[va-bird] Augusta Co. CBC -- "Harlan's Hawk, catbird, thrasher & record hi count

Saturday yielded a record high species count of 79 for the Augusta County CBC 
-- ongoing since 1966.  Highlights included several species that are 
infrequently tallied this time of year in these parts, such as Gray Catbird and 
Brown Thrasher.  Other species of some note include Eastern Phoebes, Winter 
Wren, Eastern Towhees,  American Tree Sparrow and Rusty Blackbirds. Open water 
was limited to the larger and deeper ponds, streams and rivers, consequently 
waterfowl species and numbers were low.  No Cackling Geese have shown up on 
Bell's Lane so far.  Other notable species that were not encountered this year 
include longspurs, pipits, Red-headed Woodpecker, siskins or Evening Grosbeaks 
(but nobody finds grosbeaks anymore anyway).  

Thanks to all participants for your time and effort (C Bandy, J Berg, M 
Beverage, C Cabe, P Cabe, A Clem, B Gatewood, J Gum, L Hamilton, S Heatwole, J 
King, A Larner, K Larner, Y Larner, B Lumadue, H Lumadue, L Matkins, D Pesek, J 
Reed, E Reed, G Simmons, M Vermeulen, P VanAcker).

In the Fishersville area (642 just north of US 250), Peter VanAcker and I saw a 
"black hawk" that, upon review of the field guides, fits best for an adult 
Harlan's Hawk.  It's kind of eery, but just as we were approaching the site I 
mentioned to Peter that the field over the next crest is where Grant Simmons 
and I had a Harlan's Hawk on a CBC 4 or 5 years ago, and then we crested the 
hill and this dark hawk is sitting in a tree -- perhaps even the same tree of 
the former sighting.  We had good looks at the front and side as it was perched 
and then good flight views as it flew to a distant tree.  Basically is was 
nearly solidly black in the belly, breast, neck and upperparts with limited 
white mottling.  The primaries were dark gray from below and the tail, unbarred 
and grayish with white near the base.   

John Spahr, Compiler

The Complete List
===============
Canada Goose 957
Gadwall 6
Am Black Duck 10
Mallard 209
Northern Shoveler 13
Green-winged Teal 6
Redhead 1
Lesser Scaup 1
Hooded Merganser 1
Ruddy Duck 5

Wild Turkey 3
Pied-billed Grebe 4
Great Blue Heron 9
Black Vulture 87
Turkey Vulture 259
Northern Harrier 5
Sharp-shinned Hawk 8
Cooper's Hawk 5
Red-tailed Hawk 55 (Including one Harlan's Hawk)
American Kestrel 45

American Coot 19
Killdeer 19
Wilson's Snipe 5
Ring-billed Gull (count week)
Rock Pigeon 237
Mourning Dove 544
Great Horned Owl 1
Short-eared Owl 1

Belted Kingfisher 8
Red-bellied Woodpecker53
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 10
Downy Woodpecker 60
Hairy Woodpecker 5
No. Flicker 17
Pileated Woodpecker 5

Eastern Phoebe 4
Blue Jay 335
American Crow 1048
Fish Crow 19
Common Raven 2
Horned Lark 133

Carolina Chickadee 95
Tufted Titmouse 93
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
White-breasted Nuthatch 29 
Brown Creeper 1
Carolina Wren 59
Winter Wren 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet 18
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 2

E. Bluebird 212
Hermit Thrush 4
Am. Robin 579
Gray Catbird 1
No. Mockingbird 150
Brown Thrasher 1

E. Starling 9958
Cedar Waxwing 109
Yellow-rumped Warbler 95

Easter Towhee 4
Am. Tree Sparrow 15
Field Sparrow 15
Vesper Sparrow (count week)
Savannah Sparrow 8
Fox Sparrow 25
Song Sparrow 166
Swamp Sparrow 2
White-throated Sparrow 522
White-crowned Sparrow 234
Dark-eyed Junco 373
No. Cardinal 272

Red-winged Blackbird 153
Rusty Blackbird 10
Common Grackle 569
Eastern Meadowlark 84
Brown-headed Cowbird 263
House Finch 140
Purple Finch 81
Am. Goldfinch 181
House Sparrow 273

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