Beautiful day in Highland County today! Greg Moyers and I started at Paddy
Knob, headed north to Laurel Fork as far as the Beaver Dams, then up Hevener,
and east on Hardscrabble to Wimer Mt Rd near Margaret O'Bryan's. Then south on
Wimer Mt, ending with just a brief stop at Forks of Water. Nothing out of the
ordinary...that is if one dares to call Highland County OR its birds
"ordinary!"
Some highlights:
Well, one treat/surprise was finding three Alder Flycatchers at and near the
Beaver Ponds. One seen, heard and videotaped/ photographed near the road at
the water. Two more heard -- one sounded a fair distance upstream from the
road, the other was well downstream. We heard Least FC near the ponds as well,
plus Common Yellowthroat and Yellow Warbler.
A Mourning Warbler sang, and mostly stayed in good view (mid-level in trees,
often staying still), for about 15 minutes near Paddy Knob. A Ruffed Grouse
was drumming.
Laurel Fork: two Vesper Sparrows in close proximity, roadside before the road
enters forest. Bobolinks (near Hevener)...also found these on Hardscrabble.
Both heading up and heading down the mountain, we heard one Cerulean Warbler
near what appears (on maps) to be a ridge-line.
Hevener: Grasshopper Sparrow.
On Wimer Mt Road: Golden-winged Warbler, Black-billed Cuckoo, Willow
Flycatcher, Yellow Warblers and an Alder Flycatcher heard. The latter probably
the same individual reported a day or two ago by an avid, shore-dwelling,
ebird-user (thank you, Bob Ake!) All except the Willow FC were within 1/4 mi
or so of M. O'Bryan's.
Other warblers along the way included Magnolia, Chestnut-sided, Black-throated
Green, Black-and-white, A. Redstart, Blackburnian and Ovenbird.
Diane Lepkowski
Harrisonburg
PS - video of the Alder FC is here, for those interested...wind noise is a real
distraction...and beeps are camera clicks, courtesy of Greg(!) --
http://birdtrek.smugmug.com/Animals/Highland-County-VA/15713761_pmwzDK#!i=4079051254&k=SKQn9zX
