[va-bird] Coming and Going...
- From: "Craig Tufts" <TUFTS@xxxxxxx>
- To: <va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, <rwebb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>, <shenvalbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 05 Mar 2004 09:58:48 -0500
This morning I woke up to two new "year" songs in or landscape in
southwestern Loudoun County, approx. 5 miles wnw of Middleburg.
Following up on Rick Webb's report, at 7 am on March 5, 2004, an
eastern phoebe was singing in our yard. Although I have no firm dates of
previous first dates from this location, for the past four years, the
first phoebes are generally back between March 15-25. This seems a week
early, at least.
The other song heard wasn't just a first of the year song but may have
been a first "life" song.
Heading toward the car to start the day's commute, heard a beautiful
song which had some resemblance to a song sparrow but was slower with
more distinct individual notes. I quickly went through what might be,
thinking first of an odd song sparrow, then shifting to white-crowned,
savannah, vesper.
Three fox sparrows were perched in a small sassafras tree along the
edge of the driveway and one was singing. I can't remember hearing one
sing before. The fox sparrows were in the vicinity of our yard since
mid-December but three at once equals the high for the season. As the
phoebes arrive, I guess that the fox sparrows will soon be on their way
north.
"Rick Webb" <rwebb@xxxxxxxxxxxx> 03/04/04 07:24PM >>>
This evening I spotted our first phoebe, bobbing its tail out by our
shed where they
nest each year under the eaves.
Previous early sightings at this location (7 miles south of Monterey in
Highland
County) were on 4/5/01, 3/14/02, and 3/13/03. The early spring record
for Highland is
3/8/87 in the Blue Grass Valley. So today's bird is a record breaker.
There are also a scattering of winter records from (December, January,
and February).
That somewhat confuses the concept of "early record," though I take
this one to be a
"spring" arrival since there have been no phoebes here since last
fall.
I recall from last year that there were a number of near-simultaneous
phoebe reports
on the bird lists, and I saw Bart Hutchinson's report from earlier
today. So I'm
guessing they are showing up all over.
Rick Webb
Highland County
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