White Ibis and 2 Other “State” Birds in Washington, DC, September 2012

First some general information on birding in DC - Yes Washington, D.C. is considered by the ABA to be a reportable geography, just like the 50 United States.  And birding in DC can be extremely challenging.  First it is a tiny area – many counties are bigger than the District.  Secondly, the areas of good habitat are few and far between given its very urban nature.  And some of the better sites are in some pretty seedy locations.  As a result, the ABA reporting threshold for DC is lower than for any of the 49 mainland states.  After many days of birding in the District I’m very proud to say that I’m reportable in DC.  Because of the birding challenges in DC I’m more excited about my DC list than of any of my lists for the 50 states. 

Now on to the new “state” birds - While in the area visiting relatives, I decided to take an early morning to try to add to my DC list.  Ordinarily September would be a good month to try for some migrant passerines, but there were strong southerly winds, and weather was warm and very warm.  So not conducive for migrants.  Instead I decided to try for some DC shorebirds.  The best (only?) shorebird habitat is along the Anacostia River during low tide.  Although no shorebirds had been reported recently, I decided to give it a try, starting at dawn at the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens.  Located on the Anacostia, it also has the only nice wetlands that I’ve found in the District.  Dawn coincided with the low tide that day, so I arrived at first light and made my way to the river’s edge.  It was not yet dawn when I arrived to find lots of mud, but no birds.  In the dim light I noticed something big sitting on a dead snag in the marsh – it was an immature White Ibis!  Even some of the common waders can be tough in DC – let alone a rarity like a White Ibis.  It gave great views even in the dim light.  A little distance ahead I got to another area of mudflats but still no shorebirds.  A small cattail marsh was nearby, so I decided to play some Sora tape – one called back almost instantly!  I had had Virginia Rail in the Kenilworth marshes years ago, and now had my first DC Sora.  On my way back into the park I passed by where I had the Ibis and it was feeding on the mud close nearby.  I was able to get this sketchy photo holding my phone up to my binocs.  I guess it’s not too bad given the technology I was using. 

Back in the park I focused on trying to find migrant passerines but found almost none.  Until I noticed a flycatcher on a distant high snag – an Olive-sided Flycatcher.  “State” bird #3.  So in 3 hours in the park I found just 1 shorebird (a Spotted Sand) – miserable results for my intended objective.  But I got 3 really good new state birds which was more than I had hoped for.

That gives me 175 for my DC list – now safely 10 over the threshold.  I’ve inserted 2 of my state bird maps below – the first is for White Ibis where I’ve seen it in all the states in its regular range and now as a vagrant in 4 states in the Mid-Atlantic and 2 in the Northeast.  By comparison the Sora map shows that I’ve seen it in many states across the US, though I’ve got some big misses here and there.