Sunday Walks | hamptonroadsbirdclub

Sunday Morning Bird Walks

Newport News City Park

Click HERE to review Covid 19 walk safety requirements before attending

Join us on the First and Third Sunday of each month at 7:00 AM at Newport News Park.

Meet us in the parking lot behind the Ranger Station!

Thanks to Jane Frigo for providing these reports. For more information, contact Jane (757-873-0721).

2021 Bird Walks Summary

April 4, 2021

Today is Easter and what a beautiful morning to be outside and sharing the morning with birders and birds! Hannah Montalvo, Sue Tomlin, Pete Peterman, Marc Nichols, Cindy Shulz, Christiana Wilson, Jane Frigo and John and Marilyn Adair chose to spend the morning together. Hopes were high for spring migrants and summer resident arrivals to be seen. Those noted included Great Egret, Palm Warbler, Yellow-throated Warbler, Royal Tern and Common Yellowthroat. Finally a Red-headed Woodpecker was spotted. Ducks seem to have departed and possibly the Sapsucker and Winter Wren. A Carolina Wren was seen taking advantage of a large trash can a squirrel had chewed into. The pair of wrens were observed carrying nesting material into the can. The lid was removed to expose a partially constructed nest on top of the cans and garbage. Obviously the nest would never survive. Fortunately there were no eggs yet so the hope is the pair will begin again in a more suitable location. 55 species were recorded.

Canada Goose

Wood Duck

Mallard

Pied-billed Grebe

Double-crested Cormorant

Great Blue Heron

Great Egret

Turkey Vulture

Osprey

Bald Eagle

Red-shouldered Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

Laughing Gull

Ring-billed Gull

Royal Tern

Mourning Dove

Belted Kingfisher

Red-headed Woodpecker

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Downy Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

Pileated Woodpecker

Blue Jay

American Crow

Fish Crow

Tree Swallow

Carolina Chickadee

Tufted Titmouse

Red-breasted Nuthatch

White-breasted Nuthatch

Brown-headed Nuthatch

Brown Creeper

Carolina Wren

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Eastern Bluebird

Hermit Thrush

American Robin

Northern Mockingbird

Brown Thrasher

European Starling

Common Yellowthroat

Palm Warbler

Pine Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Yellow-throated Warbler

Chipping Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Swamp Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Northern Cardinal

Red-winged Blackbird

Brown-headed Cowbird

American Goldfinch

March 21, 2021

Spring has arrived! March 21, 2021 began with cloudy skies and temperatures in the 40's. A first of season (FOS) Blue-gray Gnatcatcher was an exciting discovery and a little earlier than expected. Although several duck species were seen they were in much smaller numbers. Wood Ducks were heard at the Swamp Bridge. Osprey, Bald Eagle, Cooper's Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk and Red-tailed Hawk were seen along with all expected woodpecker species with the exception of the elusive Red-headed Woodpecker. All expected winter residents were still around. Although Purple Martins have returned to the area none were seen at the park. Those attending at least some part of the morning walk included Heidi Young, Tresa Bobbitt, Pete Peterman, Bill Boeh, Cindy Shulz, Stuart Sweetman, Marc Nichols, Elizabeth Wilkins, Jacque van Montfrans, Shawn Dash, Sue Tomlin and Jane Frigo. 61 species were identified.

Canada Goose

Wood Duck

Gadwall

Mallard

Ring-necked Duck

Bufflehead

Hooded Merganser

Pied-billed Grebe

Double-crested Cormorant

Great Blue Heron

Black Vulture

Turkey Vulture

Osprey

Bald Eagle

Cooper's Hawk

Red-shouldered Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

Ring-billed Gull

Herring Gull

Mourning Dove

Belted Kingfisher

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Downy Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

Pileated Woodpecker

Eastern Phoebe

Blue Jay

American Crow

Fish Crow

Tree Swallow

Carolina Chickadee

Tufted Titmouse

White-breasted Nuthatch

Brown-headed Nuthatch

Brown Creeper

Carolina Wren

Winter Wren

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Eastern Bluebird

Hermit Thrush

American Robin

Northern Mockingbird

Brown Thrasher

Cedar Waxwing

Pine Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Chipping Sparrow

Fox Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Swamp Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Northern Cardinal

Red-winged Blackbird

Brown-headed Cowbird

House Finch

American Goldfinch

March 7, 2021

March 7, 2021 began with clear skies and the temperature in the 30's. Those participating in the walk included Heidi Young, Pete Peterman, Bill Boeh, Stuart Sweetman, Cathy Bond, Lisa Billow, Jane Frigo, and John and Marilyn Adair. During the morning 52 species were identified. Ducks were well represented in variety if not number. A first of season (FOS) Osprey was seen. A small group of Cedar Waxwings were found. The Virginia Rail was heard at the Swamp Bridge. In the Arboretum a cooperative Brown-headed Nuthatch was catching some warming rays at the base of a pine tree giving the group a nice close-up view. Sadly no Red-headed Woodpeckers were seen....again. Pine Warblers were spectacular in the morning sun. 5 species of sparrows were identified No Dark-eyed Juncos were found. An interesting note, there was extensive beaver activity drastically changing one shore line. The lodge was located and what appears to be a critter camera was found which may be monitoring the activity. Should be fun to monitor the progress. A list of identified species follows.

Canada Goose

Gadwall

American Wigeon

American Black Duck

Mallard

Ring-necked

Lesser Scaup

Bufflehead

Hooded Merganser

Pied-billed Grebe

Double-crested Cormorant

Great Blue Heron

Black Vulture

Turkey Vulture

Osprey

Bald Eagle

Virginia Rail

Ring-billed Gull

Mourning Dove

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Downy Woodpecker

Pileated Woodpecker

Blue Jay

American Crow

Fish Crow

Carolina Chickadee

Tufted Titmouse

White-breasted Nuthatch

Brown-headed Nuthatch

Brown Creeper

Carolina Wren

Winter Wren

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Eastern Bluebird

Hermit Thrush

American Robin

Northern Mockingbird

Brown Thrasher

Cedar Waxwing

Pine Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Field Sparrow

Fox Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Swamp Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow

Northern Cardinal

Red-winged Blackbird

Brown-headed Cowbird

House Finch

February 21, 2021

At last a beautiful, but cold, day for a park walk. Those willing to brave the 30 degree temperatures to enjoy the sunshine were Cindy Shulz, Heidi Young, Lisa Billow, John Adair, Stuart Sweetman, Marc Nichols, Hannah Montalvo, Sue Tomlin, Christiana Bobbit and Jane Frigo. In addition to the more common ducks seen, the group identified American Wigeon, American Black Duck and Lesser Scaup. Adult and immature Bald Eagles were seen and a very cooperative Cooper's Hawk. Tree Swallows were spotted dipping into the water in spite of the cold temperatures A Fox Sparrow was a welcome addition to the normal sparrows seen. Surprisingly no American Goldfinches or House Finches were heard or seen but a beautiful female Purple Finch was spotted at Swamp Point. Red-headed Woodpeckers have also been missing. A correction to the February 7, 2021 list....the gull seen on that day was NOT a Laughing Gull but a Ring-billed Gull. The wrong block was marked on the tally list, On February 21, 53 species were identified.

Canada Goose

Gadwall

American Wigeon

American Black Duck

Mallard

Ring-necked Duck

Lesser Scaup

Bufflehead

Hooded Merganser

Pied-billed Grebe

Double-crested Cormorant

Great Blue Heron

Black Vulture

Turkey Vulture

Bald Eagle

Cooper's Hawk

Ring-billed Gull

Mourning Dove

Belted Kingfisher

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Downy Woodpecker

Pileated Woodpecker

Eastern Phoebe

Blue Jay

American Crow

Fish Crow

Tree Swallow

Carolina Chickadee

Tufted Titmouse

Red-breasted Nuthatch

White-breasted Nuthatch

Brown Creeper

Carolina Wren

Winter Wren

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Eastern Bluebird

Hermit Thrush

American Robin

Northern Mockingbird

Brown Thrasher

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Fox Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Swamp Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Northern Cardinal

Red-winged Blackbird

Common Grackle

Brown-headed Cowbird

Purple Finch

February 7, 2021

Super Bowl Sunday is today, February 7, 2021. The weather is a chilly 38 degrees and rain is falling. Stuart Sweetman, Marc Nichols, Hannah Montalvo and Jane Frigo suited up for the rain and managed to stick it out until 10 AM. They identified 33 species as they traveled from shelter to shelter in a vain attempt to stay dry. Obviously there were many misses but they were able to identify 6 duck species. The Northern Mockingbird was spotted after several misses on previous walks. The group enjoyed seeing both Kinglets. A species list follows.

Canada Goose

Gadwall

Mallard

Ring-necked Duck

Bufflehead

Hooded Merganser

Pied-billed Grebe

Double-crested Cormorant

Great Blue Heron

Bald Eagle

Laughing Gull

Mourning Dove

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Hairy Woodpecker

Pileated Woodpecker

Blue Jay

American Crow

Carolina Chickadee

Tufted Titmouse

White-breasted Nuthatch

Carolina Wren

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Hermit Thrush

American Robin

Northern Mockingbird

Yellow-rumped Warbler

White-throated Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Northern Cardinal

Red-winged Blackbird

Common Grackle

January 3, 2021

Happy New Year! January 3, 2021 began with chilly temperatures (40's) and light rain. Jane Frigo, Cindy Shulz and Marc Nichols birded from the shelter area and later ventured to the Arboretum and Discovery Center before calling an end to the morning. A Fox Sparrow sighting started off the morning and was a delight to see. Ducks were hard to find with only a pair of Mallards and Hooded Mergansers, a Pied-billed Grebe and some Double Crested Cormorants on the water. In spite of the poor lighting, a Brown Creeper was found. The previous night's heavy rain left much of the grassy areas muddy which proved great for the flocking blackbirds. At the Arboretum views of Red-winged Blackbirds, Common Grackles, European Starlings, Brown-headed Cowbirds, American Robins and even some Rusty Blackbirds were impressive. The group searched for Evening Grosbeaks reported farther north of the park, hoping they would continue moving south but no luck. However, later in the day Cindy reported seeing them for the first time at her feeders in Gloucester! Maybe they will reach the park by the next walk. A complete species list follows.

Mallard

Hooded Merganser

Pied-billed Grebe

Double-crested Cormorant

Red-tailed Hawk

Ring-billed Gull

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Downy Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

Blue Jay

Carolina Chickadee