Yesterday I drove some familiar routes in the Fishersville and Stuarts Draft
areas searching for avian activity, which was minimal. I located a perched
female Northern Harrier and a very large (presumably female) preening
Coopers Hawk by Expoland, plus several Red-tailed Hawks (all perched)
scattered about. The Barn Owl in the silo along Barterbrook Road was not
there and I haven't seen it for a few weeks. The pellets were all covered
with snow...no fresh ones. It seems this creature has left the area.
In the cattle feed lot between Little Debbie's and the Target Distribution
Center a flock of Horned Larks was flushed by a Sharp-shinned Hawk and
immediately thereafter by a Cooper's Hawk. In fact, the sharpie seemed like
potential prey rather than predator as the "Coop" veered away from the
flocking lark to pursue its accipiter cousin. Quite a sight!
This afternoon I returned to this Horned Lark site. Whereas yesterday, I
only counted about 80 larks, there were more than twice that number today.
I parked and scoped through the lot. To my pleasant surprise I easily found
at least 10 Lapland Longspurs. No pipits or Snow Buntings, however. I
continued to Stuarts Draft on Wayne Avenue. Yesterday there were several
Wilson's Snipe (today only 1) along the rivulet just before you get to the
turn to the wastewater treatment plant, which incidentally has its main pond
frozen solid. A single Killdeer was with the snipe.
On to Guthrie road, where there was absolutely nothing of interest
yesterday. Today there were a few loose flocks of Horned Larks (perhaps 20
total), along with a scattering of Savannah Sparrows.
My counts are:
Wilson's Snipe.................6
Killdeer............................1
Horned Lark.................200+
Lapland Longspur...........10+
Northern Harrier................1
Cooper's Hawk.................2
Sharp-shinned Hawk.........1
Red-tailed Hawk...............5
American Kestrel..............2
At the ponds by the former Dupont plant in Waynesboro I noted the following:
2 female Buffleheads
2 female Lesser Scaup
4 American Coots
a gaggle of Canada Geese and various bastard forms
Did not see the Black-crowned Night Heron today or yesterday, although it
was seen as recently as 1 week ago.
Enjoy the remaining winter,
John
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