Occoquan National Wildlife Refuge

We got excellent looks at this Prothonotary Warbler during our visit to the Occoquan National Wildlife Refuge today. By the time we got to the Refuge, the bird banding was done for the day, but the birds we saw on a walk around part of the refuge made up for it! The warbler came very close to check us out.

Another nice sighting was this group of Red-Breasted Mergansers that were close to shore and swam up as we approached. We later saw either part of the same group or a differnet group of five birds.


Including the pictured birds, we saw:
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Red-breasted Merganser
Osprey
Red-tailed Hawk
Wild Turkey
Belted Kingfisher
Tree Swallow
Northern Mockingbird
White-breasted Nuthatch
American Goldfinch
Prothonotary Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle

Kingfisher at Occoquan NWR

While looking for Rails at Occoquan, we heard and then saw this Kingfisher in the wetlands. Took this picture by holding up my little Pentax to the eyepiece of the scope.