Area Birders, Eleven members of the Buchanan County Bird Club spent a fairly mild day birding the highest valley in VA, Burkes Garden in Tazewell County. The Rough-legged Hawks and Golden Eagles, usually found there in winter, had departed for northern climes, but the group managed to log 41 species. Some raptors were on the move with 6 RED-TAILED HAWKS giving great looks, 5 AMERICAN KESTRELS, and both BLACK and TURKEY VULTURES being found. One pair of Kestrels was feeding on a small rodent, and later another bird was dive bombing a perched Red-tail. Eight COMMON RAVENS were seen throughout the day, and a few TREE SWALLOWS were feeding over the fields and wet areas. On the water in the Garden were RING-NECKED DUCKS, GADWALL, GREEN-WINGED TEAL and MALLARDS. SNIPE and KILLDEER were found in the marshy areas, and HORNED LARKS and MEADOWLARKS were found feeding in the open fields along with hundreds of RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS, COMMON GRACKLES and STARLINGS. Woodpeckers made a good showing with RED-HEADED, NORTHERN FLICKER, DOWNY, and a YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER showing up. The group had lunch at the little picturesque country store located in the Garden, where the proprietors were so trusting they didn't ask anyone to pay for their food until everyone's food had been served, and the group had eaten on the comfortable outdoor porch. The members of the group included Ed and Barbara Caudill, Roger and Lynda Mayhorn, Marie Miller, Johnnie and Betty Ratliff, Ed and Michelle Talbott and Sheldon and Orpha Woods. The day's complete list follows. Roger Mayhorn Grundy, VA Buchanan County Bird Club American Crow 9 American Goldfinch 1 American Kestrel 5 (1m, 4f ) American Robin 31 Barn Swallow 1 Belted Kingfisher 1 Black Capped Chickadee? 1 Black Vulture 5 Brown-headed Cowbird 10 Carolina Wren 1 Chipping Sparrow 2 Common Grackle 25 Common Raven 8 Downy Woodpecker 1 Eastern Meadowlark 11 European Starling 80 Gadwall 2 Great Blue Heron 1 Green-winged Teal 2 Horned Lark 10 House Sparrow 10 Killdeer 5 Mallard 2 (1m, 1f) Northern Cardinal 3 Mourning Dove 7 Northern Flicker 6 Red-bellied Woodpecker 2 Red-headed Woodpecker 1 Red-tailed Hawk 6 Red-winged Blackbird 260 Ring-necked Duck 12 Rock Pigeon 6 Savannah Sparrow 5 Song Sparrow 1 Tree Swallow 4 Tufted Titmouse 1 Turkey Vulture 26 White-breasted Nuthatch 1 Wilson?s Snipe 6 Wood Duck 4 (3m, 1f) Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1 ************************************************* BRISTOL BIRDS NET LIST Bristol Birds Net Photo Gallery located at: http://f2.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jwcoffeyy/album?.dir=/efd5 This is a regional birding list sponsored by the Bristol Bird Club to facilitate communications between birders and bird clubs of Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee. -------------------------------------------------- You are subscribed to Bristol-Birds. To post to this mailing list, simply send an email to: bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx To unsubscribe, send an email to bristol-birds-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the one word 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field. -------------------------------------------------- Wallace Coffey, Moderator wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (423)764-****