________________________________
The Violet-green Swallow discovered and nicely photographed by Pete Myers this
morning at the Old Trail golf course pond in Albemarle county was still present
late this afternoon (Sat 26 Mar).
After reading Pete's post, I drove to Old Trail (only 10 miles from my house),
arriving at 4:45 pm. Stauffer Miller had seen the bird briefly a few minutes
prior to my arrival. Stauffer and I re-found the bird at about 4:55 pm flying
low over the pond. From this time until I left at 5:45 pm, the swallow was in
ready view almost continuously and periodically flew in quite close. It
remained
over the water most of time, though it did venture over the nearby grassy field
several times.
Several other birders came by while I was there, including Allen Larner, David
Shoch, Mike Iwanik, and Brenda Tekin. David and Brenda were doing photography.
A
few more birders were on their way from more distant locations.
Congratulations to Pete on his excellent discovery & fine photos of this
visitor
from the west. Assuming the record is accepted by the Virginia Avian Records
Committee (VARCOM), this will be a first state record.
Here's hoping the bird stays to be enjoyed by others, but the in-coming bad
weather may make that a challenge.
Mark Adams
Charlottesville
