Dddddiiiiiistrict Patrol!
The spring migration is in full swing and it's fantastic. FANTASTIC. The Va-Bird and MDOsprey listservs are crowded with reports of happy birders skipping through parks whose trees are crowded with warblers, orioles, kingbirds and thrushes. It's a great time to be a DC birder.
I couldn't possibly begin to list all the sightings, so I'll try to summarize the rarest birds in the area.
Cape May, DCThe elusive Cape May warbler has been making appearances in the area, most notably in the Constitution Gardens LIKE 5 BLOCKS FROM ME BUT I'M STUCK AT WORK. Guh. This bird was first seen yesterday by John from
A DC Birding Blog and was around later in the day. Cape Mays have also been seen at Rock Creek Park and several private yards.
Western KingbirdI think this bird is a regular visitor to
Fort McHenry near Baltimore (
about an hour from DC) and it has been seen a couple times there this year. Beware, though, that is has also been searched for unsuccessfully.
Trumpeter SwanA banded bird believed to be a Trumpeter Swan has been seen at Schoolhouse Pond at the
Darnall's Chance House Museum in Prince Georges County, MD (I'd say about 30 minutes from DC).
Black-Billed CuckooThese guys have been seen at
Rock Creek Park here in DC (where I think I'll be headed this weekend) and at Bandy Field in Richmond (
about 2 hours from DC).
Alright that's all I've got...but there are a million birds out there. Keep checking the
MDOsprey and
Va-Bird archives to keep up.