FreeLists / va-bird / [va-bird] Re: Wythe County Birds, 31 January 2002

["J.N. & Ella Howard" <birder@xxxxxxxx>]

Thank you so much for the information.  Yes, we are very familiar with the
territory; it is one of our favorite haunts in the spring for warblers.  We
have been going there for years, by we had not realized Golden Eagles and
Crossbills might be there also.  We would love to have you join us for a
birding foray, trip, whatever there.  As I said, we have mostly limited it
to spring exploration.  There is more good birding, if when you come back
out of the restricted area instead of going straight, turn left.  There is
more altitude and varied habitat, including a manmade lake or pond.  That is
really exciting;  thank you so much.
Ella Howard
----- Original Message -----
From: Clyde T. Kessler <ckessler@xxxxxx>
To: <va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, February 01, 2002 7:58 AM
Subject: [va-bird] Re: Wythe County Birds, 31 January 2002


>
> Hi Ella & J.N. Howard,
>
> Are you familiar with the area north of Rural Retreat called Crawfish
> Valley?
>
> That is a wonderful place to look for all sorts of birds.  It is mostly
> National Forest property but there are a few private inholdings posted no
> trespassing.  You can bird along a dirt road that is in quite good shape
> for a few miles then is gated off, and you can walk for a really long way
> if you like.  Crossbills are sporadic but regular there.  The pipits were
> in a large closely grazed pasture.  The golden eagles flew over together,
> very low and very easy to i.d. (I think they had just come from a roost
> tree some where on one of the hills about a half mile away).
>
> Here are specific directions if you need them.  You just take the Rural
> Retreat exit from I-81 and instead of going to Rural Retreat you go north
> on Black Lick Road (I believe that's the name).  Then you turn onto
> Crawfish Valley Road, then onto another road that I can't remember name
of.
>  But you follow a stream upstream along a dirt road.  Stay on this road.
> The elevation of the valley here is about 2800 ft.  It has nesting
> Blackburnian, Golden-winged & Blue-winged Warblers, and also Brown
> Creeper's holding territories, I presume also nesting in late spring and
in
> early summer.  The whole area is very interesting, it is also rather
> isolated but can be really crazy during deer season which is over, though
> there was one hunter with his birddog Gussie searching for ruffed grouse.
>
> If Crawfish Valley and Rural Retreat Lake were not nominated as birding
> trail sites they should be.  I will be glad to help any one with that
(even
> though nomination period is over, more sites can be added at a later date;
> this assumes of course that there will be a VA birding trail system after
> all the budget crashing and slashing.
>
> Some time down the pike I will be glad to meet you and show you around the
> area if you wish.
>
> Clyde
>
> At 04:37 PM 01/31/2002 -0500, you wrote:
> >
> >Where in Wythe County did you see all these sights?  We live in
Wytheville
> >and would certainly be interested.         Ella & J.N. Howard
> >----- Original Message -----
> >From: ckessler <ckessler@xxxxxx>
> >To: <nrvbirds@xxxxxxxxxx>; <va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> >Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2002 3:13 PM
> >Subject: [va-bird] Wythe County Birds, 31 January 2002
> >
>
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