[va-bird] Highland Co. weekend, Sept. 24-26,2004

Hello, Virginia Birders:
Nineteen members and guests of the Cape Henry Audubon Society enjoyed good 
weather, great food, and fantastic birding in Highland County this past 
weekend. The fall foliage was farther along than expected. Blazing sugar 
maples, scarlet oaks and burnished-gold hickory trees gave an awesome 
background to the always-spectacular scenery around Monterey. We came hoping to 
see a wide variety of migrant birds and we were not disappointed. Our group 
trip list totaled 87 species and included a few that rank high on anyone's 
Virginia wish-list.
An adult Bald Eagle soaring over the Montvallee Motel parking lot on Friday 
gave us a hint of eagle-sightings to come. Another adult over Blue Grass, and 
two more adults plus an immature, over Snowy Mountain, make us think the 
species is becoming well-established in the area. A different immature Bald 
Eagle was spotted on Sunday, perched in a tree near the fish-hatchery along 
Rte. 220, south of Monterey. In addition to these six eagles, we saw six other 
species of raptor, but not in the big numbers that we had hoped for. Just one 
Sharp-shinned Hawk, two Cooper's, one Red-shouldered, one Broad-winged, several 
Red-tailed and a few kestrels rounded out the list. We looked in vain for 
Golden Eagle among the many Turkey Vultures. Just too early, I suppose. But 
June sightings of Golden Eagles from previous years make us want to think of 
year-round residents!  Common Ravens put on quite a show.  Several pairs soared 
around in formation-display, croaking, barking, and making un-birdlike, 
mechanical sounds.  While watching a young Bald Eagle soaring over Snowy 
Mountain, we also spotted a Black Bear. It loped up a sloping pasture and 
ambled over the hill into West Virginia. It almost went unnoticed because of 
nearby Black Angus cattle! Our mammal list also included five species of 
squirrel: Red, Fox, Grey, Eastern Chipmunk and Groundhog. We noticed that more 
Llamas and donkeys are showing up in Highland County sheep flocks; protection 
against the ever-increasing Coyote population! Great Pyrenees dogs seem to be 
in decline, there. I guess that grass-eating Llamas are cheaper.    

We did well on other families of birds. All seven expected woodpeckers and 
eighteen species of warblers were identified. We ran into several good mixed 
flocks of migrants on the ridges of Lance Mountain and Shenandoah Mountain. The 
most numerous species of warblers were Cape May, Tennessee, Black-throated 
Green and Black-throated Blue. We also saw Nashville, Northern Parula, 
Chestnut-sided, Magnolia, Yellow-rumped, Blackburnian, Bay-breasted, Blackpoll, 
American Redstart, Ovenbird, Connecticut, Common Yellowthroat, Hooded and 
Yellow-breasted Chat.  Blue-headed Vireos were common and some were still 
singing. Many Eastern Phoebes were scattered all over the county. Scarlet 
Tanagers, Vesper Sparrow and Lincoln's Sparrow, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, and a 
single Purple Finch were other weekend notables. A final treat on Sunday 
afternoon was to find four Ruffed Grouse alongside of the fire road on Jack 
Mountain. They flushed momentarily as we drove up, but then settled back to the 
forest floor. They then slowly and cautiously walked away, finally melting into 
the underbrush. A great sight!  

As many of you know, the Cape Henry Audubon Society travels on its stomach! We 
don't miss many meals and consider the camaraderie of dinner to be an important 
part of our activities. So, we were pleased to find a new restaurant in 
Monterey, the Stone Hearth. Its only been open for two months, but the quality 
of the food and service make me think it'll be around for a long time. A nice 
addition to an already great place to visit in Virginia!  

Good birding!

David L. Hughes
C.H.A.S. Field Trip Chairman
Portsmouth, VA  
  
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