Today's last birding stop yielded the day's "best"
finds for Greg Moyers and me. The Nazarene Church Road Wetlands was
replete with shorebirds, possibly thanks to the nicely-expanded mudflats.
We found 13 Pectoral Sandpipers, five Wilson's Snipe, three Stilt Sandpipers
and many Killdeer. One Yellowlegs (photos point to Greater) flew in
towards the end of our visit. A lone White-rumped Sandpiper kept us
longer than we'd planned. This was a good thing, as otherwise we would
have missed the grand shorebird finale! Swooping in low over the
mudflats came a Peregrine Falcon; the shorebirds zipped away with the Peregrine
close behind. The falcon came up empty though, and perched in a distant
tree (for a photo-op, of course.) After a while it dove on a small
flock of passerines and departed, giving chase, as they all headed north.
Other: At Natural Chimney's Regional Park, sightings included a sub-adult Bald
Eagle. We were disappointed to find the formerly sparrow-friendly field
behind the Park freshly cleared and mowed, possibly in prep for hosting
livestock.
Diane Lepkowski
Harrisonburg
