The bald eagles were not on their nest, nor did the peregrine falcon appear, but this morning’s PVAS-sponsored birdwalk along the C&O Canal at Harpers Ferry held other surprises. Six birders (incl. Bill Hale & Steve Hartman, two of my “regulars”) joined me on this rather dreary morning. The songbirds were esp. quiet – and hardly woke up even on our return walk, but the ducks delighted; plus we got to witness a huge kettle of Ring-billed gulls forming on the opposite ridge up & along by the Hilltop House hotel. That swarm occurred after 27 of the long & skinny-winged gulls flew closer to us over the Potomac – it was awesome to behold.

Here’s our list of 34 species:

Canada Goose 35
American Black Duck 12
Mallard 5
American Black Duck x Mallard (hybrid) 1
Redhead 3
Lesser Scaup 6
Common Goldeneye 50 a guesstimate – there were 36 grouped in one spot together, & others up & down the river towards the old dam; also taking to the skies
Common Merganser 5
Wild Turkey 3
Great Blue Heron 2
Black Vulture 10
Turkey Vulture 5
Bald Eagle 2 one adult, and one juvenile
Red-tailed Hawk 1 adult
Ring-billed Gull 277 we spotted 7 first flying NW upriver overhead, followed by 20 more; then on the far ridge (over Hilltop House hotel & those houses alongside it) clouds of 250+ forming into one huge kettle – the birds sweeping up from the Shenandoah onto the ridge to gain altitude.
Rock Pigeon 2
Belted Kingfisher 1 heard
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 2
Pileated Woodpecker 2
American Crow 5
Fish Crow 9
Common Raven 3
Carolina Chickadee 4
Tufted Titmouse 2
Brown Creeper 2
Winter Wren 2
Carolina Wren 5
Northern Mockingbird 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 12
Song Sparrow 1
Dark-eyed Junco 9
Northern Cardinal 2

Deb Hale
Harpers Ferry/Bolivar

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