Date:               Mid-January each year.  In 2010: Saturday, January 23rd.

Locations:  Multiple locations along Potomac and Occoquan Rivers, as well as inland lakes. Teams of volunteers led by expert birders count species and individual birds along the waterfront and around the wetlands in the Potomac and Occoquan River watersheds from Great Falls to Quantico Marine Base. 

Contact:          ASNV at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 703-438-6008

Data collected assist scientists in determining trends in the waterfowl populations of Northern Virginia. One of these trends is a dramatic population decline of certain waterfowl species.

2009 recap:

On January 18, 2009, temperatures were in the 20s and many inland bodies of water and portions of the Potomac River were ice-covered. Nonetheless, ASNV conducted its annual Waterfowl Count with dedicated teams:

• 10 teams provided complete coverage along the Potomac River from the 495 Beltway down to Quantico.
• An additional 2 teams surveyed inland lakes and ponds.
• Other inland teams were able to provide no data because the bodies of water they were asked to survey were completely frozen.

Highlights:

• 23 species of waterfowl, including surprising reports of a White-winged Scoter
  and Long-tailed Duck from Quantico;
• Impressive numbers of Gadwall, Canvasbacks, and Redheads.
  Gadwalls were notably concentrated in the area between south of Dyke Marsh and Fort Belvoir (421) and Quantico (502). A large group of Canvasbacks were observed at Possum Point south of Leesylvania State Park (200) and most of the Redheads were tallied from Riverside Park south of Dyke Marsh (332).  As a comparison, grand totals for these species were Gadwall (976), Canvasbacks (245), and Redheads (382).
• Over a dozen Canvasbacks and 30 Redheads were seen from inland lakes and
  ponds.
• Although not in large numbers, Common Goldeneyes were more evenly dispersed along the Potomac River. A total of 43 birds were observed.
  
• Northern Pintails (22), Green-winged Teals (102), and Ruddy Ducks (238) were observed in smaller numbers than expected, even when considering how much of the water surface was frozen.
• Lesser Scaup were in reduced numbers, perhaps because of the ice.
  
• Anticipated rafts of perhaps 5,000 - 6,000, normally seen in January, came in at just under 2,500.
• An impressive number of 1,450 Common Mergansers stretched along the
  Potomac River from Dyke Marsh to Quantico.
  
• Non-waterfowl species: an incredible figure of 206 Bald Eagles. Many of these were observed on the ice near open water in the Potomac River, eagerly awaiting a chance to make a meal of some unfortunate fish.

See full 2009 ASNV Waterfowl Count results (PDF) here. NOTE: An explanation of the chart:

Potomac River locations:

• Area 2: from 495 to TR Roosevelt Island
• Area 3: from TR Roosevelt Island north of Dyke Marsh
• Area 4: Dyke Marsh
• Area 5: South of Dyke Marsh to Ft. Belvoir
• Area 6: Ft. Belvoir
• Area 7: Mason Neck Peninsula north
• Area 9: Mason Neck Peninsula south
• Area 16: Occoquan NWR and vicinity
• Area 17: Leesylvania SP and Possum Point
• Area 18: Quantico
• Inland Bodies of Water Locations:
• Area 11: Burke and Oakton
• Area 14: Dulles Airport

2008 recap:

The 2008 Waterfowl Count was conducted on January 19, 2008. For the purposes of this count, waterfowl were defined in a broad sense to include not only ducks, geese, and swans, but loons, grebes, cormorants, and coots as well. Note that duck hunting may have affected the dispersal of waterfowl and that we may consider doing the count on a Sunday next year.

Eight teams provided nearly complete coverage of the Potomac River and adjacent wetlands and other bodies of water along the shoreline from Algonkian Regional Park in eastern Loudoun to Leesylvania State Park in Prince William County. Four additional teams covered inland lakes and ponds in northern Virginia.

This was the first year that the survey was conducted in January, so it is impossible to discuss trends, but following are some interesting findings:

• After factoring in overlapping coverage, we determined that Lesser Scaup were present in 3 large rafts in Occoquan and Mason Neck areas. The combined tally was over 7,500 birds.
• Nearly all of the 340 Gadwalls observed were at Mason Neck.
• 3 lingering Blue-winged Teal were a pleasant surprise, as were 2 dozen Northern Shovelers.
• The teams collectivley reported 57 Pied-billed Grebes, but what was truly amazing is that almost 40 of them were found in Gunston Cove near Fort Belvoir!
• From past experience, it appears American Wigeon, Green-winged Teal and Ruddy Duck numbers were rather low, while American Coot numbers seemed quite high.

Results of the '08 Waterfowl Count