VA Birders,
I was up just after dawn this morning for a five mile birding hike along the
crest of Compton Mt. here in Buchanan County. With a cool temperature of 62 and
an almost deserted country road, that winds its way through tall deciduous
trees and rolling farmland, it proved to be a very enjoyable hike.
Just as I was getting started I found a couple of BLACKBURNIAN WARBLERS, one
adult female with a bright yellow throat . I had found an early Blackburninian
on 7/20, and was surprised to find two more so soon. There may have been more
than two in the flock that moved through the treetops, but a male COOPER'S HAWK
flew into a nearby tree and scattered the birds. Some other warblers found
along the route were a female AM. REDSTART, 4 male BLACK-AND-WHITES, both male
and female HOODED WARBLERS, a WORM-EATING WARBLER, 3 YELLOW-THROATED WARBLERS,
and 2 female YELLOW WARBLERS.
The flute like sounds of WOOD THRUSHES were heard down in the woods in a couple
of places. CHIPPING SPARROWS fed along the road edge, and 2 EASTERN WOOD PEWEES
hawked insects from branches above the road. EASTERN TOWHEES, NORTHERN
CARDINALS and INDIGO BUNTINGS were singing from the tops of dead branches along
the route. RED-EYED VIREOS and a YELLOW-THROATED VIREO fed among the higher
branches of large oaks and maples. A WORM-EATING WARBLER landed momentarily on
a roadside branch before heading back into the deeper woods. In the top
branches of a massive oak a pair of SCARLET TANAGERS were busy feeding a young
one. RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS chased each other as they fed on milkweed
flowers along pasture edges as the weight of bright, yellow AM. GOLDFINCHES
bent down tall grass stems as they fed . In one freshly mown hayfield an adult
EASTERN KINGBIRD flew down to 2 juveniles that waited patiently to be fed.
Several EASTERN BLUEBIRDS and EASTERN MEADOWLARKS flushed from the grass or sat
on powerlines that crossed a field. In one area 20 BARN SWALLOWS, both adults
and juveniles, sat in the morning sun like blue irridescent glass figurines
along a black telephone line.
After all that walking the sun was getting warm, I had logged 43 species, and I
was really hungry, so I headed toward home to an anticipated warm and filling
breakfast.
For those interested the complete list follows.
Enjoy the birds,
Roger Mayhorn
Compton Mt.
Buchanan County
American Crow 9
American Goldfinch 16
American Redstart 1 f
American Robin 16
Barn Swallow 25
Black-and-White Warbler 4 (m)
Blackburnian Warbler 2 (f)
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 2
Blue Jay 1
Brown-headed Cowbird 1 (m)
Brown Thrasher 1
Carolina Wren 6
Cedar Waxwing 7
Cooper's Hawk 1 (m)
Chipping Sparrow 20
Downy Woodpecker 5 (2 juvenile)
Eastern Bluebird 15
Eastern Kingbird 3 (1 adult, 2 juveniles)
Eastern Meadowlark 4
Eastern Phoebe 2
Eastern Towhee 13 (1 juvenile)
Eastern Wood Pewee 2
European Starling 22
Gray Catbird 1
Hooded Warbler 3 (2m, 1f)
House Finch 6
House Sparrow 8
Indigo Bunting 6 (m)
Mourning Dove 16
Northern Cardinal 12
Northern Flicker 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker 2 (1 adult male, 1 juvenile female)
Red-eyed Vireo 3
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 9 (1m)
Scarlet Tanager 6 (2m) (1 juvenile)
Song Sparrow 7
Tufted Titmouse 1
White-breasted Nuthatch 2
Wood Thrush 2
Worm-eating Warbler 1
Yellow-throated Vireo 1
Yellow-throated Warbler 3
Yellow Warbler 2 (f)
