Hi, all--
After getting some nice "eye candy" in the form of three Baltimore Orioles
(1 male, 2 female) seen from my deck yesterday, and hearing my year's-first
Wood Thrush yesterday evening, I was inspired to meet up with Sarah Gill for
a rare morning of child-free birding on Observatory Hill in Charlottesville.
We were hoping for a fallout of sorts after the passage of the cold front
last night. No extravaganza, but some decent year firsts and other spring
perks.
Our modest warbler list included Northern Parula, Chestnut-sided,
Yellow-rumped, American Redstart, and Ovenbird. We heard a possible
Worm-eating, too, but with all the chippy-sounding birds around at the
moment, I couldn't be sure.
Eastern Phoebes and Wood Thrushes were singing mightily, and several
gnatcatchers were kvetching. A handful of catbirds were muttering to
themselves, and Sarah saw a Blue-headed Vireo before I arrived. Chimney
Swifts, always a confirmation of the arrival of spring for me, chittered
overhead.
On Stribling Ave. near the Fontaine Research Park, we added Red-eyed Vireo,
an accipiter (probably a Cooper's Hawk), and numerous singing Eastern
Towhees.
Though the results were nowhere near as sexy as some locales, it was just
great to be out birding again!
I am grokking the Baltos singing outside my window as I type. Happy spring!
Robyn Kells
Charlottesville
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