I stopped by Sandy River Reservoir for a quick look-around Tuesday
afternoon and was greeted with a few surprises. First, I noticed a
beautiful GREAT EGRET foraging along the water's edge just across the lake
from the parking lot. A lot of shore is exposed right now probably because
of recent low rainfall. A few other birds were around, but overall it was
very quiet. Just as I was about to leave, four small birds appeared over
the water flying low and occasionally diving into the lake. Based on their
size, gray above, white below, and a black patch behind the eye, they
turned out to be BLACK TERNS; a first county sighting for me! (I also got a
nice close-up look at the resident EASTERN KINGBIRD just outside my car
window as I was leaving.)
Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/65924095@N06/
Checklist: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S24676044
Evan Spears
Farmville, VA
