Apologies for the delayed posting. Last Saturday afternoon, August 21, en
route from Warm Springs I found three Loggerhead Shrikes at two locations in
Bath County. The first two were along 629 not far from McLung. They were
both on the same utility wire about 20 meters apart. The one facing me
looked to be an adult. Couldn't tell much about the age of the other; had
its back towards me. The third shrike was at Coursey Springs Fish Hatchery
on 678, several miles north of Fort Lewis and about 12 miles from the other
two. This hatchery is a historically reliable location (at least for the
last 5 years) for shrikes in Bath County. The McLung shrike site, however,
may be new. Loggerhead Shrikes are rare breeders in Bath County and appear
to be hanging on here. This species seem to be more frequently and reliably
spotted in nearby Highland County, which may be due to more birders visiting
Highland than Bath!
While observing the pair near McLung my eye was distracted by a small
passerine less than a car-length from my open window. It was foraging on
the ground for insects beneath a roadside shrub and turned out to be
Blue-winged Warbler...Curious behavior and a great look! Blue-winged
Warblers as possible breeders (this bird could be a migrant) may have
arrived on the Bath County scene relatively recently as suggested by the
2003 VSO Breeding Bird Foray -- none were recorded in 1982 Bath Foray or in
the VA Atlas Project, while 3 were identified in the 2003.
As I drove home via various back roads, and with the sun approaching an
acute angle, I had fun trying to identify a good variety of birds perched on
wires by their profiles or silhouettes. Doves, kestrels, kingfishers,
kingbirds, phoebes, goldfinches, buntings, redwings, robins, bluebirds,
chipping and song sparrows, grackles, starling, and more can be identified
with reasonably certainly without color clues, some even at 40 mph.
Reminded me of those silhouette drawings on the inside cover of my first
Peterson's field guide. I still have that tattered treasure after more than
40 years.
John Spahr
Waynesboro, VA
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