Hi all,
The Blue Ridge Young Birders Club had a field trip to the Shenandoah Valley
today. Our goal was to find Rusty Blackbirds to contribute to the Rusty
Blackbird Spring Migration Blitz and indeed we found Rustys but also much more.
At the marsh on Merck Property (viewed from Rte 340, south of Elkton) we found
30 Canada Geese, 3 Am. Black Ducks, 1 Red-tailed Hawk, and our first Rusty
Blackbird (a nice female). Traversing Nicholson and Model Rds we added 1 Black
Vulture, 6 TVs, 1 RT Hawk, 2 Kestrels, 1 H. Lark, 360 Robins, 7 Meadowlarks,
our second Rusty Blackbird (a male), and 225 Grackles.
At Lake Campbell we tallied 25 Geese, 3 Mallards, 2 Redheads (male/female), 28
RN Ducks, 7 RB Mergansers, 1 continuing Red-necked Grebe, 5 Coots, 2 B.
Kingfishers, 1 Hairy Woodpecker, and 3 Fish Crows. Over at Lake Shenandoah we
found what was perhaps the highlight of our day, an adult Peregrine Falcon flew
in, circled once, and then made a beeline to the northeast. Other highlights
here included 2 Geese, 7 Mallards, another 1 RN Duck, 5 PB Grebes, 4 more
continuing Red-necked Grebes, 1 Coot, 2 Fish Crows, 6 Tree & 1 Barn Swallows, 1
YR Warbler.
From here, we went over to the ponds behind the Rockingham Memorial Hospital
and found 1 continuing Snow Goose, 28 Canadas, 9 Mallards, 2 RNDucks, 1
continuing WW Scoter, 1 Kestrel, 1 Field Sparrow. We ended our trip on
Scholars Rd where we found 15 Fish Crows, and our third Rusty Blackbird
(another female). The grand finale for our field trip was a pair of adult
Cooper's Hawks that flew by low right in front of us, with the apparent male
chasing the apparent female!
Thanks to everyone who participated, and Good Birding to All,
Gabriel Mapel
New Hope, VA
