Hi Karen,
The first hummers in my area, western Albemarle, typically arrive around
April 15. That's the day taxes are due so it's a good mnemonic device. Of
course, these birds will arrive later or earlier depending upon your
location in the state and weather conditions.
Migratory birds seem to be returning earlier than they typically do this
year so you might want to put up a feeder a bit earlier than usual.
The best way to know that you should have your feeders up is by noticing
when the azaleas bloom in your area. Hummers follow those blooms northward.
Sincerely,
Marlene
Marlene A. Condon (Author, The Nature-friendly Garden, Stackpole Books)
Naturalist and Writer/Photographer/Speaker
Crozet, VA 22932-2204
E-mail: MARLENECONDON@xxxxxxx
_www.MARLENECONDON.com_ (http://www.marlenecondon.com/)
In a message dated 3/19/2011 10:11:25 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
radiokgc@xxxxxxxxx writes:
Hello everyone!
Is it time to put hummingbird feeders out? Anyone seen any yet?
Thank you,
Karen
On Sat, Mar 19, 2011 at 8:54 AM, <va-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Send va-bird mailing list submissions tohttp://www.umw.edu/gift/alumnicollegeotr/default.php
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Today's Topics:
1. Galapagos trip corrected link (Andrew Dolby (adolby))
2. Woodcock, Fox Sparrow at Lake Fairfax (WILLIAM Brown)
3. Dismal Swamp NWR Washington Ditch , 3/18/11 (Robert Ake)
4. Birding Trip March 19 Eastern Loudoun Co (Joe Coleman)
5. Woodcocks near Aldie (Emily Southgate)
6. Bachman's Warbler- 2011 (jacob barkett)
7. barred owl/bellview condos/Alexandria (Richard Rieger)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Fri, 18 Mar 2011 09:27:34 -0400
From: "Andrew Dolby (adolby)" <adolby@xxxxxxx>
Subject: [Va-bird] Galapagos trip corrected link
To: "va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Message-ID:
<FA375A3A15E95D4B8D711F6EB27E31990452327042@xxxxxxxxxxxxx.local>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
I accidentally "double-copied" the link for the UMW Galapagos trip. Here
is the correct link:
park
Again, please contact Nina Thompson (ncthomps@xxxxxxx<mailto:
ncthomps@xxxxxxx>) or me if you are interested.
-Andrew Dolby
Department of Biological Sciences
University of Mary Washington
1301 College Avenue
Fredericksburg, VA 22401
Phone: 540-654-1420
------------------------------
Message: 2
Date: Fri, 18 Mar 2011 13:17:05 -0400
From: "WILLIAM Brown" <billbr50@xxxxxxx>
Subject: [Va-bird] Woodcock, Fox Sparrow at Lake Fairfax
To: "va-bird" <va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Message-ID: <BLU151-ds20F872FD72163B7B4EF90EDBB00@xxxxxxx>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
I birded Lake Fairfax for a couple hours this morning, in advance of
tomorrow's Audubon bird walk there. The most notable sighting was an
American Woodcock that I flushed from the brushy area below the spillway.
The Audubon Society of Northern Virginia will hold a bird walk in the
tomorrow. We'll meet at 0730 in the parking lot near the new visitors'we
center. All are welcome.
Today's sightings:
Location: Lake Fairfax
Observation date: 3/18/11
Number of species: 33
Canada Goose 6
Mallard 8
Double-crested Cormorant 12
Turkey Vulture 4
Red-shouldered Hawk 2
American Woodcock 1
Mourning Dove 1
Belted Kingfisher 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 3
Pileated Woodpecker 1
Blue Jay 15
American Crow 20
Fish Crow 5
Carolina Chickadee 10
Tufted Titmouse 4
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Carolina Wren 7
Eastern Bluebird 3
American Robin 13
Northern Mockingbird 1
European Starling 15
Yellow-rumped Warbler 1
Fox Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 10
White-throated Sparrow 5
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) 8
Northern Cardinal 6
Red-winged Blackbird 6
Common Grackle 1
House Finch 1
House Sparrow 2
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org<
http://ebird.org/>)
Bill Brown
Herndon
------------------------------
Message: 3
Date: Fri, 18 Mar 2011 15:43:23 -0400
From: "Robert Ake" <rake@xxxxxxx>
Subject: [Va-bird] Dismal Swamp NWR Washington Ditch , 3/18/11
To: "va-bird" <va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Message-ID: <0A39185ED0CE4430A865C05F54670B67@Video>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
reply-type=original
A wonderful day indeed. Although the temperature was only 45F when
started at 7:15am, it had risen to 75F by the time we left at noon. Iwas
joined today by Renee Hudgins and Elisa Enders for our walk downWashington
Ditch. From the parking lot you could hear Wild Turkeys gobbling andthere
was at least one hen calling as well. Two toms were toe-to-toe ahead ofus
down Washington Ditch before we began the walk. We had a curious Riverand
Otter, a couple of White-tailed Deer, and a DOR short-tailed shrew on the
mammal list. The hoped-for Louisiana Waterthrushes had indeed arrived
were vocalizing although they didn't come near enough to the road to bePipit
seen. We again had a nice couple of flocks of Rusty Blackbirds. The
Winter
Wrens were singing as was the Blue-headed Vireo. A flyover American
was calling or we wouldn't have known it was there. Woodpeckers were abit
quieter today, but still in evidence. On the amphib side we heard lotsof
Spring Peepers and fewer Brimley Chorus Frogs and Southern Leopard Frogs.higher
We got my first GDS butterflies of the year as you'd expect from the
temperatures. These included Eastern Comma 10, Question Mark 7, unidat
anglewing 4, Mourning Cloak 7, Spring Azure 5, Henry's Elfin 6, American
Snout 1. The Six-spotted Tiger Beetles, those bright green jobs, were
zipping around us.
My next Dismal Swamp walk will leave from the Jericho Lane parking lot
at 7:15am, next Wednesday, March 23. Please join me. No reservation is
necessary; just show up. The complete bird list for today is below.
Robert L. Ake
6603 Catherine Street
Norfolk VA 23505
Location: Dismal Swamp NWR Washington Ditch> Wild Turkey 4
Observation date: 3/18/11
Number of species: 37
Wood Duck 15
Hooded Merganser 1
Turkey Vulture 6> Blue Jay 3
Cooper's Hawk 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 2
Mourning Dove 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 5
Downy Woodpecker 2
Hairy Woodpecker 2
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 3
Pileated Woodpecker 3
Blue-headed Vireo 1
Carolina Chickadee 3> Eastern Bluebird 2
Tufted Titmouse 2
White-breasted Nuthatch 4
Brown Creeper 2
Carolina Wren 12
Winter Wren 3
Golden-crowned Kinglet 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 2
Hermit Thrush 2
American Robin 2
American Pipit 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 8
Louisiana Waterthrush 2
Eastern Towhee 2
Song Sparrow 1
White-throated Sparrow 8
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) 6
Rusty Blackbird 160
Common Grackle 5
Brown-headed Cowbird 2
Purple Finch 1
American Goldfinch 14
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)
I did an ABA Big Year in 2010 - If you'd like to review it, my blog is
http://bobsbirds.blogspot.combirding
------------------------------
Message: 4
Date: Fri, 18 Mar 2011 17:18:20 -0400
From: "Joe Coleman" <joecoleman@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [Va-bird] Birding Trip March 19 Eastern Loudoun Co
To: "VA-Bird" <va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Message-ID: <F3B4A3D98F0E4C9BA09F96F146DA2EC4@JoesLap>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
Birding Eastern Loudoun ? Saturday, March 19, 8:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Registration Required. Join the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy and the
Northern Virginia Bird Club as we explore some of eastern Loudoun's
hot spots. The group, led by Gerco Hoogeweg, will start at Bles Park inshoes
Ashburn (for directions visit www.loudoun.gov/Default.aspx?tabid=924) and
then carpool to other locations, possibly including the Great Blue Heron
Rookery, Kincora, and the Beaverdam Reservoir. Wear warm clothing and
that are waterproof and bring binoculars, drinks, and snacks. Gercoat
Hoogeweg will be leading. Registration Required: contact Gerco Hoogeweg
drgerco@xxxxxxxxxxx or 540-822-5857.in
Joe Coleman
------------------------------
Message: 5
Date: Fri, 18 Mar 2011 17:59:29 -0400
From: Emily Southgate <ewbsouthgate@xxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [Va-bird] Woodcocks near Aldie
To: va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Message-ID:
<AANLkTikLUhF0rFedbnWAS4qf5HNGamgwUxKgAf9vPY9q@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
On our woodcock walk yesterday evening, we estimate that there were about
10
woodcocks "peenting" and flying. It was quite a display! We also saw a
hermit thrush eating bittersweet berries a bit earlier.
------------------------------
Message: 6
Date: Fri, 18 Mar 2011 18:22:14 -0400
From: jacob barkett <jb94birds@xxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [Va-bird] Bachman's Warbler- 2011
To: va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Message-ID:
<AANLkTi=qygtNiO0sz+j4S5RDh44BB9aFJM4yohC+bacE@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252
To all birderwatchers.... skeptics or believers
It is that time of year again, that is, it being spring. As you read this
the warblers, tanagers, flycathers, and all other migrants are moving in
for
breeding. This particular post is centered solely on the rarest warbler
all of North America, the Bachman?s Warbler.it
For those unfamiliar with the Bachman?s Warbler (*Vermivora bachmanii*),
is a medium sized warbler with a tragic history. First discovered bylate
Reverend John Bachman in 1832, it has since been on a roller-coaster of
catastrophe. It has had very few periods of population growth. In the
1950s a lone singing male was found in the I?On Swamp in South Carolina.that
The
bird came back for a couple of years and was last seen in 1962 and, at
time, and the time since, many people have declared the bird as extinct,a
although the official status is Critically Endangered.
However, in August 1989, I believe the year was, a male was spotted
foraging
in the canopy of some trees in Louisiana. In late May 1993, in Virginia,
bird was spotted on a perch described as being either a male Bachman?sout,
Warbler or a Lawrence?s Warbler. In 2002, there was a sighting in the
Congaree Swamp in South Carolina. These sightings are the testament that
the
bird still has a chance, and perhaps even a small population scattered
throughout the Southeast. Some of you have read my updates from the
searches I led lest year. My search group has been newly dubbed the
Bachman?s Warbler Reconnaissance Team (BWRT), and in a couple of weeks we
will hit the habitat and begin our searches. I will keep posts of what we
see, but I will *not* give out any locations. If we do see the bird we
will*
**not *give out locations or any particulars. We will give out details
about possible sightings or songs. If we feel something should be left
then we will leave it out. I ask that you commit the bird to memory, itsgleaning
song too, as you would commit to memory a vagrant or any other bird. The
bird isn?t going to be found if nobody looks for it. The Ivory-billed
Woodpecker still is seen, but only because people are looking for it. I
advise you to keep your eye out, and if you find anything interesting, I
ask
that you share it with me or the list-serve. You can email me at
jb94birds@xxxxxxxxx. As a reminder I am not doing this for fame, but for
conservation, and to prove the existence of the bird.
At 4 3/4? the bird has a thin and slightly decurved bill, used for
leaves, and perhaps even eating nectar (an unproven hypothesis). The malethe
has a large black throat patch with a yellow chin.The throat patch varies
in
size based on age of bird, basically, the younger the bird, the smaller
patch. The lower breast and belly is yellow. The tail is mostly squarewith
a slight notch with the primaries just reaching the tail. From retricesSIMILAR
r2-r5 there are white spots. The back is olive-gray. The forehead is
yellow,
and the forecrown is black. The rear crown and nape is olive-gray. The
malar
and face is yellow with slight olive-gray coloring around the ears.
SPECIES by appearance: Lawrence?s Warbler, Hooded Warbler, and possiblyexcept
Kentucky Warbler and Wilson?s Warbler. FEMALE: Very similar to male
lacks black fore-crown and black throat patch. A white-eye ring isWilson?s
noticeable too. SIMILAR SPECIES by appearance: Nashville Warbler,
Warbler, Female Hooded Warbler, female Yellow Warbler. For furtherGeographic
comparisons I advise looking at Peterson?s guide or the National
field guides, *not* Sibley?s Field Guide or a guide that uses photos,http://vireo.acnatsci.org/search.html?Form=Search&SEARCHBY=Common&KEYWORDS=bachman%27s+warbler&RESULTS=25&Search2=Search
however. Photos can be viewed on VIREO?s website:
possible
Song is a series of buzzy notes. As proposed by a blogger, it is
that the Type I song is from an unmated bird and can be heard from theold
VA recording (see link below). The song is a series of rapid buzzy notesyou
usually with one pitch: bzz-bzz-bzz-bzz-bzz-bzz-zip. the proposed Type II
song can be found in the SC recording suggesting a breeding male:
Bzz-bzz-bzz-bzz-bzz-bzz-bzz-bzz. It is sung much more quickly than the
first
song. Note also that it doesn?t end on the ?zip? note (see link below).
SIMILAR SPECIES by song: NORTHERN PARULA, Golden-winged Warbler,
Blue-winged
Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler. I am sure once you get listen to the songs
you
will notice the differences in pitch, speed, etc, so I will not go into
detail. The Bachman?s Warbler can easily escape the ear of the birder
because he/she thought it was a Parula.
http://macaulaylibrary.org/search.do
The bird usually forages at low levels, and gleans leaves. It has been
noted
to be very aggressive and to forage in chickadee-like fashion. The bird
prefers habitat that is: canopy gaps, edges, clearings, openings, areas
thinned by storms, etc. and that are thick and brushy particularly with
blackberries and cane. If you know of an area I suggest you look in it
regularly in April and May and bring a camera with you, you never know,
just might be the one to rediscover it, but you can never know if youdon?t
try.
Jacob Barkett,
Woodbridge, VA
------------------------------
Message: 7
Date: Fri, 18 Mar 2011 22:07:02 -0400
From: Richard Rieger <appleadayonsite@xxxxxxx>
Subject: [Va-bird] barred owl/bellview condos/Alexandria
To: va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Message-ID: <B58FACA2-C86F-4D00-B745-571C94B33E81@xxxxxxx>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed; delsp=yes
Well, in 10+ years of living just off the GW Pkwy, across from Dyke
Marsh, we've had GH Owls (some years ago), but tonite was our very
first Barred Owl. Our condos don't quite meet the habitat needs so
when I first heard it, I did think it was a dog... but no - it kept on
who cooks for you -ing for about 1/2 hour in our courtyard... Nice
yard bird...
Rich Rieger
Alexandria
------------------------------
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End of va-bird Digest, Vol 47, Issue 19
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