That's so sad...I've never heard a whippoorwill around where I live, only at some of the parks I visit. I remember, though, hearing them nightly when we camped at a place called Placid Bay near Colonial Beach. We'd sit out by our camping trailer and listen for them in the evening, really loved that and remember how we'd count how many birds we'd hear answering one another (or so it seemed). I wonder how increasingly far out and away I'll have to keep hearing them? Irene in Southside ----- Original Message ----- From: <Deannamail@xxxxxxx> To: <va-richmond-general@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Thursday, June 02, 2005 7:02 AM Subject: [va-richmond-general] Searching for a whippoorwill When we moved to eastern Hanover county 15 years ago, we were mourning the loss of whippoorwills from western Henrico, and looking forward to a few more years of hearing them. And for a few years, we did...even saw them...once had one sitting on the roof for a while. No, it wasn't annoying. Now, I strain my ears for them in the early hours every morning, starting around April. Twice this year I've heard one at a distance; it's a "run into the house and drag out the partner to listen" moment each time. This is the first year we haven't had nesting summer tanagers here. I miss their daily calls too. In this neighborhood, it's not so much the building of new houses that forces out the birds; it's the idiots who move into the houses (new or not) and then proceed to denude the surrounding forests on their 1o acre lots. They cut all the "underbrush" (including blueberries, holly and mountain laurel), and acres of trees between their houses and the road. And for what? To grow "lawns", which require invasive grasses, fertilizer, and artificial irrigation, and thereby create nasty runoff into Totopotomoy Creek, the Pamunkey River, and ultimately the Chesapeake. The birds leave, the fish die, the natural beauty of the land is destroyed. And no, it's not immigrants from other countries doing this...just good old stupid, greedy Americans, suburbanizing Hanover County with glee. D In a message dated 6/1/2005 5:45:31 PM Eastern Daylight Time, jimvb@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx writes: > The biggest bird event for me is tracking down a whip-poor-will. I took > a walk about 1/2 mile west from my home into a new development where the > developiots are chopping down trees like there is no tomorrow. I have > already seen killdeer hop around on the newly flattened ground. The past > two nights, I heard the whip-poor-will in that area. I walked down a > street in the area until I heard the bird whippoorwilling it up loudly > in a treed area between two houses being constructed. Yesterday I went > out and heard the bird somewhat farther south and east of where he was > on Monday, but I could still hear the insistent whippoorwilling. From a > distance this is a reminder of mild summer nights, but if I lived next > door to one, I imagine I would find it annoying. > You are subscribed to VA-Richmond-General. To unsubscribe, send email to va-richmond-general-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field. To adjust other settings (vacation, digest, etc.) please visit, //www.freelists.org/list/va-richmond-general. You are subscribed to VA-Richmond-General. To unsubscribe, send email to va-richmond-general-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field. To adjust other settings (vacation, digest, etc.) please visit, //www.freelists.org/list/va-richmond-general.