Over the 3 day weekend, BJ & I birded Western Frederick Co. plus the extreme NW
part of Shenadoah Co. We concentrated on breeding evidence of some of the
higher elevation birds, but also looked for other residents that might have
been in those parts of these counties.
On Saturday PM, we went south from Winchester and searched for Bobolinks in all
of the areas where we thought they could be. Unfortunately, none were found -
the reason, I believe, is that almost all of the those areas had been or were
in the process of being mowed for hay. We next went directly west on Hwy 55 to
FR 93, which is where we had seen the Brewster's Warbler earlier in the season
- to our dismay, the road was closed off by the Forest Service so we couldn't
check that spot.
On Sunday, we went to the top of Great North Mt. via the road through
Shawneeland (housing development). At the first stop on the top of the ridge,
we heard our first BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE - a number of more were to follow. As
we traveled south along the ridge, the birding continued to get better. We
found one spot where we encountered 2 (or more?) families of PRAIRIE WARBLERS
(some adults feeding young, and other groups of newly fledged young feeding on
their own). Also at that spot we found DE JUNCOS, immature TOWHEES, RED-EYED
VIREOS, and a nice group of BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES, all actively feeding and
intermixing amonst themselves as we watched. Later along the ridge, we
encountered my favorite high-altitude avians - RAVENS - cruising in-and-out of
a rising cloud of fog; it was truly a case of Ravens in the Mist! It was
another one of those wondrous bird encounters that a person always remembers!
Monday took us back to North Mt. in search of other spots to get to the
ridgetop. Aside from Shawneeland, all access is private. We then went south
from there and explored all the roads in SW Frederick & NW Shenandoah Co.
The most unusual bird of all appeared on Sunday along the North Mt. ridge. BJ
cried out to stop! She said she'd just seen a PEACOCK! "Oh sure", said I. Of
course, you guessed it, she was right - an adult PEACOCK prancing around a
woodlot near an unoccupied new house. Well, what can you say? "Yup, that's a
Peacock alright!" Where it came from, I can only imagine (I have photos if
anyone is interested).
As a side note, I've come to the conclusion that although I used to think
Red-eyed Vireos were the most common bird around, I now think the title should
go to INDIGO BUNTING! I don't remember ever seeing or hearing so many as I have
lately. But hey, at least they're pretty!
Highlights of the weekend list:
Frederick Co:
GB Heron - 1
Green Heron - 2
Wood Duck - 6
Red-shouldered Hawk - 4 (carrying a rodent)
Broad-winged Hawk - 1
Kestrel - 1 (carrying a rodent)
Wild Turkey - 1
Kingfisher - 1
Pileated WP - 5
Acadian FC - 7
Willow FC - 2
Phoebe - 3
Great-crested FC - 2
E Kingbird - 6
Yellow-throated Vireo - 1
Fish Crow - 1
Black-capped Chickadee - 10 (or more)
Veery - 1
Wood Thrush - 12
Prairie Warbler - 10+
Ovenbird - 6 (a few still singing)
L Waterthrush - 1 (hard to find in this county)
Kentucky Warbler - 1 (singing male)
Field Sparrow - 3 (getting pretty quiet)
DE Junco - 2
RB Grosbeak - 1 (agitated female)
Indigo Bunting - 1 (female carrying food)
Orchard Oriole - 1 (female carrying food)
Shenandoah Co.:
E Phoebe - Nest with 2 young (under a bridge)
Jon Little
BJ Westervelt
Winchester
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