All, while covering the Cohoke Sector for Walkerton CBC yesterday I saw a Say's
Phoebe on private property. Fortunately the bird stuck around the area during
the day for other CBC'ers to enjoy. Fred Atwood does a great job as compiler of
this count working hard to ensure participants have access to private property,
so we waited until now to post to ensure the property owner was OK with
continued birder visitation to look for the phoebe. Continued access has been
granted, so see below instructions on access and where to look for the bird,
crafted mostly by Nick Newberry & Fred Atwood.
"A Say's Phoebe was found by Nick Flanders and seen by several others on the
Walkerton CBC in King William VA Dec 31. This appears to be the first Say's
Phoebe to be found on the Middle Peninsula. It is on private property. The
landowners are friendly towards birders and are excited about hosting a rare
bird. They have requested that you stay on the road and keep away from the
house. Please be conscientious about your behavior while searching for the bird
and communicative with other birders who may not be following the instructions
in this message.
Directions: Turn north from Green Level Rd. (Rt. 621) onto Hybla Farm Road (Rt.
681) and continue along the road, always keeping right when there is an option,
until reaching a patch of cedars on the left side of the road just before the
road goes up a hill towards the landowner’s house. The Say’s Phoebe has been at
times associating with a bluebird flock, at times with Eastern Phoebes, and at
times alone. It almost always stays within 2 feet of the ground and has ranged
from the edge of the cedars to the fields below the house to the red barn/shed
a bit further down the road, but before reaching the house. You will drive
through a cow pasture before reaching the hill with house/cedars and the phoebe
has been spending time near the ground around cow manure."
Nick Flanders
Portsmouth, VA
