I visited my usual ponds this morning to see what was around.
At Old Farm Rd pond, just outside of Lexington, there were about 15 Gadwall, 4
Ruddy Ducks, 2 Green-winged Teal, a bunch of Mallards, 2 Coots, 1 Great Blue
Heron, and 4 Killdeer.
At Willow Lake near Raphine (I-81 exit 205 in northern Rockbridge Co) there
must have been 150 Coots, 10 Pied-billed Grebes, 8 Ring-necked Ducks, 2
American Wigeon, 30 Gadwalls, 5 Ruddy Ducks, 2 Double-crested Cormorants, 1
Red-shouldered Hawk, 9 Wild Turkey, 100 Canada Geese, 10 Yellow-rumped
Warblers, and the unusual bird of the day – 1 Bonaparte’s Gull. We see
Bonaparte’s Gulls once or twice each year at Willow Lake, but they are
uncommon. The Wild Turkeys were a first for me at Willow Lake.
McCormick’s Farm, which is about 1 mile from Willow Lake and is in both
Rockbridge and Augusta Co., was quiet. There were about 20 Mallards on the
back pond. The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher that I located last weekend was still
present along the Wildlife Trail. There were a few Gadwall on the front pond.
I’ve posted some photos of the Bonaparte’s Gull, Turkeys, and a couple of other
birds on the Flickr site.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/vmibiology/
Dick Rowe
VMI Biology Dept.
