This evening while walking in my field about 2 miles north of White Hall,
VA (15 mi west of Charlottesville) I came across a flock of 25 or so Horned
Larks. I haven't seen Horned Larks for a long time (since working in the
Arctic). Unmistakeable. About 25 yards away. They came swooping in and
landed in my field, calling all the while, and then took off after staying on
the ground for 30 seconds or so.
I've lived here for almost 20 years. Never seen one here before. We had
24" of snow yesterday. I suspect the nearby mountains were even worse.
Perhaps they were forced down. BirdsEye (the iPhone app) tells me that they
were
reported 2 weeks ago at Leonards Pond in the Shenandoah Valley and 5 days
ago in Greenfield (just north of Roanoke), so they are moving around
Virginia.
Pete Myers
White Hall VA
