[va-bird] Frederick Co, 6/26/04

VA BIRDers,

Rich Rieger and I spent the morning birding various places in Frederick Co, the 
northwesternmost county in Virginia. We were not sure about good birding 
destinations so we guessed about a few locations and started our adventure at 
about 0600 this morning.  I was pleasantly surprised that we tallied 75 species 
but most are the typical found in this part of northern Virginia.  The top 
highlights were a male Bobolink found in a large hayfield, close to where Rt 
615 ends at 753 near North Mountain.  We tried to find additional Bobolinks but 
were unsuccessful - mainly because time was not on our side.  Our next 
interesting bird was SE of Gore on 704 - here a Black-billed Cuckoo moved about 
as we pished up a few other birds next to the road.  Soon after, we found a 
Kentucky Warbler in the snowtubing area near Cove Lake (a Boy Scout camp is 
nearby).

We drove from the Cove Lake/Gore area towards West Virginia and thence north, 
following the through roads to the northern tip of Virginia here.  Afterwards, 
we drove back south to Forest Road 93 nr the Shenandoah County line which we 
visited after lunch (after 1200) - this latter location was not too birdy, 
likely due to the late hour.  We then took country roads back to I-81 and 
departed near 2pm.

The following 10 species were recorded in the highest numbers along the route 
we took (in order of most tallied):  American Robin, Barn Swallow, E. Starling, 
Indigo Bunting, Chipping Sparrow (it seems like every rural yard had one!), 
Red-winged Blackbird, Red-eyed Vireo, Common Grackle, American Crow and Wood 
Thrush.  Other interesting species seen but in low numbers were Green Heron (nr 
No. Mountain), Cooper's Hawk (nr No. Mountain), No. Bobwhite (south of Bobolink 
field and later in the central valley south of Winchester), Six Yellow-billed 
Cuckoos tallied, Belted Kingfisher (nr No. Mountain), Horned Lark (close to 
West Virginia in a high meadow south of Rt 50), Yellow-throated Vireos (ratio 
Yellow-throated to Red-eyed was 2:33), a single Yellow Warbler and Common 
Yellowthroat (we must have been in the wrong places!), a couple of YB Chats, 
and 9 Baltimore and 1 Orchard Orioles.

Lots of misses!  Such as Willow Flycatcher, No. Parula, Am. Redstart, Black & 
White, and Blue Grosbeak!  Yet, all-in-all, an interesting education!

Kurt Gaskill
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