On Saturday 3-19, in the Shenandoah Valley at the western edge of the
Shenandoah
National Park (Madison Run Fire Rd, east of Grottoes), Vic Laubach and I heard
a
Veery. The unmistakable song repeated VERY clearly. Our area's summer
residents are usually found in the higher elevations of Skyline Drive and
arrive
later; had I not heard it myself, I might think "no way!" The song came from
the north side of the Fire Road; the terrain goes up a significant incline to
rocky cliffs above; there's a good bit of low shrubby growth and downed limbs.
(Possibility of someone playing a recording from that direction was next to
nil!)
Pine Warblers have returned; I believe the season's first local sightings were
this weekend. We found at least three.
Diane Lepkowski
Harrisonburg, VA
**Madison Run Fire Road is a field trip destination for the VSO meeting May
14-15. We will NOT promise Veery at this site(!) but Louisiana Waterthrush and
Pine Warbler are two target species. Blue-headed Vireo and Ovenbird are two
other likely finds. The fire road runs along a fast-moving creek and is
well-maintained. This is a relatively easy, gentle hike -- about two miles
round-trip for the section we'll bird.
