VAbird,
Unfortunately I don't have anything too exciting to report. It was a cold,
windy, and somewhat birdless morning. Mainly I was trying to relocate Todd
Day's Upland Sandpipers but we also drove a few other roads in the area and
made a brief stop at the Phelps WMA. I never found the sandpipers despite
extensive searching in the area. Interesting birds on Rt. 654 included 3
Least Sandpipers that flew into the plowed fields, 2 Savannah Sparrows,
about 6 Horned Larks including a scaly looking juvenile, Grasshopper
Sparrows, Northern Bobwhite, and that Pheasant. Grassdale Rd (Rt. 755) has
some of the best looking fields in the area. There was another Savannah
Sparrow here singing from a fence post. The habitat is nice and I wouldn't
be surprised if the bird is actually on territory. The whole area is thick
with meadowlarks and buntings and whatnot. I birded the first few miles of
Savannah Branch Rd (Rt. 668). The most productive area was at the bridge
over Marsh Run. There were Blackpoll Warbler, Am. Redstart, Wood Thrush,
Red-eyed Vireo, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Great Crested Flycatcher, Eastern
Wood-Pewee, and a few others. Pretty much the standard fare. Strodes Mill
Rd. on the north side of Rt. 654 was somewhat interesting. The best birds
here were a pair of Cooper's Hawks circling around. There were also singing
Ovenbird, Scarlet Tanager, Wood Thrush, Northern Parula, Prairie Warbler,
Field Sparrow, Eastern Wood-Pewee, and Great Crested Flycatcher. It has an
interesting mix of habitats. Lucky Hill Rd. seems pretty decent for
raptors; I had several Red-tails and a gorgeous Red-shoulder. Old Grassdale
Rd. (Rt. 782) has Eastern Phoebe, Blue Grosbeak, Prairie Warbler, Ovenbird,
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Eastern Wood-Pewee, etc...
I stopped at the Hogue Tract of the Phelps WMA and found White-eyed Vireo,
Yellow-breasted Chat, Red-eyed Vireo, Brown Thrasher, more Eastern Phoebes,
Ovenbird, Prairie Warbler, and not much else. The road into the Phelps Lake
area had more of the same: Indigo Bunting, Blue Grosbeak, Prairie Warbler,
Yellow-breated Chat, Brown Thrasher. The lake itself had a few Canada Goose
and Tree Swallows. I never made it to the nice part of Phelps along the
river. For those interested here is the complete list:
Black Vulture - 7
Turkey Vulture - 15
Canada Goose - 8
Mallard - 2
Cooper's Hawk - 2
Red-shouldered Hawk - 1
Red-tailed Hawk - 4
Ring-necked Pheasant - 1
Northern Bobwhite - 2
Killdeer - 1
Least Sandpiper - 3
Rock Dove - 9
Mourning Dove - 14
Chimney Swift - 18
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 5
Downy Woodpecker - 3
Northern Flicker - 1
Pileated Woodpecker - 1
Eastern Wood-Pewee - 9
Eastern Phoebe - 10
Great Crested Flycatcher - 7
Eastern Kingbird - 12
Horned Lark - 6
Tree Swallow - 3
Barn Swallow - 25
Blue Jay - 8
American Crow - 18
Carolina Chickadee - 9
Tufted Titmouse - 5
White-breasted Nuthatch - 1
Carolina Wren - 5
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 11
Eastern Bluebird - 34
Wood Thrush - 3
American Robin - 21
Gray Catbird - 8
Northern Mockingbird - 9
Brown Thrasher - 6
Cedar Waxwing - 17
European Starling - 40
White-eyed Vireo - 3
Red-eyed Vireo - 11
Northern Parula - 1
Prairie Warbler - 12
Blackpoll Warbler - 3
American Redstart - 2
Ovenbird - 7
Common Yellowthroat - 6
Yellow-breasted Chat - 5
Scarlet Tanager - 1
Northern Cardinal - 16
Blue Grosbeak - 3
Indigo Bunting - 22
Eastern Towhee - 15
Chipping Sparrow - 7
Field Sparrow - 9
Savannah Sparrow - 3
Grasshopper Sparrow - 8
Song Sparrow - 4
American Goldfinch - 20
Red-winged Blackbird - 36
Eastern Meadowlark - 45
Common Grackle - 18
Brown-headed Cowbird - 11
Baltimore Oriole - 2
House Sparrow - 4
Good Birding,
Alex
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alex Merritt
Oak Hill, VA
cerulean182@xxxxxxxxxxx
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