Virginia Birding

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Recent Postings from
Virginia Birding

Updated on Friday, November 20 at 03:36 PM ET
The most recently received Mail is at the top.

20 Nov Belated annual reminder about hunting season [John Fox ]
20 Nov Double Eagle Day - Russell County [Thomas Hunter ]
19 Nov Rufous-Allen's Hummingbird continues [Craig Zalk ]
19 Nov Pine Siskin at Claytor Lake []
19 Nov Hooded Mergansers, Pittsylvania Co. [Mary Foster ]
19 Nov Ring-Necked Pheasant ["Allen & Pat" ]
19 Nov OSPREY in Powhatan County 11/19/09 [Wendy Ealding ]
18 Nov Rufous-Allen's Hummingbird continues ["Phil Kenny" ]
18 Nov HSR: Harvey's Knob (18 Nov 2009) 1 Raptors []
18 Nov Great Dismal Swamp, 11/18/09 [nicholas flanders ]
18 Nov HSR: Kiptopeke Hawkwatch (18 Nov 2009) 63 Raptors []
18 Nov Gulls [jacob barkett ]
18 Nov Ragged Island WMA ["Living, Stephen (DGIF)" ]
18 Nov The 110th Christmas Bird Count:Citizen Science in Action [Tony Coomer ]
17 Nov Manassas Battlefield Park 17Nov [Stephen Johnson ]
17 Nov Fwd: Selasphorus [BEN COPELAND ]
17 Nov HSR: Seaside Hawkwatch (17 Nov 2009) 44 Raptors []
17 Nov HSR: Kiptopeke Hawkwatch (17 Nov 2009) 207 Raptors []
17 Nov Purple finches and the waxwing invasion [Scott Jackson-Ricketts ]
17 Nov Gulls, hawks, again... [jacob barkett ]
17 Nov HSR: Snickers Gap (17 Nov 2009) 14 Raptors []
17 Nov Fox Sparrows and ducks [Linda Millington ]
17 Nov Selasphorus ["Phil Kenny" ]
17 Nov Gulls....again [jacob barkett ]
17 Nov Sharp-shinned hawk at Arlington Cem. Metro Station 11/16/2009 [Elizabeth Whitaker ]
17 Nov BALD EAGLES in Powhatan County 11/17/09 [Wendy Ealding ]
16 Nov Singing hermit thrush ["Pam Koger-Jesup and Ben Jesup" ]
16 Nov HSR: Snickers Gap (16 Nov 2009) 16 Raptors []
16 Nov Tundra Swans over Arlington ["David Farner" ]
16 Nov Chippokes State Park and Hog Island WMA (Surry County) 11/15/09 [Elisa Enders ]
16 Nov Snow Bunting at Kiptopeke []
16 Nov HSR: Harvey's Knob (16 Nov 2009) 58 Raptors []
16 Nov Huntley Meadows Monday Morning Birdwalk [Harry Glasgow ]
16 Nov Lumberjack woodpecker [Wendy Ealding ]
16 Nov Re: Northern Virginia Bird Club Meeting: November 18 at 8:00 PM: The Evolution of Orioles []
16 Nov Hampton Roads Bird Club mtg. resched. for Tues. 7 p.m., 17 Nov. [BEN COPELAND ]
16 Nov Grackles [jacob barkett ]
16 Nov Re: River of Blackbirds, 11/14/09, I-81, Rockingham County []
16 Nov Re: River of Blackbirds, 11/14/09, I-81, Rockingham County [William Leigh ]
16 Nov Owls and Golden Eagle Nr Harrisonburg ["ALLPORT, Gary" ]
16 Nov Re: Crows flying east from Braddock road exit [Christine Huffman ]
16 Nov Crows flying east from Braddock road exit [Bonnie Hughes ]
16 Nov Re: River of Blackbirds, 11/14/09, I-81, Rockingham County []
16 Nov River of Blackbirds, 11/14/09, I-81, Rockingham County ["Jim and Ann Nelson" ]
16 Nov Fredericksburg Canal Path - yesterday ["Jim Goehring (jgoehrin)" ]
15 Nov HSR: Harvey's Knob (15 Nov 2009) 18 Raptors []
16 Nov Eastern Shore 11/14-15 Common Eider, Western Kingbird, Golden Eagle [Adam D'Onofrio ]
15 Nov Chincoteague NWR closed due to storm damage [Wendy Ealding ]
15 Nov purple finch, horned lark, American pipit - Silver Lake Regional Park ["MARC RIBAUDO" ]
15 Nov HSR: Snickers Gap (15 Nov 2009) 144 Raptors []
15 Nov Northern Virginia Bird Club Meeting: November 18 at 8:00 PM: The Evolution of Orioles []
15 Nov HSR: Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch (15 Nov 2009) 61 Raptors []
15 Nov Birds in Shenandoah County [David Davis ]
15 Nov Woodpecker day on the back forty [Scott Jackson-Ricketts ]
15 Nov Woodpecker day on the back forty [Scott Jackson-Ricketts ]
15 Nov Loons,Scoters, Savannah Sparrow - Gloucester County ["Meredith Bell" ]
15 Nov Re: Singing White-throated Sparrows ["Janice Frye" ]
15 Nov My yard in Norfolk, a silent start ["Robert Ake" ]
15 Nov Dyke Marsh - VBWT ["Joanna Taylor" ]
15 Nov live webcam of Allen's hummingbird [Tony Coomer ]
15 Nov Upper Northern Neck Nov 14, osprey, white-eyed vireo, short-eared owl, ducks, rusty blackbirds [Frederick Atwood ]
15 Nov Bethel Beach, Mathews County [G B Harris ]
15 Nov Hermit Thrush, Eastern Bluebirds and more during Reston (Fairfax County) walk this morning [Walter Hadlock ]
15 Nov Great Falls NP Walk 11/15/09 []
15 Nov wood thrush, and standing in one spot in a woodlot, Oakton, Fairfax County [Frederick Atwood ]
15 Nov Birds East of Richmond- Western Tanager & others continue []
15 Nov Merlin, Difficult Run Stream Valley Park, Oakton, Fairfax co. [Nicholas ]
15 Nov Singing White-throated Sparrows []
15 Nov Pied-bill Grebes & Am Coot at Edmunds Park ["Jeffrey Blalock" ]
14 Nov Coopers Hawks at Long Branch Nature Center []
14 Nov Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve ["Mary Ann Good" ]
14 Nov Potomac R waterfowl Frfx Co, 14 Nov 09 ["Kurt Gaskill" ]
14 Nov VSO's Teta Kain on Virginia's CBCs -- Williamsburg Bird Club Wed Nov 18 [Shirley Devan ]
14 Nov Occoquan Bay NWR - VBWT Anniversary Trip ["Gerco" ]
14 Nov HSR: Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch (14 Nov 2009) 29 Raptors []
14 Nov HSR: Harvey's Knob (14 Nov 2009) 28 Raptors []

Subject: Belated annual reminder about hunting season
From: John Fox <jjfoxfox AT comcast.net>
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:36:45 -0500

All Today's Washington Post has a story of a hunter shooting and killing a biology student doing field work. This happened south of Roanoke near the Ferrum College campus. The VDGIF is quoted as saying this is the 39th hunting fatality since 1998, but the only one involving a non-hunter. In 17 of the cases, including this one, the hunter thought they were shooting a deer. I've never worried about it a whole lot, but I guess I should. Mostly the places I frequent are closed to the public when they are hunting. Just in case anyone is new to the area or not familiar with the situation, there is no hunting on Sundays in Virginia. Which is why most of the CBCs are on Sunday. Be careful and good birds, John Fox Arlington _______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Double Eagle Day - Russell County
From: Thomas Hunter <opiehunter AT yahoo.com>
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:45:15 -0800 (PST)

After my doctor's appointment this morning I took the long way home, through Elk Garden, Corn Valley and Rosedale. In Corn Valley I saw 2 immature Golden Eagles, one on each side of the road. Later I saw 2 Bald Eagles (1 adult and 1 juvenile) on House and Barn Mountain, behind Stuart's Pond. I also saw: Wilson's Snipe - 10+ at Elk Garden Loggerhead Shrike - 2 at Elk Garden Coopers Hawk - 1 near Dennison Church Red-tailed Hawk - 2 at Rt 19 Rosedale. Tom & Laverne Hunter Russell County Bird Club Lebanon, VA _______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Rufous-Allen's Hummingbird continues
From: Craig Zalk <craig.zalk AT gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:49:51 -0500

Phil Kenny (Vienna Va) writes: The Rufous-Allen’s Hummingbird was observed again today. My understanding is that the two species cannot be separated in the field. It takes a close inspection of the tail feathers, or something like that. I don’t know for certain. That is why some birders refer to the bird by its genus:*Selasphorus*. Does anyone know of a bander who might be interested in banding it? Does anyone know if I should submit this bird to the Virginia rare bird committee? Answers: (1) The Rufous-Allen's Hummingbird can only be definitively identified by in-hand inspection and measurement. This is because color variation is not definitive for determining species and only the pattern and thickness of the tail feathers can provide a solid answer. The one exception I have noted is in the adult male of the two species, if one can get an excellent look at the outer tail feathers, a pretty good conclusion can be drawn. (2) Banders and many birders refer to the two species by its genus name or by your description, "Rufous-Allen." (3) I am a licensed hummingbird bander, but I am not licensed in VA. I will forward your posting to a hummingbird bander that I know in Columbia, Maryland. (4) I cannot assist you re the VA Rare Bird Committee. I believe the wintering species are "uncommon" or "unusual" here in Northern Virginia, but not rare. As it gets colder, try to take steps to assure that the sugar water does not freeze in the mornings, as a hummer coming out of torpor needs to feed. Hopefully we will have a relatively mild winter. Craig Zalk, Reston, VA (Fairfax County)_______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Pine Siskin at Claytor Lake
From: Herdfanmark AT aol.com
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:17:57 EST

Greetings, I saw my FOS pine siskin this morning, 1 lone bird. Yesterday I saw a beautiful male purple finch. Good Birding, Mark Mullins Claytor lake, Va_______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Hooded Mergansers, Pittsylvania Co.
From: Mary Foster <chathambirds08 AT hotmail.com>
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:30:22 -0600

Saw my first Hoodies of the year on a pond in Pittsylvania Co. today...1 male and 2 females. Mary Foster Dry Fork _________________________________________________________________ Hotmail: Trusted email with powerful SPAM protection. http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/177141665/direct/01/_______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Ring-Necked Pheasant
From: "Allen & Pat" <larnersky AT mindspring.com>
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:23:06 -0500

After spending 45 minutes watching the Dickcissel at Spring Creek, Dave Wendelken and I saw a Ring-Necked Pheasant walking alongside of Spring Creek Rd near the intersection w/ Rt.42. We turned around and watched the bird walk up into someone's yard and behind the house. A curious cat was stalking several yards behind the bird. Greg __._,_.___ Reply to sender | Reply to group Messages in this topic (1) Recent Activity: Visit Your Group Start a New Topic MARKETPLACE Parenting Zone: Find useful resources for a happy, healthy family and home Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest . Unsubscribe . Terms of Use. __,_._,__________________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: OSPREY in Powhatan County 11/19/09
From: Wendy Ealding <wealding AT aol.com>
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:53:10 -0500

A somewhat late OSPREY has been flying over our private lake in Powhatan this morning Wendy Ealding Powhatan County =_______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Rufous-Allen's Hummingbird continues
From: "Phil Kenny" <philkenny AT verizon.net>
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:36:30 -0500

The Rufous-Allen's Hummingbird was observed again today. My understanding is that the two species cannot be separated in the field. It takes a close inspection of the tail feathers, or something like that. I don't know for certain. That is why some birders refer to the bird by its genus: Selasphorus. Does anyone know of a bander who might be interested in banding it? Does anyone know if I should submit this bird to the Virginia rare bird committee? Thanks, Phil Phil Kenny 1731 Killarney Court Vienna VA 22182-2133 703-255-5423 571-226-6690 philkenny AT verizon.net _______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: HSR: Harvey's Knob (18 Nov 2009) 1 Raptors
From: reports AT hawkcount.org
Date: 18 Nov 2009 21:11:37 -0400

Harvey's Knob Roanoke, Virginia, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 18, 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 0 0 0 Osprey 0 0 188 Bald Eagle 0 4 78 Northern Harrier 0 4 20 Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 15 542 Cooper's Hawk 0 7 104 Northern Goshawk 0 1 2 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 7 31 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 8195 Red-tailed Hawk 0 227 377 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 1 1 American Kestrel 0 0 66 Merlin 0 1 13 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 16 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 3 Unknown Buteo 0 0 4 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 1 Unknown Raptor 0 0 2 Total: 1 267 9643 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 11:00:00 Total observation time: 3 hours Official Counter: Bill Grant Observers: Visitors: None. Very little traffic during the time I was there. Weather: When I arrived at the Knob at 7:50 visibility was a 4 on the west side but only at best 2.5 on the east side but that had changed drastically by 8:45 with heavy haze on the west and fog blowing up from the east side cutting visibility to 0. Winds were from the east during the entire watch and by 11:00 thick heavy clouds and fog had moved in an a light rain had begun to fall causing me to terminate the watch at that point. Raptor Observations: The lone raptor of the day appeared at 8:21 flying approximately 15 feet over the parkway and following the parkway from when I first spotted the bird coming around the far curve to the north until he reached the end of the Harvey's overlook. He then rose up to 3-5 feet over the trees on the east side and kept going south. I kept watch for him to return in case he might be a local but he never did. During the three hours of observation there were no TV's or BV's or Ravens or any other large birds in the air. Non-raptor Observations: There was a plethora of small birds observed working the trees down at the northern end of the overlook. Observed were a female Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, 3 white-breasted nuthatches, 8 Carolina Chickadees, 6 Tufted Titmouse, a male Downy Woodpecker, 2 Carolina Wrens, a Song Sparrow and a fallout of 40-50 Juncos. Predictions: Not much hope for flight tomorrow with the rain continuing. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Bill Grant (clarinetman AT earthlink.net) Harvey's Knob Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://bijame.googlepages.com/home _______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Great Dismal Swamp, 11/18/09
From: nicholas flanders <flicknanders AT hotmail.com>
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:55:42 -0500

I ran down to Lake Drummond via Railroad Ditch entrance early this morning. The Lake held some waterfowl today, w/ Am. Widgeon, Hooded Mergansers, Buffleheads, Mallards, and Wood Ducks all present. I heard Tundra Swans overhead somewhere but couldn't get on the flock. A "wailing" Common Loon was observed on the Lake, couldn't pick a better setting to hear this famed call. Another Loon was observed circling the Lake low giving a guttural croaking call in flight...plumage details/shape matched Common Loon but I have been unable to find any reference to such a call in any available literature, anyone know anything about such a flight call from Common? Three more Common Loons were flying together headed South high over the Lake a short time later. There was alot of activity along Interior Ditch, including some raptors: an American Kestrel consuming a small bird in a snag, Cooper's Hawk harassing a Red-tailed. Alot of fly-over stuff at the end of Interior including a few singing Rusty Blackbirds; a small flock of about 10 Rusties flushed from the brush and briefly perched in a snag. Loads of Sparrows here and at the corner marsh where Railroad meets West Ditch; a mixed flock in the vicinity of this marsh revealed a Brown Creeper, both Kinglets, Chickadees, Titmice, singing Winter Wren, singing Eastern Phoebe, and an Orange-crowned Warbler foraging with a Common Yellowthroat in a roadside thicket. P.S. On my way back to Norfolk a Peregrine Falcon with a bold "helmet" flew over the Western Freeway Bridge near Port Norfolk. Take care, Nick Flanders. Newport News. Location: Great Dismal Swamp NWR--Railroad Ditch Observation date: 11/18/09 Number of species: 52 Tundra Swan X Wood Duck 8 American Wigeon 7 Mallard 13 Bufflehead 6 Hooded Merganser 8 duck sp. 6 Common Loon 5 Double-crested Cormorant 134 Great Blue Heron 2 Bald Eagle 2 Cooper's Hawk 1 Red-tailed Hawk (Eastern) 1 American Kestrel 1 Laughing Gull 10 Ring-billed Gull 15 Mourning Dove 63 Belted Kingfisher 1 Red-headed Woodpecker 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker 1 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1 Downy Woodpecker 3 Hairy Woodpecker 1 Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 24 Pileated Woodpecker 3 Eastern Phoebe 3 Blue Jay 2 Tree Swallow 2 Carolina Chickadee 5 Tufted Titmouse 4 Brown Creeper 1 Carolina Wren 10 Winter Wren 1 Golden-crowned Kinglet 13 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 6 Eastern Bluebird 1 Hermit Thrush 6 American Robin 940 Gray Catbird 4 Orange-crowned Warbler 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 20 Common Yellowthroat 1 Eastern Towhee 3 Song Sparrow 26 Swamp Sparrow 35 White-throated Sparrow 31 Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) 13 Northern Cardinal 5 Red-winged Blackbird 1147 Rusty Blackbird 13 Common Grackle 85 House Finch 3 American Goldfinch 5 This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org) _________________________________________________________________ Windows 7: It works the way you want. Learn more. http://www.microsoft.com/Windows/windows-7/default.aspx?ocid=PID24727::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WWL_WIN_evergreen:112009v2 _______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: HSR: Kiptopeke Hawkwatch (18 Nov 2009) 63 Raptors
From: reports AT hawkcount.org
Date: 18 Nov 2009 19:11:00 -0400

Kiptopeke Hawkwatch Tip of Virginia's Eastern Shore, Virginia, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 18, 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 0 0 0 Osprey 0 44 3389 Bald Eagle 2 67 437 Northern Harrier 7 173 697 Sharp-shinned Hawk 25 528 9569 Cooper's Hawk 9 302 3221 Northern Goshawk 0 1 2 Red-shouldered Hawk 2 110 168 Broad-winged Hawk 0 9 765 Red-tailed Hawk 13 495 787 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 7 7 American Kestrel 3 74 4502 Merlin 0 3 1653 Peregrine Falcon 2 27 1146 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0 Unknown Buteo 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 4 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 1 Total: 63 1840 26348 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 07:30:00 Observation end time: 14:00:00 Total observation time: 6.5 hours Official Counter: Calvin Brennan Observers: Weather: Today saw a mix of sun and cloud, sunniest during the middle portions of the day. Winds were moderate to fairly strong and gusty from the east-northeast. Raptor Observations: There was very little in the way of sustained migration today with most species recorded in much lower numbers than the last couple of days. Non-raptor Observations: The most numerous migrant of any kind today was Snow Goose with just over 1400 recorded during the morning hours. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Brian Taber (Taberzz AT aol.com) Kiptopeke State Park information may be found at: www.cvwo.org _______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Gulls
From: jacob barkett <jb94birds AT gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:23:12 -0500

To all, I was looking at the gulls again. I downloaded a video. It is not the best. Apparently the so-called hawk is just a large gull, but the size, and behavior made me think hawk. It is probably a juvenile or first winter Ring-bill or Herring. I presume the rest to be Laughing. Jacob Barkett_______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Ragged Island WMA
From: "Living, Stephen (DGIF)" <Stephen.Living AT dgif.virginia.gov>
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:47:44 -0500

Hi Virginia Birders, A bit of unfortunate news...the hiking trail and boardwalk at Ragged Island will be closed until further notice due to damage from the recent storm event. The remainder of the management area remains open and the James River can still be accessed via the gated service road. The remainder of the Management Area remains open for hunting, fishing, trapping, canoeing, etc. If you have questions, please call the regional office at: (804) 829-6580. Thanks, Steve <> Stephen Living Watchable Wildlife Biologist Virginia Dept. of Game & Inland Fisheries 3909 Airline Blvd Chesapeake, VA 23321 stephen.living AT dgif.virginia.gov 757.465.6868 _______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: The 110th Christmas Bird Count:Citizen Science in Action
From: Tony Coomer <a_coomer AT yahoo.com>
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:29:09 -0800 (PST)

The 110th Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is starting soon. If you ever wanted to learn more about the CBC (Christmas Bird Count) and how you can volunteer then find out more here: http://happybirding.org/hbforums/showthread.php?t=391 CBC Circles are always needing volunteers, so be sure to pass along this information to other birders. Best wishes, Tony Coomer Prince William County www.HappyBirding.org - North America Birding Forum. _______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Manassas Battlefield Park 17Nov
From: Stephen Johnson <stevejohnson2 AT verizon.net>
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:50:13 -0500

I spent an hour at Chinn Ridge at Manassas Battlefield Park (Prince William County) today Nov. 17th. The highlight birds for me were a Bald Eagle fly-over, a pair of Northern Harriers hunting over the field west of the Chinn Ridge parking lot, and a Golden-Crowned Kinglet. The Harriers acted like a pair, one following directly behind the other's low flight, about 50 yards behind. They turned when they came to a ridge of trees and stayed together after turning. It was a good raptor day considering the complete overcast conditions. The strange "miss" today seemed to me to be the lack of White-Throated Sparrows, in a lot of good habitat which held Juncos and other Sparrows. - Steve Johnson Fairfax, VA Canada Goose - 4 Turkey Vulture - 1 Red-Shouldered Hawk - 1 Red-Tailed Hawk - 3 Northern Harrier - 2 American Bald Eagle - 1 Downy Woodpecker - 4 Red-Bellied Woodpecker - 1 Northern Flicker - 3 Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker - 2 Blue Jay - 5 Carolina Chickadee - lots Tufted Titmouse - lots White-Breasted Nuthatch - 5 Carolina Wren - 4 Golden-Crowned Kinglet - 1 American Robin - 4 Eastern Bluebird - 3 Thrush sp. - 1 Yellow-Rumped Warbler - 3 Northern Cardinal - 2 Chipping Sparrow - 4 Song Sparrow - 1 Dark-Eyed Junco - dozens American Goldfinch - 2 _______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Fwd: Selasphorus
From: BEN COPELAND <benmarycop AT cavtel.net>
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:22:02 -0500

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: BEN COPELAND Date: Tue, Nov 17, 2009 at 10:20 PM Subject: Re: [Va-bird] Selasphorus To: Phil Kenny Ok, i'm a big dummy! would that be a Broad-tailed hummer, a Rufous, or an Allen's? mary copeland Hampton Roads Bird Club Hampton, VA On Tue, Nov 17, 2009 at 4:07 PM, Phil Kenny wrote: > Nice surprise at the feeder just now! > > > > Phil > > > > Phil Kenny > > 1731 Killarney Court > > Vienna VA 22182-2133 > > 703-255-5423 > > 571-226-6690 > > philkenny AT verizon.net > > _______________________________________________ > va-bird mailing list > http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird > > Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of > Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. > http://www.virginiabirds.net/ > > _______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: HSR: Seaside Hawkwatch (17 Nov 2009) 44 Raptors
From: reports AT hawkcount.org
Date: 17 Nov 2009 20:11:50 -0400

Seaside Hawkwatch Virginia, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 17, 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 0 0 0 Osprey 0 13 1236 Bald Eagle 8 51 327 Northern Harrier 6 70 425 Sharp-shinned Hawk 4 150 2128 Cooper's Hawk 1 74 1017 Northern Goshawk 0 1 3 Red-shouldered Hawk 3 44 76 Broad-winged Hawk 1 53 811 Red-tailed Hawk 19 189 417 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 1 Golden Eagle 1 7 8 American Kestrel 1 9 411 Merlin 0 3 172 Peregrine Falcon 0 8 257 Unknown Accipiter 0 1 2 Unknown Buteo 0 2 4 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 0 Total: 44 675 7295 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 14:30:00 Total observation time: 6.5 hours Official Counter: Zak Poulton Observers: Weather: Raptor Observations: A Golden Eagle was observed to the west today. Non-raptor Observations: ======================================================================== Report submitted by Brian Taber (Taberzz AT aol.com) _______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: HSR: Kiptopeke Hawkwatch (17 Nov 2009) 207 Raptors
From: reports AT hawkcount.org
Date: 17 Nov 2009 19:11:32 -0400

Kiptopeke Hawkwatch Tip of Virginia's Eastern Shore, Virginia, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 17, 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 0 0 0 Osprey 3 44 3389 Bald Eagle 14 65 435 Northern Harrier 6 166 690 Sharp-shinned Hawk 47 503 9544 Cooper's Hawk 13 293 3212 Northern Goshawk 1 1 2 Red-shouldered Hawk 15 108 166 Broad-winged Hawk 0 9 765 Red-tailed Hawk 97 482 774 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 7 7 American Kestrel 8 71 4499 Merlin 1 3 1653 Peregrine Falcon 2 25 1144 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0 Unknown Buteo 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 4 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 1 Total: 207 1777 26285 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 07:30:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 7.5 hours Official Counter: Calvin Brennan Observers: Weather: There was a bit of light fog and haze early, otherwise the day was a mix of sun and cloud during the morning, becoming more overcast in the afternoon. Winds were light to moderate out of the northeast. Raptor Observations: Overall the flight was very typical of a November movement; a slow start with good movement in the middle of the day dominated by Red-tails and then a sharp drop off in mid afternoon. Red-tails saw their biggest single day so far. Adding to an already good day in terms of diversity was the season's second Northern Goshawk; an adult or perhaps sub adult bird. Non-raptor Observations: A lone swallow flying by the watch in early afternoon turned out to be a Cave Swallow. Two groups of Snow Geese totaled just over 200 birds and included a few "Blues". Many groups of Bluebirds were seen migrating today and included a single flock of 150 birds. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Brian Taber (Taberzz AT aol.com) Kiptopeke State Park information may be found at: www.cvwo.org _______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Purple finches and the waxwing invasion
From: Scott Jackson-Ricketts <scottjr AT ls.net>
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:53:43 -0500

The mention of Allen's and my competition is an established conversation within Aviatlas. I allude to this in the spirit of conviviality and in no way mean otherwise. Finding the three purple finches today was a surprise, as I usually don't see those until it snows or is much colder. In fact, I typically see fox sparrows long before the purple finches, but I won't argue with a pleasant surprise. SJR ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Aviatlas Date: Tue, Nov 17, 2009 at 5:46 PM Subject: Aviatlas Sightings Record To: Scott Jackson-Ricketts November 17, 2009 Bridle Creek/Gold Hill US · Virginia Lon. -81.251278, Lat. 36.613047, Alt. 2,680 ft Member: Scott Jackson-Ricketts Hotspot: Bridle Creek/Gold Hill Notes: This list was compiled through my window, not once stepping outside to count. First purple finches of the season, two females with one lucky male. Twice in as many days, a single raven flew over, very close to our roof, making sure I heard him/her. The waxwings were present in various numbers throughout the day, but early this morning I counted 31 in a small choke cherry tree on the edge of our yard. Oh, and as to this apparent contest between Allen Boynton and me, I have not added old sightings, but if I were to go into my records, who knows. I can easily think of 20 species that are not yet recorded with Aviatlas. Perhaps I should get to work. 25 Species Reported: Turkey Vulture (2) Red-tailed Hawk (1) Mourning Dove (7) Red-bellied Woodpecker (1) Downy Woodpecker (1) Eastern Phoebe (1) Golden-crowned Kinglet (2) Cedar Waxwing (31) Carolina Wren (1) American Robin (2) Carolina Chickadee (2) Tufted Titmouse (2) White-breasted Nuthatch (1) Blue Jay (7) American Crow (2) Common Raven (1) Purple Finch (3) House Finch (14) American Goldfinch (1) Eastern Towhee (1) Song Sparrow (4) White-throated Sparrow (1) Dark-eyed Junco (2) Northern Cardinal (5) Common Grackle (1) This sightings record was recorded at: www.aviatlas.com _______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Gulls, hawks, again...
From: jacob barkett <jb94birds AT gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:32:13 -0500

To all, I was leaving my home in Woodbridge, VA, to head for Home Depot on Miniville Road. We exited the neighborhood and immediately I saw gulls and the hawk as explained earlier. This time, however, I saw another one following gulls quite low to the road. The bird was an overall brown, with an underside that had red and brown with the brown dominating to the point where only a hint of red could be noticeable? I think the breast and stomach area might have been striped? The wings were long and came to a point. I have changed the identification possibilities to either a Golden Eagle or a Swainson's Hawk, but I am leaning towards the Golden Eagle. This is my second sighting of the prey birds, but I have seen the gulls many times. Jacob Barkett_______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: HSR: Snickers Gap (17 Nov 2009) 14 Raptors
From: reports AT hawkcount.org
Date: 17 Nov 2009 18:11:55 -0400

Snickers Gap 20 Miles West of Leesburg, Virginia, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 17, 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 0 0 0 Osprey 0 0 159 Bald Eagle 2 39 189 Northern Harrier 0 19 64 Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 26 972 Cooper's Hawk 1 14 145 Northern Goshawk 0 1 1 Red-shouldered Hawk 1 33 70 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 9077 Red-tailed Hawk 8 376 624 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 1 9 10 American Kestrel 0 0 58 Merlin 0 0 26 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 21 Unknown Accipiter 0 2 17 Unknown Buteo 0 2 17 Unknown Falcon 0 0 2 Unknown Eagle 0 1 2 Unknown Raptor 1 1 24 Total: 14 523 11478 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 09:00:00 Observation end time: 14:00:00 Total observation time: 5 hours Official Counter: BJ Little Observers: Bev Leeuwenburg Visitors: Jen Folts, Linda Millington Weather: Chilly east wind. Overcast cleared at mid-day, then slowly returned. Raptor Observations: Non-raptor Observations: One group of 67 American Crows ======================================================================== Report submitted by BJ Little (bluejay88 AT adelphia.net) _______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Fox Sparrows and ducks
From: Linda Millington <millington.linda AT gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:17:02 -0500

Birders, Saw several Fox Sparrows along Carr Road near Sky Meadows this afternoon. On Sunday, Carole Miller, Emily Southgate, and I saw Hooded Mergansers, Ruddy Ducks, Gadwall, Ring-necked Ducks, Pied-billed Grebes, Mallards, and a Belted Kingfisher at a pond along Antelope Road southwest of Oatlands Plantation in Loudoun County while we were birding for the breeding bird atlas. Last week, we found Black Ducks there as well. Linda Millington_______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Selasphorus
From: "Phil Kenny" <philkenny AT verizon.net>
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:07:11 -0500

Nice surprise at the feeder just now! Phil Phil Kenny 1731 Killarney Court Vienna VA 22182-2133 703-255-5423 571-226-6690 philkenny AT verizon.net _______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Gulls....again
From: jacob barkett <jb94birds AT gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:08:46 -0500

To all, I was walking home from school today and as I was walking through my neighborhood I saw laughing gulls fly in a line followed in the side by a hawk. I got home and quickly got out my binoculars. I had to wit for them to come back and they eventually did, but for now I want to turn my attention to a hawk that I saw farther off in the distance. It was real dark probably because of distance and poor light even though it was sunny out. Until the bird turned it had a noticeable white rump. It was on the top of the bird. Then when it turned I could see what seemed like a white head and a whitish underside with some brown in seemed, the white rump appeared to have disappeared.I have no idea what it is. Then the hawk chasing the gulls came back and it would have blended in with the gulls perfectly had it not been darker and larger. When the hawk flew its wings bent like a gull's does,but when it circled the wings became flat across. It was brown colored overall, and the underside was white with a mix of tan and some brown. I could see no resemblance of a red tail for whenever I saw the underside of the tail it was dark. My guess is that it is either a red-tail or an osprey. Jacob Barkett_______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Sharp-shinned hawk at Arlington Cem. Metro Station 11/16/2009
From: Elizabeth Whitaker <whitakere AT gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:58:35 -0500

I saw a light-colored (whitish with dark markings) raptor perched on the fence at Arlington Cemetery Metro Station Monday afternoon at around 3 p.m. I thought that Metro had started buying plastic birds until the raptor turned its head as the train sped out of the (outdoor) station. I always carry a camera with me, but didn't realize I had seen a real bird until too late to get a photo. I identified it as a sharp-shinned hawk this morning after doing some internet research. While I was doing this research, I found this list. Glad to see there is a forum for bird sightings. Elizabeth _______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: BALD EAGLES in Powhatan County 11/17/09
From: Wendy Ealding <wealding AT aol.com>
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:20:57 -0500

This morning we had an adult BALD EAGLE and subsequently a 2 year old individual that was eating a turtle in what remains of the "eagle tree" in our neighbor's yard Wendy Ealding Powhatan County_______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Singing hermit thrush
From: "Pam Koger-Jesup and Ben Jesup" <breep AT aol.com>
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:54:01 -0500

Along the Hike/Bike Trail at Huntley on Sunday. Don't recall hearing one sing anywhere near this late before. Other than that, just the usual suspects. Ben Jesup Alexandria _______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: HSR: Snickers Gap (16 Nov 2009) 16 Raptors
From: reports AT hawkcount.org
Date: 16 Nov 2009 21:11:31 -0400

Snickers Gap 20 Miles West of Leesburg, Virginia, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 16, 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 0 0 0 Osprey 0 0 159 Bald Eagle 5 37 187 Northern Harrier 1 19 64 Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 26 972 Cooper's Hawk 0 13 144 Northern Goshawk 0 1 1 Red-shouldered Hawk 1 32 69 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 9077 Red-tailed Hawk 9 368 616 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 8 9 American Kestrel 0 0 58 Merlin 0 0 26 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 21 Unknown Accipiter 0 2 17 Unknown Buteo 0 2 17 Unknown Falcon 0 0 2 Unknown Eagle 0 1 2 Unknown Raptor 0 0 23 Total: 16 509 11464 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 10:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 6 hours Official Counter: Wes Hetrick Observers: Alyson Browett Visitors: Alyson Browett with her pup Matty. Weather: Clear, only con-trails, stiff breeze from the NW, temp range from 52F to 62F (11C-16C). Raptor Observations: Red Tails were lazy ... lacking any enthusiasm for migration. Same can be said for the Bald Eagles. A lone Northern Harrier gave a good performance. So where is that backlog of late migrants held up by our week of rain? Non-raptor Observations: One Snow Goose in a big hurry, West to East. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Wes Hetrick (weshetrick AT live.com) _______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Tundra Swans over Arlington
From: "David Farner" <dfarner AT arlingtonva.us>
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:05:07 -0500

_______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Chippokes State Park and Hog Island WMA (Surry County) 11/15/09
From: Elisa Enders <elisaenders AT hotmail.com>
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:05:44 -0500

I visited Chippokes State Park and Hog Island WMA (briefly) yesterday afternoon. There were about 10 Lesser Black-backed Gulls (among about 200 Ring-billed Gulls), several flocks of Ruddy Ducks, and a flyby Red-breasted Merganser on the James River, seen from the state park. I also had good views of 3 Water Pipits (or are they Americans now?) at Chippokes as well. They perched on a wooden fence and preened for a few minutes. A flock of about 50 Chipping Sparrows with Eastern Bluebirds, Yellow-rumped Warblers, and a few Dark-eyed Juncos were feeding on the lawn near some of the buildings. Hog Island had a few waterfowl towards the northern pond areas -- with a lot of flooded areas. About 600-700 Canada Geese were on the grass across from the viewing platform. 6 Tundra Swans, about 5 Northern Shovelers (flybys), about 15 Northern Pintails, 2 American Coots, about 50 Green-winged Teal, and about 30 Mallards were in the nearby flooded areas. I also saw about 10 Bonaparte's Gulls flying over the flooded areas. A pair of Great Horned Owls were called and a Northern Harrier flew by. Elisa Enders Portsmouth, VA _________________________________________________________________ Windows 7: It works the way you want. Learn more. http://www.microsoft.com/Windows/windows-7/default.aspx?ocid=PID24727::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WWL_WIN_evergreen:112009v2 _______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Snow Bunting at Kiptopeke
From: Taberzz AT aol.com
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:53:45 EST

There has been a very cooperative Snow Bunting at the Kiptopeke pier Nov 15-16. There is a picture on the General Blog at _www.cvwo.org_ (http://www.cvwo.org) Brian Taber CVWO_______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: HSR: Harvey's Knob (16 Nov 2009) 58 Raptors
From: reports AT hawkcount.org
Date: 16 Nov 2009 18:11:48 -0400

Harvey's Knob Roanoke, Virginia, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 16, 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 0 0 0 Osprey 0 0 188 Bald Eagle 0 4 78 Northern Harrier 0 4 20 Sharp-shinned Hawk 3 14 541 Cooper's Hawk 3 7 104 Northern Goshawk 0 1 2 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 7 31 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 8195 Red-tailed Hawk 51 227 377 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 1 1 1 American Kestrel 0 0 66 Merlin 0 1 13 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 16 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 3 Unknown Buteo 0 0 4 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 1 Unknown Raptor 0 0 2 Total: 58 266 9642 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 10:30:00 Observation end time: 16:30:00 Total observation time: 6 hours Official Counter: Bill James Observers: David Kirk Visitors: Young Nancy and her husband stopped by. She has been an Internet friend of the Knob for some time and it was good to see her. She will be back with binos, I bet. Weather: Good ESE wind all day with warm temperatures and cloudless skies, but a nasty haze all day long. Raptor Observations: All birds on the East side. Finally an Adult GE at 12:51. This appearance was preceded by TV's and a RT flapping unusually. In that hour, we also had a partial albino RT probably, but will have to check the photos. My wife, kayaking at Carvins Cove, saw a GE at about 2:10. Non-raptor Observations: Great help from Mr. Kirk as usual today. He has almost agreed to research weather factors in hawk migration. Predictions: Winds Aloft was correct today! Maybe tomorrow will continue the flow...... ======================================================================== Report submitted by Bill James (bijam AT aol.com) Harvey's Knob Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://bijame.googlepages.com/home _______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Huntley Meadows Monday Morning Birdwalk
From: Harry Glasgow <harry.glasgow AT yahoo.com>
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:39:00 -0800 (PST)

The 19 birders who took the Huntley Meadows Monday Morning Birdwalk this morning spotted 49 species. It was a beautiful morning, and many highlights occurred. Again this week, both species of Rail were seen or heard, as well as a Sora. The Wilson's snipe was also spotted again this week with the Rails. A Marsh Wren was found working the edge of the south part of the Boardwalk. There weren't many ducks this morning, but the species diversity was good. And finally, it was a 7-woodpecker day as the Hairy Woodpecker that we were missing earlier was seen at the feeder outside the Visitor Center. Finally, we sadly report the death this morning of long time Monday Morning Birdwalk friend Wendell Cox in Mt Vernon. Canada Goose 32 Mallard 30 Northern Shoveler 10 Green-winged Teal 3 Hooded Merganser 2 Great Blue Heron 1 Cooper's Hawk 1 Red-shouldered Hawk 2 Red-tailed Hawk 2 King Rail 2 Virginia Rail 1 Sora 1 Wilson's Snipe 2 Ring-billed Gull 100 Mourning Dove 18 Belted Kingfisher 2 Red-headed Woodpecker 4 Red-bellied Woodpecker 5 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1 Downy Woodpecker 2 Hairy Woodpecker 1 Northern Flicker 7 Pileated Woodpecker 2 Eastern Phoebe 1 Blue Jay 5 American Crow 12 Fish Crow 1 Carolina Chickadee 12 Tufted Titmouse 14 White-breasted Nuthatch 15 Carolina Wren 12 Marsh Wren 1 Eastern Bluebird 15 Hermit Thrush 1 American Robin 3 Brown Thrasher 2 Cedar Waxwing 3 Yellow-rumped Warbler 5 Eastern Towhee 3 Field Sparrow 3 Fox Sparrow 4 Song Sparrow 16 Swamp Sparrow 3 White-throated Sparrow 21 Dark-eyed Junco 3 Northern Cardinal 20 Red-winged Blackbird 50 Common Grackle 50 American Goldfinch 30 The Monday Morning birdwalk has been a weekly event at Huntley Meadows since 1985. It takes place every week, rain or shine, at 7AM, is free of charge, requires no reservation, and is open to all. Birders meet in the parking lot at the Park's entrance at 3701 Lockheed Blvd, Alexandria, VA. Those with questions should call the Park during normal business hours at (703) 768-2525. Harry Glasgow Friends of Huntley Meadows Park _______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Lumberjack woodpecker
From: Wendy Ealding <wealding AT aol.com>
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:53:05 -0500

Our neighbor has a standing dead tree in his yard, which has been a popular perch for both Osprey and Bald Eagle. It has lost all of its small limbs and this past summer, all of the bark on the lower portion of the trunk, accelerated by the streams of water directed at it by his irrigation system, which has promoted rotting. This afternoon, while we were sitting on the screen porch, a woodpecker, probably a Red-headed, was working on one of the few remaining larger upper limbs. Suddenly, two 4 ft. sections broke off in the vicinity of where the woodpecker was hammering, and dropped into the lake. It must have hammered into a particularly rotten portion and set off the failure. Wendy Ealding Powhatan County_______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Re: Northern Virginia Bird Club Meeting: November 18 at 8:00 PM: The Evolution of Orioles
From: uberlarry AT aol.com
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:06:36 -0500

I forgot to mention that we are also having a book swap at the NVBC meeting. Bring in old bird books and exchange them for books you might not have. Larry Meade -----Original Message----- From: uberlarry AT aol.com To: va-bird AT listserve.com Sent: Sun, Nov 15, 2009 6:04 pm Subject: Northern Virginia Bird Club Meeting: November 18 at 8:00 PM: The Evolution of Orioles On Wednesday, November 18, Dr. Kevin Omland of UMBC will present a program for NVBC on the plumage and song evolution of orioles and why Baltimore Orioles led us astray. Understandingthe causes of bright bird coloration has been a focus of ornithologysince Darwin. Most of this research has asked why bright male color hasbeen favored. Researchers assumed that species with colorful maleplumage have evolved from species in which both sexes were drab.However, a modern evolutionary perspective indicates the differencesbetween males and females in species like the Baltimore Oriole couldresult from CHANGES IN FEMALES. Dr. Omland's group has used DNA sequence data toproduce a family tree for the whole oriole group. Using thisevolutionary tree, we can infer that the ancestral oriole was atropical species that had elaborate coloration and song in both sexes.Male only color has repeatedly evolved in orioles due to losses infemales in temperate species. Modern evolutionary approaches that leadus to consider both temperate and tropical species help avoid biasesdetermined by which species breed in our back yards. Dr. Kevin Omland is an Associate Professor at UMBC. He specializes in avian genetics and evolution. Our meetings are on the third Wednesday of February, April,September and November at the Church of the Covenant, 2666 MilitaryRoad, Arlington For more info and directions go to http://www.nvabc.org/meetings.htm Our meetings start at 8:00, but you are welcome to come at 7:30 for refreshments and for swapping stories about birding adventures. We also have door prizes. Everyone is welcome at our meetings. Larry Meade _______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Hampton Roads Bird Club mtg. resched. for Tues. 7 p.m., 17 Nov.
From: BEN COPELAND <benmarycop AT cavtel.net>
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:33:07 -0500

hi, HRBC mtg. Tues., 17 Nov., 7 p.m. at Sandy Bottom Conf. Rm. Big Bethel Rd., Hampton, VA. Field Trip to E. Shore Sat., 21 Nov., meet 7 a.m. at S. Toll Plaza. to carpool. Mary Copeland Hampton, VA _______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Grackles
From: jacob barkett <jb94birds AT gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:37:08 -0500

To all, In my neighborhood of Ewell's Mill in Woodbridge, VA I had begun my short journey to school. I was nearing the corner to where I turn left onto one of the streets when all of a sudden I hear birds above me. I look and I see a mass of several hundred grackles. No starlings were identified. Then shortly after that I looked left and saw another large mass of only a few hundred flying in the same direction. The direction was in a north westerly direction. I will check in the evening to see if the grackles return in from the direction they flew into. Jacob Barkett_______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Re: River of Blackbirds, 11/14/09, I-81, Rockingham County
From: uberlarry AT aol.com
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:32:34 -0500

I drove through a huge flock of blackbirds on the Eastern Shore once. Many of them were Red-winged Blackbirds. Here's a picture I took: http://uberlarry.smugmug.com/Birds/Blackbirds-and-Orioles/1580298_GaoCM#44558729_zExFT-L-LB Larry Meade Vienna, VA -----Original Message----- From: William Leigh To: kingfishers2 AT verizon.net; VA bird 2007 Sent: Mon, Nov 16, 2009 11:16 am Subject: Re: [Va-bird] River of Blackbirds, 11/14/09, I-81, Rockingham County I drive through that area on I-81 around twilight almost daily and the river of Blackbirds are frequently filling the large portions of the sky. I always assumed they were Starlings and never considered other possibilities. I will pay closer attention and try and see if there are other species mixed in. I believe this is a Fall phenom. William Leigh leightern AT msn.com From: Kingfishers2 AT verizon.net To: va-bird AT listserve.com Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:38:21 -0500 Subject: [Va-bird] River of Blackbirds, 11/14/09, I-81, Rockingham County Sorry for the late post on this. We were driving north on Interstate 81 through the Shenandoah Valley in the late afternoon on Saturday, November 14. At about 5:00 pm near mile marker 260 in Rockingham County we observed a veritable river of blackbirds flying from northwest to southeast. There were many thousands of birds in a long stream that extended from horizon to horizon. We weren't able to identify specific species due to time of day, altitude, and driving speed. The only other time we have seen something like this was one late afternoon many years ago while waiting for a flight at Dulles International Airport in Loudon County. It is always an amazing sight. Jim Nelson Bethesda, Maryland = _______________________________________________ a-bird mailing list ttp://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of rnithology. Please consider joining the VSO. ttp://www.virginiabirds.net/ _______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Re: River of Blackbirds, 11/14/09, I-81, Rockingham County
From: William Leigh <leightern AT msn.com>
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:16:09 +0000

I drive through that area on I-81 around twilight almost daily and the river of Blackbirds are frequently filling the large portions of the sky. I always assumed they were Starlings and never considered other possibilities. I will pay closer attention and try and see if there are other species mixed in. I believe this is a Fall phenom. William Leigh leightern AT msn.com From: Kingfishers2 AT verizon.net To: va-bird AT listserve.com Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:38:21 -0500 Subject: [Va-bird] River of Blackbirds, 11/14/09, I-81, Rockingham County Sorry for the late post on this. We were driving north on Interstate 81 through the Shenandoah Valley in the late afternoon on Saturday, November 14. At about 5:00 pm near mile marker 260 in Rockingham County we observed a veritable river of blackbirds flying from northwest to southeast. There were many thousands of birds in a long stream that extended from horizon to horizon. We weren't able to identify specific species due to time of day, altitude, and driving speed. The only other time we have seen something like this was one late afternoon many years ago while waiting for a flight at Dulles International Airport in Loudon County. It is always an amazing sight. Jim Nelson Bethesda, Maryland _______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Owls and Golden Eagle Nr Harrisonburg
From: "ALLPORT, Gary" <gallport AT audubon.org>
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:06:34 -0500

Dear All Thanks to Clair Mellinger and his colleagues we were able to join the owl banding operation at Highland Retreat on Saturday evening. Two families, Frank Hawkins' team and my family, enjoyed a productive evening with 11 Saw Whet Owls caught and enjoyed to the full. We missed the very last net round of the night when a banded Saw Whet was re-trapped and a Screech owl caught - but the children were fast asleep by then. We were able to stay on-site at the Highland Retreat Center and enjoy a stroll in the beautiful morning air on Sunday morning before heading home. A bonus bird was an excellent adult Golden Eagle, which was seen heading over as we packed up at about 11.30am . Thanks once again to Clair and all on the banding team. Gary Allport email: GAllport AT Audubon.org_______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Re: Crows flying east from Braddock road exit
From: Christine Huffman <crhuff55 AT aol.com>
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:12:43 -0500

we see hundreds of crows heading west every morning - and alot of them are fish crows as we hear them calling - our local american crows protest their passage from the tops of trees - christie huffman - great falls, va On Nov 16, 2009, at 10:08 AM, Bonnie Hughes wrote: > While I was waiting for the light to go eastbound on Braddock from > the Outer Loop at sunset last night, observed over 500 crows staging > in the trees along the exit and then flying East or South east. Not > sure how long the flight had been proceeding so there could have > been even more. > > Anybody know where they might have been headed? > > Bonnie Hughes > _______________________________________________ > va-bird mailing list > http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird > > Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia > Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. > http://www.virginiabirds.net/ _______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Crows flying east from Braddock road exit
From: Bonnie Hughes <bephughes AT yahoo.com>
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:08:08 -0800 (PST)

While I was waiting for the light to go eastbound on Braddock from the Outer Loop at sunset last night, observed over 500 crows staging in the trees along the exit and then flying East or South east. Not sure how long the flight had been proceeding so there could have been even more. Anybody know where they might have been headed? Bonnie Hughes _______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Re: River of Blackbirds, 11/14/09, I-81, Rockingham County
From: Bazuin.John AT epamail.epa.gov
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:07:28 -0500

In my experience the only local species that flies long-distance like this ("in a tube", so to speak) in large numbers is Common Grackle. I haven't seen it in quite a few years, however, and don't know why they fly in this fashion, rather than on a much broader front. Perhaps they create an air flow in the "tube" that somewhat increases their speed? John Bazuin From: "Jim and Ann Nelson" To: "VA-Bird" Date: 11/16/2009 09:38 AM Subject: [Va-bird] River of Blackbirds, 11/14/09, I-81, Rockingham County Sorry for the late post on this. We were driving north on Interstate 81 through the Shenandoah Valley in the late afternoon on Saturday, November 14. At about 5:00 pm near mile marker 260 in Rockingham County we observed a veritable river of blackbirds flying from northwest to southeast. There were many thousands of birds in a long stream that extended from horizon to horizon. We weren't able to identify specific species due to time of day, altitude, and driving speed. The only other time we have seen something like this was one late afternoon many years ago while waiting for a flight at Dulles International Airport in Loudon County. It is always an amazing sight. Jim Nelson Bethesda, Maryland_______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/ _______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: River of Blackbirds, 11/14/09, I-81, Rockingham County
From: "Jim and Ann Nelson" <Kingfishers2 AT verizon.net>
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:38:21 -0500

Sorry for the late post on this. We were driving north on Interstate 81 through the Shenandoah Valley in the late afternoon on Saturday, November 14. At about 5:00 pm near mile marker 260 in Rockingham County we observed a veritable river of blackbirds flying from northwest to southeast. There were many thousands of birds in a long stream that extended from horizon to horizon. We weren't able to identify specific species due to time of day, altitude, and driving speed. The only other time we have seen something like this was one late afternoon many years ago while waiting for a flight at Dulles International Airport in Loudon County. It is always an amazing sight. Jim Nelson Bethesda, Maryland_______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Fredericksburg Canal Path - yesterday
From: "Jim Goehring (jgoehrin)" <jgoehrin AT umw.edu>
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:56:35 -0500

A nice morning walk down the canal path yesterday morning produced a 6 woodpecker day. Also found a winter wren and 3 swamp sparrows. Full list: Great Blue Heron 2 Canada Goose 15 Mallard 14 (incl 6 pairs) Red-shouldered Hawk 1 Red-tailed Hawk 2 Ring-billed Gull AT 400 large group flying over Downy Woodpecker 2 Hairy Woodpecker 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker 5 Pileated Woodpecker 1 N. Flicker 2 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1 Am Crow 7 Blue Jay 7 Mourning Dove 9 Starling 14 Cedar Waxwing 54 Car. Chickadee 10 Car. Wren 13 Winter Wren 1 Tufted Titmouse 9 White-breasted Nithatch 1 American Robin 50 Yellow-rumped Warbler 5 Common Yellowthroat 1 brightly colored female N. Cardinal 37+ N. Mockingbird 2 White-thr Sparrow 34 Song Sparrow 14 Swamp Sparrow 3 Red-winged Blackbird 1 Am Goldfinch 9 _______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: HSR: Harvey's Knob (15 Nov 2009) 18 Raptors
From: reports AT hawkcount.org
Date: 15 Nov 2009 22:11:18 -0400

Harvey's Knob Roanoke, Virginia, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 15, 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 0 0 0 Osprey 0 0 188 Bald Eagle 0 4 78 Northern Harrier 0 4 20 Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 11 538 Cooper's Hawk 1 4 101 Northern Goshawk 0 1 2 Red-shouldered Hawk 1 7 31 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 8195 Red-tailed Hawk 14 176 326 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 0 0 66 Merlin 1 1 13 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 16 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 3 Unknown Buteo 0 0 4 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 1 Unknown Raptor 0 0 2 Total: 18 208 9584 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 10:15:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 4.75 hours Official Counter: Bill James Observers: Barry Kinzie, Clark Hill, phillip ferguson Visitors: Mark J. from the Lynchburg challenge helped most of the day - shortly after he left a Merlin came by - a bird he needed. Barry Kinzie brought a cache to hide in the woods and great stories from the early days. Philip came by to polish his bike. Clark was by and will provide data on the remainder of the day. Last came Diane and Dave learning about birds. Weather: Good wind early with no flight - understand there was no wind on the ground which seems to occasionally be explanatory. Fog in the west valley early as well. Very nice day with unusual warmth. Red Tails voling down the valleys? Raptor Observations: Few hawks overhead until late - some arising in the valley. Vultures low most of the day. Non-raptor Observations: Fox Sparrow and Pine Siskins. There once was a hawkwatcher named Rose, Who counted hawks on her fingers and toes. But in mid-September She had to remember To bring along her box of Cheerios. Predictions: We are still without a Golden............ ======================================================================== Report submitted by Bill James (bijam AT aol.com) Harvey's Knob Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://bijame.googlepages.com/home _______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Eastern Shore 11/14-15 Common Eider, Western Kingbird, Golden Eagle
From: Adam D'Onofrio <bigadfromlb AT comcast.net>
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 01:29:21 +0000 (UTC)

Tina Trice and I enjoyed a nice weekend on the eastern shore.Â Biggest highlight was spending time todayÂ with my buddies from New Jersey Audubon, led by Scott Barnes, Pete Bacinski and Linda Mack,Â who were down for their annual Chincoteague trip.Â Unfortunately for them, the refuge at Chincoteague was closed due to damage by the remnants of Ida.Â It was also a pleasure to run into Paul Nasca at Cape Charles today.Â Bird highlights startedÂ with our first stop on CBBT Island 1 Saturday morningÂ where we had a maleÂ COMMON EIDER which was pretty much an adult.Â Except for some dusky color on the neck and a few spots on the back, this bird was in adult plumage so I guess it was a 2ndÂ winterÂ bird.Â Not sure if this was the same bird Sue Heath had seen before the nor'easter? Â Other birds included NORTHERN GANNETS, Â several RED-THROATED LOONS, both SURF and BLACK SCOTERS, a pair of AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHERSÂ and PURPLE SANDPIPERS.Â We were hoping for some sea birds blown inland by the storm but we didn't see any despite seawatching for 3 hours.Â Over on the mainland, there were aÂ number ofÂ flooded fields that held shorebirds.Â Big numbers of DUNLIN andÂ BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERSÂ with lesser numbers of GREATER YELLOWLEGS and DOWITCHERS and a sprinkling of WESTERN and LEAST SANDPIPERS.Â Â Also had 2Â juvenile WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS and a single PECTORAL SANDPIPER.Â Â Later in the day we ran into a WESTERN KINGBIRDÂ on Seaside Rd about 1.5 miles north of Indiantown Rd.Â Paul's group also saw this bird earlier in the day and it was obliging enough to stick around untilÂ this morning so that the NJ Audubon group could enjoy it.Â Â Other highlights from today included 2 WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS at Cape Charles, a SPOTTED SANDPIPER at Cape Charles seen by Paul and Tina andÂ an immature GOLDEN EAGLE on Magotha Rd. seen byÂ NJ Audubon.Â We had our share of gullÂ intrigue today starting with an interesting gull among the more common gulls in a flooded field on Rt. 13 just north of Machipongo.Â The gull most closely resembled an adultÂ Lesser Black-backed Gull but just wasn't "right" for that species.Â Maybe a hybrid?Â Anyway, Scott took some photos which will be circulated for opinion.Â Towards the end of our day we had a frustratingly brief flyoverÂ look at what may have been a first cycle Franklin's Gull but the group couldn'tÂ nail down all the field marks and we decided to let it go............oh well, sometimes they get away! Â I pasted a link below toÂ a photoÂ of the Common Eider.Â Good birding. Adam D'OnofrioÂ Dinwiddie Co. http://www.flickr.com/photos/39668089 AT N05/4107833078/ Â Â Â Â Â _______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Chincoteague NWR closed due to storm damage
From: Wendy Ealding <wealding AT aol.com>
Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 19:37:20 -0500

If you are thinking of going to Chincoteague NWR in the near future, think again! The refuge is closed until further notice due to storm damage See http://www.fws.gov/northeast/chinco/nor'easter.html Wendy Ealding Powhatan County_______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: purple finch, horned lark, American pipit - Silver Lake Regional Park
From: "MARC RIBAUDO" <moribaudo AT verizon.net>
Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 19:29:25 -0500

Silver Lake Regional Park is a new Prince William County park, located in Haymarket near North Fork Wetlands. I checked it out today, and had a nice morning. The park has a fairly large lake, and trails that go though woods and fields. Birds were pretty much as expected. Lots of sparrows were encountered, with large numbers of fields, many songs, white-throats, and juncos, and a few chipping, fox and towhee. I heard several purple finches, and saw fly-over horned lark and American pipit I heard or saw number of hermit thrushes in the woods. The lake held only a few Canada geese and a single ring-necked duck. I saw 43 species in all. Marc Ribaudo Woodbridge_______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: HSR: Snickers Gap (15 Nov 2009) 144 Raptors
From: reports AT hawkcount.org
Date: 15 Nov 2009 19:11:03 -0400

Snickers Gap 20 Miles West of Leesburg, Virginia, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 15, 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 0 0 0 Osprey 0 0 159 Bald Eagle 10 32 182 Northern Harrier 2 18 63 Sharp-shinned Hawk 6 26 972 Cooper's Hawk 4 13 144 Northern Goshawk 0 1 1 Red-shouldered Hawk 14 31 68 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 9077 Red-tailed Hawk 107 359 607 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 1 8 9 American Kestrel 0 0 58 Merlin 0 0 26 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 21 Unknown Accipiter 0 2 17 Unknown Buteo 0 2 17 Unknown Falcon 0 0 2 Unknown Eagle 0 1 2 Unknown Raptor 0 0 23 Total: 144 493 11448 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 09:30:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 6.5 hours Official Counter: Joan Boudreau and Bob Abrams Observers: Doug Graham, The Littles, Todd Day, Yusuf Gantt Visitors: A new Joe Bauer, Bev and Wes. A really fluffy white Bijon Friesse and a load of other dogs. Weather: Not too bad. Mostly sunny but lots of contrails. Raptor Observations: Non-raptor Observations: ======================================================================== Report submitted by Joan and Bob (icepeep AT aol.com) _______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Northern Virginia Bird Club Meeting: November 18 at 8:00 PM: The Evolution of Orioles
From: uberlarry AT aol.com
Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 18:04:57 -0500

On Wednesday, November 18, Dr. Kevin Omland of UMBC will present a program for NVBC on the plumage and song evolution of orioles and why Baltimore Orioles led us astray. Understandingthe causes of bright bird coloration has been a focus of ornithologysince Darwin. Most of this research has asked why bright male color hasbeen favored. Researchers assumed that species with colorful maleplumage have evolved from species in which both sexes were drab.However, a modern evolutionary perspective indicates the differencesbetween males and females in species like the Baltimore Oriole couldresult from CHANGES IN FEMALES. Dr. Omland's group has used DNA sequence data toproduce a family tree for the whole oriole group. Using thisevolutionary tree, we can infer that the ancestral oriole was atropical species that had elaborate coloration and song in both sexes.Male only color has repeatedly evolved in orioles due to losses infemales in temperate species. Modern evolutionary approaches that leadus to consider both temperate and tropical species help avoid biasesdetermined by which species breed in our back yards. Dr. Kevin Omland is an Associate Professor at UMBC. He specializes in avian genetics and evolution. Our meetings are on the third Wednesday of February, April,September and November at the Church of the Covenant, 2666 MilitaryRoad, Arlington For more info and directions go to http://www.nvabc.org/meetings.htm Our meetings start at 8:00, but you are welcome to come at 7:30 for refreshments and for swapping stories about birding adventures. We also have door prizes. Everyone is welcome at our meetings. Larry Meade _______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: HSR: Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch (15 Nov 2009) 61 Raptors
From: reports AT hawkcount.org
Date: 15 Nov 2009 18:11:24 -0400

Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch Waynesboro, Virginia, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 15, 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 0 0 0 Osprey 0 0 211 Bald Eagle 0 3 75 Northern Harrier 1 3 15 Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 3 814 Cooper's Hawk 2 5 132 Northern Goshawk 0 0 1 Red-shouldered Hawk 4 10 19 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 12069 Red-tailed Hawk 53 115 229 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 1 1 American Kestrel 0 0 123 Merlin 0 1 12 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 16 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 1 Unknown Buteo 0 0 6 Unknown Falcon 0 0 4 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 1 1 8 Mississippi Kite 0 0 1 Total: 61 142 13737 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 09:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 6 hours Official Counter: Multiple Counters Observers: Brenda Tekin, Rose Thomas, Vic Laubach Visitors: Pete Nebel made it up for a brief visit. Weather: Bittersweet -- Great day to be outdoors but today marked the end of the season for counters Rose Thomas and Brenda Tekin. The official end of the fall 2009 season is next Sunday. Early morning produced patches of dense low ground fog at lower elevations. There was a thin veil of cirrus wisps producing partly cloudy skies clearing out by early afternoon. What few clouds remainded, as pointed out by Vic Laubach, appeared to be jet contrails. Winds about 10-12km/h out of the W=NW, with few blasts from the north, then diminishing to just the hint of a breeze out of the west, probably explaining why things pretty much came to a halt by 2 p.m. In the shade temps 15c>17C; clear visibility for miles (40+); Humidity: 61% dropping to 56%. Raptor Observations: Today most of the birds remained relatively low with quite a few Red-tails located off to the east. An immature Red-tailed Hawk flew in toward end of the day, and the observers feel certain it blinked its eye as it passed over. Safe travels and until next year..... Web link to the parting shot - http://www.birdsofvirginia.com/ImageLinks/Red-tailedHawk10_Link.html Non-raptor Observations: Monarch Butterfly - 1 lonely individual ======================================================================== Report submitted by Brenda Tekin (bt8x AT virginia.edu) Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch, VA information may be found at: http://www.rockfishgaphawkwatch.org _______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Birds in Shenandoah County
From: David Davis <birdconsv AT aol.com>
Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:56:23 -0500

We spent the 11th through 14th at our place on Cedar Creek. At first we had few birds as the feeders had not been out (because of bears), but numbers and variety built up quickly after we put out food. Most of the regular winter feeder species were there with especially nice counts for juncos (35) and goldfinches (41). We had our FOS Fox Sparrows and late Common Yellowthroat and Chipping Sparrow (both on 12th). Single Red-winged Blackbird and Common Grackle visited our feeders--both rare for our neck of the woods. Robins and waxwings finally made an appearance, working on the wild grapes with high counts of 475 and 36, respectively (the former count thanks to a streaming flight just before dusk one evening). Purple Finches remained in low numbers and were joined by a few House Finches (much less common for us), but the lone siskin reported a couple weeks ago failed to return. Dave Davis Upper Cedar Creek Valley, Shenandoah County _______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Woodpecker day on the back forty
From: Scott Jackson-Ricketts <scottjr AT ls.net>
Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:41:21 -0500

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Aviatlas Date: Sun, Nov 15, 2009 at 5:38 PM Subject: Aviatlas Sightings Record To: Scott Jackson-Ricketts November 15, 2009 Bridle Creek/Gold Hill US · Virginia Lon. -81.251278, Lat. 36.613047, Alt. 2,680 ft Member: Scott Jackson-Ricketts Hotspot: Bridle Creek/Gold Hill Notes: At 8:00 AM it was 40 degrees F., with heavy dew crystallized by first light all was about in the chattering way. Well within a half hour I recorded all but three or four species listed. This was woodpecker day, and I did my best to find a hairy, a bird rarely seen here. Chickadees and nuthatches were everywhere, turning upside down and downside up in their nervous ways of feeding. They always let one another know when I am near. Finding kettles has produced the recently recorded larger numbers of black vultures, usually around mid-day. 30 Species Reported: Black Vulture (5) Turkey Vulture (2) Mourning Dove (12) Red-bellied Woodpecker (1) Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (2) Downy Woodpecker (2) Northern Flicker (1) Pileated Woodpecker (1) Eastern Phoebe (1) Golden-crowned Kinglet (3) Ruby-crowned Kinglet (1) Cedar Waxwing (2) Carolina Wren (2) Northern Mockingbird (1) Eastern Bluebird (1) Hermit Thrush (1) American Robin (1) Carolina Chickadee (5) Tufted Titmouse (3) White-breasted Nuthatch (3) Blue Jay (8) American Crow (5) Common Raven (1) House Finch (5) American Goldfinch (6) Eastern Towhee (2) Song Sparrow (2) White-throated Sparrow (2) Dark-eyed Junco (2) Northern Cardinal (6) This sightings record was recorded at: www.aviatlas.com
Subject: Woodpecker day on the back forty
From: Scott Jackson-Ricketts <scottjr AT ls.net>
Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:41:21 -0500

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Aviatlas Date: Sun, Nov 15, 2009 at 5:38 PM Subject: Aviatlas Sightings Record To: Scott Jackson-Ricketts November 15, 2009 Bridle Creek/Gold Hill US · Virginia Lon. -81.251278, Lat. 36.613047, Alt. 2,680 ft Member: Scott Jackson-Ricketts Hotspot: Bridle Creek/Gold Hill Notes: At 8:00 AM it was 40 degrees F., with heavy dew crystallized by first light all was about in the chattering way. Well within a half hour I recorded all but three or four species listed. This was woodpecker day, and I did my best to find a hairy, a bird rarely seen here. Chickadees and nuthatches were everywhere, turning upside down and downside up in their nervous ways of feeding. They always let one another know when I am near. Finding kettles has produced the recently recorded larger numbers of black vultures, usually around mid-day. 30 Species Reported: Black Vulture (5) Turkey Vulture (2) Mourning Dove (12) Red-bellied Woodpecker (1) Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (2) Downy Woodpecker (2) Northern Flicker (1) Pileated Woodpecker (1) Eastern Phoebe (1) Golden-crowned Kinglet (3) Ruby-crowned Kinglet (1) Cedar Waxwing (2) Carolina Wren (2) Northern Mockingbird (1) Eastern Bluebird (1) Hermit Thrush (1) American Robin (1) Carolina Chickadee (5) Tufted Titmouse (3) White-breasted Nuthatch (3) Blue Jay (8) American Crow (5) Common Raven (1) House Finch (5) American Goldfinch (6) Eastern Towhee (2) Song Sparrow (2) White-throated Sparrow (2) Dark-eyed Junco (2) Northern Cardinal (6) This sightings record was recorded at: www.aviatlas.com _______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Loons,Scoters, Savannah Sparrow - Gloucester County
From: "Meredith Bell" <merandlee AT cox.net>
Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:54:37 -0500

Hi VA-Birders, We explored the Maryus loop in SE Gloucester County this afternoon.This low-lying marshy area still had standing water in many spots, and Maryus Road was flooded past Guinea Circle (even at low tide) so we weren't able to go to the end of that road. Several of the hot spots we'd seen just last Sunday had no bird activity today, but we did have some rewarding moments, with a total of 40 species: - 9 Common Loons (in a single group) and 7 Surf Scoters at the end of King's Creek Road on the Severn River - A Savannah Sparrow sitting on a wire in the sun, giving us great looks - 16 Eastern Bluebirds in different spots. Always fun to see that species in such large numbers. On a walk in our neighborhood this morning, we saw our first Bufflehead (3 males) in Sarah Creek, and we had several Tree Swallows flying overhead. A beautiful day to be out after the rain and wind of the recent nor'easter. Meredith and Lee Bell Hayes, VA Location: Maryus-Guinea Loop Observation date: 11/15/09 Number of species: 40 Canada Goose 39 Mallard 4 Surf Scoter 7 Common Loon 13 Double-crested Cormorant 4 Great Blue Heron 4 Black Vulture 1 Turkey Vulture 6 Bald Eagle 1 Clapper Rail 4 Killdeer 2 Ring-billed Gull 27 Herring Gull 4 Great Black-backed Gull 1 Forster's Tern 7 Mourning Dove 3 Belted Kingfisher 2 Red-bellied Woodpecker 2 Downy Woodpecker 1 Northern Flicker 4 Blue Jay 4 American Crow 3 Carolina Chickadee 5 Tufted Titmouse 2 Brown-headed Nuthatch 3 Carolina Wren 6 Eastern Bluebird 16 American Robin 5 Gray Catbird 1 Northern Mockingbird 5 Brown Thrasher 1 European Starling 6 Yellow-rumped Warbler 21 Eastern Towhee 2 Chipping Sparrow 2 Savannah Sparrow 1 White-throated Sparrow 2 Northern Cardinal 2 Common Grackle 5 American Goldfinch 2 This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org) _______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Re: Singing White-throated Sparrows
From: "Janice Frye" <jjfdc AT clearwire.net>
Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:36:57 -0500

Finally had white-throated singing in the yard today in Richmond. Jan _____ From: va-bird-bounces+jjfdc=clearwire.net AT listserve.com [mailto:va-bird-bounces+jjfdc=clearwire.net AT listserve.com] On Behalf Of steveyoung AT aol.com Sent: Sunday, November 15, 2009 11:05 AM To: va-bird AT listserve.com Subject: [Va-bird] Singing White-throated Sparrows Finally it is sunny and we're having a rapid warm-up, 63F degrees now and heading for 70. Just heard White-throated Sparrow singing "old Sam Peabody..." and a few additional scraps. The American Robins were singing spring-style songs earlier. I have one additional word for the spring-like bird behavior at this later-fall season: "Practice!" Cheers, Steve Young, Glencarlyn, Arlington _______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: My yard in Norfolk, a silent start
From: "Robert Ake" <rake AT cox.net>
Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 14:44:22 -0500

This morning began with the cup of coffee on the patio facing the Lafayette River. That part is pretty much the same most mornings. But this morning since it was Sunday, things were a little quieter. In addition because of storm Ida people just weren't moving around much, cars weren't going, boats weren't on the water, military aircraft weren't flying, and I was shielded from what little wind there was. In short I could hear. Those of you who don't live in a city probably can't relate to what an extrordinary circumstance this was. I thoroughly enjoyed it, every minute of it, until the wind came up and the jets started flying, and someone just had to ignite their leaf blower. The outcome was I heard an Eastern Bluebird flying overhead, a rarity for me any morning. I also heard a Purple Finch, my first for the fall. There is a large Fish Crow roost nearby and they all took wing, calling as they went. When the Bald Eagle flew by, she predictably moved all the ducks on the river, many of which sought shelter in our cove, including four Wood Ducks. The robins, starlings, and grackles worked over all the berry trees and bushes. The hackberry trees were particular favorites. In one holly tree were two Baltimore Orioles feeding on the berries that were within bill's reach. The big puddle at the end of the driveway, another product of Ida, was the scene of much bathing, more yesterday than today. Mostly robins, but a few Red-winged Blackbirds and two Rusty Blackbirds were enjoying the water. All the blackbirds were males. The birdwatching continued as my wife and I worked to clean up the debris from the storm. It's amazing how much material was ripped from the trees, shredded, and scattered. The cleanup is a slow job, but we made a dent in it today. A little more tomorrow and through the week ought to help. It was nice to have a day with sun, no rain, and lots of birds. Bob Robert L. Ake 6603 Catherine Street Norfolk VA 23505 I'm doing an ABA Big Year in 2010 - it seemed like a good idea at the time._______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Dyke Marsh - VBWT
From: "Joanna Taylor" <jandrtaylor AT verizon.net>
Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 14:43:51 -0500

This Sunday's walk at Dyke Marsh, Alexandria was jointly sponsored by The Friends of Dyke Marsh, the Audubon Society of Northern Virginia and the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries in celebration of the 5th anniversary of the Virginia Birding and Wildlife Trail system. Nine people participated in the walk on an absolutely beautiful fall morning. A total of 45 species were spotted with the highlights being a female COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, FOX SPARROW, and GREAT EGRETS. Ducks present included AMERICAN WIGEON, BUFFLEHEADS, LESSER SCAUP and GREEN-WING TEAL. There were large rafts of RUDDY DUCKS and AMERICAN COOTS. Complete list follows: Canada Goose 250 American Wigeon 2 Mallard 15 Green-winged Teal 4 Lesser Scaup 30 Bufflehead 7 Ruddy Duck 250 Pied-billed Grebe 12 Double-crested Cormorant Great Blue Heron 5 Great Egret 8 Turkey Vulture 1 Bald Eagle 1 Cooper's Hawk 1 Red-shouldered Hawk 1 American Coot 300 Laughing Gull 25 Ring-billed Gull 30 Herring Gull 15 Great Black-backed Gull 2 Gull sp. 200 (too far to ID) Red-bellied Woodpecker 3 Downy Woodpecker 4 Hairy Woodpecker 2 Blue jay 6 American Crow 50 Fish Crow 2 Carolina Chickadee 8 Tufted Titmouse 4 White-breasted Nuthatch 2 Caroline Wren 12 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 4 American Robin 20 Northern Mockingbird 1 European Starling 40 Yellow-rumped Warbler 10 Common Yellowthroat 1 Fox Sparrow 1 Song Sparrow 10 Swamp Sparrow 2 White-throated Sparrow 40 Northern Cardinal 20 Red-winged Blackbird 8 Common Grackle 30 House Finch 2 American Goldfinch 18 House Sparrow 10 Joanna B. Taylor Arlington, VA _______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: live webcam of Allen's hummingbird
From: Tony Coomer <a_coomer AT yahoo.com>
Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 11:06:55 -0800 (PST)

Sorry for posting off topic. I have been watching this webcam for the past 2 days(I have the flu) and I think this is so neat I just had to share. This is a live webcam of a Allen's hummingbird nest in Orange County, California. http://happybirding.org/hbforums/forumdisplay.php?f=39 At one point this hummer was feeding two hatchlings while incubating on a second nest. Again, sorry for off topic post. I just thought many of you would enjoy this. Tony Coomer Prince William County www.HappyBirding.org - North America Birding Forum. _______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Upper Northern Neck Nov 14, osprey, white-eyed vireo, short-eared owl, ducks, rusty blackbirds
From: Frederick Atwood <fredatwood AT yahoo.com>
Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 10:53:56 -0800 (PST)

Had a great day yesterday, Nov 14, mostly in King George County, with only enough time at the end of the day to quickly stop in at the end of Muse Rd (624) to look out into the Potomac R in Westmoreland Co, and then to dash to Mothershead tract of RapRivValNWR in Leedstown (Westmoreland Co) for dusk. Unless otherwise noted these were in King George Co in the vicinity of the King George ponds along route 3 between Sealston and King George. Most of this land is private but there is good viewing of most of the waterfowl at Lagrange Rd (605). However, landowners here have emphasized the importance of staying on the paved road. Of the 82 species the highlights were the following, in roughly AOU order. --13 Tundra Swans at Lagrange Rd, my first of the season --a pair of Redheads among 3800 Ring Necked Ducks (about 15% female) in one pond at LaGrange Rd --gadwalls, american wigeons, buffleheads, a few hooded mergansers --2 female Am Goldeneyes, 29 surf scoters, and 3 Gannets off Muse Rd. Westmoreland Co --1 later-than-usual Osprey along the Rappahannock R at a private farm --14,500 Laughing Gulls at King George Ponds --A short-eared owl at dusk at Mothershead. As I watched it fly over my head it made a sudden erratic turn and caught a large slow-moving flying insect, perhaps a beetle, and continued on. As it flew it made more of those sudden movements as if it was feeding on more insects. This is my first of the season. --39 flickers --a late White-eyed Vireo and 3 Catbirds in thickets along the Rappahannock R at a private farm --205 Dark-eyed Jumcos (185 along a private farm road, mostly in in three large flocks, along the Rappahannock R) --250 Rusty Blackbirds carefully estimated as they traveled through private swamp forest near the Rappahannock R with 350 red-winged blackbirds. (Interestingly, I saw no adult male redwings in the flock). All the best Fred Frederick D. Atwood fredatwood AT yahoo.com Flint Hill School, 10409 Academic Dr, Oakton, VA 22124 703-242-1675 http://www.agpix.com/fredatwood http://www.flinthill.org http://tea.armadaproject.org/tea_atwoodfrontpage.html_______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Bethel Beach, Mathews County
From: G B Harris <gbhrlh AT cox.net>
Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 13:21:06 -0500

> > > > Location: Bethel Beach, Mathews County > Observation date: 11/15/09 > Notes: George & Rosemarie Harris. 6 NELSON'S SHARP-TAILED > SPARROWS. Marshland was flooded pushing out rails and sparrows. > Apres Tropical Storm Ida. Unable to reach beaches due to flooding. > Sand spit under water at Winter Harbor. > Number of species: 46 > > Canada Goose 45 > Double-crested Cormorant 2 > Great Blue Heron 3 > Black Vulture 4 > Turkey Vulture 13 > Northern Harrier 1 > Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 > Red-shouldered Hawk 1 > Clapper Rail 12 > Killdeer 5 > Greater Yellowlegs 1 > Dunlin 68 > Bonaparte's Gull 2 > Ring-billed Gull 34 > Herring Gull 5 > Great Black-backed Gull 9 > Forster's Tern 2 > Mourning Dove 20 > Belted Kingfisher 1 > Red-bellied Woodpecker 1 > Downy Woodpecker 1 > Northern Flicker 2 > Blue Jay 3 > American Crow 42 > Tree Swallow 50 > Carolina Chickadee 4 > Brown-headed Nuthatch 3 > Carolina Wren 2 > Golden-crowned Kinglet 3 > Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1 > Eastern Bluebird 5 > Hermit Thrush 1 > American Robin 10 > European Starling 10 > Yellow-rumped Warbler 32 > Eastern Towhee 1 > Chipping Sparrow 2 > Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow 6 > Song Sparrow 6 > Swamp Sparrow 2 > White-throated Sparrow 7 > Red-winged Blackbird 11 > Eastern Meadowlark 2 > Common Grackle 6 > American Goldfinch 10 > House Sparrow 25 > > This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org/VA > ) _______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Hermit Thrush, Eastern Bluebirds and more during Reston (Fairfax County) walk this morning
From: Walter Hadlock <jaybirdncarol AT verizon.net>
Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 13:20:47 -0500

Kevin Munroe led this morning's bird walk at Lake Newport and Brown's Chapel in Reston. Twenty three people joined the walk sponsored by Audubon Society of Northern VA, Reston Association, and The Bird Feeder. As has been noted in other postings, it was a picture perfect morning for birding. Our list of 32 species follows: Turkey Vulture Canada Goose Sharp-shinned Hawk Cooper's Hawk Red-shouldered Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Mourning Dove Red-bellied Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker Northern Flicker Blue Jay American Crow Fish Crow Carolina Chickadee Tufted Titmouse White-breasted Nuthatch Carolina Wren Golden-crowned Kinglet Ruby-crowned Kinglet Eastern Bluebird Hermit Thrush American Robin Eastern Towhee (H) Song Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco Northern Cardinal Red-winged Blackbird Common Grackle House Finch American Goldfinch We did not keep count of each specie, but it was a very "birdy" morning. Jay and Carol Hadlock Herndon, VA _______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Great Falls NP Walk 11/15/09
From: Dendroica AT aol.com
Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 12:30:09 EST

Sally Wechsler led seven birders on this morning's walk. New for the walk this fall was a lone male Bufflehead. Our recent high counts of Cedar Waxwings and Robins were way down this Sunday, as most of the wild grapes and poison ivy berries in the park have been eaten. What beautiful weather and good lighting for birding. The group meets every Sunday at 8 AM at the visitors' center. All are welcome to join us. The list follows. Ralph Wall Great Falls, VA Location: Great Falls National Park - CGF10 Observation date: 11/15/09 Number of species: 37 Canada Goose 60 Mallard 10 Ring-necked Duck 3 Bufflehead 1 Pied-billed Grebe 1 Double-crested Cormorant 3 Black Vulture 25 Turkey Vulture 12 Red-shouldered Hawk 2 Red-tailed Hawk 3 American Coot 1 Ring-billed Gull 7 Belted Kingfisher 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker 10 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 4 Downy Woodpecker 7 Hairy Woodpecker 1 Northern Flicker 8 Pileated Woodpecker 5 Blue Jay 10 American Crow 9 Carolina Chickadee 20 Tufted Titmouse 30 White-breasted Nuthatch 7 Brown Creeper 4 Carolina Wren 7 Golden-crowned Kinglet 3 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1 Eastern Bluebird 30 American Robin 1 Cedar Waxwing 8 Yellow-rumped Warbler 25 Song Sparrow 2 White-throated Sparrow 8 Dark-eyed Junco 25 Northern Cardinal 8 American Goldfinch 8 This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org) _______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: wood thrush, and standing in one spot in a woodlot, Oakton, Fairfax County
From: Frederick Atwood <fredatwood AT yahoo.com>
Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 09:27:37 -0800 (PST)

It is amazing how much fun it can be to simply stand in one spot and watch what happens around you. I just spent two hours on the campus of Flint Hill School and an adjacent little strip of Oak Marr Park woods, most of that time standing in two spots, one in the open near where we band birds, and one about 50 feet into the woods near the parking lot. The complete eBird list is below, but here are some interesting things I happened to see. 1. When a flock of robins passed through the forest, a Wood Thrush was among them. They all just sat in the trees for 2-3 minutes and then moved on. They didn't forage on the ground or eat any of the many berries in the nearby shrubs. A flicker of yellow caught my eye, and a pine warbler flitted from one tree to the next and then disappeared. 2. A cavity on the top of a 7' tall snag was the center of attention for quite awhile. A female poked her head inside several times. Then her spouse came by and did the same. She went inside turned around and looked out. A bit later she went in and pulled out either a sliver of wood or the seed of a tulip poplar. From a nearby perch she flew out and caught a flying insect and gobbled it down. With both bluebirds looking on passively, a third bluebird, a female, also checked out the cavity and then all three left. Within a few minutes a solitary tufted titmouse came and checked out the hole. It also went inside and looked out. Then a female downy woodpecker came and tufted titmouse chased her away. Soon a male downy came, and the titmouse chased him away too. Then the titmouse left. The female downy came back but a female bluebird chased her away. The male downy was also chased away by a bluebird. For the rest of the time, only the bluebirds paid attention to the cavity. I wished I had my camera. 3. Berries and seeds.. No one was eating poison ivy today. Were they saving these oily berries for when they would need them more in the cold weather? Were they just eating the other berries because they tasted better? Bluebirds were eating viburnum, multiflora rose, and amur honeysuckle. One particular amur honeysuckle seemed to be of particular interest to the cedar waxwings, house finches, and cardinals. A cardinal even chased away a couple of the waxwings. There were dozens of amur honeysuckles around with fruit. Why all this attention on one bush? Was this a particualrly sweet or ripe bush? Goldfinches were eating goldenrod and tickseed-sunflower seeds. A wing of a tulip polar seed drifted down. Since I had heard a purple finch calling as it flew over earlier, I looked up into the tall tulip poplar hoping for a purple finch. But instead 3 house finches and a cardinal were up there silently manipualting the seeds with their tongues and beaks to extricate the little bit of food from inside. 4. Twice I saw a White-breasted Nuthatch return from the feeder of the nearby home with a sunflower seed and cache it for future use. It wedged one under a plate of white oak bark pounding it firmly with its beak so it would stay in place, and the other it hid in a crack in the bark of a vertical dead limb. Everything I saw the nuthatch eat was an insect or spider today. 5. By the way, the large flock of grackles and starlings that had been roosting in the small patch of bamboo along Oakton Rd seems to have dispersed. I saw none there on Friday evening. All the best Fred Location: Flint Hill and Oak Marr Observation date: 11/15/09 Notes: West campus and the small strip of woods between driving range and parking lot. Number of species: 37 Turkey Vulture 19 soaring in one kettle at end of walk, I wonder if these are some of the 30 that Nick N reported at a dead deer at Difficult Run; they were soaring over in that direction Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 flying overhead towards S about 50' above trees. Red-tailed Hawk 2 soaring in kettle with TUVU Mourning Dove 8 silent, scattered Red-bellied Woodpecker 3 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1 just passing through, perching on three tree-trunks briefly and then moved on. Downy Woodpecker 5 Hairy Woodpecker 2 Northern Flicker 4 Pileated Woodpecker 1 Blue Jay 11 American Crow 7 Horned Lark 2 flying overhead calling Carolina Chickadee 6 Tufted Titmouse 10 White-breasted Nuthatch 4 Carolina Wren 5 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1 Eastern Bluebird 13 Wood Thrush 1 American Robin 35 Northern Mockingbird 1 European Starling 5 American Pipit 5 flying overhead calling Cedar Waxwing 22 17 flying overhead; 5 eating amur honeysuckle berries Yellow-rumped Warbler 3 individuals Pine Warbler 1 brief appearance moving through pines Chipping Sparrow 12 Song Sparrow 8 White-throated Sparrow 10 Dark-eyed Junco 20 Northern Cardinal 9 Common Grackle 9 Purple Finch 1 flying over calling House Finch 20 eating tulip poplar seeds, amur honeysuckle, etc American Goldfinch 15 eating goldenrod, tickseed sunflower, etc House Sparrow 12 This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)_______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Birds East of Richmond- Western Tanager & others continue
From: nshrike AT mail.com
Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 11:59:44 -0500

I visited areas east of Richmond both on Saturday and Sunday. My success on Saturday was limited to a Merlin which I observed at Sandy Point. Today with enhanced weather conditions I visited the City of Hopewell and relocated the lingering Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. I then traveled to Charles City County and found for the 3rd successive year an eastern Canada Red-tailed Hawk (demonstrating dark throat and bolder belly band). Later in the morning I made my way to the end of Shirley Plantation Road and observed the female Western Tanager again. Some of the birds can be observed at the following link: http://www.visitingnature.com/visitingnatureouting2009november15.htm Enjoy each day, Allen Bryan Richmond, Va. www.visitingnature.com_______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Merlin, Difficult Run Stream Valley Park, Oakton, Fairfax co.
From: Nicholas <nickenew AT cox.net>
Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 11:36:55 -0500

To all, This morning out of the corner of my eye I saw a flock of what I assumed to be cedar waxwings (about 100 yards away) and causally watched them through my binocs and then one of them broke off and started coming towards me and I realized that it wasn't a waxwing at all but a falcon!! I thought I saw some streaking underneath but the sun was in the wrong spot to get a good read on the field marks, but I was fairly certain that it was a merlin and thought I would have to leave it at that. But then I got lucky, it landed in a tree about 100 yards away causing me to probably moved the fastest I had ever moved with binocs and a camera. As it ended up he gave me about 7ish minutes to study and take pictures of him before a crow (dwarfing him in size) chased him to a more wooded area (although he looked like he planed to stick around for a little bit). After he had been in the tree for around five minutes a huge flock of about thirty mourning doves erupted from the tree all around him some of them were within five feet of him (I had never before seen so many doves in one tree let alone with a merlin that close to them. Here's a link to some of the pictures I took of him: http://www.flickr.com/photos/32293993 AT N04/ Nick Newberry Location: Difficult Run Stream Valley Park Observation date: 11/15/09 Number of species: 28 Black Vulture 7 Turkey Vulture 30 gathered around a dead dear Red-shouldered Hawk 2 Merlin 1 Pictures. Chased a flock of probable cedar waxwings and then gave up and flew over my head and landed on an open branch that had a wide view of the land Mourning Dove 40 huge roost that I had never noticed before Red-bellied Woodpecker 2 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1 Downy Woodpecker 2 Northern Flicker 3 Blue Jay 13 American Crow 40 Fish Crow 1 in with americans Carolina Chickadee 7 Tufted Titmouse 4 White-breasted Nuthatch 2 Carolina Wren 4 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1 Eastern Bluebird 8 Yellow-rumped Warbler 2 Palm Warbler 1 Field Sparrow 2 Song Sparrow 3 Swamp Sparrow 1 White-throated Sparrow 15 Dark-eyed Junco 20 Northern Cardinal 12 House Finch 2 American Goldfinch 20 This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)_______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Singing White-throated Sparrows
From: steveyoung AT aol.com
Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 11:04:54 -0500

Finally it is sunny and we're having a rapid warm-up, 63F degrees now and heading for 70. Just heard White-throated Sparrow singing "old Sam Peabody..." and a few additional scraps. The American Robins were singing spring-style songs earlier. I have one additional word for the spring-like bird behavior at this later-fall season: "Practice!" Cheers, Steve Young, Glencarlyn, Arlington_______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Pied-bill Grebes & Am Coot at Edmunds Park
From: "Jeffrey Blalock" <jcbabirder AT gcronline.com>
Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 09:13:54 -0500

Greetings to all: On Friday Nov 13, 2009 at 0930 hrs, I found two Pied-bill Grebes and an American Coot at Edmunds Park in South Boston. I also saw a large amount of feathers along the road into the park and they looked like the feathers from a Canada Goose. As I was watching the grebes, I saw a Red-tailed Hawk take flight from a small ditch lined with bushes. I guess he just finished off his breakfast. Later on in the afternoon, I had my first female Purple Finch to visit my backyard feeders. Good Birding Always Jeff Blalock South Boston, VA 24592 jcbabirder AT gcronline.com _______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Coopers Hawks at Long Branch Nature Center
From: steveyoung AT aol.com
Date: Sat, 14 Nov 2009 21:12:41 -0500

Once more I was out there working on removing invasive plants at Long Branch this afternoon. Not much going on; I heard but did not see a Winter Wren by Willow Pond. But while I worked on the south side of Long Branch, a little way east of Campbell Elementary School, a pair of Coopers Hawks began to vocalize back and forth across the stream valley. A lot of vocalizing went on for 10-15 minutes. Even though one of them was very close, I never did spot it up in the canopy. Their calls remind me of squirrel scolding cries -- similar in some ways, but distinctive. Earlier in the afternoon, a Blue Jay cacaphony in our back yard caused me to inspect things. I noticed an agitated black Gray Squirrel in our mulberry tree, and eventually spotted a probable Coopers up there with an indeterminate prey item -- I did see an elongated, slim shape in the talons. I didn't see it, but based on spousal reporting I believe the squirrel charged the hawk and it flew off. Cheers, Steve, Long Branch Nature Center, Glencarlyn, Arlington, NoVA_______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve
From: "Mary Ann Good" <magood1 AT verizon.net>
Date: Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:58:06 -0500

Occasional drizzle and cloudy skies kept activity fairly low on this morning's walk at Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve, led by Laura Weidner and sponsored by the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy. Highlights were several singing Fox Sparrows, and a pair of Bald Eagles perched together near their perennial nest and bugling (mating call?). Here is the list of birds observed, including a few species added on a post-walk visit to the Dulles Wetlands: Am. Black Duck Mallard Green-winged Teal Great Blue Heron Turkey Vulture Bald Eagle - 2 adults, 1 immature No. Harrier Sharp-shinned Hawk Accipiter sp. Red-shouldered Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Am. Kestrel Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove Belted Kingfisher Red-bellied Woodpecker Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Downy Woodpecker No. Flicker Pileated Woodpecker Blue Jay Am. Crow Fish Crow C. Raven Car. Chickadee Tufted Titmouse White-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper Carolina Wren Golden-crowned Kinglet Ruby-crowned Kinglet E. Bluebird Am. Robin No. Mockingbird Brown Thrasher Eur. Starling Cedar Waxwing Yellow-rumped Warbler E. Towhee Field Sparrow Fox Sparrow Song Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco No. Cardinal Red-winged Blackbird House Finch Am. Goldfinch Mary Ann Good _______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Potomac R waterfowl Frfx Co, 14 Nov 09
From: "Kurt Gaskill" <KurtCapt87 AT verizon.net>
Date: Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:17:27 -0500

VA BIRDers Starting at about 9 am, I traveled from Dyke Marsh south along the Potomac to outside the Great Marsh of Mason Neck and then viewed Occoquan Bay from Mason Neck SP and Occ. Marina. I skipped Pohick Bay due to time. Diver numbers are increasing and many of the dabbler and near-dabblers are still in strength. The large mergansers were not found. Here are the totals - at the end I list a few uncommon species for our area in mid-November that were also observed. I did not get a good view of the interior of the Great Marsh which undoubtedly held a few more dabblers. Kurt Gaskill Canada Goose 500 Tundra Swan 35 Gadwall 1685 Am. Wigeon 356 Am. Black Duck 80 Mallard 112 No. Shoveler 50 Green-winged Teal 1 Canvasback 35 Redhead 16 Ring-necked Duck 506 Greater Scaup 6 Lesser Scaup 222 Bufflehead 85 Hooded Merganser 3 Ruddy Duck 877 Common Loon 1 Pied-billed Grebe 144 Horned Grebe 1 DC Cormorant 23 Am. Coot 1016 also Great Egret, Northern Harrier and Forster's Tern. Passerines included Brown Creeper and several Hermit Thrush. _______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: VSO's Teta Kain on Virginia's CBCs -- Williamsburg Bird Club Wed Nov 18
From: Shirley Devan <sedevan52 AT cox.net>
Date: Sat, 14 Nov 2009 19:49:31 -0500

Teta Kain will be the speaker at the November 18 meeting of Williamsburg Bird Club. Just in time to get energized for the Christmas Bird Counts, her program is entitled "Virginia’s Christmas Bird Counts." Club meetings are open to the public and free, of course. Teta has served as regional Audubon Editor of the Virginia–Washington, DC counts for 18 years. She will give a historical overview of the counts from their beginnings in Virginia, telling stories about the people, birds and places that make this event so special to so many people. Teta is an extremely entertaining speaker—the program will be heavily laced with anecdotes about people and special happenings concerning the counts. She will end the program with a recap of what she knows about our local count. Plan to join us on November 18, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. in Room 150, Millington Hall, on the William and Mary campus. Directions to Millington Hall: From Route 199, turn east on Jamestown Road toward W&M. As you travel into Williamsburg, W&M will be on the left. Parking lots are next to Muscarelle Museum of Art and Phi Beta Kappa Hall. Walk to Millington, behind Phi Beta Kappa Hall, just to the right of Swem Library. Refreshments will be served after the meeting! Shirley Devan Williamsburg Bird Club http://williamsburgbirdclub.org/ Board member, Virginia Society of Ornithology http://www.virginiabirds.net/index.html Ph: 757.813.1322 _______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: Occoquan Bay NWR - VBWT Anniversary Trip
From: "Gerco" <drgerco AT hotmail.com>
Date: Sat, 14 Nov 2009 19:45:38 -0500

Today the VA Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF), Northern Virginia Birding Club (NVBC), and the Audubon Society of Northern Virginia (ASNV) hosted 2 walks at Occoquan Bay NWR to celebrate the year 5 anniversary of Virginia's Birding and Wildlife Trail system. DGIF gracefully provided the participants with a free copy of the VBWT guide--A lively 1 inch thick booklet that describes all VBWT sites in the state. Handy for the traveling birder! Bob Klarquist and I led the first trip that started at 8am. A total of 12 people participated in this walk under a gray sky. In spite of the thick clouds we were not disappointed. Hawks were present, although not in large numbers but we saw Coopers, Sharpie, Red-tailed, red-shouldered, Northern Harrier and Am Kestrel. Starlings were present in large numbers and a various time large flocks filled the sky. Towards the end of the trip we saw how one of these Starling flocks escorted a Red-tailed out of sight. Very neat to see that. In terms of other black birds we saw several Rusty Blackbirds, a few Grackles, and many red-winged Blackbirds. The ducks were present but not yet in large numbers. We observed a few large groups of American Coots and Lesser scaups and Gadwall. The group found a few Hooded Mergansers, a female Redhead, female Canvasback, female Bufflehead, several Shovelers and Black Duck. Sparrows were a bit quiet today. Perhaps this was due to the many mowed areas. 3 to 5 Fox Sparrows were seen flying ahead of us along the trail. All of us got some good looks of these LBJs. Towards the end of the trip we visited the Red-headed Woodpecker area (photo blind) and we found 2 adults and 1 juvenile bird. One of the adults put up a good show for a few minutes before disappearing out of view. Altogether over 64 species were seen or heard. Gerco VP Trip NVBC http://www.nvabc.org/ Next trips: Saturday, November 21, 2009 9:00 AM Fort Smith Val Kitchens Saturday, November 28, 2009 8:00 AM Manassas Battlefield NP Larry Meade _______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: HSR: Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch (14 Nov 2009) 29 Raptors
From: reports AT hawkcount.org
Date: 14 Nov 2009 20:11:34 -0400

Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch Waynesboro, Virginia, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 14, 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 0 0 0 Osprey 0 0 211 Bald Eagle 2 3 75 Northern Harrier 0 2 14 Sharp-shinned Hawk 2 3 814 Cooper's Hawk 1 3 130 Northern Goshawk 0 0 1 Red-shouldered Hawk 5 6 15 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 12069 Red-tailed Hawk 18 62 176 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 1 1 American Kestrel 0 0 123 Merlin 1 1 12 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 16 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 1 Unknown Buteo 0 0 6 Unknown Falcon 0 0 4 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 7 Mississippi Kite 0 0 1 Total: 29 81 13676 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 11:00:00 Observation end time: 15:30:00 Total observation time: 4.5 hours Official Counter: Multiple Counters Observers: Brenda Tekin, Rose Thomas, Vic Laubach Weather: Light rain and fog early morning, with gradual clearing by 10:30 a.m. Brisk winds WNW shifting to NNW to N and then WNW, diminishing to 10-12km/m by mid-afternoon. Low clouds moving out , clearing to zero cloud cover by 2 p.m. Temp: 13.c increasing to 17.5c at top of noon hour, slowly dropping to 15c. Humidity: 74%<60% climbing back to 71%. Raptor Observations: It was nice to be out in the sunshine after days of overcast skies and rain. Quite a few vultures milling around, back and forth throughout the day, that is until around 3 p.m. when not much of anything was in the air. Quite a few non-migrating Red-tails observed, many low out over the Piedmont to the East. Rose Thomas spotted the season's 74th Bald Eagle, an adult, circling very low out past the cut-through of I-64 to the East. It continued circling for a good 5 minutes it set its wings and flew directly toward us, heading NW in front of the observers for a great close-up. It turned, heading south at 1:34 p.m. A second adult BAEA was located low out to the east in about same area as the first. This one stayed on the east side of the ridge, eventually heading south at 2:58 p.m. This is the 2nd highest season and 2 more will tie the all time high of 77. A nice showing of Red-shouldered Hawks, including two that flew in together. A third following soon thereafter. Non-raptor Observations: Fish Crow - 2 flocks heading east (49, 36) Predictions: sunny, less wind and a bit warmer ======================================================================== Report submitted by Brenda Tekin (bt8x AT virginia.edu) Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch, VA information may be found at: http://www.rockfishgaphawkwatch.org _______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/
Subject: HSR: Harvey's Knob (14 Nov 2009) 28 Raptors
From: reports AT hawkcount.org
Date: 14 Nov 2009 19:11:01 -0400

Harvey's Knob Roanoke, Virginia, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 14, 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 0 0 0 Osprey 0 0 188 Bald Eagle 1 4 78 Northern Harrier 1 4 20 Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 10 537 Cooper's Hawk 0 3 100 Northern Goshawk 0 1 2 Red-shouldered Hawk 2 6 30 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 8195 Red-tailed Hawk 24 162 312 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 0 0 66 Merlin 0 0 12 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 16 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 3 Unknown Buteo 0 0 4 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 1 Unknown Raptor 0 0 2 Total: 28 190 9566 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 10:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 5 hours Official Counter: Bill Adams Observers: Barb Smith Visitors: not much traffic but several va couples stopped to ask about the count. Weather: truly gorgeous today. high sirius clouds early with brisk nne winds. slowly the clouds disapated and the winds swung around to the nw. temps in the upper 50's to the lower 60's. when the winds shifted, the birds sat down. Raptor Observations: adult bald eagle greeted us with a low fly by on the valley side. excellent view at about 500 ft. AT 1048. and 3 male/female redtail hawk pairs flew by. Non-raptor Observations: very clear views of multiple finches and juncos. Predictions: more of the same maybe warmer. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Bill Adams (otterbill2 AT netzero.net) Harvey's Knob Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://bijame.googlepages.com/home _______________________________________________ va-bird mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO. http://www.virginiabirds.net/

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