Hello all,
3 Augusta Bird Club members: leaders Allen Larner and Penny Warren, and myself
took the day today and made the trip up to Loudoun County, leaving Staunton at
5:55 am.
We joined in the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy's morning bird walk at the Blue
Ridge Center For Environmental Stewardship. After the walk Joe Coleman birded
with us along the Shenandoah River in West Virginia and showed us some nice
spots. Thanks Joe!
We had 38 species on the walk at the Blue Ridge Center highlighted by excellent
looks of 2 Barred Owls. Also enjoyed on the walk were 4 Louisiana
Waterthrushes (an FOY bird for many), 5 species of woodpecker, and 2 Wood
Ducks.
Along the river (in Jefferson County West Virginia) we enjoyed several new
birds for the day including Double-crested Cormorants, Pied-billed Grebes,
Northern Rough-winged Swallows, and a mixed raft including 13 Horned Grebe, 1
Ruddy Duck, and 1 Lesser Scaup.
On the way back home we stopped by several places in Virginia. At Lake
Frederick in Warren County we saw 1 Common Loon, 14 Horned Grebe, 1 Ruddy Duck,
8 Lesser Scaup, and 3 Bufflehead.
At Lake Shenandoah near Harrisonburg a Bufflehead pair was the only thing of
note. What was interesting was that the male was displaying for the female.
No one in our small group had ever seen that behavior.
Our final stop at Leonard's Pond in Rockingham County held 2 Wilson's Snipe.
We finished our trip with a total of 56 species (3 were in West Virginia only)
Thanks again to Penny Warren for co-leading the trip, to Allen Larner for
co-leading the trip and for driving, and to Joe Coleman for leading the bird
walk and take us birding afterward.
Good birding to all,
Gabriel Mapel
New Hope, Va
