VA-Birders,
Perri Borowiecki and I had one of the best spring warbler mornings I have
had on the Virginia piedmont in about sixteen years of birding here. The
highlight was undoubtedly the SEVEN beautiful male Cape May Warblers that we
saw (and even heard a few of them) among the twenty warbler species we had
in our five-hour walk. Other highlights included a single male Wilson's
Warbler, a singing Nashville, two stunning male Blackburnians, three
Blackpolls, two Black-throated Blues (one of each sex), three singing
Black-throated Greens, and a western Palm Warbler. There were at least three
dozen
Myrtle Warblers, many of both sex, with the males looking quite good, as well
as many more warblers that were either overhead or just flitting about too
quickly. About two-and-a-half weeks ago I had my first Yellow-throated
Warbler in Fauquier County, and today I had my second; this bird was in the
pines just outside the parking lot for the sighting-in range at Phelps. Good
numbers of other resident warblers were had as well, including Prairie,
Black-and-white, Chat, Ovenbird, Common Yellowthroat, Hooded (though only a
couple of them), and Parula. Amazingly we didn't find a Yellow Warbler at
all. Pine and Kentucky Warbler breed at Phelps in small numbers, and we
neither heard nor saw either of those species.
As far as other migrants that aren't likely to breed at Phelps, I can only
note one today, a single squeaking Rose-breasted Grosbeak. There were
plenty of arrivals since my last visit here (and from the weekend in
Fauquier). Blue Grosbeak was singing from across the field across from the
entrance
to the parking lot. Indigo Buntings have arrived in mass, with 14 in the
eBird report. Red-eyed Vireos have also gone from "few" to "many" in the
county over the last few days. Acadian Flycatcher was calling, as were a few
Pewees. Orchard Orioles and Eastern Kingbirds each had a couple or more
pairs in the wetland area. There was a large flock of over 150 Cedar
Waxwings working the cedars and pines just southwest of the parking area on
Rogers
Ford Road (which is one of the two spots where we ran into a bunch of
warblers). Perhaps a little surprising was the lack of migrant spotted
thrushes, with the only species from that group noted being a few Wood
Thrushes.
The complete eBird checklist is here:
_http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S10608397_ ;
(http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S10608397)
After leaving here we took a quick peek at the mudflat in along Savannah
Branch Road, as well as quick look at a couple fields around Remington. The
mudflats had a single Least Sandpiper, six Solitaries, and a pair of
Killdeer with their one surviving kid from this year. There were thirty
Bobolinks in the field here, with about five females among them. I was mostly
sure I heard a Summer Tanager from the woods to the south, but I wasn't tuned
into it quick enough, and it only sang that one time. A checklist from
this location is here:
_http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S10608664_ ;
(http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S10608664)
Cheers,
Todd
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Todd Michael Day
Jeffersonton, Virginia
Culpeper County
blkvulture@xxxxxxx
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