I left home this morning and drove to the State Route 737 area where I
bird often. This habitat is wooded, and encompass a marsh area between two
large creeks.
As usual, during migration, the birds began to appear between 7:45 and
8:00 a.m. It was extremely active with warblers and other birds both
high and low and visiting the creeks to bathe and drink. The trees are still
heavily leaved (sycamores mainly and a few cedars) This makes it
difficult to get a look at all the birds flitting around. I got good looks a
some
of them and only glimpses at others. My fall warbler expertise is very
limited.
This is what I am confident of:
yellow throated warbler
black throated green warbler
yellow throated vireo
redstart
pine warbler
prairie warbler
northern parula
common yellowthroat
many drab unknowns, none with white wing patches
one warbler in a sycamore with bright yellow Brest and light gray head.
(Looked like a female mourning warbler as pictured in my Nat Geo field
guide) but I am not calling that! All bird activity ceased by 10:00 a.m.
Moved on to Gala Lake to check for wading birds - nothing there.
Passed a farm pond on Route 604 in Appomattox County and there was a
GREAT EAGRET feeding there and a group of wading birds in the mud. I believe
they were all killdeer but the pond is so far off the road and the heat
distortion was so bad I cannot be absolutely sure that other waders were not
in with them. This pond is located on Route 604 between routes 603 and
649. It is well off the road across from a large farm with planted fields and
many storage silos.
Peggy Lyons
Concord, VA
