Dear VA-Birders
Just time for a quick note.
Of the 100 species of birds I saw yesterday May 14, the most exciting were
--a handsome breeding plumage Black Tern at LaGrange Lane in King George,
--a county-lifer adult Mississippi Kite near Westmoreland State Park in
Westmoreland Co as I birded a new spot in a priority block for the Breeding
Bird Atlas Project,
--and somewhere in the neighborhood of 325 Cliff Swallows on the 301 bridge
over the Rappahannock R between Port Royal and King George Co. The cliff
swallows were frenetically gathering mud from a puddle in the parking lot
and dashing off to build their nests on the bridge. I could only see the
nests that were on the upriver side of the bridge, but the birds looked
like they were also flying to other nests not visible from this side. My
individual counts of nests in varying degrees of active construction varied
from 146 to 155, so if we assume 2 birds at 150 nests and then add a few
more to include the other side, that suggests 325-ish birds.
Unfortunately the bridge is under repair and I worry about how the colony
will fare this year. Does anyone know if the workers are supposed to remove
the nests, or what we can do to protect them for the season?
I saw/heard very few migrant warblers (Blackpoll, Myrtle, Magnolia,
Northern Waterthrush) and surprisingly few shorebirds (3 least, 21 spotted,
4 solitary, 2 greater yellowlegs, 3 lesser yellowlegs, 15 killdeer
(including some chicks).
Two male Ring-necked Ducks at a private pond in King George and a female
Red-breasted Merganser at LaGrange La were the only lingering winter
waterfowl. Surprising misses were gulls and downy woodpecker. A flock of
45 chattering and binking bobolinks was in a meadow on a private farm in
King George.
All the best
Fred Atwood
