Birds of the Fort Circle Parks
The Fort Circle Parks of National Capital Parks-East include the sites of forts, located to the east
of the Anacostia River (Forts Mahan, Chaplin, Dupont, Davis, Stanton, Carroll, Greble, and
Foote), that formed part of the Civil War Defenses
of Washington, D.C. Now predominantly
forested, these parks, and the forested corridors that connect them, provide oases for people,
birds, and other wildlife in an urbanized setting. In spring, these
upland forests are used as stopover sites by many
migrating birds, including Veerys, Swainson's Thrushes, Black-throated
Blue Warblers, and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, en route from tropical wintering grounds to more
northerly breeding grounds. Eastern Wood-Pewees, Acadian Flycatchers, Red-eyed Vireos,
Wood Thrushes, and Eastern Towhees commonly nest in the Fort Circle Parks, as do year-round
resident Downy Woodpeckers, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Carolina Chickadees, Tufted Titmice,
White-breasted Nuthatches, and Carolina Wrens. Ovenbirds and occasional other ground-nesting
warblers can be found in Ft. Dupont Park, the largest of the Fort Circle Parks.
The scrubby vegetation along forest edges, around
the community garden areas
and the former golf course in Ft. Dupont Park, along the hiker-biker trail in
Ft. Stanton Park, and in the field at Ft. Foote Park provides nesting habitat
for White-eyed Vireos, Indigo Buntings, and Brown Thrashers or other early
successional species, and winter habitat for White-throated Sparrows, Song
Sparrows, and Dark-eyed Juncos. Lawn areas provide
foraging habitat for
occasional swallows in summer, and for American Robins, Northern Mockingbirds,
and European Starlings. Osprey, Bald Eagles, Canada Geese, Mallards, and other
waterbirds occasionally use the shoreline or waters of the
Potomac River bordering Ft. Foote Park.
Additional information on each species on the checklist can be accessed through
hypertext links. Click on the species name to access general information from
the Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter; a description of the information
available can be obtained by clicking on the "Species" heading in the
checklist. To view maps of bird distribution in the park during the
nesting season of 1999, click on the summer abundance codes that are in
hypertext. Distribution maps were prepared for species that are probable or
confirmed nesters in the park from data collected by biologists from the USGS
Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. Maps showing the distribution of birds
detected on surveys conducted during January- February 2000 can be accessed by
clicking on the winter abundance codes that are in hypertext. Additional
information on the bird surveys can be accessed by clicking on the "Summer" or
"Winter" headings on the checklist.
If you see any of the boldfaced species, any species not already on the checklist, or
any species in a season
marked by a question mark, please report the sighting to:
Brent_Steury at nps.gov