Wetlands and Pony Pasture

Another pair of local parks that I visit are Wetlands and Pony Pasture. They are side-by-side, nestled between the James River, subdivisions and a golf course. They are both part of James River Park, maintained by the City of Richmond Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities. Since they are literally side-by-side, I was never quite sure why they were two separate parks, instead of just one larger park. I treat them as one park, however, so I guess it really does not matter.

One down side to Wetlands and Pony Pasture is that they are both very popular with dog owners, and it is very likely that you will encounter very happy, very friendly, and very off-leash dogs. I have no problems with dogs, but when they run free, they make bird watching and photography more challenging. This Barred Owl, for example, was in view for only a few minutes before a pair of dogs, both completely ignorant of the owl, tore through the underbrush and spooked it.

To find a happy medium (so that I can watch the birds and the dogs can get a good run in), I try to get there as early as possible, or during the middle of the week, or when then weather is not perfect. Such was the case this past January, arriving early-ish on a day that was very overcast and very cold (at least, cold for Virginia). This Swamp Sparrow on ice illustrates my point.

During the winter months, the real star of the park is the James River, and the various ducks and gulls that might be present. With very challenging light and distance, these photos are acceptable, but certainly not great. They do, however, give you examples of what might be hanging out on or near the river. From top to bottom: Bufflehead (whoever named this species deserves a prize!), a raft of Redhead with a couple of Canvasback sprinkled in for good measure, and even a Lesser Black-backed Gull.

Barred Owl

Owls are so cool. Whenever I see one I feel like it was a complete accident, or the owl decided that he wanted to be seen. That was how it happened today. I walked one of the trails in Acadiana Park when I just sort of looked up in a tree off to the right...and there was an owl watching me walk by. A Barred Owl, to be precise.

Audubon Sanctuary

First thing this morning, we visited the Portland Audubon Sanctuary to do some birding. The birding was somewhat slow, but we did see a couple of birds that do not occur on the east coast. We also saw, however, some birds that do appear on the east coast. In one case, it took us forever to figure it out, and the other was pretty easy.

First, we have the simple Song Sparrow. I learned today that this species can look pretty different in the northwest compared to what I see back in Virginia. The first picture shows you how much darker this bird is out here (assuming you know what they look like back in Virginia).

The second photo is of a Barred Owl. I have seen this species back in Virginia, but seeing owls is such a treat, that I was quite happy to catch this guy hanging out while squirrels squeaked at him. The picture is a tad dark, but still pretty neat.