Tuesday May 23, Jim Minick and I birded Rural Retreat Lake in Wythe Co. and
found a Common Moorhen and a bonanza of shorebirds. According to Tony
Deckers
Birds of Smyth County and surrounding counties, this was the 4th sighting
from
RRL of the Moorhen since the early 70's. This bird was on the upper end of
the
mudflats next to the pull-off area. The bird was in brillant summer plumage
&
was very skittish. The shorebird totals were the most I have ever had in SW
VA
with the exception of at Musicks on the upper end of South Holston Lake.
We had:
28-30 Dunlin (in breeding plumage)
12-15 Semipalmated Plovers (in breeding plumage)
14-16 Semi-palmated Sandpipers
8-10 Least Sandpipers
5 Pectoral Sandpipers
4 Greater Yellowlegs
7-8 Spotted Sandpipers
4-5 Solitary Sandpipers
15-18 Killdeer
In the willow trees were Yellow, Palm & Chestnut-sided Warblers, Redstarts
and
along the ditchline were La. Water Thrushes. Also, in the willows were
several
Willow Flycatchers fitzbew-ing away. We also had both Orioles, Eastern
Kingbirds,
Great Crested Flycatchers. In the field beside the Lake we had several
singing
Grasshopper Sparrows. Leaving the RRL area on down towards Scowanda Springs
we
found 3-5 Bobolinks and most of the normal spring flat field area birds.
This was the first field trip adventure I have ventured out on since my knee
re-
placement surgery and it could not have been more rewarding !!!!!
Glen Eller
Galax, VA
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