Mae Houff of Weyer's Cave checked out Leonard's Pond in the midst of this
intensely rainy afternoon--and hit the jackpot with a pair of Red-necked
Phalaropes. She called Sarah Splaun of Stuart's Draft, who in turn kindly
called
me. I was there by 4 p.m. and stayed almost an hour waiting for the rain to
let up long enough to leave the shelter of the car and get my scope on them.
I had them in view (through binoculars) for the entire time; gratefully, they
remained closer to the road than to the back of the pond. They were with 2
(perhaps 3) Least Sandpipers, and often foraged near a pair of Canada Geese.
The female is larger, darker, and more heavily streaked on the back and
wings, but she has a thin bill. She is in basic plumage, as is the male,
whose
streaks are much more subtle and whose back is a lighter gray. His bill is
shorter and he is noticeably smaller overall, but the bill is still thin.
These two birds stayed very close together, for the most part. They flew back
and forth across the pond more than once as I attempted to ease my car up
nearer to them in the very heavy rain. Finally, when the rain let up, I had
succeeded in getting closer to them and managed a good scope view of their
backs
and wings They wandered and fed in the mud along the pond's edge most of the
time, though occasionally they were out in the water. I saw almost no
spin-and-dab behavior. In fact, there were periods where they just sat and
rested,
almost touching each other, as if their journey here had been very tiring.
They were still there when I left at 5 p.m.
Clair Mellinger's book Birds of Rockingham County, Virginia indicates this
is only the second record of this species for our county. The other one was
of a single alternate plumage bird on May 6-7, 1990, in Dale Enterprise on a
farm pond.
Leonard's Pond (since I still get requests as to where it is) is located on
Faught Road, just west of Va. Rt. 276. If you come from the south on I-81,
take exit 235 and drive east for 1 mile to Weyer's Cave. Turn left at the
stoplight and you will be on Rt. 276. Drive north to the bridge over the
North
River, at which point you enter Rockingham County. Go up the long hill and
still farther, and watch for the street sign on the right that says Faught's
Road. Turn left there (it's a farm lane to the right), check the harvested
cornfield on your left for shorebirds, and then drive past the farmhouse on
the
right and around the curve. As you go down the hill the pond is on the
right; actually the road bisects it, but most of the birds will be in the
larger
part of the pond to your right.
If you are coming from the north on I-81, take U.S. 33 southeastward from
exit 247 in Harrisonburg. Go about 3 miles to the stoplight that marks the
northern end of VA. 276 (Massanutten Presbyterian Church is on the far left
corner). Turn right and take 276 south for several miles. Go through the
little
community of Cross Keys and continue still some distance, watching for the
street sign for Faught Road on your left, though the street itself is to your
right. Turn right, checking the harvested cornfield on your left for
shorebirds, and watch going down the hill beyond the farmhouse for the pond.
You
can bird from your car, but a scope is helpful.
John Irvine
Harrisonburg, VA
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