Hi all,
To add to Allen Larner's summer sightings today, Vic Laubach and I tallied up
83 species in Augusta County today. We kept finding Red-headed Woodpeckers
left right and center, especially out in Swoope, and finished with 9 for the
day. The other top bird was a heard only Brown Creeper singing it's
unmistakeable song along Braley Pond Rd roughly 2 miles south of Elkhorn Lake.
Full report for the day:
We started out in Swoope at 6:20am and had 60 species with highlights: 7 Wood
Ducks including 4 young, 3 Bald Eagles -- The 2 young have fledged from the
nest and were perched roughly 300 yards away. We saw one of the parents
earlier., 1 YB Cuckoo, 6 Red-headed Woodpeckers, 5 Kestrels, Flycatchers (1
Pewee, 3 Willow, 4 Phoebe, 2 Great Crested, 3 Kingbird), 1 Fish Crow, 1 Raven,
10 N. Rough-winged Swallow and many Tree and Barn, 6 Waxwings, Warblers (1
Black-and-white, 1 Yellow, and 2 Yellow-breasted Chats both along Hewitt Rd,
one about 1-2 miles east of Swoope, and 1 1-2 miles west), 12 Grasshopper
Sparrows, 4 Blue Grosbeaks, 10 Bobolinks along N Mountain Rd, 6 Orchard & 1
Baltimore Orioles.
Nearby on Shuey Rd we had 37 species with highlights: 1 Wild Turkey (hen), 3
Killdeer, 1 YB Cuckoo, 3 RT Hummingbird, 2 Red-headed WP, 2 Hairy, 2 Kestrel, 3
Willow Flycatcher, 2 Warbling Vireo, 4 Waxwings, 3 Yellow Warblers, and 2
Orchard Orioles.
From Buffalo Gap over the mountain on Old Parkersburg Turnpike we had 28
species with highlights: 4 Wild Turkeys (hen with 3 poults), 1 Barred Owl, 7
Acadian Flycatchers, 11 Gnatcatchers, 4 Wood Thrushes, Warblers (9 Ovenbird, 5
Worm-eating, 3 B&W, 2 Parula, 1 Pine, 2 BT Green), 6 Scarlet Tanagers.
Northbound from West Augusta on Braley Pond Rd (including unsuccessful stops at
Elkhorn & Todd Lakes), we had 24 species with highlights: 4 Acadian, 1
Black-capped Chickadee, the Brown Creeper, 2 Waxwings, Warblers (9 Ovenbird, 4
Parula, 4 Blackburnian, 1 Pine), 4 Scarlet Tanagers.
In Mount Solon we had 13 species with highlights: 8 Wood Ducks (hen with 7
ducklings), 1 Green Heron, the continuing 2 E. Collared-Doves (heard only,
could not locate visually), 3 Chimney Swifts. On Badger Rd we had 20 species
with highlights: 1 Red-headed Woodpecker, 1 Blue Grosbeak.
Along Little Run Rd by the SHD Airport we had another Green Heron. We failed
to find any Dickcissels along Strickley Rd but had 6 Black Vultures, another
Kestrel, and 1 Horned Lark. Our final stop at the Purple Martin colony on
Eakle Rd came up with 12 Martins including 6 Fledglings.
Thanks to Vic for a very fun and successful day and Good Birding to all!
Gabriel Mapel
New Hope, VA
