Greetings...
In December after a six or so inch snowfall, the Remington area of Fauquier
County held good numbers of Lapland Longspurs, Horned Larks, and at least one
Snow Bunting. Friday was similar, though with fewer numbers.
At about four PM along the dead-end road into Woodward Turf Farm (652 I
think), my wife and I found about eighty Horned Larks, five Lapland
Longspurs, and one Snow Bunting. The Snow Bunting was the least obliging,
being heard mostly for the first ten minutes as the birds would flush, but
never able to see it. Eventually it came into view along the shoulder,
hopping among the small boulder-like chunks of snow. There were about thirty
Savannah Sparrows toward the end of the road, foraging on the roadside as
well. At one point this group of sparrows flushed into the sun, and
something with bold white outer tailfeathers was among them. Seemed to be
more white than a Lapland Longspur or Palm Warbler. Lark Sparrow, or Vesper
Sparrow seemed a better fit, with a Pipit possible, but seemingly an unlikely
spot. Kurt Gaskill and I had a winter Lark Sparrow in Fauquier in late
January a few years ago (2000 I believe). Something else to look for if
anyone goes hunting for the other stuff.
On 651 south of Sumerduck there was a rose entangled fence-line with
twenty-three White-crowned Sparrows flushing into it as I approached. In
December the amount of White-crowneds that I'd encounter while driving the
roads in both Fauquier and Culpeper Counties was impressive, often tallying
up fifty or more just in passing. I wouldn't be too surprised if there was a
Gambel's White-crowned or a Harris's Sparrow out there somewhere, but I've
had no luck kicking one up.
On Interstate 66 there was a dead Long-eared Owl in the center of the
westbound lanes, about a half mile before the Groveton Road overpass, and a
dead Great Horned Owl about a mile further east on the eastbound shoulder.
Both of these were killed after the snowfall.
Cheers,
Todd
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Todd M. Day
Jeffersonton, VA
Culpeper County
BlkVulture@xxxxxxx
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