Had about 40 cowbirds at the feeders a few days ago and a phoebe checking out
nesting sites.
My guess: 260 blackbirds. Am I even close?
Regina
Sent from Mail for Windows 10
From: Evan Spears
Sent: Wednesday, February 28, 2018 3:32 PM
To: heartofvabirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [heartofvabirds] Raptor Rally & Blackbird Blitz (Feb 2018)
If you've been out and about recently you may have noticed quite a bit more
bird activity than compared to the past few quiet weeks. I've been seeing a few
more hawks than usual and even had really nice looks at several of them in one
field in under 10 minutes along Francisco Road in Buckingham County.
--- https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S42720120
Blackbirds also have begun to appear in our region. A few of us have already
witnessed some massive flocks of mostly Common Grackles and Red-winged
Blackbirds with the occasional Brown-headed Cowbird group or a single/few Rusty
Blackbirds mixed in. I passed a large flock on Holiday Lake Road in Appomattox
County a week ago and had to estimate quickly, so I snapped a picture of the
majority and wrote down my estimate on the eBird checklist. How many blackbirds
do you think are in the photo? I've counted them all using multiple photos and
will reveal the answer after several guesses.
--- https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S43240012
You'll also notice I have two Tree Swallows on that previous list, and there
were nearly 40 at Sandy River Reservoir a few days ago (along with our thinning
duck flocks). Expect to see even more birds in the coming weeks with our next
arrivals being more swallows in mid-March and then Louisiana Waterthrush and
Yellow-throated Warbler at the end of the month.
--- https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S43236307
--- https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S43236285
--- https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S43254381
Evan Spears
Farmville, VA
