Howdy!
It was a cool windless morning at Thompson WMA
near Linden and Markham this morning.
Yesterday's raindrops on the may-apples, violets,
and trilliums were beautiful, and with the
morning light it was perfect for photography. Up
on the ridge-top, the songs of wood thrushes,
ovenbirds, redstarts, towhees, and
black-and-white warblers blended beautifully with
the light shining through the redbuds, dogwoods,
and young tulip-poplar leaves. My ornithology
class had great views of singing wood thrushes,
redstarts, towhees, and ovenbirds in the scope.
We also heard great crested flycatcher.
Down along the road that parallels the ridge and
connects 55 to 17 near Sky Meadows we had superb
views of brilliant blue-backed tree swallows at a
nest box, rough winged swallows fluttering around
a nest cavity in a stream bank, a flock of rusty
blackbirds feeding in the mucky footprints of
cattle, and singing meadowlarks, first hard to
see--camouflaged--then turning to show their
brilliant yellow and black breasts. We also saw
a brown thrasher, barn swallows, chimney swifts,
gnatcatchers and ruby-crowned kinglets and we
heard a white-eyed vireo and a yellow warbler.
I love spring in VA!
Fred
=====
Frederick D. Atwood fredatwood@xxxxxxxxx
Flint Hill School, 10409 Academic Dr, Oakton, VA 22124
703-242-1675
http://www.agpix.com/fredatwood
http://www.flinthill.org
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