FreeLists / va-bird / [va-bird] Phelps WMA, Fauquier County, Cinco de Maio

[BlkVulture@xxxxxxx]

Sue Heath and I birded the Chester Phelps WMA today in southern Fauquier 
County.  We met at the Curtis parking area on Route 632 (Rogers Ford Road), at 
seven AM.  We headed down the trail toward the wetland, passing the Sighting-In 
Range.  
In the parking area were a bunch of Red-eyed Vireos, mostly quiet.  
Yellow-billed Cuckoo and Black-throated Blue Warbler was singing, along with 
the stuff 
that's been in for a while (3 Ovenbirds, 3 Prairie Warblers, a Chat, a couple 
of Wood Thrushes).  We started down the trail, greeted by quite a bit of 
birdsong, though mostly birds expected here, e.g., more Prairies, Ovenbirds, 
Chats, 
Wood Thrushes, plus Black-and-whites, White-eyed Vireos, Gray Catbirds, 
Common Yellowthroats, Hooded Warblers, Towhees, Field Sparrows, and a few 
Myrtle 
Warblers.  One Summer Tanager was seen flying away from a singing Scarlet 
Tanager.  Most unusual was a Whip-poor-will that spontaneously started to sing 
at 
7:25 for about twenty seconds.  We also added two more Black-throated Blues, 
and 
a Blue-winged Warbler. 

The wetland area had two Kentucky Warblers that weren't present during out 
last visit on 29 April.  A single Louisiana Waterthrush, a Blue Grosbeak, plus 
one Greater Yellowlegs, a dozen Lesser Yellowlegs, 15-20 Solitary Sandpipers, 
and one Spotted.  

The return trek out added a silent Veery, an Acadian Flycatcher, and the 
first Yellow-throated Vireo of the day.  Missed was Pine Warbler.  There might 
have been a total of 50 Blue Jays going overhead.  

On the Culpeper County side, at Kelly's Ford, Sue had a singing Summer 
Tanager, and at the Rock Wall parking area, she added Blackpoll, and 
Black-throated 
Green Warbler.  She also found a Scarlet Tanager nest.  

Numbers of some of the recent arrivals in Fauquier:

Green Heron, 4
Greater Yellowlegs, 1
Lesser  Yellowlegs, 12
Solitary Sandpiper, 15
Spotted Sandpiper, 1
Yellow-billed Cuckoo, 8
Whip-poor-will, 1, singing at 7:25AM
Chimney Swift, 20
Eastern Wood-Pewee, 2
Acadian Flycatcher, 1
Great Crested Flycatcher, 2
Eastern Kingbird, 8
Tree Swallow, 12
Barn Swallow, 12
Veery, 1
Wood Thrush, 20
Gray Catbird, 5
White-eyed Vireo, 24
Yellow-throated Vireo, 1
Red-eyed Vireo, 30+
Blue-winged Warbler, 1
Northern Parula, 10
Black-throated Blue Warbler, 3
Myrtle Warbler, 18
Prairie Warbler, 30+
Black-and-white Warbler, 12
American Redstart, 3
Ovenbird, 20
Louisiana Waterthrush, 1
Kentucky Warbler, 2
Common Yellowthroat, 15
Hooded Warbler, 12
Yellow-breasted Chat, 18
Summer Tanager, 1
Scarlet Tanager, 7
Blue Grosbeak, 1
Indigo Bunting, 5
Orchard Oriole, 8
Baltimore Oriole, 1

Cheers,

Todd

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Todd Michael Day
Jeffersonton, Virginia, USA
Culpeper County
BlkVulture@xxxxxxx
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