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Birds of Dyke Marsh

green heronBirds are by far the most numerous and easily observed marsh dwellers. Their variety and numbers are astounding, especially since the return of sub-aquatic vegetation that has paralleled recent improvements in Potomac River quality. One expert, Lt. Col. Jackson M. Abbott, compiled a list from over 40 years of recorded observations of 296 species seen in Dyke Marsh. Presented here are 225 of the more common ones with their seasonal abundance and breeding data. Please go to our Facebook page where you can read reports of birds recently seen at Dyke Marsh.
Relative Abundance
a    Abundant
v    Very Common
c    Common
u    Uncommon
vu    Very Uncommon
r    Rare
vr    Very Rare
*    Confirmed Breeder
I    Irruptive Species
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SPECIESSpgSumFallWtrSPECIESSpgSumFallWtr
Red-throated Loon vr     vr Red-headed Woodpecker vr   vr vr
Common Loon u   vu vu Red-bellied Woodpecker * vc vc vc vc
Pied-billed Grebe u r c c Yellow-bellied Sapsucker     vu vu
Horned Grebe vu   vu u Downy Woodpecker * vc c vc vc
Double-crested Cormorant vc c vc vu Hairy Woodpecker * u vu u vu
American Bittern vu   vu   Northern Flicker * c c c u
Least Bittern * u u vu   Pileated Woodpecker * vu vu u vu
Great Blue Heron vc vc vc vc Eastern Wood-Pewee * c c u  
Great Egret vu u vc c Yellow-bellied Flycatcher     vr  
Snowy Egret r vu u   Acadian Flycatcher * u u vu  
Little Blue Heron     r   Willow Flycatcher * vu vu    
Tri-colored Heron vr       Eastern Phoebe * u r u r
Cattle Egret vr       Great Crested Flycatcher * vu vu vu  
Green Heron * vu vu u r Eastern Kingbird * vc vc c  
Black-crowned Night Heron r vu u r White-eyed Vireo * u vu u  
Yellow-crowned Night Heron   vr     Yellow-throated Vireo vu   r  
Glossy Ibis r       Blue-headed Vireo r      
Black Vulture vr vr r r Warbling Vireo * vc vc vc  
Turkey Vulture vu vu vu vr Philadelphia Vireo     vr  
Snow Goose     vu vr Red-eyed Vireo * vc vc u  
Canada Goose * a vc vc a Blue Jay * vc c vc c
Mute Swan vu vu r   American Crow * a a a a
Tundra Swan vu     vu Fish Crow * vc u vu c
Wood Duck * u vu u vu Purple Martin * c u c  
Gadwall r   vu vu Tree Swallow * vc vc u vr
American Wigeon r   u vu Northern Rough-winged Swallow * u vu vu  
American Black Duck * u u c vc Bank Swallow * vu   r  
Mallard * vc vc vc vc Cliff Swallow r   vu  
Blue-winged Teal r r u r Barn Swallow * a a vc  
Northern Shoveler vu   u vu Carolina Chickadee * vc vc vc vc
Northern Pintail r   c u Tufted Titmouse * vc vc vc vc
Green-winged Teal u   c u White-breasted Nuthatch u u vu vu
Canvasback r vr u vu Brown Creeper u vr r vu
Redhead     r vu Carolina Wren * vc vc vc vc
Ring-necked Duck vu vr vu vu House Wren * vu vu vu  
Greater Scaup vu vr r vu Winter Wren vu     vu
Lesser Scaup c vr vu c Marsh Wren * vc vc u  
Long-tailed Duck       vr Golden-crowned Kinglet u   u u
Bufflehead u vr u c Ruby-crowned Kinglet c   u u
Common Goldeneye     r vu Blue-gray Gnatcatcher * c c u vr
Hooded Merganser vu r vu u Eastern Bluebird vr vr   r
Common Merganser c     c Veery r      
Red-breasted Merganser c vr vu u Hermit Thrush r      
Ruddy Duck u vr c u Wood Thrush * vu vu    
Osprey * vc vc vc r American Robin * a vc vc u
Bald Eagle u r c vc Gray Catbird * vc vc vc vu
Northern Harrier vr   u vu Northern Mockingbird * vc c vc vc
Sharp-shinned Hawk vu   u vu Brown Thrasher * vu vu vu  
Cooper's Hawk vu vr r vu European Starling * a a a a
Red-shouldered Hawk u   vu u Cedar Waxwing * c u u vu
Broad-winged Hawk vu   vu   Blue-winged Warbler vu   vu  
Red-tailed Hawk vu   vu u Tennessee Warbler vr      
American Kestrel vu   vu vu Orange-crowned Warbler       vr
Merlin r   vu   Nashville Warbler     vu  
Peregrine Falcon r   vu r Northern Parula * vc u vu  
Northern Bobwhite vr vr     Yellow Warbler * vc vc c  
King Rail   vr     Chestnut-sided Warbler     vu  
Virginia Rail r       Magnolia Warbler u   u  
Sora r       Cape May Warbler r   vu  
Common Moorhen     r   Black-throated Blue Warbler u   r  
American Coot u vu u u Yellow-rumped Warbler c   c u
Black-bellied Plover     vu   Black-throated Green Warbler u   vu  
American Golden Plover     vu   Blackburnian Warbler     r  
Semipalmated Plover     u   Yellow-throated Warbler     vr  
Killdeer u vc c u Pine Warbler     vu r
American Avocet     vr   Prarie Warbler     r  
Greater Yellowlegs c vc c vu Palm Warbler     vu  
Lesser Yellowlegs vu u vc   Bay-breasted Warbler vr   r  
Solitary Sandpiper vu r vu   Blackpoll Warbler c vr    
Willet     vr   Black-and-white Warbler vu   u  
Spotted Sandpiper c vu u   American Redstart * c vu vu  
Hudsonian Godwit     vr   Prothonotary Warbler * u u vu  
Marbled Godwit     vr   Worm-eating Warbler r      
Ruddy Turnstone     vr   Ovenbird vu   r  
Red Knot     vr   Northern Waterthrush vu   r  
Sanderling     r   Louisiana Waterthrush   vr vu  
Semipalmated Sandpiper   c u   Kentucky Warbler vr      
Western Sandpiper   vu vu   Common Yellowthroat * vc vc vc r
Least Sandpiper vu c vu vr Hooded Warbler *     vr  
White-rumped Sandpiper     r   Wilson's Warbler vu   vr  
Baird's Sandpiper     vr   Canada Warbler vu   vu  
Pectoral Sandpiper vu r u   Yellow-breasted Chat vr     vr
Dunlin r   r vu Scarlet Tanager * vu vu vu  
Stilt Sandpiper   r vu   Eastern Towhee * u vu vu r
Short-billed Dowitcher   c u   American Tree Sparrow       vu
Long-billed Dowitcher   r vu r Chipping Sparrow * r vr vr  
Common Snipe vu   vu r Field Sparrow * u vu u r
Wilson's Phalarope     vr   Savannah Sparrow vu   vu r
Red-necked Phalarope     vr   Seaside Sparrow vr      
Laughing Gull u vc vc u Fox Sparrow     r vu
Franklin's Gull     vr vr Song Sparrow a vc a vc
Bonapartes's Gull - I u   vu vu Lincoln's Sparrow vr   r  
Ring-billed Gull a vc a a Swamp Sparrow * u vu u u
Herring Gull vc c vc vc White-throated Sparrow a   a a
Lesser Black-backed Gull     r r White-crowned Sparrow r   r r
Great Black-backed Gull a c vc vc Dark-eyed Junco vu   u u
Caspian Tern vc vu vc   Snow Bunting       vr
Royal Tern vr       Northern Cardinal * vc vc vc vc
Common Tern   vu vu   Rose-breasted Grosbeak vu   r  
Forster's Tern u c vc vu Blue Grosbeak vr      
Black Tern   vr r   Indigo Bunting * u vu vu  
Rock Dove * a a a vc Bobolink     r  
Mourning Dove * vc vc vc vc Red-winged Blackbird * c a a u
Black-billed Cuckoo r       Rusty Blackbird u   vu vu
Yellow-billed Cuckoo * u c c   Common Grackle * vc vc vc u
Eastern Screech Owl * vr     r Brown-headed Cowbird * vc vc u vu
Great Horned Owl * vr     r Orchard Oriole * vc vc u  
Barred Owl * vr r   r Baltimore Oriole * vc vc u  
Common Nighthawk vu   vu   Purple Finch - I vu     r
Whip-poor-will vr       House Finch * a vc vc c
Chimney Swift * vc a vc   Pine Siskin - I       r
Ruby-throated Hummingbird * u u u   American Goldfinch - I * a vc vc c
Belted Kingfisher * u u c u House Sparrow * vc vc vc c

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