[0]Field Trip Participants: Photo by Patty Campbell.DC Audubon had its 7^th annual Fall field trip to Rock Creek Park on Sunday, September 16, and a brilliant day it was, with 51 species identified, including 12 elusive warblers. But I’m getting ahead of my story. How did we do so well? Simple. We did everything right, beginning with our choice of a day following the passage of a cold front, with a sunny sky and winds out of the north (OK, put this down to luck, since our field trip dates are chosen months in advance—but your return visits need not be). We started early, arriving shortly after 7 a.m. at the Ridge, otherwise known as Picnic Area 17/18, and well known to DC birders. The ridge rises sharply above the surrounding city, and together with its north-south configuration, this makes it a very inviting feeding stop for migrants descending from their overnight passage. While there are many approaches to birding a park as large as this one, you can’t go wrong with a start at the Ridge. And the birds cooperated as I have rarely seen in recent memory; the trees were swarming with them and it was very hard to single out one particular flash of feathers and successfully identify it. Welcome to Fall birding, which can be very demanding, and frustrating as well!

Despite the challenges, our group identified several warbler species. Predominant among them were Magnolia Warbler, with its distinctive “dipped in ink” undertail pattern, bright black and orange American Redstarts, and numerous Black-throated Green Warblers, each in a plumage slightly varied from the next—par for the course in Fall birding. Also found were Blackburnian, Black-and-white, Chestnut-sided, and Black-throated Blue. There were several Red-eyed Vireos about, and a rare Philadelphia Vireo also put in a brief appearance. Pay close attention to the bill when separating Warblers, with their fine needle-like bills, from the slower-moving Vireos, which have a thicker bill with a very slight hook at the end (sometimes this makes them resemble tiny shrikes). Be advised though, that attention to this level of detail takes lots of practice. Also identified, by its distinctive nasal call, was Red-breasted Nuthatch. While most migrants are relatively quiet in the Fall, this bird is one of the exceptions, as is its more common White-breasted cousin, a resident species here. Some were able to glimpse it briefly at least, before it flew off.

Further down Ridge Road, just south of the entrance of Ross Drive, is the so-called Equitation Field. Here the early sun was raking the tree tops and the activity level was just as high as on the ridge. In addition to Bay-breasted Warbler, our party found Scarlet Tanager, Brown Thrasher, and a typically shy Gray-cheeked Thrush, which stayed largely hidden in the underbrush—only the lucky got to see that one, and luck is yet another Fall facet. Also seen were a Phoebe, Wood-Pewee, and a Great Crested Flycatcher.

As the activity level subsided around 9:00 or so, we retraced our steps to the Stables area. Overhead, we watched several Broad-winged Hawks circling high above. Lower down, a Wood Thrush posed in the open under some shrubbery. Pausing by a stand of Devil’s Walking Stick, we caught a glimpse of a Tennessee Warbler feeding on the tiny, sweet berries. Near the hay barn, the path divides, and we took the left fork that leads downhill to the Maintenance Yard, another of the park’s hot spots. Why the birding should be so good in this rather unprepossessing area (actually a waste area behind the actual fenced Maintenance Yard) is not totally clear to me. Like the Ridge and the Equitation Field, it is an open clearing in the midst of surrounding woods. Perhaps the relative lack of human disturbance is part of the reason it has produced a string of rarities for D.C. over the years, most recently including Bullock’s Oriole (seen by yours truly) and Mountain Bluebird.

[0]Rose-breasted Grosbeak: Photo by Patty CampbellWhile we didn’t see anything quite that unusual in the Yard on this day, we were rewarded with “killer looks” at a rare Mourning Warbler, a bright male in fresh Fall plumage. We also enjoyed Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Brown Thrasher, Eastern Bluebird, Indigo Bunting, and nice views of many of the warblers seen earlier on the Ridge, but this time at closer to eye-level and easier on the neck. A few more Broad-winged Hawks were seen overhead, as well as the resident Red-shouldered Hawk. Finally, let’s not forget a fly-by Pileated Woodpecker, sporting the pileus, or liberty cap, for which the species is named. A few more species were seen on the return to our cars in the Nature Center parking lot, including one last warbler, an Ovenbird, walking on the path behind the Nature Center. Remember always to give the Nature Center trails a look when visiting the park. I paused near the bird bath out back for a few minutes and was rewarded with some good looks at Redstart, Black-throated Blue and Magnolia Warblers coming down to drink. My last tip: be sure to return in the Spring!

Thanks to all participants for their contributions to the list of birds identified. Should a species be missing that you remember seeing, please contact me.

--Paul DeAnna

1. Turkey Vulture

2. Red-shouldered Hawk

3. Broad-winged Hawk

4. Mourning Dove

5. Chimney Swift

6. Red-bellied Woodpecker

7. Downy Woodpecker

8. Northern Flicker

9. Pileated Woodpecker

10. Eastern Wood-Pewee

11. Eastern Phoebe

12. Great Crested Flycatcher

13. Philadelphia Vireo

14. Red-eyed Vireo

15. Blue Jay

16. American Crow

17. Carolina Chickadee

18. Tufted Titmouse

19. Red-breasted Nuthatch

20. White-breasted Nuthatch

21. Carolina Wren

22. House Wren

23. Eastern Bluebird

24. Gray-cheeked Thrush

25. Swainson's Thrush

26. Wood Thrush

27. American Robin

28. Gray Catbird

29. Brown Thrasher

30. European Starling

31. Tennessee Warbler

32. Chestnut-sided Warbler

33. Magnolia Warbler

34. Black-throated Blue Warbler

35. Black-throated Green Warbler

36. Blackburnian Warbler

37. Bay-breasted Warbler

38. Black-and-white Warbler

39. American Redstart

40. Ovenbird

41. Mourning Warbler

42. Common Yellowthroat

43. Scarlet Tanager

44. Eastern Towhee

45. Northern Cardinal

46. Rose-breasted Grosbeak

47. Indigo Bunting

48. Common Grackle

49. Baltimore Oriole

50. American Goldfinch

51. House Sparrow