences in head and bill shape really stand out. This bird had the typical heavy and straight yellow bill that is typical of the red-necked variety, as well as the blocky head. (Horned grebes have a stubbier bill and more triangular head.)

It was a great day of birding, but by the time I got home, I was pretty worn out (thus the late post). While our temperatures are still in a relatively cold pattern, birds are clearly on the move. It is a trickle now, but in the next few weeks the pace will accelerate. If you live in Washington, go see the redheads and red-necked grebe while they are still around. With migration under way, they probably will not stay long.

SPECIES SEEN: 34

Red-necked Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Canada Goose
American Wigeon
Mallard
Redhead
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Red-breasted Merganser
Common Merganser
Turkey Vulture
Red-tailed Hawk
American Coot
Ring-billed Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
American Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Downy Woodpecker
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Northern Mockingbird
American Robin
Blue Jay
American Crow
Fish Crow
European Starling
House Sparrow
American Goldfinch
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Common Grackle

GBBC Day 3: Potomac Waterfront

Today I ventured down to the Tidal Basin and Hains Point to look for birds. The Tidal Basin was almost completely frozen over, with only a few ring-billed gulls standing on the ice. The Washington Channel was also mostly frozen. It was frozen across in some places, open in others, and partly open with chunks of floating ice in other places. The areas around the boat docks on the far side of the channel were mostly open; these patches held small groups of mallards and coots. Hundreds of the three local gulls huddled in large flocks on the ice. Other waterbirds included a red-breasted merganser on the channel and a dozen lesser scaup on the Potomac. I was surprised to find seven great-blue herons during my walk; they must have fled from other areas in D.C. to find open water. About half way to the point, I saw a merlin perched in a tree. It was quite close to the road and did not flush when I approached. A juvenile bald eagle was perched on the large snag at the end of the golf course, while crows mobbed around it. Not too many songbirds were visible around the park. Most of the songbirds I saw were clustered in a few areas sheltered from the wind.

In the late afternoon I walked over to the Indian Museum to see what was around. Mostly the birds were the same as on Friday, but I did find a couple swamp sparrows in the museum's wetlands area. As I stood to watch them, a snow shower suddenly arrived. The flakes fell so densely that I could not see the Capitol from the Museum. The snow fell furiously, but the shower did not leave much behind.

Checklist from Hains Point and the Tidal Basin:

Canada Goose	1,400
Mallard	17
Lesser Scaup	12
Red-breasted Merganser	1
Great Blue Heron	7
Bald Eagle	1
Red-tailed Hawk	1
Merlin	1
American Coot	6
Ring-billed Gull	440
Herring Gull	285
Great Black-backed Gull	90
Rock Pigeon	22
Mourning Dove	1
Downy Woodpecker	2
Blue Jay	4
American Crow	25
Fish Crow	20
Tufted Titmouse	6
Golden-crowned Kinglet	1
American Robin	40
Northern Mockingbird	1
European Starling	40
Cedar Waxwing	11
Song Sparrow	1
White-throated Sparrow	4
Dark-eyed Junco	3
Northern Cardinal	2
House Sparrow	35

Checklist from the Indian Museum and Capitol grounds:

Mallard	60
Ring-billed Gull	40
Downy Woodpecker	1
White-breasted Nuthatch	1
American Robin	25
European Starling	65
Swamp Sparrow	2
White-throated Sparrow	7
House Sparrow	12

Birders in Washington, D.C., have now broken the record for species reported for the GBBC in this city. As of 8:30 pm, the count for D.C. stood at 60 species; the record had been 59, set in 2005. That year also set a record for the number of submitted checklists with 51. So far this year, 32 checklists have been submitted, so we are unlikely to reach that record. However, this year will have the highest number of individual birds reported, with 6,216 so far. Below is the distribution map as of Sunday night.

Ducks, Grebes, and Spring Along the Potomac

Late this afternoon I took a walk around Hains Point and the Tidal Basin to look for any water birds that might be passing through. Unfortunately the strong northwest winds continue to stall northbound migrants, but there were still some good birds around.

The Washington Channel had a pied-billed grebe and a few American coots in addition to the normal masses of ring-billed gulls and mallards. Gull numbers have been way down in the last few weeks. A couple of odd-looking mallards have started hanging around the channel. (I will post a few pictures of them later.) One is extremely dark and the other is very light; they seem to be a pair.

On the river side, there continue to be large flocks of lesser scaup, though not quite as many as a couple weeks ago. Near the bridges I spotted a couple of horned grebes among the lesser scaup, my first of the year for DC. A bad picture of the two grebes (along with some lesser scaup) is at right.

Some ducks continue to use the Tidal Basin, at least at times when the paddle boats are docked. A small flock of waterbirds near the western end of the basin included hooded mergansers, lesser scaup, and rakish red-breasted mergansers.

At the same time as migrants are passing through and departing, some newly-arrived birds are settling in and preparing to breed. Ospreys have returned, and they are busy repairing their usual nest at the western end of the 14th Street railroad bridge.

The trees along the Tidal Basin and the Potomac waterfront are breaking into blossoms. The famous cherry trees, like the one pictured at right, are still not quite in bloom. But the walkways along the river are now clothed with vibrant greens, reds, whites, and other colors. The photograph below is looking north along the Potomac River, with a cherry tree in the foreground, and weeping willows in the background.


SPECIES SEEN: 34

Pied-billed Grebe
Horned Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Canada Goose
Mallard
Lesser Scaup
Hooded Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Osprey
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Coot
Killdeer
Ring-billed Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
American Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Downy Woodpecker
Carolina Wren
American Robin
Carolina Chickadee
White-breasted Nuthatch
American Crow
Fish Crow
European Starling
House Sparrow
House Finch
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle

Tags:

• Birding
• Hains Point

Preening at the Docks

As the afternoon draws to a close, the gulls in the Tidal Basin tend to settle down for the evening. One of their favorite afternoon roosts is along the docks at the paddle boat house on the north end of the Tidal Basin. A birder can frequently observe interesting behaviors here. The activity for this afternoon was preening.

A young gull preened on one of the paddle boats.

A few cherry trees in East Potomac Park have begun to bloom.

Check out other animals at this week's Friday Ark.

Tags:

• Birding
• Gulls

Friday Gull Blogging #4

It has been a month since my last edition of Friday Gull Blogging, so I think it is high time to resurrect this feature. As I have explained before, a good urban birding experience requires that one be able to take satisfaction in observing the common birds and not be disappointed in a lack of rarities. Though they may infuriating at times in their commonness, ring-billed gulls are fun to watch.

This gull has a piece of something in its mouth, but cannot quite manage to swallow it. I was unsure at the time whether it was a fish, a crustacean, or plastic.

Different gull, same railing.


Gulls like to line up along the guard rails at East Potomac Park. By the end of the winter, they manage to paint the sidewalks quite white.

The above images are from a walk several weeks ago.

Carnivals

• Visit the Friday Ark for more images of animals.
• Animalcules 1.3 is available.
• Fans of Carnival of the Vanities can find a list of all prior editions here.
  

Tags:

• Birds
• Ring-billed Gull

Pine Warbler, Not In A Pine

Despite the chilly March winds, spring was breaking out all over Washington. When I first arrived at the National Arboretum this morning, an exuberant house finch was singing nonstop. I relocated the red-headed woodpecker that has been lingering in the woods behind the Capitol columns fairly quickly. This time, with much better lighting, I could see the brilliant red of the woodpecker's head flashing in the sunlight. In the same general area, I also saw some field sparrows.

Unfortunately, the gate to the river path was locked so I was not able to check the Anacostia for waterfowl. However, my walk through the Asian Gardens was not without its rewards; I found that red-breasted nuthatches are still residing in the conifers there, and I got a great look at a pileated woodpecker as it flew across the river and into the woods on the near bank. (I still have trouble understanding how experienced observers could turn a pileated into an ivory-billed, but that is a story for another day.) The large Beech Spring Pond held a small group of hooded mergansers in addition to the larger flock of Canada geese.

As I checked around Fern Valley, I heard a trilling song coming from somewhere near the Youth Garden. (The song was almost like the sound of one of those old analogue train departure boards, but sustained on a high pitch.) I checked over around that garden and found a pine warbler. Oddly enough, it was foraging on the ground, instead of high in a tree where I am used to finding this species. There must have been two, because I could hear the song coming from a different direction at the same time as I had this one in my binoculars. It was really good to hear a warbler song again; I look forward to hearing more of them in a few short months.


Later in the afternoon I took a second walk along the waterfront. At the Washington Channel I saw a double-crested cormorant in the District for the first time since mid-December. In another month there should be hundreds of them. The channel also held a lone pied-billed grebe. When I rounded Hains Point and walked back up the Potomac side, I came upon raft after raft of lesser scaup, totalling many more than I have seen in the area through most of the winter. Presumably these scaup are staging here before resuming their northbound migration.

From the river, I walked across the Mall to Constitution Gardens. The lake that forms the centerpiece of the gardens has been drained for the most part, with only small portion still under water. This portion still held many mallards and ring-billed gulls, along with a pair of American wigeons. Large flocks of American robins and various blackbirds, including brown-headed cowbirds and red-winged blackbirds, foraged in the grass between the lake and the Mall's famous reflecting pool.


SPECIES SEEN TODAY: 48

Pied-billed Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Canada Goose
American Wigeon
Mallard
Lesser Scaup
Hooded Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Black Vulture
Red-tailed Hawk
Ring-billed Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
American Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Red-headed Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Carolina Wren
Northern Mockingbird
Eastern Bluebird
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Blue Jay
American Crow
Fish Crow
European Starling
House Sparrow
House Finch
Pine Warbler
Eastern Towhee
Field Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird

Tags:

• Birding
• National Arboretum
• National Mall
• Pine Warbler
• Migration

Mall Expansion?

The National Mall in Washington, D.C., has been running out of space for several years. With the recent additions of the monuments for Franklin Roosevelt, the Korean War, and World War II, and the future monument for Martin Luther King, most of the available monument space has been taken. Meanwhile, the National Museum of the American Indian has filled the last large tract for museum construction. So the National Capital Planning Commission has been trying to encourage groups pushing museums and memorials to place them elsewhere - either statues in neighborhood parks or museums along important corridors like South Capitol Street.

The National Coalition to Save Our Mall has a different idea. They want to expand the Mall into East Potomac Park, the narrow peninsula that stretches along the Potomac River up to the confluence of the Potomac and Anacostia. This narrow strip currently holds a golf course, baseball fields, and a playground for kids. It also is a quiet haven for fishermen, a racing site for bicycle clubs, and a winter hot spot for birders. (Several D.C. rarities have been seen here, including glossy ibis in 2004.)

The ideas include the bizarre, like building a new Supreme Court in East Potomac Park. (No thanks, we already have one.) Some also involve wasteful expenditures, like breaking up the peninsula into a series of islands connected by bridges. Proposals to improve recreation facilities and to build some new monuments in East Potomac Park are more realistic and make better use of the space without seriously disrupting the park's current uses. Building museums there is not a good use, unless their curators do not care about having good attendance.

Any plans for the park need to keep in mind that the park is not easily accessible since it only connects to downtown at the north end. Building more connections is made difficult by the marinas along Washington Channel and the major highways (Route 1 and Interstate 395) that cross over the park.

But East Potomac Park should remain primarily a place for recreation. We have few large areas of open fields for general recreation in this city. There is the central area of the Mall, but that is frequently circumscribed by fences for grass recovery or large events whose stages and booths block large areas at a time. Anacostia Park also has the space but is hard to access. Rock Creek Park is mostly wooded, as is Roosevelt Island. East Potomac Park fills a need in this city, and any development there should serve to enhance its current uses and not make them more difficult.

East Potomac Park

This afternoon I decided to take advantage of the marvelous fall weather and do a little birding. After almost two weeks of clouds and rain, this weekend we finally got two mostly sunny days. And with a strong cold front moving last night, today we finally got some normal October weather - cool temperatures and blustery winds.

I chose East Potomac Park, which may not have been the best choice on a windy day, but I was going to be in the vicinity anyway. Starting out at the Maine Avenue docks, I saw a brown-headed cowbird among a group of house sparrows, as well as some mallards in the channel. Once in East Potomac Park, I quickly found a winter-plumaged laughing gull in the channel. Occasionally a falcon or eagle will turn up on the golf course, but none were apparent today. The large number of golfers may have discouraged birds of prey from hunting there. The walk back on the river side was a little difficult with the wind blowing in my face, but I was rewarded at the end with some golden-crowned kinglets near the west end of the park. The walk was finished with a sighting of a few late chimney swifts.

SPECIES SEEN: 15

Double-crested Cormorant
Mallard
Ring-billed Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Laughing Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Northern Mockingbird
American Crow
European Starling
House Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Brown-headed Cowbird