After having worked most of the past 2 weeks including weekends, I decided to
get out and catch some the spring migration in Amherst Co this morning. I
started in Pleasant View at the corner of Rt 635 and Rt 610 where I heard both
Chuck-will's-widow and Whip-poor-will. I continued birding along Rt 610 all
the way to Rt 778 ( Lowesville Rd) then visited the bridge over Mill Creek
where there were 4 Solitary and 2 Spotted Sandpiper as well as 2 Lesser
Yellowlegs. At Mill Creek Lake, I saw 3 female Common Mergansers, a Great
Egret, and a Green Heron and ran into Mark Johnson. Mark and I then birded
along Rt 617 (Poor House Farm Rd) and Rt 689 (East Monitor Rd) to US 60. Best
birds of the morning were along these roads. Near the top of the mountain along
Rt 617, we had brief but very good looks at a drab PHILADELPHIA VIREO and at
the VA Dept of Forestry Bldg on Rt 689, we heard and then had great sustained
looks at a BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO that called a few times then flew over or heads
and landed in a tree beside the road where it posed nicely and continued to
call incessantly! Both the cuckoo and vireo are very uncommon in the area
especially in spring.
Warblers seen and heard were American Redstart, Yellow, Prairie, Worm-eating,
Kentucky, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow-breasted Chat, Louisiana Waterthrush, and
Ovenbird. We also had Eastern Wood-pewee and Great-crested Flycatcher (both FOS
for us ).
Cheers,
Mike
Michael R. Boatwright
Amherst, VA
