FreeLists / va-bird / [va-bird] Highland County Birds

[mboater@xxxxxxx]

Adam D'Onofrio and I spent a rather nice day doing some high
elevation birding in Highland County on Saturday June 12.  
Despite persistent fog above 4000 ft for most of the day, 
we saw and or heard a total of 96 species including 19 species
of warblers.

Black-capped Chickadees called and sang at Ramsey's Draft. 
Along Rt 631 just east of Monterey, a Black-billed Cuckoo gave 
us a GREAT looks and Golden-winged Warbler sang but gave us NO looks.
We had good looks at a Golden-winged and heard a Black-billed Cuckoo 
in the afternoon on the hillside behind Margret O'Bryans place on 
Rt 640 at the VA-WVA line.

Paddy's Knob produced no Mourning Warblers in the AM but we got
one singing there later in the afternoon (around 5PM) along with 
several Least Flycatchers and Verries. We also had Least Flycatcher
and Ruffed Grouse along FR55 (Alleghany Rd) in the early afternoon.  

Boboblinks sang and gave us good looks near the intersection of US 250
and Rt 640 at Hightown and along Rt 640 below O'bryans.  We saw several
Vesper Sparrows most of which were along Rt 642 above the Blue Grass 
Valley just as the road emerges from the woods.  We also had a gorgeous
adult Red-headed Woodpecker here as well as an imm. Bald Eagle which 
"posed" on a hillside fencepost for Adam's camera.

At Locust Springs, we had most of the usual suspects including 
singing Hermit Thrushes, Golden-crowned Kinglets, Brown Creepers,
Black-capped Chickadee, Magnolia,Blackburnian,Black-throated Green
and Blue, and Cerulean Warblers.

Strangely, we had no Willow or Alder Flycatchers and others like 
Purple Finch, Red Crossbill, Purple Finch and Winter Wren eluded 
us as well. We did see a Pied-billed Grebe on a pond along Rt 640
west of Hightown.

All together, a delightful day birding in Virginia's "Little Switzerland"!!


Mike Boatwright--
Amherst, VA

Adam D'Onofrio
Dinwiddie County, VA
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