Hi all,
my dad and I took the trip over to Fredericksburg today for my dentist
appointment and did some birding while we were over there.
Both on the way to and from Fredericksburg we stopped at a mixed habitat
location (with woods, tree farm, and fields) along Chopping Road in Louisa
County. Between the two stops there we had Yellow-breasted Chat (heard & good
looks), Black-and-white Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Yellow Warbler, and
Ovenbird as the highlights.
In Fredericksburg we spent a wonderful 40 minutes at Old Mill Park with
highlights including 6 Osprey, Great Egret, Great Blue Heron, Great Crested
Flycatcher, and Prairie Warbler.
On our way home in Albemarle County we stopped off at Crozet to check out King
Family Vineyard in hopes that the previously-reported Black Tern would still be
there. We were in luck and the BLTE gave terrific looks for the 20 minutes
that we were there and was still there when we left. It was a life bird for my
dad and I've only seen a few.
Once we were back in Augusta County before we got back home we checked out the
pond on Rte 616 near New Hope and added 4 birds to the day list: Solitary &
Spotted Sandpipers, Cliff Swallow, and Grasshopper Sparrow.
We ended the day with a fine total of 79 bird species.
Gabriel Mapel
New Hope, Va
