On the evening of 4/22 I had my biggest birding surprise ever, right
here at home. Throughout the day I had a great collection of migrants
at the feeders, including my FoS beautiful male Rose-breasted
Grosbeak, a trio of towhees, a trio of Purple Finches, a thrasher, 4
siskins, and assorted more common visitors. It reached a day record
for the yard at 29 species! Well, you probably know how frustrating a
number like that is, so I was working on something sitting here with
the door open a crack in case the resident Barred Owls called out,
when right at 9:40 pm I heard, clear as if it were right out on the
patio, "WHIP-or-WILL! WHIP-or-WILL! WHIP-or-WILL! ...", repeated in
quick succession around 15 times before stopping.
What a way to finish off a great day list for the yard!
Happy birding!
Ashley Bradford
Alexandria, VA
