April 2022

The SISKIN
Newsletter of the Northern Virginia Bird Club
Vol. 67, No. 2
April 2022
Inside
www.nvabc.org
NVBC GENERAL MEETING—THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 8 PM
Calendar of NVBC field trips April
13 – June 18, 2022
Crow’s Nest Natural Area Preserve
Accokeek Loop Trail
2022 Winter Chincoteague trip
report
February Birding in Nicaragua
Occoquan Bay National
Wildlife Refuge Bird
Banding 2021
The bird banding station at
Occoquan Bay NWR is once again
welcoming visitors this spring on
Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays
from 7 am to 11:30 am. We are located
near the gazebo on Deephole Point
Road overlooking Marumsco Creek.
Due to current Fish and Wildlife
regulations, only two visitors at a time
are permitted and masks must be worn.
If these regulations change, I will post
on the club exchange and put a notice
on the website. The station will not be
open if the weather is too cold, below
50°F, or too windy, over 15 to 20 mph.
We close the Sunday before Memorial
Day.
2021 was the twentieth year of
operation for the station. We banded
417 birds of 51 species – lower than
usual due to being open only three days
a week instead of four. We banded our
first Blackburnian Warbler on May 12,
2021 bringing our species total to 103.
—Joanna Taylor
The Intelligence of Birds
Speaker: William Young
How intelligent are birds? And how should avian intelligence be
measured?
During the past 20 years, scientists have discovered that
birds are capable of much more complex thought processes than previously
believed. Bill Young will examine many aspects of bird intelligence,
including problem solving, memory, artistic talent, and the ability to be
devious.
Bill, who has made many previous presentations at NVBC meetings, is
a writer who lives in Arlington. He now spends much of his time teaching
Zoom classes. His 2022 presentations include a course about birds and
language, workshops on how to identify warblers and waterfowl, and
programs about the role of birds and nature in the cultures of both East Asia
and Latin America. He is the co-creator (with Ashley Bradford) of the
MPNature.com website,
which contains a wealth of
information about natural
history in Virginia and
beyond. His book The
Fascination of Birds: From
the Albatross to the
Yellowthroat examines birds
in the contexts of science,
history, language, culture, and
other areas. He also makes
nature videos, and his
YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/williamyoung42) has had
more than 850,000 views.
The April virtual meeting
will be held using Zoom
starting as early as 7:30 pm
Crested Owl in Costa Rica photographed by
with the featured speaker at 8
William Young
pm. Please register in advance
by clicking on the registration
link found at the upper right at the Northern Virginia Bird Club website
(nvabc.org). Upon registering, an email automatically will be sent with a
link to click on to join the meeting. There will be ample time to take
questions from the audience.
Presidential Peentings
Sometimes we joke during our bird walks that as we
are making a list of birds that we see, maybe the
birds are making a list of birders that they see. What
kinds of birders might be on a list that our avian friends
might be keeping? For example, there are field trip
leaders who can often be identified by their spotting
scopes and by their use of their phone while making an
eBird list. This species is usually in front of the group
and tends to be more vocal than the other birders.
Beginning birders might be observed. They can
sometimes be identified by their wide eyes as they see a
bird that is new to them. Photographers have become
more common recently. Their large lens cameras are a
field mark which makes the ID for them relatively
straightforward. They may or may not have binoculars.
Sometimes, listers are seen out in the field. They are
after a rare bird that has been recently seen in the area
and can be identified by their intense focus as they
obsessively scan the bushes. Generalists might be
another species encountered. They will certainly look at
the birds, but they will also study the insects and plants
found along the way. No matter which species of birder
you identify with, we look forward to having you join us
on one of our NVBC bird walks this spring. Maybe the
birds will be watching us as much as we are watching
them!
—Larry Meade
Photographs by passerby using Donna Quinn’s phone (top) and
Neal Gause (middle and bottom)
Top:Raven Loonatics on birdathon
Middle: NVBC Trillium Trail birders led by Elton Morel
Bottom: Photographers/birders at Magee Marsh Boardwalk
Crow’s Nest Natural Area Preserve – Accokeek Loop Trail
Trip to new site scheduled for May 28, 2022
Crow’s Nest Natural Area Preserve (CNNAP), located
in Stafford County, became the Commonwealth’s 54th
Natural Area Preserve in 2008 (April 2020 Siskin article,
“Crow’s Nest Natural Area Preserve”). The diverse plant
communities protected within the preserve provide habitat
for a variety of bird species, including approximately 70
species thought to breed on the property and numerous
over-wintering waterfowl. Spring is a wonderful time to
visit and enjoy the birds within the Preserve. As is often
the case, birding can be quite productive in the parking lot.
Summer Tanagers often breed near the lot as do Yellow-throated Vireos and Black-and-white Warblers. As you
walk through the mountain laurel at the start of the trail,
you are likely to hear Hooded Warblers as well as
Ovenbirds and Wood Thrushes—two of the more
frequently heard breeding birds at Crow’s Nest. Worme-ating Warblers sing frequently from the steep slopes
along the trail. The bottomland forest along Accokeek
Creek provides excellent habitat for Prothonotary
Warblers, Louisiana Waterthrushes and American
Redstarts. Kentucky Warblers also breed in this area. The
trail continues along the shoreline of Accokeek Creek
where you can encounter Eastern Kingbirds as well as
2
Orchard and Baltimore Orioles. Red-eyed Vireos, Eastern
Wood-Pewees and Acadian Flycatchers are all common
along the trail. The trail, with the extension down to the
birding pond, is approximately 3.5 miles in length. For tree
lovers, there are many old age trees located along the trail,
including nice specimens of Tulip Polar, Black Gum,
American Beech, and a variety of oak and hickory species.
Elevation ranges from approximately 170 feet near the
parking lot to near sea level along Accokeek Creek. The
uphill portions of the trail are relatively gentle with grades
generally less than 10 percent.
—Michael Lott
Note: The walk is scheduled during the Memorial Day
weekend which could lead to increased demand for
parking spaces. The CNNAP contact requested NVBC
birders consider carpooling. Carpoolers could meet at the
Virginia Railway Express station parking lot (station
address 1712 Brooke Road) that is located five minutes
from the preserve. The walk meeting point is the CNNAP
Raven Road entrance.
Northern Virginia Bird Club. www.nvabc.orgChincoteague Winter Trip
After a one-year hiatus due to the COVID pandemic,
the Northern Virginia Bird club returned to Chincoteague
National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) and the Chesapeake Bay
Bridge and Tunnel (CBBT) for the club’s winter weekend
on February 11 to February 13. The group managed to
collectively tally 85 species for the weekend – a bit on the
low side due to low densities of waterfowl species and
limited access to key areas on the refuge.
Our Friday afternoon birding was marred by high
winds keeping the bird activity low. On our drive around
the Wildlife Loop, we encountered remarkably low
numbers of waterfowl, but we did
find our first Tricolored Heron,
albeit seen in bad light, and a
flyby of a Northern Harrier. As
was the case in 2020, access to
the beach was restricted to just
the north parking lot while the
south parking lot was completely
closed. At the beach, the wind
was even stronger, but we did
manage to find a Black-bellied
Plover on the mudflat in Swan
Cove.
Saturday morning’s activities
started on the board walk near the
hotel. Just as some of us were
gathering to start our morning, a flock of about 60 White
Ibises rose from the marsh, flew over the McDonald’s, and
disappeared past the Refuge Inn. It was a wonderful sight
for those who had gathered early. The entire group did
manage to see a few other White
Ibis once we were on the
boardwalk, but they were distant
and hard to see as they were
tucked into the estuary at low
tide. We did not find any of the
rarer ‘marsh’ sparrows nor a rail,
but we had excellent looks at
American Oystercatchers, Greater
Yellowlegs, Willets, and Dunlins
on the oyster beds plus a nice
flock of handsome Red-breasted
Mergansers. The morning’s return
visit to the refuge produced a
flock of about 35 Marbled
Godwits distantly seen in Tom’s Cove, wonderful views of
a Tricolored Heron and Snowy Egret along the roadside
canal near Black Duck Marsh, a couple of Red-throated
Loons offshore and a flyover of just two Snow Geese – the
only Snow Geese we saw on the refuge. A short walk
around the Visitor’s Center parking lot produced a Gray
Catbird and a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.
The Siskin . Vol. 67, No. 2 . April 2022
Saturday afternoon activities started with a visit to the
Chincoteague Island School Ponds which held another
Tricolored Heron while a visit to the Queens Sound Boat
Ramp produced a Peregrine Falcon perched on the corner
of a duck blind. A late afternoon return visit to the refuge
was much more productive than the previous afternoon.
We found a Marbled Godwit and a Black-bellied Plover
mixed in with a flock of Willets in Swan Cove, spotted a
Northern Gannet flying high off the beach and finally
found Brown-headed Nuthatches for the group at the
Wildlife Loop entrance parking lot.
At Kiptopeke State Park on
Sunday morning, several
Common Loons and a male
Common Goldeneye were seen
close off the pier while a
Peregrine Falcon made multiple
passes hunting the pigeons over
the concrete ship breakwater; it
finally caught a pigeon and
proceeded to dine on it.
We spent an hour and a half
on CBBT Island #4 on Sunday
morning in what turned out to be
much better conditions than we
thought it would be given the
previous weather forecasts. We
immediately found the usual gathering of Great
Cormorants on the bridge abutments, Purple Sandpipers on
the rocks, Harbor Seals just off the rocks and hundreds of
Northern Gannets streaming by. Thanks to Toby
Hardwick’s sharp eyes, our most
notable find was a beautiful male
Harlequin Duck followed by good
looks at multiple spiffy-looking
Long-tailed Ducks and close
looks at two Great Cormorants
swimming in the water. As we
ended the visit to the island, we
had distant looks at up to 26
Razorbills, the largest skein being
sixteen individuals.
—Elton Morel
Photographs by Seth Honig:
Header photograph of White Ibises flying
Brown-headed Nuthatch
Harlequin Duck viewed from CBBT Island #4
(Note: additional trip photographs in online addendum and
Tricolored Heron, Snowy Egret and Great Egret standing in row
on page 6)
3
Upcoming Trips and Events
Compiled by Elton Morel
Note:
Beginning birders are welcome on all trips.
When reservations are required, please call one of the trip leaders. Phone numbers are below.
If in doubt about a trip because of weather, please call one of the leaders.
Check the NVBC website for updated information about trips: http://www.nvabc.org/updated- eld-trips/.
•To receive email notices, join the NVBC eMail Exchange. For sign-up directions see back page of The Siskin.
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
April
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
16
13
7:30 AM
Occoquan Bay NWR
8:30 AM
Meadowood
Recreation Area
Larry Meade
Ken Hunt
Tom Nardone
Trip Leaders
Jeremy Beck
Toby Hardwick
Bert Harris
Ken Hunt
Larry Meade
Elton Morel
Tom Nardone
Phil Silas
Dixie Sommers
703-517-1816
703-201-1517
615-440-0666
319-354-1079
571-275-2523
703-907-9951
703-946-7738
703-987-0817
703-969-7931
20
8:30AM
Fort C. F. Smith
Jeremy Beck
Tom Nardone
Saturday
21
23
7:30 AM
Clifton Institute
NVBC
Meeting
8 PM
Bert Harris
Elton Morel
30
27
7:30 AM
Leesylvania SP
8:30 AM
Potomac Overlook
RP
Phil Silas
Ken Hunt
Jeremy Beck
7
May 4
7:30 AM
Trillium Trail
8:30 AM
Long Branch
Elton Morel
Ken Hunt
Elton Morel
Dixie Sommers
11
14
8:30 AM
Fort C. F. Smith
Jeremy Beck
7:30 AM
Conway-Robinson SF
Toby Hardwick
18
May 20-22
8:30 AM
Cub Run Stream
Valley Park
Chincoteague Spring Weekend
Members only/reservations
required
Sign up began March 16 @6 am
Eton Morel
Elton Morel
Larry Meade
21
7:30 AM
Occoquan Bay NWR
Phil Silas
Ken Hunt
26
28
8:30 AM
Neabsco RP
Boardwalk
8 AM
Crow’s Nest NAP Raven Road entrance
Phil Silas
June
Michael Lott
Elton Morel
4
1
7:30 AM
Bristoe Station
Battle eld Park
8:30 AM
Long Branch
Tom Nardone
Dixie Sommers
Northern Virginia Bird Club . www.nvabc.org
fi
fi
4
Toby Hardwick
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
11
June
9 AM
Limberlost Trail,
Shenandoah NP X-trip
Elton Morel, Larry Meade
Email Elton Morel for
details
(eltonlmorel@verizon.net)
15
9:30 AM
Meadowood
Recreation Area Mustang Trailhead
Birds, Butter ies &
Dragon ies
18
8 AM
Clarks Crossing Park Bluebird Trail
Larry Meade
Larry Meade
DIRECTIONS
NVBC Meeting (4/21) Online
meeting using Zoom Platform.
——Bristoe Station Battlefield Heritage
Park (6/4) 10708 Bristow Rd,
Bristow, VA 20136. From I-95: Take
Rt 234 north (exit 152B), travel 7.5
mi. and make a left onto Independent
Hill Dr. Then make immediate right
onto Rt 619 (Bristow Rd). Travel 7
mi. and turn left onto Iron Brigade
Unit Ave. The parking lot is located
on the left at the traffic circle. From
I-66: Take Rt 234 south (Exit 44).
Travel 4.5 mi. and turn right onto Rt
28 (Nokesville Rd). Travel 1.5 mi.
and turn left onto Rt 619 (Bristow
Rd). Travel 0.25 mi., turn right onto
Iron Brigade Unit Ave and continue
to parking lot. Meet in parking lot.
Clarks Crossing Park – Bluebird
Trail (6/18) 9850 Clarks Crossing
Rd, Vienna 22182 From I-495, exit
onto Chain Bridge Rd (Rt 123)
toward Vienna. Continue on Maple
Avenue (still Rt 123) in Vienna, turn
onto Beulah Rd. Continue for about 1
mile until left turn onto Clarks
Crossing Road. Continue to the end
of Clarks Crossing and park at the
parking lot overlooking the W&OD
Trail.
Clifton Institute (4/23) 6712
Blantyre Rd, Warrenton 20187 Take
1-66 West to exit 40, to merge onto
US-15 south towards Haymarket (0.4
mi), then turn right onto VA-55 West.
Drive 5 mi. and turn left onto
Blantyre Rd. Proceed 5.6 mi. and
then turn right on to a dirt road. Drive
fl
fl
The Siskin . Vol. 66, No. 2 . April 2021
northwest for about 0.3 mi. to the first
lake and park in the parking lot on the
left. Meet your leader at this parking
lot. Please do not drive up to the
house and park there.
Conway-Robinson State Forest
(5/14) 12816 Lee Hwy, Gainesville
20155 From I-495, take I-66 west
27.6 mi. to exit 43B, US-29 North in
Gainesville. Continue on US-29 for .4
mi, turn left into access road to
parking area. There is a small parking
area adjacent Route 29-S which can
accommodate approximately 10 cars.
Additional parking is permitted along
the entrance/exit road unless it
restricts through traffic.
Crow’s Nest NAP-Raven Road
entrance (5/28) From I-95 take the
Stafford Exit (exit 140). Take Rt 630
(Courthouse Road) one mi. east to
Stafford (intersection of 630 and US
1). Cross US 1 and continue east on
Rt 630 for about 2.5 mi. Turn right
onto Rt 629 (Andrew Chapel Road)
and continue for 0.9 mi. Go under the
railroad overpass at the community of
Brooke and turn left onto Rt 608
(Brooke Road). Continue for 1.4 mi.,
then turn right onto gravel Rt 609
(Raven Road). Cross the 1-lane
bridge over Accokeek Creek and
continue for 0.2 mi. The Raven Road
Access gate for Crow’s Nest Natural
Area Preserve will be on the left.
Then travel 1.5 mi. on the gravel road
until reaching the 18-space parking
lot.
Cub Run Stream Valley Park (5/18)
From the junction of I-66 and I-495,
follow I-66 W to US 29 S in
Centreville. Take exit 52 from I-66
W. Turn right onto US 29 S, go 1.5
mi. and turn right onto Pleasant
Valley Rd (State Rt 609), go 0.9 mi.
and turn right onto Blueridge View
Dr, go 0.3 mi. and turn right onto
Hidden Canyon Rd, go 0.3 mi. and
turn left onto Stillfield Pl, go 0.3 mi
to 15077 Stillfield Pl on the left. Park
in the neighborhood side streets
nearest the front of 15077 Stillfield
Pl. Meet at the entrance to the park to
the left of the house at 15077. Avoid
any parking that blocks driveways.
There are several spots along the trail
that could be under water. If there
have been recent rains, recommend
wearing mud boots or waterproof
shoes
Fort C. F. Smith (4/20, 5/11) 2411
24th St N, Arlington 22207 From I-66
east, take exit 72 (Spout Run Pkwy).
At traffic light, turn right on Lee
Hwy. At successive traffic lights, turn
left onto Spout Run Pkwy, then left
onto Lorcom Ln, then right onto
Fillmore St. Go one block on
Fillmore, turn right onto N. 24th St
(watch for speed humps), and
continue to park on left. Meet in
parking lot at east end of park.
Leesylvania State Park (4/30) 2001
Daniel K Ludwig Dr, Woodbridge
22191 From I-495, take I-95 south
about 14 mi. to exit 156 (Dale City/
Rippon Landing/Rt 784). Following
the posted highway signs for
Leesylvania State Park, exit east on
Rt 784. Proceed eastward 1.1 mi. to
Rt 1. Turn right (south) on Rt 1 and
go 0.9 mi. to Neabsco Rd.
Immediately past the Wawa service
station, turn left (east) on Neabsco Rd
5
Trip Directions
Leesylvania State Park (continued)
and proceed 2 mi. to park entrance on
right. After passing through the park
entrance gate, go 2.2 mi. to end of
paved road and park in “Picnic Area”
parking lot, immediately before turnaround circle at fishing pier. State fee
area.
Long Branch Nature Area (5/4, 6/1)
625 S Carlin Springs Rd, Arlington
22204 Take Rt 50, east from Fairfax
or west from Rosslyn to Carlin
Springs exit. Go south on Carlin
Springs 0.5 mi. to Nature Center on
left, just south of N. Va Community
Hospital on left. Meet at Nature
Center parking lot.
Meadowood Recreation Area (4/13)
10406 Gunston Rd, Lorton 22079
From I-495, take I-95 south 7 mi. to
Lorton exit. Left on Rt 642.
Immediately after passing under
railroad tracks (0.25 mi.) turn right on
Lorton Market Rd, which soon
becomes Gunston Cove Rd. After
crossing Rt 1, road becomes Gunston
Rd. Go 1.8 miles to Meadowood on
right. (BLM, Lower Potomac Station
Office). Park on right next to horse
barns just before field station
building.
Meadowood Recreation AreaMustang Trail (6/15) 10702 Harley
Rd, Lorton 22079 From I-495, take
I-95 south 7 mi. to Lorton exit. Left
on Rt 642. Immediately after passing
under railroad tracks (0.25 mi.) turn
right on Lorton Market Rd, which
soon becomes Gunston Cove Rd.
After crossing Rt 1, road becomes
Gunston Rd. Go about 2.5 miles
passing main Meadowood entrance
on right. Turn right on Harley Rd and
then an immediate right into the
Mustang Trailhead parking lot.
Neabsco Regional Park Boardwalk (5/26) 15125 Blackburn
Rd, Woodbridge 22191 From I-495,
take I-95 south about 14 mi. to exit
156 (Dale City/Rippon Landing/Rt.
784). Take exit 156A for Rt 784 east
toward Rippon Landing.
Continue
0.7 mi. cross Rt 1 where Dale Blvd
becomes Rippon Blvd and continue
down the hill another 0.4 mi. to a stop
light and turn right on Blackburn Rd.
The park parking lot is then 0.2 mi.
away on the left.
Occoquan Bay National Wildlife
Refuge (4/16, 5/21) 13950 Dawson
Beach Rd, Woodbridge 22192 From
6
Bird Walks at Parks
Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve, second Saturdays, 8 am. Meet at the
parking lot. Visit the Loudoun Wildlife web site.
www.loudounwildlife.org/events/
Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship, fourth Saturday,
8 am Meet at Education Center. www.loudounwildlife.org/events/
Dyke Marsh, Sundays, 8 am Visit the Friends of Dyke Marsh web site,
www.fodm.org
Great Falls National Park, Sundays, 8 am Meet in the main parking lot,
closest to the Park Visitor Center.
Huntley Meadows Park, Mondays, 7 am (Apr-Sep) 8 am (Oct-Mar)
Meet in parking lot. Leader: Harry Glasgow
Merrimac Farm, last Sunday, 8 am Meet at Merrimac Farm Stone
House. www.pwconserve.org/eventsindex.html#birds
Riverbend Park, first and third Fridays, 8 am, beginning May 6to
October 7. Meet at the Nature Center parking lot off Jeffrey Road. No fee
but call Riverbend Park at 703-759-9018 to register. Leader: Robin Duska
I-495, take I-95 south 9 mi. to (left)
exit 161 (Woodbridge). Go south on
Rt 1 about 2 mi. to left turn onto
Dawson Beach Rd. Continue on
Dawson Beach 0.7 mi. to entrance
gate. Meet at the parking lot.
Potomac Overlook Regional Park
(4/27) 2845 N. Marcey Rd, Arlington
22207 From I-66 east take exit 72 and
turn left onto Rt 29 south, and go 0.6
mi. taking a slight right onto Military
Rd, continue 0.5 mi. turning left to
stay on Military Rd. Turn right after
0.3 mil. onto N. Marcey Rd and
proceed 0.4 mi. to parking lot.
Tr i l l i u m Tr a i l – G . R i c h a r d
Thompson Wildlife Management
Area (5/7) (Fauquier Co) From I-495,
take I-66 west 51 mi. to Linden exit
(Rt 79). Go left (south) from exit
ramp on Rt 79 approx. 1000 ft. to Rt
Turn left (east) onto Rt 55; go 1.2
mi. to Rt 638 (Freezeland Rd). Turn
left (north) onto Rt 638. Follow Rt
638, as it bears right, 5.3 mi. to
Trillium Trail Parking Area on right
—look for sign on kiosk. (Parking
Area is just before radio towers.)
Note: participant must have an access
permit issued by VA Department of
Game and Inland Fisheries,
www.dgif.virginia.gov,
1-866-721-6911.
Tricolored Heron, Snowy Egret and Great Egret standing in row taken at Chincoteague
before start of official trip photographed by Seth Honig
Northern Virginia Bird Club . www.nvabc.org
February Birding in Nicaragua
The prospect of birding near volcanos and in cloud
forest drew me to Bill Volkert and Connie Ramthun’s
February 2022 tour to Nicaragua. Likely because of its
perennially fraught political climate and, despite its 750+
bird species, its lack of endemics, Nicaragua attracts few
international birders. This was, however, the 16th trip for
Bill and Connie, experienced and intrepid world travelers.
Bill, an ornithologist and former naturalist at Wisconsin’s
Horicon Marsh, and Connie, who ran a native plant
nursery, live in Wisconsin’s northern Kettle-Moraine.
Birding in gardens at the Best Western Mercedes Hotel
across from Managua Airport netted my first trip lifer, a
Hoffman’s Woodpecker. We then set off to Volcan Masaya
National Park and Visitor Center for an introduction to the
geology of this volatile region where three tectonic plates
converge. Peering down into the smoking, active Masaya
volcano, we watched two Peregrine Falcons flying along
its cliffs. Recommended human exposure to the
sulphureous fumes? No more than 15 minutes.
By midday, we were in the dry
forest of Montibelli private reserve,
home to 175 species including
Turquoise-browed and Lesson’s
Motmots and 10 species of
hummingbirds. I wish I’d recorded
the surprisingly loud wingbeats of
Red-billed Pigeons passing overhead
there and at the nearby ChocoyeroEl Brujo reserve—the flocks
sounded as loud as small aircraft.
We worked with local guides at
each site on our trip but
unfortunately we “dipped” on
Nicaragua’s only near-endemic, the
Nicaraguan Grackle (Quiscalus
nicaraguensis), allegedly found
along Lake Cochibola (Lake
Nicaragua) and nearby Lake
Managua. Our leaders had occasionally seen it on earlier trips.
From our next base in the
attractive colonial city of Granada,
we took a morning boat trip amid the 365 islands that were
formed when nearby Mombacho volcano erupted around
20,000 years ago. Mangrove Swallows and my favorite
Scissor-tailed Flycatchers dipped into the water as we
motored around. Among the 39 species seen that morning
were a Bare-throated Tiger Heron and amid hundreds of
Montezuma Oropendola nests, an optimistic Giant
Cowbird. Later, we stopped in San Juan de Oriente, home
to potters for over 1000 years. The beautiful and
inexpensive pottery features both pre-Colombian and
modern designs.
Next we took the Pan-American Highway into the
Matagalpa-Jinotega highlands, beautifully green even in
the dry season. El Jaguar Reserve, run by eBird reviewer
Liliana Chavarria-Duriaux and her husband, is home to
378 species. In the cloud forest surrounding Liliana’s
coffee fields, vulnerable Highland Guan reliably amble out
into view. We had fine sightings of three of my favorite
trip species: Black-crested Coquette, Strong-billed
The Siskin . Vol. 67, No. 2 . April 2022
Woodcreeper, and Slate-colored Solitaire with its ethereal
calls.
I especially enjoyed a morning to the west of El Jaguar
at Reserva Natural Cerros de Yali where the oak-pine
forest, a vital wintering area for warblers including Grace’s
and Golden-winged, reaches its southern boundary in
Central America.
To our delight, four very similar
warblers—Townsend’s, Hermit, Golden-cheeked, and
Black-throated Green—showed up within minutes of each
other. Nearby, a pair of Red Crossbills, a wide-ranging
species, fed placidly in a pine.
We went on to enjoy more cloud forest at Selva Negra
(Black Forest), where we stayed in lovely green-roofed
German-influenced chalets. A Pale-billed Woodpecker, like
other Campephilus woodpeckers including the extinct
Ivory-billed, did its double-knock drumming out along a
steep trail. I especially enjoyed watching male and female
Three-wattled Bellbirds interact and listening to the male’s
echoing call.
Nicaragua’s handful of ornithologists participate in the
Neotropical Flyways Project, monitoring and tagging
birds for the Motus Wildlife
Tracking System. Ecotourism
provides valuable support in this
vulnerable habitat, but travel now is
complicated by the Nicaraguan
g o v e r n m e n t ’s C o v i d t e s t i n g
documentation requirements and
concerns about birding equipment.
Four travelers from Bill and
Connie’s two February tours were
unable to enter the country, due to
the former.
After our leaders’
equipment was confiscated upon
their arrival, they successfully
negotiated for its return and for ours
to be allowed in when the rest of us
arrived on later flights. I therefore
recommend birders not travel
independently to the country at this
time unless they have contacts in
Nicaragua who can help them
negotiate such possible
impediments.
Despite the pre-arrival issues described, this was one
of the more pleasant, well-paced, and satisfying birding
trips I’ve taken. As the only non-Wisconsinite in our
group, I also enjoyed learning from others who had far
more hiking/hunting/farming/gardening experience than I
do. Lodgings were comfortable and very clean.
Our group trip list was 211 species during 10 birding
days. Bill and Connie plan to return to Nicaragua in 2024
and can be contacted via his website, which also links to
Bill’s “Where To Watch Birds in Nicaragua” guide: http://
www.billvolkert.com.
—Robin Duska
Strong-billed Woodcreeper (above) photographed by Robin Duska
(Note: additional trip photographs in online addendum)
7
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NVBC ON THE WEB
Current information and special
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www.nvabc.org.
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General Meeting Dates: April 21,
September (tbd), and November
(tbd), 2022.
Next Board Meeting: Thursday, June
2, 2022, 7:30 pm. To join the Zoom
board meeting or to have items put on
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Siskin: The August issue will include
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CLUB CONTACTS
President: Larry Meade, 571-275-2523
Vice President, Programs: Phil Silas,
703-987-0817
Vice President, Field Activities: Elton
Morel, 703-907-9951
Secretary: Diane Marton,
703-527-7360
Treasurer: Jean Tatalias, 703-281-6099
Directors: Jeremy Beck, 703-517-1816
Joan Mashburn, 703-209-8678
Joanna Taylor, 703-243-5989
Directors Emeritus: Len Alfredson,
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Membership: Elizabeth Fenton,
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Group: Allie Guidry (please contact
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NVBC email: lgmeade@gmail.com
Chincoteague Winter Trip Birds
Photographed by Seth Honig
Snowy Egret
Tricolored Heron
Red-breasted Mergansers
Northern Gannet
The Siskin . Vol. 67, No. 2 . April 2022
Marbled Godwit
Addendum website only 1
Nicaragua Trip Photographs
by Robin Duska
Above: Spectacled Owl at Selva Negra
eBird hotspot link: https://ebird.org/hotspot/L7905672
Top Right: Highland Guans at Reserva El Jaguar
eBird hotspot link: https://ebird.org/hotspot/L1009551
Middle: Crimposon-collared Tanager at Reserva El Jaguar
eBird link: https://ebird.org/hotspot/L1009551
Below left: Massaya Volcano, Masaya Volcano National
Park. eBird hotspot link: https://ebird.org/hotspot/L787009
Below right: Mombacho Volcano view from Lake
Nicaragua as we birded among 365 islands on Lake
Nicaragua eBird hotspot link: https://ebird.org/hotspot/
L1434752
The Siskin . Vol. 67, No. 2 . April 2022
Addendum website only 2