Field Trip Report: Gloucester County 2023

Photo: Field Trip Attendees by Kerry Harlan

Thumbnail Photo: Summer Tanager by Andrea Banks

By Meredith Bell - VSO Field Trip Co-chair

We couldn’t have asked for more beautiful weather and abundant birds for the 80 participants who attended the first-ever VSO field trip to Gloucester County June 2-4!

While the two local parks, Beaverdam and Woodville, were productive, most people agreed that spending all day Saturday exploring the different areas of Machicomoco State Park was their favorite part of the trip.

Highlights included:

-          Beaverdam (Main and North entrances):  Prothonotary and Hooded Warblers, Scarlet and Summer Tanagers, and Blue-gray Gnatcatcher nest with adults feeding young

-          Machicomoco: Grasshopper Sparrows, Northern Bobwhite, Yellow-breasted Chat, and Orchard Oriole heard or seen in different areas of the park. Abundance of Indigo Buntings, Blue Grosbeak, and Field Sparrows.

-          Woodville: Kildeer on nest in one of the parking lots, Male and Female Summer Tanagers flying in close to feed on ripe berries in bushes in that same parking lot.

Species outside the parks – like Seaside Sparrow and Willet – were added when some people visited the Guinea Marsh area of the county.

Due to the enthusiastic response by attendees, we’ll be adding Gloucester County to the mix of locations we include for summer field trips.

Visit the VSO Facebook page to see pictures of many species seen over the weekend, thanks to the many talented photographers among our VSO members.

Many thanks to our field trip leaders, who made this wonderful experience possible: Nancy Barnhart, Harry Colestock, Tom and Susan Crockett, and Dave Youker. They were fantastic!

Complete list of 101 species from the Gloucester County weekend follows.

Canada Goose

Mallard

Ruddy Duck

Northern Bobwhite

Northern Bobwhite - Andrea Banks

Wild Turkey

Rock Pigeon   

Mourning Dove

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Chimney Swift

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Clapper Rail

Kildeer

Spotted Sandpiper

Willet

Laughing Gull

Ring-billed Gull

Herring Gull

Least Tern

Royal Tern

Double-crested Cormorant

Brown Pelican

Great Blue Heron

Great Egret

Green Heron

Black Vulture

Turkey Vulture

Osprey

Cooper’s Hawk

Bald Eagle

Red-shouldered Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

Great Horned Owl

Barred Owl

Belted Kingfisher

Red-headed Woodpecker

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Downy Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

Pileated Woodpecker

Young Pileated Woodpecker - Bob Crawford

Merlin

Great Crested Flycatcher

Eastern Kingbird

Eastern Wood-Pewee

Acadian Flycatcher

Eastern Phoebe

White-eyed Vireo

Yellow-throated Vireo

Red-eyed Vireo

Blue Jay

American Crow

Fish Crow

Carolina Chickadee

Tufted Titmouse

Horned Lark

Tree Swallow

Northern Rough-winged Swallow

Purple Martin

Barn Swallow

Cedar Waxwing

White-breasted Nuthatch

Brown-headed Nuthatch

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - Kathy Richardson

Carolina Wren

Gray Catbird

Brown Thrasher

Northern Mockingbird

European Starling

Eastern Bluebird

Wood Thrush

American Robin

House Sparrow

House Finch

American Goldfinch

Grasshopper Sparrow

Chipping Sparrow

Field Sparrow

Seaside Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Eastern Towhee

Yellow-breasted Chat

Eastern Meadowlark

Orchard Oriole

Orchard Oriole - Kathy Richardson

Red-winged Blackbird

Brown-headed Cowbird

Common Grackle

Ovenbird

Louisiana Waterthrush

Prothonotary Warbler

Common Yellowthroat

Hooded Warbler

Northern Parula

Magnolia Warbler

Pine Warbler

Yellow-throated Warbler

Prairie Warbler

Summer Tanager

Scarlet Tanager

Northern Cardinal

Blue Grosbeak

Indigo Bunting