FreeLists / va-bird / [va-bird] Farmville area miscellany, 15 Feb. 2003

["C. Michael Stinson" <cms@xxxxxxxxx>]

Being a central Virginia native, I'm not immune to the indigenous Pavlovian 
response to a forecast of winter weather: a trip to the grocery store. But 
after my visit to Food Lion this afternoon I attempted a little birding before 
heading home and found a small but worthwhile scattering of birds in the cold 
rain. 

At Sandy River Reservoir a flock of Aythya ducks near the dam held a single 
drake Canvasback mixed with scaup, mostly if not entirely Lesser. An adult Bald 
Eagle flushed the group once. Other birds on the lake were a Pied-billed Grebe 
and 11 Ring-billed Gulls. Heading home I saw a flock of eight Wild Turkeys in 
southern Cumberland County about one mile up Plank Road from the Appomattox 
River at Farmville. As I turned into the road leading to my house (in 
Curdsville, Buckingham County) I noticed a small falcon perched on a light 
pole; it proved to be a wet but patient Merlin. I watched it for about 10 
minutes, then drove home and got my wife and one of my sons to ride back up the 
road and take a look at it as well. It was still perched there when we left.

Otherwise, there have been two to five Purple Finches at my feeders for about 
two weeks now along with the more common species.

Enjoy (?) the snow -

Mike Stinson
Curdsville, VA
cms@xxxxxxxxx 

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