All – I was able to get out the past two mornings to look for migrants as well
as summer breeders in the county. I found a few early migrants and evidence of
successful breeding by a pair of Red-headed Woodpeckers. At several of the
local ponds I found a single Least Sandpiper, Spotted Sandpipers, Solitary
Sandpipers, and Killdeer. At Willow Lake in the northern part of the county
there was a Great Egret – a few are seen in the county each year – and a number
of Barn Swallows. At McCormick’s Farm (about 1 mile from Willow Lake and near
the I-81 Raphine exit) there were several Cliff Swallows and Barn Swallows and
2 Purple Martins. In addition I found a Solitary Sandpiper and several
Killdeer at the back pond, which is still nearly dry. Later in the morning, I
visited a friend’s house where a pair of Broad-winged Hawks nested in the woods
near their house. The immature hawks were very active and visible. I was able
to locate and photograph one of the immature birds. While I had never given
much thought to what immature BWHA eat, I was surprised to note that the bird I
photographed was catching and eating caterpillars in the tree (if you look
closely you can see the caterpillars in two of the photos).
This morning, I spent several hours at Locher Tract, a state, wildlife
management area near Natural Bridge, watching a family of Red-headed
Woodpeckers. There is a beaver pond with a number of snags at Locher Tract and
the RHWO are easy to locate there. Last year a pair reared at least one
offspring (the 1st or 2nd documented breeding in the county in the past 50
years). The adults overwintered at Locher Tract and were seen on and off this
spring and summer. Today, I was able to see both adults and 2 immature birds
(2nd or 3rd nesting record). There was a bit a squabbling between the adults
and immatures, so I would guess it’s time for the offspring to leave the
territory.
I’ve posted photos of the RHWO and BWHA on my Flickr site:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/vmibiology/
Dick Rowe
VMI Biology
