On the morning of the 2nd, I made my first ever visit to Blandy Farm--what a
lovely place, almost like an oasis in the "desert" of the farming country.
Like the previous report, I too missed the moorhen (and the shrike), but I did
find a singing Vesper Sparrow on the loop south of Lake Arnold just before the
loop joins Route 628. The bird was singing on a dead tree on a shrub island
in the hayfield west of the loop road. It attacked an encroaching Chipping
Sparrow and chased it past me, flashing its white tail feathers in
confirmation.
I believe I also saw another one that flushed from the large trees that
overhang the road. I know that Vespers are not rare birds, but I certainly
don't
see them often, so thought I should share this sighting of a bird that may be
fairly easy to find, at least while it remains territorial.
Enroute home to Arlington, I stopped by the Route 7 Shenandoah River bridge
to check on the Cliff Swallow nesting colony. They were still there and
entering nests.
Dave Davis
Arlington, Virginia
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