I birded the Shenandoah river from Rt 7 in Clarke county Va from Castlemens rd
north to rt 340 at Harpers Ferry, Jefferson county WV. I had 66 Common
mergansers (6 in Clarke county from the Cool Spring cemetery at the Holy Cross
Abbey), 8 Hooded and 1 Red-breasted Merganser, 8 Horned Grebes. The
intermittent rain and low fog made for close looks, 4 Common Goldeneye and the
mergansers were especially good from Wilt Rd off old Rt 9 in Charles Town WV.
Every stop seemed to have Belted Kingfishers, Golden-crowned Kinglets,
Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers and Brown Creepers in addition to the regular winter
residents. Dutch Hill Rd in Myerstown WV is another particularly good birding
spot with river access.
Across the river from Cool Spring cemetery in Clarke county is a new birding
spot, Cool Springs nature preserve now owned by Shenandoah University on Parker
Ln, off Rt 7, east of the Shenandoah river. This was a golf course and is good
birding habitat with river access, including nesting Bald Eagles. I especially
like the Birds Eye app to locate e-bird hotspot sites, hopefully Cool Springs
will be added soon.
Teri Holland
Berryville, Va