I headed out this morning to see what early migrants I could find. I started
along River Rd, south of Buena Vista, in hopes of finding Louisiana
Waterthrushes (there were 5) and any other migrants. Along the river there
were 2 male Common Mergansers and several Wood Ducks. Also, there were a
number of Yellow-rumped Warblers feeding in the trees. I did find one
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - maybe the first to arrive in our area?
At Locher Tract, which is near Natural Bridge, there were Tree Swallows, 6 Wood
Ducks, a number of White-throated Sparrows, Field Sparrows, Swamp Sparrows, and
Song Sparrows. In addition I saw/heard Flickers, Carolina Chickadees, Tufted
Titmice, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, and a number of Turkey Vultures.
The find of the day was an American Bittern in the grasses of the beaver pond.
As far as it was concerned, it was hidden. In reality, it was in the open but
did slink behind a tussock of grass to continue hiding. We don't see many
American Bitterns in the county - there are fewer than 15 records since 1900.
I suspect that more move through the area than we see.
I've up-loaded a few photos to my Flickr site, if your are interested
https://www.flickr.com/photos/vmibiology/
Dick Rowe
VMI Biology Dept
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