I birded Clarke county this morning and had some good birds. There were
several Grasshopper Sparrows singing in the undeveloped subdivision near
Berryville, check ebird or email me if you want the exact location. There was
also a bird singing across the street that sounded like a Blue Grosbeak but I
have very little experience with this species and I'm not sure. The trail
behind Snicker's Gap had Kentucky, Hooded, Parula, Black-throated Blue and
Magnolia Warblers. The biggest surprise there was a White-eyed Vireo in the
scrubby area underneath the power wires. After this I headed back down to the
road on the east side of the Shenandoah River and walked the stretch north of 7
for a few miles. I ran into Josh Taylor here and we had 11 species of warblers
including at least two and possibly three Cape Mays, two Magnolias,
Black-throated Blue, Black-throated Green, Black-and-white, and 6 Louisiana
Waterthrushes. There was also a calling Least Flycatcher. On the way home I
spent some time looking for Bobolinks in the fields in and south of Blandy with
no success.
James Fox
Front Royal
