Larkolinks Find Over 100 Double-crested Cormorants During Birdathon

The Larkolinks were happy to have founding member Dale Ball return from her home out west to join the rest of the team (Dolores Goodson, Laureen Megan, Debra Gutenson, Nancy Noerpel and Sally Brenton) for this year’s Birdathon on May 16 and 17. Since most of the team members live in the Lovettsville area, we concentrated our first day of birding in our own backyard. A gracious neighbor allowed us access to her property, which included a wetland where all of us got to observe an American Bittern before it skulked back into the reeds and out of sight.

Osprey on top of cell tower.
Photo by Dale Ball

The second property was also privately held, but we had permission to access this 300 acre reserve. While we were all concentrating on seeing what was around a small pond, someone noticed a large bird fly to the top of a newly-erected cell tower. Much to our delight, it was an Osprey that perched for a long time, enjoying a small snack. We also watched a pair of Eastern Bluebirds who where using a tall snag as their nesting site.

After a short break to rest our legs and eyes, we drove to a local pond. We heard and saw Yellow Warblers, both Great Blue and Green Herons and our first Willow Flycatcher. But the best sighting was of a first-year male Orchard Oriole, plus a female Orchard Oriole bringing food to her babies in the nest.

Our afternoon was spent at Phillips Farm in Waterford. One member kept hearing turkeys but had walked ahead of the rest of the group. She kept insisting that she was hearing the turkeys, and we finally all stopped long enough to confirm her hearing. We saw a Bald Eagle soaring overhead and a pair of Belted Kingfishers.

Our second day was spent in Leesburg at Riverpoint Trail and Bazil Newman Riverfront Park so that we could spend some time along Goose Creek and the Potomac River. Goose Creek yielded a Solitary Sandpiper and Swainson’s Thrush, among lots of cardinals and squirrels that caught our eyes as we searched for more species. But the highlight for most of us came at the initial vantage point of the Potomac. Across the river near the far bank, we watched at least 100 Double-crested Cormorants leapfrogging each other as they fished downstream. When a motorboat came up the river, they all changed course and exhibited the same behavior, but now upstream.

Our final sighting, as we dragged our weary selves back to the parking lot, was a beautiful Red-headed Woodpecker on a snag. There were no leaves to interfere with our long looks at this magnificent bird.

Read about the adventures of the other teams on the 2024 Birdathon Team Summaries page.

The Larkolinks team.
Photo by Dolores Goodson

Species List
Canada Goose
Mallard
Wild Turkey
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Chimney Swift
Spotted Sandpiper
Double-crested Cormorant
American Bittern
Green Heron
Great Blue Heron
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Bald Eagle
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Barred Owl
Belted Kingfisher
Red-headed Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
American Kestrel
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Acadian Flycatcher
Willow Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Fish Crow
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Tree Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Barn Swallow
White-breasted Nuthatch
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
House Wren
Carolina Wren
European Starling
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher
Northern Mockingbird
Eastern Bluebird
Swainson’s Thrush
American Robin
Cedar Waxwing
House Sparrow
House Finch
American Goldfinch
Grasshopper Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Eastern Towhee
Eastern Meadowlark
Orchard Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
Red-winged Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Common Grackle
Northern Waterthrush
Black-and-white Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
Yellow Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Northern Cardinal
Indigo Bunting