Spent the day birding Highland Co. Started the morning with trips radiating
out
from Blue Grass -- Wymer Mt Rd to O'Bryans, then 642 to top of Allegheny Ridge,
and finally a short circuit of 640 - 639- 637. The afternoon included Route
678
along the Bullpasture River to Williamsville (with brief cross-border raid of
Bath Co) & 614 along the Cowpasture River back to US 250. I was searching for
Yellow-throated Warbler in the sycamores along the rivers, but failed to see or
hear a one.
The asterisked (*) species were encountered only on the Bullpasture/Cowpasture
route.
A few birds that were expected or hoped for at the higher elevations but NOT
encountered include Broad-winged Hawk, Hairy Woodpecker, Winter Wren, Mourning
Warbler and Purple Finch. Maybe next time. A Cerulean Warbler on Middle Mtn
was a surprise -- usually, I don't get this bird this far west in the county.
After a recent trip to Ohio's fabled Magee Marsh where we saw 26 warbler
species in a few days, mostly migrants, its good to know one can get 19
warblers
in one day in this lovely VA county. Other highlights today included all the
expected flycatchers, including 4 empids. A grouse was standing motionless on
a
tree limb next to Wymer Mtn Road just downhill from M. O'Bryan's place. I
watched her for at least a minute while waiting for a Golden-winged Warbler to
sing. One sang but the grouse did not move and I slowly drove off.
Yesterday I went into our shed and heard a funny buzzy noise between the window
and indoor shutter. I opened the shudder to find a female hummingbird cowering
on the sill. I picked her up and released her outside. We've had wrens and
phoebes indoors before and even a Magnolia Warbler (twice). This was my first
hummer. Must remember to keep the door closed from now on.
John Spahr
Staunton & New Hampden
Location: Highland County, VA, US
Observation date: 5/25/11
Number of species: 94
Canada Goose 2 (w/ 4 goslings)
Ruddy Duck 1 (late date)
Ruffed Grouse 1
Black Vulture 1
Turkey Vulture 18
Bald Eagle 1 (immature)
Red-shouldered Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 2
Rock Pigeon 7
Mourning Dove 17
Yellow-billed Cuckoo 2
Chimney Swift 5
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 3
Belted Kingfisher 1
Red-headed Woodpecker 3
Red-bellied Woodpecker 2
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 2
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 5
Eastern Wood-Pewee 11
Acadian Flycatcher 4
Alder Flycatcher 1 (Straight Fork Valley, between Lance and Middle Mtn)
Willow Flycatcher 1 (Snyder Lane - 639)
Least Flycatcher 3
Eastern Phoebe 5
Great Crested Flycatcher 3
Eastern Kingbird 5
Yellow-throated Vireo 1
Blue-headed Vireo 4
Warbling Vireo 1
Red-eyed Vireo 17
Blue Jay 5
American Crow 7
Common Raven 5 (1 carrying a nestling bird & chased by 2 redwings and a
grackle.)
* Northern Rough-winged Swallow 2
Tree Swallow 26
Barn Swallow 30
Black-capped Chickadee 4
Tufted Titmouse 6
Brown Creeper 1
* Carolina Wren 1
House Wren 3
* Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 2
Golden-crowned Kinglet 3
Eastern Bluebird 12
Veery 6
Swainson's Thrush 1
Wood Thrush 2
American Robin 18
Gray Catbird 1
Northern Mockingbird 1
Brown Thrasher 5
European Starling 45
* Cedar Waxwing 2
Golden-winged Warbler 2
Northern Parula 2
Yellow Warbler 13
Chestnut-sided Warbler 11
Magnolia Warbler 18
Black-throated Blue Warbler 5
Yellow-rumped Warbler 2
Black-throated Green Warbler 8
Blackburnian Warbler 14
* Prairie Warbler 1
Blackpoll Warbler 1
Cerulean Warbler 1
Black-and-white Warbler 2
American Redstart 8
Ovenbird 7
Louisiana Waterthrush 2
Common Yellowthroat 7
Canada Warbler 7
* Yellow-breasted Chat 1
Eastern Towhee 6
Chipping Sparrow 3
Field Sparrow 8
Vesper Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 3
Dark-eyed Junco 6
Scarlet Tanager 9
* Northern Cardinal 3
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 4
* Blue Grosbeak 1
Indigo Bunting 15
Bobolink 8
Red-winged Blackbird 29
Eastern Meadowlark 18
Common Grackle 25
Brown-headed Cowbird 1
* Orchard Oriole 1
Baltimore Oriole 7
House Finch 5
American Goldfinch 26
House Sparrow 7
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)
