Date: 12/30/20 5:53 am From: Kurt Gaskill <dmarc-noreply...> (Redacted sender kurtcapt87 for DMARC) Subject: [va-bird] Fort Belvoir CBC Count Week starts NOW
VA BIRDers, esp. those in No. Virginia,
Count Week for the Fort Belvoir CBC, scheduled for Saturday, Jan 2, begins today. Count Week species are typically those unusual or transitory birds that do not get tallied on count day yet presence is recorded for posterity in the National Audubon database. This means is if you find an unusual or maybe hard to locate species, documenting it (Ebird is useful in this regard) will start the process. An obvious example is the Clapper Rail at Huntley Meadows (or the Sora, if its still around).
The way to do this is to provide details on why you ID the species or provide a photo along with information on location and time/date. You can send the information to me or, perhaps easier, enter it into Ebird.
There are many potential Count Week species. A comprehensive list would be quite long (and may bore some readers to a deep sleep) but let me provide some other examples which are known to happen with some (but not yearly) regularity in the count circle.
Any swan other than Tundra (aka Whistling). Any goose other than Canada. Scoters. Curiously Horned Grebe as the population has plummeted and is not quite regular near Jan 1 in our area. And maybe there is a hummingbird coming to a local feeder? Any Shorebird other than Killdeer; Wilson's Snipe info is quite useful. All the rails - the only "regular" winter rail in our areas is King Rail at OBNWR; given recent information as well as sightings from last winter, it seems likely that Sora, Virginia Rail and King Rail are likely present elsewhere in the circle. This winter Red-headed Woodpeckers are at a premium. Eastern Phoebes are usually around, but numbers are limited so adding to the database is useful. Both Marsh and Sedge Wrens are valuable to document. We "almost" get Gray Catbird and Brown Thrasher each year but insurance is always desired with info on these species. Any warbler other than Yellow-rumped. American Tree Sparrow is getting more difficult to find and other unusual sparrows are most welcome. And then there is the ever popular Baltimore Oriole (or even any oriole!). There are many other unusual species that I have not listed but I suspect if you find one, you will know it!
The Ft Belvoir Circle roughly covers Huntley Meadows west to Lake Accotink, south thru Burke Lake and the Lorton area, and then Occoquan Bay NWR, Julie Metz and Leesylvania SP, north thru Mason Neck, Gunston, Fort Belvoir, Mount Vernon and Fort Hunt. And east to portions of Maryland from Piscataway Creek south to the Mattawoman marshes.
Thank you!
Kurt Gaskill, compiler Ft B CBC
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