Yesterday David and Susan Raines once again did a great job of hosting their
annual Sparrow Day event at their beautiful home in Breaks. In spite of the
early morning chill the birds were plentiful and 16 birders/friends came to
enjoy the hospitality, the great food and the birds. David had a nice fire
going in their outdoor fire pit which worked great for taking away the
chill.
Their event is called Sparrow Day for a reason. October is when sparrows
move from their northern nesting grounds to their warmer, southern wintering
spots, and they were on the move through the Raines' property. We logged 8
sparrow species - Chipping, Field, White-crowned, White-throated, Song,
Lincoln's, Swamp and Eastern Towhee. Unexpected finds for the day included
new late date arrivals of White-eyed Vireo (old date Oct 15), a Hooded
Warbler (old date Oct 12) and a late Common Yellowthroat (old date Oct 15).
Other surprises of the day included a Red-breasted Nuthatch, a Blue-headed
Vireo, a House Wren, a Sedge Wren, a Hermit Thrush, 2 Gray Catbirds, an
Orange-crowned Warbler and a Rusty Blackbird. We were also fortunate to see
4 hawk species - Cooper's, Sharp-shinned, Red-shouldered and Red-tailed. The
Red-shouldered gave great us great looks as it perched atop an electrical
pole.
After a delicious lunch we birded around a neighbor's pond and then went on
to the Breaks Park.
Below is the day's species list, though it is incomplete. Since Lynda and I
left a bit early David may have a few more species to add to our list of 51.
Many thanks to David and Susan for a wonderful day of birding with both old
and new friends. Those who shared in this pleasant and spiritually rewarding
experience, in addition to David and Susan, were Don Carrier, Clancey Deel,
Dan Kendrick, Roger & Lynda Mayhorn, Marie Miller, Fred & Janice Martin,
Sean and Ashley Peale, Ed Talbott II & Mary Talbott, Ed Talbott III &
Michelle Talbott, Dave and Diane Worley.
Attached above are 4 people photos.
Roger Mayhorn
Compton Mt
Buchanan County VA
51 species
Turkey Vulture 10
Cooper's Hawk 1
Sharp-shinned hawk 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 2
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Mourning Dove 1
Barred Owl 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 2
Downy Woodpecker 2
Northern Flicker 9
Pileated Woodpecker 3
Eastern Phoebe 1
White-eyed Vireo 1 (late date)
Blue-headed Vireo 1
Blue Jay 7
American Crow 27
Carolina Chickadee 3
Tufted Titmouse 4
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
White-breasted Nuthatch 4
House Wren 1
Sedge Wren 1
Carolina Wren 3
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 9
Eastern Bluebird 10
Hermit Thrush 1
American Robin 56
Gray Catbird 2
Northern Mockingbird 1
European Starling 5
Cedar Waxwing 13
Orange-crowned Warbler 1
Common Yellowthroat 1 (late date)
Hooded Warbler 1 (late date)
Palm Warbler 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler 31
Chipping Sparrow 60
Field Sparrow 2
White-crowned Sparrow 2
White-throated Sparrow 7
Song Sparrow 9
Lincoln's Sparrow 2
Swamp Sparrow 3
Eastern Towhee 4
Northern Cardinal 4
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1 (late date)
Red-winged Blackbird 10
Rusty Blackbird 1
House Finch 3
Purple Finch 7
American Goldfinch 4
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