May 19 - 20 2009: Holliday Lake State Park, Va.

My wife and I spent one night at this fairly new state park. Amenities and facilities were rather new. The RV camping area was on the side of the hill, so I used all of my leveling boards.

Several remarkable things here: the sky was so incredibly clear and lacking of city lights that I had a difficult time finding the Big Dipper! I don't recall seeing such a stellar display! Unfortunately, the Milky Way was behind the treeline, so I could not see it. However, I did see four meteor bursts!

Second, we saw for the first time the Brown Thrasher! It *ran* the length of the paved roadway, stopping and looking for caterpillars. When a thrasher found one, it would pick it and start smashing it before eating it.

Also while here we saw a big brown bunny AND a mockingbird the size of an adult blue jay. Unfortunately, it flew off just as I pointing my camera at it.

Holliday Lake

Trail leading down from the campground to the beach area

Excellent signs along the trails
Reflections in the stream leading to the lake

Looking down the trail

Nice ferns

Pretty yellow flowers

Mountain Laurel

Nice set of ferns just off of the trail

The state park maintains the grounds for quail

Turtles sunning themselves

Female turtle digging a pit for her eggs

Overview of turtle laying her eggs

Occoquan Bay NWR Woodbridge, Va. March 22+23, 2009

I arrived at Occoquan Bay a little before noon--and observed the place just bursting with activity. I didn't know that osprey had already migrated up from way south--they were flying around, sitting in trees, and managing their nests. And, a hawk put on a performance for me, just 3 and then 10 feet away. I was so taken back by all of what I saw, I used the OB NWR bird list to identify all of the birds I saw. The appears below; the pictures follow.

I had so much fun that I took my wife down there Monday morning, just after sun rise. That is when we observed the snow geese flying overhead, plus the smaller hawk just outside the NRW's gate.

Seen at Occoquan Bay NWR

• Snow Geese, flying in formation overhead.
  
• Mallards
  
• Double-crested Cormorant
  
• Black-crowned Night-Heron (lurking in marsh grass; I startled it on foot)
  
• Osprey, about a dozen and a half
  
• Bald eagles (a pair flew right over my head)
  
• Red Shouldered Hawk (put on a show for me)
  
• Northern Flicker
  
• Eastern Kingbird
  
• Purple Martins (by their houses)
  
• Chickadees
  
• Carolina Wren
  
• Eastern Bluebird--into their mating colors now
  
• Northern Mockingbird
  
• Cedar Waxwings [in a cedar tree!]
  
• Song Sparrow
  
• White-throated Sparrow
  
• Northern Cardinal
  
• Red-winged Blackbird
  
• Great Blue Heron [spooked it twice in two days in the marsh along the Driving Tour]
  
• American Black Ducks [towards Belmont Bay]
  
• Numerous turtles sunning themselves
  
• Eastern Phoebe
  

In-bound Snow Geese, in formation

Almost overhead

Directly Overhead

Snow Geese just past overhead

Snow Geese Outbound

Snow Geese departing the area

One of many Osprey on a nest

A pair of Osprey on a nest
Eastern Bluebird

Eastern Phoebe
Cedar Waxwings, just after they left a cedar tree
Mature adult bald eagle

Great Blue Heron in a tree

Cormorants in Belmont Bay

This hawk startled me--just 3' away on the ground
It flew up into a nearby tree and put on a show
I got one more shot, a closeup, before it finally flew away
White Throated Sparrow enjoying a treat

Unknown sparrow-like bird

Turtle by the marsh on Driving Trail
Two turtles swimming in the marsh
Many turtles sunning themselves just past the butteryfly garden
Northern Cardinal
Interesting remnant of wood at the edge of a field
Smaller hawk seen just outside the entrance of the NRW