Field Trip Report: Gloucester County, May 16-18, 2025
Photo: Yellow-breasted Chat by Tom Frazier
Thumbnail Photo: Prothonotary Warbler by Ani Allard
Field Trip Report
by Meredith Bell, VSO Field Trip Co-chair
The VSO field trip to Gloucester County was both productive and fun! We tallied 117 species for the weekend. Holding our field trip in May instead of June meant that we were able to find migrating birds that we wouldn’t have seen on a summer trip.
We had 12 species of warblers, 9 species of sparrows, and a nice variety of shorebirds.
Highlights at the three scheduled locations included:
Beaverdam Park (Main and North entrances): Prothonotary, Yellow-throated, and Hooded Warblers, Scarlet and Summer Tanagers, 3 species of vireos, and Wood Thrush
Machicomoco State Park: The big surprise was a Mississippi Kite that hung around after first being spotted earlier in the week. Other migrants included Bobolinks and Glossy Ibis. Grasshopper Sparrows, Northern Bobwhite, Wild Turkey, Yellow-breasted Chat, and Orchard Oriole were heard or seen in different areas of the park. Indigo Buntings, Blue Grosbeak, and Field Sparrows were abundant. A few who attended the Owl Prowl Saturday evening got to see American Woodcock.
Woodville: We were excited to find a very cooperative Olive-sided Flycatcher that sat atop a bare branch for several minutes, giving everyone great looks and photo opportunities. We saw and heard Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Summer Tanager, Ovenbirds, Cedar Waxwing, and Acadian Flycatcher.
Several species outside the parks were added when some participants visited the Guinea Marsh area of the county individually or in small groups: Seaside and Nelson Sparrows, Marsh Wren, Solitary Sandpiper, Clapper Rail, and Willet.
Visit the VSO Facebook page and VSO Bird Connection Group to see pictures of species from 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, Tom & Susan Crockett, and Meredith & Lee Bell. Their efforts contributed to the great experience all attendees had.
Complete list of 118 species from the Gloucester County weekend follows.
Species list
Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Mallard
Black Duck/Mallard Hybrid
Ruddy Duck
Northern Bobwhite
Wild Turkey
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Clapper Rail
Black-bellied Plover
Kildeer
Semipalmated Plover
Least Sandpiper
Semipalmated Sandpiper
American Woodcock
Spotted Sandpiper
Solitary Sandpiper
Lesser Yellowlegs
Willet
Greater Yellowlegs
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Forster’s Tern
Royal Tern
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Green Heron
Glossy Ibis
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Bald Eagle
Mississippi Kite
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Great Horned Owl
Belted Kingfisher
Red-headed Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Peregrine Falcon
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Olive-sided Flycatcher
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
Tree Swallow
Purple Martin
Barn Swallow
Cedar Waxwing
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown-headed Nuthatch
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Marsh 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
White-throated Sparrow
Seaside Sparrow
Nelson’s Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Eastern Towhee
Yellow-breasted Chat
Bobolink
Eastern Meadowlark
Orchard Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
Red-winged Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Common Grackle
Boat-tailed Grackle
Ovenbird
Worm-eating Warbler
Louisiana Waterthrush
Black-and-white Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Hooded Warbler
Northern Parula
Pine Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Summer Tanager
Scarlet Tanager
Northern Cardinal
Blue Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
