This afternoon I wrote a long piece about the Baird's Sandpiper and
Golden-Plover at Leonard's Pond and tried to send it out, but I suspect the
server was
jammed up with Labor Day weekend traffic--and it didn't go out. Figuring
something was overloaded, I wrote a short form to get the word out to birders,
which did fly. Tonight I found out the first one went as well, but later.
Forgive me for oversending.
I have been asked if I will continue to monitor the birds and notify the
birding community of their status. Yes, of course; I will keep the community
informed at least throughout the Labor Day weekend. I went back late this
afternoon hoping to see the Golden-Plover again. It was not present between
about 5
and 6:15, but the Baird's was still there, still feeding in its favorite
corner of the pond. Elizabeth Ihle and another birder had seen the Baird's
earlier
and they had left soon after Ken Hinkle and Leonard Teuber (who saw the
county's first Bairds in 1982) had arrived. The latter two left soon after I
arrived, but they had not seen the Golden-Plover either.
The Golden-Plover has been seen now for three days running. Tom Pendleton
found it about 2:30 Thursday the 28th and I saw it again with him shortly
thereafter. Others saw it a little later that afternoon. On Friday the 29th
Ken
Hinkle saw it about midday and late in the afternoon Brenda Tekin saw it and
photographed it and watched it fly off. Today I saw it just after Ken Ranck
and
his daughters left, again about midday. It had not been present earlier--or
if it had, it was not visible. The pond is set in a pasture with cattle and
parts of the pasture are very weedy, and the bird would have many places to
hide. But Leonard Teuber thinks it flies off and visits other ponds in the
area
from time to time. As far as I know, this pond is the largest one in the
area--about 3 acres in extent since all this year's rains fell. I do not know
if
anyone saw it later in the afternoon today. The fact that I saw 8 species of
shorebirds there today indicates something of its pulling power.
Both these rare birds seem very site-specific. The Baird's stays close to
the west corner of the pond by the road. The Golden-Plover prefers the area
near the point on the eastern side of the pond (there is only one point) but
ranges in both directions from it, farther towards the back end of the pond
than
the road end, but in either case not very far. Both birds feed in the water.
The Golden-Plover is usually found in the midst of numbers of Killdeer, while
the Baird's doesn't make any effort to feed in the company of other
shorebirds. The Golden-Plover is quite large compared to the Killdeer--about
half again
as big, and quite stout in comparison, and stands a good bit higher. (The
Eurasian Golden-Plover is the heftiest and longest of the three Golden-Plover
species.) This bird today still had golden flecks all the way down the back.
If anyone sees the Golden-Plover raise its wings to stretch or to fly, PLEASE
note whether the axillars (wingpit feathers) and the wing-linings are white
(in which case it is a truly rare find, the Eurasian Golden-Plover), or a
brownish-gray (in which case it is the far more expectable American
Golden-Plover.
Let me know of your observation, please! (<JMIrvine@xxxxxxx> or
540-432-2335.) Sibley gives good details on both species, and the British bird
guides
give extended treatments of both species also (see especially Lars Jonsson,
Birds
of Europe, and Killian Mullarney, Lars Svensson, Dan Zetterstrom, and Peter
J. Grant, Birds of Europe, in the Princeton Field Guide series.
Birds present at the pond late this afternoon:
Canada Goose - none!
Mallard 8
Northern Shoveler 1 female, back again after a day's absence
Blue-winged Teal 3
Killdeer 18
Lesser Yellowlegs 1
Solitary Sandpiper 1
Spotted Sandpiper 1
Semipalmated Sandpiper 1
Least Sandpiper 3
Baird's Sandpiper 1
Pectoral Sandpiper 2
Mourning Dove 5
American Crow 4
Tree Swallow 65+
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 2
Barn Swallow 15+
Common Grackle 9
To reach Leonard's Pond you need to be on Virginia Rt. 276 in southern
Rockingham County. If you come from the north, via I-81, turn southeast
(toward
Port Republic) on Port Republic Road at Exit 245, the third Harrisonburg exit.
Port Republic Road is County Road 659. Turn left off the exit ramp, proceed
through the James Madison University student housing areas, and continue for
more
than three miles until you come to a stop light out in the middle of the
countryside where Port Republic Road is crossed by State Highway 276, Cross
Keys
Road. Turn right on 276 and go southwestward several miles until you come to a
numbered county road, 678, which goes off only to the right. The name sign
for the road is on the opposite side of 276, and it reads Faught's Road. Drive
.02 miles on Faught's Road. Just past the farmhouse on the right you will go
down a hill and the pond will be on your right. (There is also a smaller
pond on the left opposite the main pond, and shorebirds were feeding on its
fringes also today, so don't forget to check it visually before you get out of
your
car.)
If you are coming from the south via I-81, leave the interstate at the Weyers
Cave exit, #235. Turn right off the exit ramp on VA Rt. 256, drive 1 mile to
the stop light in Weyers Cave and turn left on VA. Rt. 276. Proceed
northeastward to the Rockingham County Line at the North River bridge.
Continue on
276 until you come to the second numbered county road on the left, which will
be
Faught's Road. Turn left and drive 0.2 miles to the pond on your right.
Good birding to you at exciting Leonard's Pond!
John Irvine
Harrisonburg, Virginia
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