All -- Mike Smith and I spent 3-4 hours in NW Augusta Co. yesterday
(Weds), -- Mossy Creek Rd., Mt. Solon, Badger and Dudley Rds., the Houff
home in Weyers Cave, and Bell's Lane near Staunton. We saw/heard
50-55 species (my hearing is not anywhere as good as Mike's!).
Territory was not great for warblers, but we did manage to see/hear
Kentucky Warbler, Yellow Warbler, and Yellow-rumpeds.
The Houff home was super, not to mention the hospitality!! First
Baltimore oriole and orchard oriole of the year (plus the yellow warbler)
and the Harris' sparrow.
In fact, it was a great sparrow day:
Harris' sparrow
grasshopper sparrow
savannah sparrow
song sparrows
field sparrows
white-throated sparrows
white-crowned sparrows
chipping sparrows
house sparrows
not to mention house finches, purple finches, and goldfinches.
A couple of green herons were seen, + a kingfisher, + killdeer
then there were pine siskins, mockingbirds, thrashers, meadowlarks,
cardinals, titmice, nuthatch, chickadees, RC kinglets, house wrens, car.
wrens, bluebirds, phoebe, robins, barn swallows, NRW swallows, barn
swallows, kestrels, turkey'vultures, red-bellied woodpeckers, flickers,
canada geese, blue jays, cowbirds, RWBs, grackles, starlings, amer.
crows, fish crows, rock doves, mourning doves.
We think that if we had gotten out early into warbler territories, we
might have had a 60-70 day! We did look for the dickcissel in Bridgewater,
and the bittern in Mt. Solon, but had no luck with those.
Good birding to all! Richard Schiemann and Mike Smith
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