VA Birders,
We had rain during the night, but by morning the sky was clearing. Fog was
lying in the valleys below us. When I first stepped outside around 7:20 you
could almost feel energy in the air. Evidently the birds felt it too,
because within a few minutes the yard and surrounding woodlands were hopping
with birds. (Pardon the pun.)
At first I was seeing the regulars, then a Scarlet Tanager chased another
Tanager across the yard. At the edge of the yard in the woods I could here
the pip, pip call of Swainson's Thrushes as they fed on wild grapes. Shortly
an immature male Redstart did a flycatching act as it dived from the upper
branches of a maple to catch an insect near the ground. A Chestnut-sided
Warbler landed in the top of the Black Walnut tree, and was soon followed by
two Black-throated Greens. The Tennessee Warblers began moving about as they
picked caterpillars from the undersides of leaves. They would total 9 before
the morning was out.
Within minutes a Blackburnian fed among the branches of a second walnut
tree. A male Common Yellowthroat hopped from stem to stem among a stand of
Goldenrod as the flowers bowed their heads wet with dew.
Eastern Bluebirds perched on the electrical wires as if they were spectators
to the avian display below them. A Cooper's Hawk glided through the
neighbor's pasture not far from a perched flock of Starlings, which stayed
put, probably thinking it safer than trying to outfly the hawk. After the
Cooper's had left, a Red-shouldered Hawk, that I had heard in the distance,
came with wings fixed in a glide from behind the trees at the edge of the
yard, reminding me of a 747 coming in for a landing. Just before landing in
the walnut tree the hawk saw me and flew past across the house and into the
nearby woods. A Magnolia Warbler suddenly appeared in the top of a maple
tree and hopped about in the topmost branches. A Yellow-throated Warbler
worked its way along the dead branches of a locust tree in the neighbor's
pasture, while a Red-bellied male worked higher up in the tree.
A Summer Tanager flew to the top of the apple tree and ate from an over ripe
apple. Thats the first Summer Tanager I had seen in Buchanan County for
several years. It was good to see one again.
In a short time a Pileated Woodpecker called as it skimmed the treetops
heading for the deeper woods. Two Eastern Wood Pewees and two Eastern
Phoebes kept up an aerial display as they hawked insects or chased each
other. Six Scarlet Tanagers made regular trips to the dogwood tree to pick
the bright red berries, that seemed even brighter in the wetness of the
morning. A Great Crested Flycatcher and Yellow-billed Cuckoo took turns
sitting in the top of the apple tree in the center of the backyard.
The rapid staccato calls of a couple of Wood Thrushes could be heard coming
from the darkness beneath the trees at one side of the yard. On the slope
above the front yard four Gray Catbirds were busily feeding on the dark,
purple Pokeberries, that I had refrained from cutting just for that purpose.
Two chipmunks ran back and forth under the sunflower feeders as the last two
hummers of the season zipped here and there, stopping at the Trumpet
Honeysuckle Vine to taste the fresh morning nectar of the tube-like flowers.
After coming into the house for breakfast I glanced out the window and saw a
warbler feeding in the cherry tree just a few feet away. I grabbed for the
video camera and filmed what I'm 90% sure was a Blackpoll. I have to take a
closer look.
I apologize for making this so long, but it was a fantastic morning, one
that I will think back on this winter, when the snow instead of warblers
will be flying.
The number of species totaled 53 breaking my yard record of 47 set just a
few days ago. All of the birds are listed below.
Enjoy each morning,
Roger Mayhorn
Grundy, VA
American Crow 3
American Goldfinch 6
American Redstart 1 (immature male)
American Robin 2
Blackburnian Warbler 1
Blackpoll Warbler 1 (male in nonbreeding plumage)
Black-throated Green Warbler 2
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1
Blue Jay 3
Brown Thrasher 2
Carolina Chickadee 3
Carolina Wren 3
Chestnut-sided Warbler 1
Chipping Sparrow 3
Common Yellowthroat 2 (1 adult male, 1 immature male)
Coopers Hawk 1
Downy Woodpecker 2 (males)
Eastern Bluebird 5 (3 adult males, 2 immature males)
Eastern Phoebe 1
Eastern Towhee 9 (3 males, 6 females)
Eastern Wood Pewee 4
European Starling 84
Field Sparrow 2
Gray Catbird 7 (some eating Poke berries)
Great Crested Flycatcher 1
House Finch 5
House Sparrow 1
Magnolia Warbler 1
Mourning Dove 6
Northern Cardinal 3 (males, 1 immature)
Northern Flicker 1
Northern Mockingbird 1
Ovenbird 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 2 (1 male, 1 female)
Red-eyed Vireo 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 1
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 5 (3 adult males,1 immature male, 1 female)
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 2
Scarlet Tanager 6 (males)
Song Sparrow 2
Summer Tanager 1
Swainsons Thrush 6
Tennessee Warbler 9
Tufted Titmouse 2
Turkey Vulture 1
Veery 1
Vireo 1 (unidentified, probably a Philadelphia )
White-breasted Nuthatch 3
White-eyed Vireo 2
Wild Turkey 9
Wood Thrush 3
Yellow-billed Cuckoo 1
Yellow-throated Warbler 1
Chipmunk 2
Eastern Gray Squirrels 4 (1 very young one) in the chestnut trees
Woodchuck 1
Butterflies Question Mark, Red - spotted Purple, and Spicebush
Swallowtail.
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