FreeLists / bristol-birds / [Bristol-Birds] Spotted Sandpiper found on local VSO foray

["Wallace Coffey" <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>]

A Spotted Sandpiper was included in a preliminary species list of birds found 
by the Virginia Society of Ornithology Breeding Bird Foray, June 4-12, in 
Russell and Wise Counties, VA.  It is arguably the best bird found during the 
foray.

The species has long been a rare breeding species in Southwest Virginia.  Eggs 
are known from 17 May to 19 June in the mountain region.  There are 1933 and 
1934 nest records for the Powell River at Big Stone Gap (Dick Peake).  

One of the earliest records is a nest and 4 eggs (heavily incubated) collected 
10 June 1910 at Preston Springs in Washington Co. Va. by Malcolm G. McMillian.  
It was published by Bob Lyle and Bruce Tyler (THE MIGRANT 5:51) under summer 
birds of Northeast Tennessee.   However, Lyle, before his death, told me he 
personally saw the nest at Preston Springs.

While Tony Decker considered it a "locally common summer resident" 13 April to 
20 October for Smyth County and some adjacent areas in his 1981 publication,  
he listed it as a "rare summer resident" for the same area in his 1999 
publication.  He wrote that there were no breeding records.  

Ten participants spent approximately 71 hours surveying mostly on public lands 
and along roadways during this month's foray in Wise and Russell counties.  
They detected 114 species. 

Roger Mayhorn,  Lynda Mayhorn, David Raines, Ed Talbott and Tom Hunter were the 
Southwest Virginia folks assisting with the foray.

Let's go birding.....

Wallace Coffey
Bristol, TN