Birdingonthe.Net Recent Postings from The West Virginia Birding List > Home > Mail > Alerts Updated on Friday, November 6 at 08:49 PM ET The most recently received Mail is at the top.	Song Sparrow

6 Nov BlueHeaded Vireo ["Cynthia D. Ellis" ] 6 Nov Tygart Lake area--Scaup, Mergansers, Sapsuckers [Terry Bronson ] 6 Nov Wild Turkey and Purple Finch- Yard birds- Summit Point [Carol Del-Colle ] 5 Nov RFI on a Group of Five Southbound Sandhill Cranes [Fred ] 5 Nov Osprey and Pied Grebe on Shenandoah River [Carol Del-Colle ] 5 Nov Correction ... [Derek Courtney ] 5 Nov Fw: Hanging Rock Tower (04 Nov 2009) 17 Raptors [Jim & Judy Phillips ] 5 Nov Fw: Hanging Rock Tower (03 Nov 2009) 76 Raptors [Jim & Judy Phillips ] 5 Nov Fw: Hanging Rock Tower (01 Nov 2009) 3 Raptors [Jim & Judy Phillips ] 4 Nov Golden birds ... [Derek Courtney ] 4 Nov black vultures ["Cynthia D. Ellis" ] 4 Nov Tundra Swan & Wood Ducks- Shenandoah River [Carol Del-Colle ] 3 Nov Black Vultures, Shovelers ["Cynthia D. Ellis" ] 3 Nov Mercer County ponds [Jim & Judy Phillips ] 3 Nov Golden Eagles - Jefferson hawk watching [Matt Orsie ] 3 Nov Fw: Hanging Rock Tower (25 Oct 2009) 22 Raptors [Jim & Judy Phillips ] 3 Nov Fw: Hanging Rock Tower (23 Oct 2009) 2 Raptors [Jim & Judy Phillips ] 3 Nov Fw: Hanging Rock Tower (22 Oct 2009) 4 Raptors [Jim & Judy Phillips ] 3 Nov Fw: Hanging Rock Tower (18 Oct 2009) 3 Raptors [Jim & Judy Phillips ] 3 Nov Mt. Valley Lake [Jim & Judy Phillips ] 2 Nov bald eagle in New Martinsville [Wilma Jarrell ] 2 Nov Long-tailed Duck at Winfield Locks [Roger Hardway ] 2 Nov Greenbottom Addendum [David Patick ] 2 Nov More Buffleheads, Grebes, Cormorant, Eagle [Terry Bronson ] 2 Nov Brown Creepers, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker- Summit Point [Carol Del-Colle ] 2 Nov Waterfowl - Shenandoah River [Matt Orsie ] 2 Nov Dark-eyed Junco- FOS- Summit Point [Carol Del-Colle ] 2 Nov Dark eyed junco...finally [Bruni Haydl ] 1 Nov Tundra Swans in Hardy County ["David E. Carr" ] 2 Nov Ring-billed Gulls/ Ruby-crowned Kinglet- Jefferson County [Carol Del-Colle ] 1 Nov Common Loons, Tundra Swans - Jefferson County Hawk watching [Matt Orsie ] 1 Nov Cheat Lake--Gadwalls, Buffleheads, C. Mergs [Terry Bronson ] 1 Nov Greenbottom birding [David Patick ] 31 Oct TRAC to have live peregrine, eagle, great horned owl on display in Barboursville [Wendy Perrone ] 30 Oct Hooded Merganser and Black Vultures near Morgantown [Terry Bronson ] 30 Oct Yellow-rumped Warblers- Summit Point [Carol Del-Colle ] 30 Oct Common Loon, Rudy Ducks - Shenandoah River [Matt Orsie ] 30 Oct ruddy duck, greater yellowlegs, red-breasted nuthatch, etc [Wilma Jarrell ] 29 Oct Red Phalarope [] 29 Oct Lark Sparrow - Huntfield, Jefferson County [Matt Orsie ] 29 Oct Ring-necked and Ruddy Ducks on Cheat Lake [Terry Bronson ] 29 Oct Monroe Co. Bald Eagle ["Williams, Barry C" ] 29 Oct New Arrivals [Bruni Haydl ] 29 Oct Red Phalarope [] 28 Oct Eagles, Wood Ducks & Cedar Waxwings [Ms Diane Holsinger ] 28 Oct Summer Co. birds from Oct. 24th. [Allen Waldron ] 28 Oct crows [paul m mckay ] 28 Oct eagles & cormorants [Jim & Judy Phillips ] 27 Oct Preston Co. Cackling Geese [Derek Courtney ] 27 Oct Sapsucker Surfeit in Philippi [Jeffrey Del Col ] 27 Oct Decker's Creek Trail in Preston County--Rusty Blackbirds [Terry Bronson ] 27 Oct Milton, Winfield, Greenbottom WMA [Ben Borda ] 27 Oct Crows [Greg Eddy ] 26 Oct crows to roost ["Cynthia D. Ellis" ] 26 Oct Morgantown on Oct. 26--Cormorants, Grebe, Junco [Terry Bronson ] 26 Oct Recent sightings including Common Moorhen at Greenbottom WMA [Matt Orsie ] 25 Oct Grant Co, from Cabins to Scherr, golden eagle, pipits, sparrows Sunday Oct 25 [Frederick Atwood ] 25 Oct Long-tailed duck, Great Egret, Norhtern Harrier, Rusty Blackbirds ["Rankin, Gary" ] 25 Oct Purple Fiinch and Dark-eyed Junco at Feeder ["Rankin, Gary" ] 25 Oct American woodcock [Wilma Jarrell ] 25 Oct Black Vultures in New River Gorge [Terry Bronson ] 24 Oct Prickett's Fort shorebirds and Wood Ducks [Terry Bronson ] 23 Oct Ruby-crowned Kinglet- Summit Point [Carol Del-Colle ] 23 Oct junco ["Cynthia D. Ellis" ] 22 Oct Christmas Bird Counts [LeJay Graffious ] 22 Oct Purple Finch, Red-breasted Nuthatch ["Cynthia D. Ellis" ] 22 Oct purple finch [Jim & Judy Phillips ] 22 Oct Western Monongalia County--Killdeers, Grebes, Grackles [Terry Bronson ] 22 Oct White Hummingbirds ["Bill Hilton Jr. (RESEARCH)" ] 22 Oct Late Post: Morgantown Common Nighthawk and American Coot [Kyle Aldinger ] 22 Oct Might not be a hummer [M Fowler ] 21 Oct Cooper's Rock State Forest--5 Thrushes, Pine Warbler [Terry Bronson ] 21 Oct McDonough [Jon Benedetti ] 21 Oct ohio county bird-rough legged hawk? [paul m mckay ] 21 Oct FOS yard birds-Summit Point [Carol Del-Colle ] 21 Oct Smart Birds [Susan Aaron ] Subject: BlueHeaded Vireo From: "Cynthia D. Ellis" <cdellis AT WILDBLUE.NET> Date: Fri, 6 Nov 2009 21:49:20 -0500 Happened to see Roger Hardway at the Winfield Locks today, before arriving at the 3rd pond. He said that the Long-tailed Duck was still present along with several Buffleheads. Walking in on the road there, toward the river, also allowed views of a pair of Green-winged Teal and 3 Wood Ducks. Another short trip today, at the Wetlands of Winfield, yielded only a small list until the surprise addition of a Blue-headed Vireo. ~Cindy Ellis, Putnam County -- Cynthia D. Ellis RR 1 Box 163 Red House, WV 25168 304 586-4135 cdellis AT wildblue.net “Words ought to be a little wild for they are the assaults of thought on the unthinking.” ~John Maynard Keynes Subject: Tygart Lake area--Scaup, Mergansers, Sapsuckers From: Terry Bronson <terrybronson AT YMAIL.COM> Date: Fri, 6 Nov 2009 12:04:54 -0800 This morning I went down to Tygart Lake State Park to see what waterfowl might be there. Not many, but a few good ones, plus a few other highlights: Canada Goose--3 Gadwall--1 female Lesser Scaup--1 male Common Merganser--2 females flying toward the dam. Couldn't find them later, so they must have gone over the dam to the river below. Also: Killdeer--31 along the water's edge near the now closed marina. Great Blue Heron--1. Not too sure if this bird is healthy. It was fishing, but the bill seemed large in proportion to the rest of the body. Kind of scruffy looking too. (Boy, they don't fool around here--everything (piers, office, gas pumps) has been removed from the lake for the winter. I suppose it's more to do with the fact that the water level has been lowered so much that everything would have been on dry land. The water area of the lake is now about half what it was earlier this year. The dam office told me that the water still had to drop another 20 feet--there must be barely a trickle of water in the lake when that happens.) Yellow-bellied Sapsucker--3 near the dam, 1 at the state park office Dark-eyed Junco--7 at the dam, 12 at the marina, others seen along the roads 18 other species, but all usual suspects On the way home, I checked the Decker's Creek Rail Trail at both the Route 92 and McKinney Cave Road access points. Only 10 species total during midday. Best were 5 Juncos and 3 White-throated Sparrows.  Terry Bronson Morgantown, WV Subject: Wild Turkey and Purple Finch- Yard birds- Summit Point From: Carol Del-Colle <WVnaturalist AT COMCAST.NET> Date: Fri, 6 Nov 2009 00:55:42 +0000 Greetings,    What a surprise I got today when I look out my window this afternoon about 2:30 and saw 21 Wild Turkey hens moving through our yard and side woods. They were moving toward the road, and when startled by a  passing car flew  to get to the old overgrown orchard across the road from us. I have had some flocks of Turkey in our field behind the house a few  times in the past, but never had this many in the yard around the house before. It was quite a sight.    I also had my first of the season Purple Finch(female) in the yard getting a drink today. A Brown Creeper was here again today too.         Happy birding,            Carol Del-Colle            Summit Point             Jefferson County      Subject: RFI on a Group of Five Southbound Sandhill Cranes From: Fred <fred AT CETUSSOFT.COM> Date: Thu, 5 Nov 2009 17:01:00 -0500 Hello. This may be an unusual request (a "long shot"), but here goes... I am hoping that someone might have recently seen (and maybe even photographed) a particular group of five sandhill cranes (one having an obvious notch in the left wing - please see photo info below) that was heading southbound from Wareham Massachusetts to Florida (or thereabouts). Here's the story: There is a group of five sandhill cranes that recently left Wareham Massachusetts (just across Buzzards Bay from Cape Cod) on their way to Florida (I would assume). These birds have spent part of each year for the last several years on the cranberry bogs and ponds of Wareham MA, and they have been actively watched by MA birders (especially since sandhill cranes are pretty rare birds "up here" in Massachusetts). On October 29th, the last day the cranes were seen in Wareham, a group of five cranes were spotted flying from MA into RI, and later that day there was a report from a hawk watch in Greenwich CT recording a tight formation of five cranes heading further down the coast. Then, on October 30th, there were two northwestern NJ reports, of a group of five cranes seen both lifting off the ground at Merrill Creek NJ and of a group of five in the air at a hawk watch at Scott's Mountain NJ. And, on November 3rd, a group of five cranes were heard and then seen overhead at Woodstock GA heading southward (and a bit unusual because that was somewhat earlier than the usual migration of sandhill cranes coming from Hiwassee TN through that area). Of course, the big question is, ARE THEY THE SAME FIVE CRANES? While certainly not completely definitive, a comparison of a photo taken of the birds in flight at the Scott's Mountain NJ hawk watch on 10/30 ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/jrd_photos/4063137832/sizes/l/ ) and my photos from Wareham MA of "our" cranes flying at sunset on 10/26 ( http://fredw.smugmug.com/Animals/WarehamCraneberryCranes-102609/10104828_2y3Tr/1/693923477_HJvqD/Large http://fredw.smugmug.com/Animals/WarehamCraneberryCranes-102609/10104828_2y3Tr/1/693925004_AH4v3/Large ), shows one of the five cranes in each case having what might seem to be the same notch in its left wing. (The notch is quite obvious in a photo, but may not be so obvious to an observer's eyes.) What is most intriguing, I think, is that the cranes may be taking a somewhat inland route, along the Appalachians, rather than a more coastal route. (But, of course, who knows what is a "normal" path for uncommon northeastern sandhill cranes migrating to and from Florida or thereabouts?) So, I have been trying to ask those on the flyways to Florida, where the cranes might be heading for the winter season, if anyone happened to see (and maybe even photographed) a distinctive group of five sandhill cranes going over. The group may possibly have gone through the eastern WV area, having come from northwestern NJ, heading into northern GA, a few days ago in early November. So, any reports? Yes, I know that this sounds like a "wild crane chase", but who knows... Thanks for listening. Fred (Frederick Wasti) Marshfield Massachusetts ("craneberry country") Subject: Osprey and Pied Grebe on Shenandoah River From: Carol Del-Colle <WVnaturalist AT COMCAST.NET> Date: Thu, 5 Nov 2009 18:43:58 +0000 Greetings,    Riding on Rissler Rd. about 11:30 this morning,  I found an adult Osprey flying upriver.  It then perched for a short time in a tree along the bank and then took off again.  What a nice surprise!  Next, driving along Bloomery Rd. I saw a solitary Pied Grebe near Moulton Park.  I did not see any ducks other than a few Mallards.  Overall, the river was rather quiet.          Happy birding,               Carol DelColle                Summit Point                 Jefferson County Subject: Correction ... From: Derek Courtney <derek.dana.courtney AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Thu, 5 Nov 2009 10:17:33 -0500 Hey all, In looking at a map, it looks like Goshawks I reported earlier were actually in Grant County. Oops. Apologies. My thanks to a friend for the clarification. Good birding, Derek Subject: Fw: Hanging Rock Tower (04 Nov 2009) 17 Raptors From: Jim & Judy Phillips <cne01663 AT MAIL.WVNET.EDU> Date: Thu, 5 Nov 2009 07:50:29 -0500 ----- Original Message ----- From: reports AT hawkcount.org To: cne01663 AT mail.wvnet.edu Sent: Thursday, November 05, 2009 7:11 AM Subject: HSR: Hanging Rock Tower (04 Nov 2009) 17 Raptors Hanging Rock Tower Waiteville, West Virginia, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 04, 2009 Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 0 0 0 Osprey 0 0 39 Bald Eagle 0 0 69 Northern Harrier 1 2 9 Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 5 301 Cooper's Hawk 0 3 64 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 1 9 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 1977 Red-tailed Hawk 13 76 108 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 2 7 7 American Kestrel 0 1 44 Merlin 0 1 2 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 15 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 9 Unknown Buteo 0 0 3 Unknown Falcon 0 0 6 Unknown Eagle 0 0 1 Unknown Raptor 0 0 0 Total: 17 96 2663 Observation start time: 09:30:00 Observation end time: 14:00:00 Total observation time: 4.5 hours Official Counter Jim Phillips Observers: Jim Phillips Weather: Raptor Observations: Non-raptor Observations: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Report submitted by Jim Phillips (cne01663 AT mail.wvnet.edu) Hanging Rock Tower information may be found at: http://www.hangingrocktower.org/ Subject: Fw: Hanging Rock Tower (03 Nov 2009) 76 Raptors From: Jim & Judy Phillips <cne01663 AT MAIL.WVNET.EDU> Date: Thu, 5 Nov 2009 07:49:54 -0500 ----- Original Message ----- From: reports AT hawkcount.org To: cne01663 AT mail.wvnet.edu Sent: Thursday, November 05, 2009 7:11 AM Subject: HSR: Hanging Rock Tower (03 Nov 2009) 76 Raptors Hanging Rock Tower Waiteville, West Virginia, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 03, 2009 Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 0 0 0 Osprey 0 0 39 Bald Eagle 0 0 69 Northern Harrier 1 1 8 Sharp-shinned Hawk 3 4 300 Cooper's Hawk 3 3 64 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 1 1 9 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 1977 Red-tailed Hawk 63 63 95 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 4 5 5 American Kestrel 1 1 44 Merlin 0 1 2 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 15 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 9 Unknown Buteo 0 0 3 Unknown Falcon 0 0 6 Unknown Eagle 0 0 1 Unknown Raptor 0 0 0 Total: 76 79 2646 Observation start time: 11:15:00 Observation end time: 16:15:00 Total observation time: 5 hours Official Counter Jim Phillips Observers: Josh Lipton Weather: Raptor Observations: Non-raptor Observations: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Report submitted by Jim Phillips (cne01663 AT mail.wvnet.edu) Hanging Rock Tower information may be found at: http://www.hangingrocktower.org/ Subject: Fw: Hanging Rock Tower (01 Nov 2009) 3 Raptors From: Jim & Judy Phillips <cne01663 AT MAIL.WVNET.EDU> Date: Thu, 5 Nov 2009 07:49:12 -0500 ----- Original Message ----- From: reports AT hawkcount.org To: cne01663 AT mail.wvnet.edu Sent: Thursday, November 05, 2009 6:11 AM Subject: HSR: Hanging Rock Tower (01 Nov 2009) 3 Raptors Hanging Rock Tower Waiteville, West Virginia, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 01, 2009 Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 0 0 0 Osprey 0 0 39 Bald Eagle 0 0 69 Northern Harrier 0 0 7 Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 1 297 Cooper's Hawk 0 0 61 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 8 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 1977 Red-tailed Hawk 0 0 32 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 1 1 1 American Kestrel 0 0 43 Merlin 1 1 2 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 15 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 9 Unknown Buteo 0 0 3 Unknown Falcon 0 0 6 Unknown Eagle 0 0 1 Unknown Raptor 0 0 0 Total: 3 3 2570 Observation start time: 10:15:00 Observation end time: 16:15:00 Total observation time: 1.75 hours Official Counter Jim Phillips Observers: Josh Lipton, Rodney Davis Weather: Raptor Observations: Non-raptor Observations: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Report submitted by Jim Phillips (cne01663 AT mail.wvnet.edu) Hanging Rock Tower information may be found at: http://www.hangingrocktower.org/ Subject: Golden birds ... From: Derek Courtney <derek.dana.courtney AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Wed, 4 Nov 2009 21:20:56 -0500 Hey all, One Common Goldeneye on Cheat Lake near Morgan's Run with a dozen or so Hooded Mergansers. Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned kinglets were at the parking lot at the end of Morgan's Run. A few Bufflehead remain near edgewater along with 2 PB Grebes. I also had a juvenile Golden Eagle off the overlook at Cooper's Rock this week to complete the "golden" trifecta. I suppose you could add American Goldifnch which were seen multiple places to the theme. Only other recent birds of note were two Northern Goshawks seen over the weekend in Tucker County. Lots of good raptors moving through the area, so keep an eye out as you look over ponds and lakes for the latest arrivals. Good birding, Derek Subject: black vultures From: "Cynthia D. Ellis" <cdellis AT WILDBLUE.NET> Date: Wed, 4 Nov 2009 20:19:09 -0500 Here today, saw 5 Black Vultures in early afternoon. They rose up from a neighboring field with Turkey Vultures but separated as a group and drifted slowly to the southwest as the TV's dispersed. ~Cindy Ellis, Putnam County -- Cynthia D. Ellis RR 1 Box 163 Red House, WV 25168 304 586-4135 cdellis AT wildblue.net “Words ought to be a little wild for they are the assaults of thought on the unthinking.” ~John Maynard Keynes Subject: Tundra Swan & Wood Ducks- Shenandoah River From: Carol Del-Colle <WVnaturalist AT COMCAST.NET> Date: Wed, 4 Nov 2009 19:26:16 +0000 Greetings,    On a ride along the Shenandoah River around 12:30 this afternoon, I saw my first for the season Tundra Swan midway in the river near the sharp curve on Bloomery Rd. It was in the vicinity of about 15 Bufflehead and some other ducks which were too far away for me to confidently identify with only by binoculars(forgot to put my scope in the car.) Toward the end of Rissler Rd., I found 3 Wood Ducks(2male and 1 female).  Originally they were at the near bank, but then flew across the river to the far bank.  These were the first Wood Ducks I have seen this season.  A Red-shouldered Hawk, flew through the trees on Rissler and landed facing me, so I got some good looks at this beautiful bird- one of my favorites.       Happy birding,         Carol Del-Colle         Summit Point         Jefferson County   Subject: Black Vultures, Shovelers From: "Cynthia D. Ellis" <cdellis AT WILDBLUE.NET> Date: Tue, 3 Nov 2009 20:23:41 -0500 At the Winfield Locks today there were 3 Black Vultures riding a thermal with Turkey Vultures. At the third pond I met Roger Hardway who hoped to see if the Long-tailed Duck might still be there. It was, and, among the Canada Geese and some Coots, there were 3 Northern Shovelers. There were 2 females and 1 male. ~Cindy Ellis, Putnam County -- Cynthia D. Ellis RR 1 Box 163 Red House, WV 25168 304 586-4135 cdellis AT wildblue.net "If the coal industry were going to lead us to the economic promised land, shouldn't we be there by now?" ~John McFerrin Subject: Mercer County ponds From: Jim & Judy Phillips <cne01663 AT MAIL.WVNET.EDU> Date: Tue, 3 Nov 2009 18:34:26 -0500 I checked several Mercer County ponds for waterfowl today and found the following: Glenwood Sewage Lagoon- 26 mallard, 3 Amer. black duck, 1 wood duck; Kee Dam - 1 bufflehead(first of the season), 8 mallards, 17 Amer. coots; Bulltail Hollow - 2 mallards. Carper's Pond, Durr's Pond & Glenwood Park - nothing. Jim Phillips Summers County Pipestem, WV Subject: Golden Eagles - Jefferson hawk watching From: Matt Orsie <wvbirder AT COMCAST.NET> Date: Tue, 3 Nov 2009 17:40:17 -0500 All, Today was a fine day on the ridge. Temps in the low 50's and winds that picked up around 11:30am running between 10-20 mph sustained. Highlights were a pair of Golden Eagles (One juvenile and one Adult) and 62 red-tailed Hawks. Osprey 1 Bald Eagle 7 Northern Harrier 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 Cooper's Hawk 1 Red-tailed Hawk 62 Golden Eagle 2 Matt Orsie Summit Point, WV Subject: Fw: Hanging Rock Tower (25 Oct 2009) 22 Raptors From: Jim & Judy Phillips <cne01663 AT MAIL.WVNET.EDU> Date: Tue, 3 Nov 2009 08:55:14 -0500 ----- Original Message ----- From: reports AT hawkcount.org To: cne01663 AT mail.wvnet.edu Sent: Tuesday, November 03, 2009 8:11 AM Subject: HSR: Hanging Rock Tower (25 Oct 2009) 22 Raptors Hanging Rock Tower Waiteville, West Virginia, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 25, 2009 Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 0 0 0 Osprey 1 4 39 Bald Eagle 2 21 69 Northern Harrier 0 2 7 Sharp-shinned Hawk 14 147 296 Cooper's Hawk 0 49 61 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 4 4 8 Broad-winged Hawk 0 41 1977 Red-tailed Hawk 1 5 32 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 0 22 43 Merlin 0 0 1 Peregrine Falcon 0 1 15 Unknown Accipiter 0 4 9 Unknown Buteo 0 3 3 Unknown Falcon 0 4 6 Unknown Eagle 0 0 1 Unknown Raptor 0 0 0 Total: 22 307 2567 Observation start time: 09:15:00 Observation end time: 15:15:00 Total observation time: 6 hours Official Counter Jim Phillips Observers: Brian Hirt, Josh Lipton, Natan Harel, Simon Lollis Weather: Raptor Observations: Non-raptor Observations: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Report submitted by Jim Phillips (cne01663 AT mail.wvnet.edu) Hanging Rock Tower information may be found at: http://www.hangingrocktower.org/ Subject: Fw: Hanging Rock Tower (23 Oct 2009) 2 Raptors From: Jim & Judy Phillips <cne01663 AT MAIL.WVNET.EDU> Date: Tue, 3 Nov 2009 08:54:43 -0500 ----- Original Message ----- From: reports AT hawkcount.org To: cne01663 AT mail.wvnet.edu Sent: Tuesday, November 03, 2009 8:11 AM Subject: HSR: Hanging Rock Tower (23 Oct 2009) 2 Raptors Hanging Rock Tower Waiteville, West Virginia, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 23, 2009 Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 0 0 0 Osprey 0 3 38 Bald Eagle 0 19 67 Northern Harrier 0 2 7 Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 133 282 Cooper's Hawk 0 49 61 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 4 Broad-winged Hawk 0 41 1977 Red-tailed Hawk 0 4 31 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 0 22 43 Merlin 0 0 1 Peregrine Falcon 0 1 15 Unknown Accipiter 2 4 9 Unknown Buteo 0 3 3 Unknown Falcon 0 4 6 Unknown Eagle 0 0 1 Unknown Raptor 0 0 0 Total: 2 285 2545 Observation start time: 16:00:00 Observation end time: 17:00:00 Total observation time: 1 hours Official Counter Jim Phillips Observers: Brenda Thompson, David Oliverio Weather: Raptor Observations: Non-raptor Observations: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Report submitted by Jim Phillips (cne01663 AT mail.wvnet.edu) Hanging Rock Tower information may be found at: http://www.hangingrocktower.org/ Subject: Fw: Hanging Rock Tower (22 Oct 2009) 4 Raptors From: Jim & Judy Phillips <cne01663 AT MAIL.WVNET.EDU> Date: Tue, 3 Nov 2009 08:54:16 -0500 ----- Original Message ----- From: reports AT hawkcount.org To: cne01663 AT mail.wvnet.edu Sent: Tuesday, November 03, 2009 8:11 AM Subject: HSR: Hanging Rock Tower (22 Oct 2009) 4 Raptors Hanging Rock Tower Waiteville, West Virginia, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 22, 2009 Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 0 0 0 Osprey 0 3 38 Bald Eagle 0 19 67 Northern Harrier 0 2 7 Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 133 282 Cooper's Hawk 0 49 61 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 4 Broad-winged Hawk 0 41 1977 Red-tailed Hawk 0 4 31 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 0 22 43 Merlin 0 0 1 Peregrine Falcon 0 1 15 Unknown Accipiter 1 2 7 Unknown Buteo 0 3 3 Unknown Falcon 3 4 6 Unknown Eagle 0 0 1 Unknown Raptor 0 0 0 Total: 4 283 2543 Observation start time: 11:45:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 3.25 hours Official Counter Jim Phillips Observers: Jerry Young, Kenny Eades Weather: Raptor Observations: Non-raptor Observations: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Report submitted by Jim Phillips (cne01663 AT mail.wvnet.edu) Hanging Rock Tower information may be found at: http://www.hangingrocktower.org/ Subject: Fw: Hanging Rock Tower (18 Oct 2009) 3 Raptors From: Jim & Judy Phillips <cne01663 AT MAIL.WVNET.EDU> Date: Tue, 3 Nov 2009 08:53:47 -0500 ----- Original Message ----- From: reports AT hawkcount.org To: cne01663 AT mail.wvnet.edu Sent: Tuesday, November 03, 2009 8:11 AM Subject: HSR: Hanging Rock Tower (18 Oct 2009) 3 Raptors Hanging Rock Tower Waiteville, West Virginia, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 18, 2009 Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 0 0 0 Osprey 0 3 38 Bald Eagle 2 19 67 Northern Harrier 0 2 7 Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 133 282 Cooper's Hawk 0 49 61 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 4 Broad-winged Hawk 0 41 1977 Red-tailed Hawk 0 4 31 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 0 22 43 Merlin 0 0 1 Peregrine Falcon 0 1 15 Unknown Accipiter 0 1 6 Unknown Buteo 0 3 3 Unknown Falcon 0 1 3 Unknown Eagle 0 0 1 Unknown Raptor 0 0 0 Total: 3 279 2539 Observation start time: 11:00:00 Observation end time: 13:00:00 Total observation time: 2 hours Official Counter Jim Phillips Observers: Josh Lipton Weather: Raptor Observations: Non-raptor Observations: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Report submitted by Jim Phillips (cne01663 AT mail.wvnet.edu) Hanging Rock Tower information may be found at: http://www.hangingrocktower.org/ Subject: Mt. Valley Lake From: Jim & Judy Phillips <cne01663 AT MAIL.WVNET.EDU> Date: Tue, 3 Nov 2009 08:52:51 -0500 I checked out Mt. Valley Lake, Jumping Branch, Summers County yesterday and found the following: ring-necked duck 28 American coot 1 gadwall 5 lesser scaup 8 wood duck 12 Canada goose 49 green-winged teal 1 hooded merganser 15(first of the season for me) flicker, red-bellied & pileated woodpecker, hermith thrush, white-throated sparrow and junco. Jim Phillips Summers County Pipestem, WV Subject: bald eagle in New Martinsville From: Wilma Jarrell <wjar AT FRONTIERNET.NET> Date: Mon, 2 Nov 2009 20:16:12 -0500 No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.424 / Virus Database: 270.14.46/2477 - Release Date: 11/02/09 19:39:00 Subject: Long-tailed Duck at Winfield Locks From: Roger Hardway <Roger2Canes AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Mon, 2 Nov 2009 18:58:17 -0500 Stopped at the pond near the Winfield Armory today and spotted a bird I am quite sure was a female Long-tailed Duck. Checked my guides and the internet and could find no other diving duck that comes close in appearance to the one I observed. Roger Hardway Eleanor Putnam County Subject: Greenbottom Addendum From: David Patick <patick AT COMCAST.NET> Date: Mon, 2 Nov 2009 18:05:18 -0500 I failed to mention on yesterday's post that Mike Griffith and I also saw 30 Tree Swallows at Greenbottom. David Patick, Huntington,WV 25701 Subject: More Buffleheads, Grebes, Cormorant, Eagle From: Terry Bronson <terrybronson AT YMAIL.COM> Date: Mon, 2 Nov 2009 14:23:38 -0800 A quick check this morning at Cheat Lake south of the I-68 bridge yielded: Bufflehead--12, compared to 4 yesterday Belted Kingfisher--1, first time I've seen one there I then went up to Lake O'Woods in the far northwestern corner of Preston County to see what waterfowl might be present. This is a private lake, but you can get halfway decent views between the houses and at the southern end. Highlights were: Pied-billed Grebe--3 Canada Goose--4 Common Raven--2 Dark-eyed Junco--2, singing. There were many more to the north in Pennsylvania. Next was the McCollum Campground junction in Cooper's Rock State Forest, with the following notables: Red-tailed Hawk--1 Pileated Woodpecker--3 Cedar Waxwing--20, but won't be around much longer as the fruit trees don't have much left Dark-eyed Junco--4 After lunch, I walked the Mon River Trail from the Uffington access to just south of the Hildebrand Dam. Highlights there: Pied-billed Grebe--2 just south of dam Double-crested Cormorant--1 immature just south of dam Great Blue Heron--just south of I-79 Sharp-shinned Hawk--1 Bald Eagle--1 adult just south of dam Belted Kingfisher--1 male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker--1 immature Downy Woodpecker--4 Hairy Woodpecker--2 Red-bellied Woodpecker--5 Northern Flicker--3 Brown Creeper--1 Eastern Bluebird--2 Field Sparrow--3 White-throated Sparrow--7 And in the Mon River Squirrel Olympics: Gray Squirrel--1 attempting the leap from an overhanging tree on one side of the trail to another on the other side. Score 10 for form, but zero for execution as the poor squirrel missed and fell 15-20 feet to do a belly flop on the trail. Got right up, though, and appeared uninjured as it scuttled off toward the nearest tree.  Terry Bronson Morgantown, WV Subject: Brown Creepers, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker- Summit Point From: Carol Del-Colle <WVnaturalist AT COMCAST.NET> Date: Mon, 2 Nov 2009 22:15:45 +0000 Greetings,    This morning started out very nicely with the my first of the season siting of a Dark-eyed Junco in the yard and continued to get even better with the addition of 2 Brown Creepers on the same maple tree at the same time, a male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker that brought my woodpecker total up to 4(Downy, Red-bellied, and Northern Flicker), and 5 Bluebirds out around the blue bird house that earlier this year housed a pair of nesting  blue birds.  Were they back with their young, I wonder,  perhaps showing them where they got their start ?  To add to all this activity, a pair of Yellow-rumped Warblers flitted back and forth between the pond area and the water dishes on the porch railings. The regular yard birds were around as well, and a noisy flock of about 100-150 Grackles flying south put in their two cents.    I also was down around the Shenandoah River on Rissler and Bloomery Road about 3:00 and saw the Buffleheads and Ring-necked Ducks that Matt mentioned in his post. There were also quite a few turtles out on rocks and logs taking advantage of the sunny afternoon. I really enjoy this transition time - never quite sure what will be seen.      Happy birding,         Carol Del-Colle         Summit Point         Jefferson County       Subject: Waterfowl - Shenandoah River From: Matt Orsie <wvbirder AT COMCAST.NET> Date: Mon, 2 Nov 2009 14:23:34 -0500 All, A drive along John Rissler and Bloomery roads around noon time provided new visitors for the season. *New for the fall season *American Black Duck 1 Mallard 3 *Green-winged Teal 2 *Ring-necked Duck 5 *Bufflehead 13 Matt Orsie Summit Point, WV Subject: Dark-eyed Junco- FOS- Summit Point From: Carol Del-Colle <WVnaturalist AT COMCAST.NET> Date: Mon, 2 Nov 2009 12:19:17 +0000 Greetings,   This morning just before 7:00, I got to join the ranks of those who have gotten to see their first Junco of the season.  I have been waiting-watching and so happy to finally see this little harbinger of  winter sitting in some bushes out back.         Happy birding,          Carol Del-Colle          Summit Point          Jefferson County Subject: Dark eyed junco...finally From: Bruni Haydl <bruni AT CITLINK.NET> Date: Mon, 2 Nov 2009 05:48:03 -0500 Finally spotted the first junco, a male, in my yard on Saturday. He was sitting with his back towards me and in a "here, I'll make it easy for you" move spread his tail feathers to really show off the white outer feathers. Bruni Haydl Charles Town Subject: Tundra Swans in Hardy County From: "David E. Carr" <dec5z AT CMS.MAIL.VIRGINIA.EDU> Date: Sun, 1 Nov 2009 20:29:28 -0500 Early this afternoon (11/1/09) I spotted a flock of 22 Tundra Swans flying and calling high overhead in Arkansaw, WV (Hardy County). David Carr Hardy County, WV Subject: Ring-billed Gulls/ Ruby-crowned Kinglet- Jefferson County From: Carol Del-Colle <WVnaturalist AT COMCAST.NET> Date: Mon, 2 Nov 2009 01:05:25 +0000 Greetings,    This morning around 9:30, I saw 2 Ring-billed Gulls flying around the parking area between Panera and Home Depot in Ranson.  Earlier this morning, I had a Ruby-crowned Kinglet(not showing red crest) in the bushes near the pond.    Happy birding,         Carol Del-Colle         Summit Point         Jefferson County   Subject: Common Loons, Tundra Swans - Jefferson County Hawk watching From: Matt Orsie <wvbirder AT COMCAST.NET> Date: Sun, 1 Nov 2009 18:22:37 -0500 All, I spent a few hours this afternoon at the site along the Appalachian Trail. The winds were not too cooperative being relatively light (5-10mph - NNW) but there were still a good a number of species passing by. Tundra Swan 19 Common Loon 27 Bald Eagle 3 Norther Harrier 3 Sharp-shinned Hawk 2 Red-shouldered Hawk 2 Red-tailed Hawk 27 There will a Potomac Valley Audubon field trip to this site this coming Saturday. Matt Orsie Summit Point, WV Subject: Cheat Lake--Gadwalls, Buffleheads, C. Mergs From: Terry Bronson <terrybronson AT YMAIL.COM> Date: Sun, 1 Nov 2009 09:25:40 -0800 The influx of waterfowl into Cheat Lake east of Morgantown continued overnight. 9 species of water birds were present this morning. All except the Buffleheads were in the northern part of the lake viewable from the Cheat Lake Trail: Canada Goose--12 American Black Duck--2 Mallard--6 Gadwall--7 Ring-necked Duck--28 Bufflehead--4 at south end of lake off Edgewater Marina south of I-68 Common Merganser--1 female Ruddy Duck--1 female Pied-billed Grebe--4 A small mixed flock of 18 land birds along the trail included: Brown Creeper--2 Golden-crowned Kinglet--1 plus Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, White- breasted Nuthatch, Carolina Wren, Downy Woodpecker, and Pileated Woodpecker. Terry Bronson Morgantown, WV Subject: Greenbottom birding From: David Patick <patick AT COMCAST.NET> Date: Sun, 1 Nov 2009 12:25:01 -0500 Mike Griffith and I birded this am in the Greenbottom area.The temp. started out at 36 and rose to 53 degrees by 1130 am with calm winds.Some of the birds seen were: Fox Sparrow-2 Savannah Sparrow-2 Swamp Sparrow-12 White-crowned Sparrow-12 White-throated Sparrow-several Field Sparrow-3 Song Sparrow-several Winter Wren-1 Marsh Wren-1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet-1 Golden-crowned Kinglet-1 Yellow-rumped Warbler-4 Hairy Woodpecker-1 Red-shouldered Hawk-2 Red-tailed Hawk-2 Wood Duck-2 Coot-20 Green-winged Teal-12 Pied-billed Grebe-2 We had no luck in finding any Vesper or Lincoln's Sparrow and did not relocate the Moorhen. David Patick, Huntington,WV 25701 Subject: TRAC to have live peregrine, eagle, great horned owl on display in Barboursville From: Wendy Perrone <wendy AT TRACWV.ORG> Date: Sat, 31 Oct 2009 17:13:59 -0400 The Raptors are coming! Three Rivers Avian Center’s Raptor Ambassadors are Swirling into a live display in Barboursville What color are the feathers that cover the toes of a Great Horned Owl? Why does the Peregrine Falcon have that odd structure inside the nose? How would YOU describe the feathers on the back of the neck of a Golden Eagle? Get a chance to answer these and other questions for yourself at Wild Birds Unlimited - Barboursville on Saturday, November 7th from 12 - 4 pm. No admission fee, and a great experience for all ages! Three Rivers Avian Center and 3 of their Raptor Ambassadors will be featured in a four hour live display within Randy and Gloria Urian’s Wild Birds Unlimited Nature Shop in the Merritt Creek Farm Shopping Center at Barboursville, WV. Visit with co-directors Wendy and Ron Perrone, Spirit the Golden Eagle, Hoolie the Great Horned Owl, and Perry the Peregrine Falcon in this annual, “up close and personal”, relaxed and at times hilarious encounter. For more information, contact Randy or Gloria at Wild Birds Unlimited, phone number 304 - 733 - 0714. Bring your camera, bring your family and friends! Admission is free, donations to Three Rivers Avian Center are welcome. Three Rivers Avian Center’s website and blog are available at www.tracwv.org. -- Wendy Perrone, Executive Director Three Rivers Avian Center Brooks Mtn Road HC 74 Box 279 Brooks, WV 25951 304-466-4683 (land line) 304-575-5024 (mobile) www.tracwv.org New River Gorge Peregrine Restoration Coordinator No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.423 / Virus Database: 270.14.39/2470 - Release Date: 10/30/09 15:18:00 Subject: Hooded Merganser and Black Vultures near Morgantown From: Terry Bronson <terrybronson AT YMAIL.COM> Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:34:47 -0700 It was a very slow morning at the West Virginia Botanic Garden southeast of Morgantown today. Only 9 species were seen in 1 hour and 20 minutes. The only highlights were: 2 flyover Black Vultures 2 White-throated Sparrows Early afternoon along the Mon River Trail north of Star City up to Van Voorhis Road was considerably more active, with the following highlights: Hooded Merganser--1 drake near the bridge over the tributary creek. Possibly the drake that over- summered about 2 miles upstream near the Route 19 bridge. Sharp-shinned Hawk--1 flushed from the woods, and seen only very briefly. ID based on square tail end. Gray Catbird--1, looked kind of scruffy Yellow-rumped Warbler--8 White-throated Sparrow--3 Dark-eyed Junco--9 19 other common species seen and heard. Terry Bronson Morgantown, WV Subject: Yellow-rumped Warblers- Summit Point From: Carol Del-Colle <WVnaturalist AT COMCAST.NET> Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:43:42 +0000 Greetings,    I had a small flock (6) of Yellow-rumped Warblers in the yard this morning around the pond area.  Two of them came down for some water.  They then took off flying south.    Coming home on Rt. 9 near Ranson, I saw a male Kestrel perched on a wire.  I also stopped by Huntfield pond around 10:00 this morning to look for the Lark Sparrow Matt had seen yesterday.  It was chilly and quite breezy and there seemed to be little activity.  I checked out the area between the telephone poles on the NW part of the pond, and only spotted a White-crowned Sparrow(first of season for me) and a Song Sparrow along with a Mockingbird who was singing his heart out.  I had chores to do, so I didn't stay too long.  Hopefully, the Lark Sparrow is still there and others will get to see it.  I have seen a Lark Sparrow before, but not in West Virginia.  I will try to get back tomorrow and check it out again.                Happy birding,                    Carol Del-Colle                     Summit Point                     Jefferson County Subject: Common Loon, Rudy Ducks - Shenandoah River From: Matt Orsie <wvbirder AT COMCAST.NET> Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:47:27 -0400 All, A lunch time drive along Bloomery road produced the first Common Loon of the season. This is only the 5th October loon I've recorded in the state with the earliest being 10-26 in 2002. Other Notables: Pied-billed Grebe 1 Ruddy Duck 27 Good Birding, Matt Orsie Summit Point, WV Subject: ruddy duck, greater yellowlegs, red-breasted nuthatch, etc From: Wilma Jarrell <wjar AT FRONTIERNET.NET> Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:05:30 -0400 Birded yesterday in three places in Wetzel County. At Proctor in backwater saw a greater yellowlegs. Saw the first ruddy duck of season above dam and 8 wood ducks still around. Heard the first red-breasted nuthatch of year. Went out in afternoon at home and saw both acciptors. Complete list (I hope) follows. > Observation date: 10/29/09 > Number of species: 44 Hannibal L&D Proctor Fairview Ridge, Wileyville > > Canada Goose 67 18 > Wood Duck 6 2 > Mallard 14 12 > Ruddy Duck 1 > Great Blue Heron 1 2 Sharp-shinned hawk 1 > Cooper's Hawk 1 2 Red-tailed hawk 1 2 American coot 1 > Killdeer 6 6 Greater yellowlegs 1 > Herring Gull 1 > Rock Pigeon 140 Mourning dove 1 Red-bellied woodpecker 2 Yellow-bellied sapsucker 1 > Downy Woodpecker 1 2 Hairy woodpecker 1 Northern flicker 1 3 Pileated woodpecker 1 > Eastern Phoebe 1 > Blue Jay 1 2 1 > American Crow 2 5 5 common raven 1 Carolina chickadee 5 Tufted titmouse 5 Red-breasted nuthatch 1 White-breasted nuthatch 4 > Carolina Wren 1 2 2 Eastern bluebird 2 > American Robin 15 6 5 > European Starling 22 15 Northern mockingbird 1 > Cedar Waxwing 3 didn't count Yellow-rumped warbler 1 > Song Sparrow 7 4 3 Swamp sparrow 1 White-throated sparrow 1 1 Dark-eyed junco 1 > Northern Cardinal 1 3 10 > Red-winged Blackbird 7 House finch 2 > American Goldfinch 2 2 80 House sparrow 2 4 > > This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.421 / Virus Database: 270.14.38/2467 - Release Date: 10/29/09 07:38:00 No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.421 / Virus Database: 270.14.38/2467 - Release Date: 10/29/09 07:38:00 Subject: Red Phalarope From: WArgabrite AT AOL.COM Date: Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:18:36 EDT Made a run to the Apple Grove Fish Hatchery to see if the Red Phalarope was still there, it was. Took a roll of pictures of it, you can get very close. Wendell Argabrite 111 Jefferson Park Drive Huntington, WV 25705 Cabell County wargabrite AT aol.com Subject: Lark Sparrow - Huntfield, Jefferson County From: Matt Orsie <wvbirder AT COMCAST.NET> Date: Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:03:03 -0400 All, I took a lunch time walk around the pond in the Huntfield sub-division just south of Charles Town looking for sparrows. The variety was good and highlighted by a Lark Sparrow on the NW side of the pond between the 1st and 2nd telephone poles. I would expect it will stick for a few days. This is the first Lark Sparrow I've seen in Jefferson county. Secondary highlight was a flyover flock over 17 American Pipits. Other Sparrows: Field Savannah Song Swamp White-throated White-crowned Good Birding, Matt Orsie Summit Point, WV Subject: Ring-necked and Ruddy Ducks on Cheat Lake From: Terry Bronson <terrybronson AT YMAIL.COM> Date: Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:40:51 -0700 I've been checking Cheat Lake east of Morgantown every few days to see when the first migrant waterfowl arrive. Well, today was the day. Highlights: Ring-necked Duck--3 drakes, 2 hens Ruddy Duck--4 drakes, 3 hens, all in non-breeding plumage Mallard--6 drakes, 1 hen Wood Duck--1 flyover Canada Goose--19 flying in from the east Pied-billed Grebe--1, feeding as it swam across the lake Spotted Sandpiper--1, with what looked like an injured left leg or foot. Was still able to bob its rear end with the best of them, though. The Ring-necks were halfway between the road turnaround at the lakeshore and the dam. The Ruddies and Grebe were directly off the turnaround area, except for 1 drake Ruddy that was upstream about a mile with 3 Mallards. All the ducks were in siesta mode. Also of note: Great Blue Heron--1 upstream along the edge of Morgan's Run Yellow-bellied Sapsucker--2 juveniles Belted Kingfisher--2 males, flew across the trail to perch on the same branch of a tree less than 2 feet apart. Both calling; 1 kept bobbing its head--not sure if that's a dominance behavior or not. Yellow-rumped Warbler--1 In Pennsylvania behind the Lake Lynn post office below the dam: Bald Eagle--1 adult.. I'm told they nest there. Terry Bronson Morgantown, WV Subject: Monroe Co. Bald Eagle From: "Williams, Barry C" <Barry.C.Williams AT WV.GOV> Date: Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:04:38 -0400 Saw an immature Bald Eagle yesterday on WV 122 between Forest Hill and Greenville, Monroe County. Barry Williams Organ Cave, Greenbrier County Subject: New Arrivals From: Bruni Haydl <bruni AT CITLINK.NET> Date: Thu, 29 Oct 2009 05:55:12 -0400 Last weekend I had a pair of White crowned sparrows and a pair of Purple finches feeding on Finchmix. Chipping and Song sparrows were also present along with the regulars. I was also surprised to see movement in the pyracantha....a bunch of Cedar waxwings. That was the first time I had actually seen birds eat the berries despite having read that this shrub is a good food source. Still no Juncos. Bruni Haydl Jefferson Co Subject: Red Phalarope From: WArgabrite AT AOL.COM Date: Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:31:12 EDT Made a run up to the Apple Grove Fish Hatchery this afternoon (10/28/09) and found, much to my surprise, one Red Phalarope. There was also one Least Sandpiper. The Phalarope was still there when I left at about 4:30PM. Wendell Argabrite 111 Jefferson Park Drive Huntington, WV 25705 Cabell County wargabrite AT aol.com Subject: Eagles, Wood Ducks & Cedar Waxwings From: Ms Diane Holsinger <dhworkout AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:25:37 -0700 Kathy King, Jane Whitaker & I birded Kimsey Dam & surrounding areas today   After last nite's  rain  The birds were out in full force today   Our first stop was at Kimsey Dam  High on the hill we saw at least 20 Mature Bald Eagles   Coming off of  Big Ridge road we saw a flock of Cedar Wax Wings eating rose hip berries  We watched them for ten minutes or more   West of the dam on Rt. 259   We coulnted 45 wood ducks if not more Have never seen so many wood ducks   We saw six species of sparrows   White Throat,Sparrow White Crown Sparrow Chipping Sparrows Field Sparrows   Song Sparrows   & the wonderful house sparrow   We had a Brown Creeper & Yellow Belly Sapsucker   All in all we had a wonderful day of birding 45 species of birds   The rain held off & the sun was out   It was a great day to be out & about and birding with friends   Diane Holsinger   Subject: Summer Co. birds from Oct. 24th. From: Allen Waldron <awaldron AT SUDDENLINK.NET> Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:02:26 -0400 No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.423 / Virus Database: 270.14.36/2465 - Release Date: 10/28/09 09:34:00 Subject: crows From: paul m mckay <mckayandmckay AT VERIZON.NET> Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:26:10 -0400 I have been watching them since the mid 1970's on our land along rt 88 just west of west liberty. They have changed direction last year, instead of flying over the northwest part of our farm west to the west they now fly over the southeast portion to the south. Since the previous route had been noticed by me since about 1978 this shift was odd, I am guessing the food source has changed not the roost. My rule of thumb in counting crows is that there are always about twice the number than first thought in any group flying. We get several thousand between 4 and 6 in November . Paul Ohio county Counting crows since 1978 McKay and McKay Attorneys at law 83-12th Street Wheeling, WV 26003 1-304-232-2234 The information contained in this email message may be confidential and may contain privileged information and material. Any review or use of the information contained in this email message by persons other than the intended recipient(s) is prohibited. In compliance with regulations issued by the Internal Revenue Service, we inform you that any Federal tax advice contained in this communication,including any attachments, was not written to be used and may not be used by any person to avoid any penalties under the Internal Revenue Code. Subject: eagles & cormorants From: Jim & Judy Phillips <cne01663 AT MAIL.WVNET.EDU> Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 07:26:47 -0400 I saw 3 bald eagles(2 adult, 1 immature) and 3 double-crested cormorants on Bluestone Lake, above the dam yesterday about mid-day. Jim Phillips Summers County Pipestem, WV Subject: Preston Co. Cackling Geese From: Derek Courtney <derek.dana.courtney AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:02:15 -0400 Hello all, Went in search of some waterfowl today. First stop was around Arthurdale with notable birds being two American Coots, 1 Pied Billed Grebe and 1 DC Cormorant. Next, I headed to Terra Alta. One Common Loon persists having been first spotted on Saturday. Also present were two Pied Billed Grebes. After having my fill of photographing and watching the loon fish, I heard a skein of geese flying in from northern end of Alpine Lake. There was something different about the cacophony that preceded them though. So I waited for them to splash down. I was treated to 5 Cackling Geese amongst the lot of 20 or so Canadas. These were not present over the weekend. The Cackling Geese remained over the next hour so until I left. After grabbing some lunch I checked out Tygart Lake near the dam and marina. Notables included 3 American Coots, 1 Pied Billed Grebe and 2 Green-Winged Teal. If anyone out there is desirous of going to look for the Cackling Geese since I haven't seen any posted recently, please remember that Alpine Lake is a private community. The security guards have always been very pleasant when I have been there. Keep to the community space areas around the lodge and boat-house and I probably wouldn't venture any further around the lake than that. Other than exercising common sense and courtesy ... just watch out for errant tee shots :) Good birding, Derek Subject: Sapsucker Surfeit in Philippi From: Jeffrey Del Col <jadel1947 AT VERIZON.NET> Date: Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:49:29 -0700 When I came home from the office this afternoon, I spotted a Red-Bellied Woodpecker on the maple tree behind our house.  As I watched it, suddenly a group of five Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers swooped in and began sidling around the trunk of the maple.  There were two pairs of adults and one youngster in this fandango.  After about twenty seconds they all took off into the nearby woods.  I've never seen that many YBSS in one place at the same time. Jeff Del Col, Philippi Subject: Decker's Creek Trail in Preston County--Rusty Blackbirds From: Terry Bronson <terrybronson AT YMAIL.COM> Date: Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:31:06 -0700 This morning's birding trip was to the Decker's Creek Rail Trail at McKinney Cave Road near Masontown in Preston County. I went further in each direction today than I have before. To the north I ended up at an old mine with what I believe are coke ovens (something I learned at the New River Gorge on Sunday). To the south I went as far as Kingwood Pike. I found 37 species, with the following being most notable: Canada Goose--119 flying over, 3 flocks of 29, 40, and 50 Great Blue Heron--1 Killdeer--22, at the WVU Reedsville Farm on Kingwood Pike Accipiter species--1, looked gray so thus an adult, but couldn't get more detail than that Blue Jay--28 American Crow--87 Common Raven--2 Carolina Chickadee--16 Ruby-crowned Kinglet--2 Eastern Bluebird--11 Cedar Waxwing--38 Field Sparrow--2 Song Sparrow--26 Swamp Sparrow--6 White-throated Sparrow--2 White-crowned Sparrow--4 juveniles Dark-eyed Junco--2 Red-winged Blackbird--3 Rusty Blackbird--8, all looked brownish with no streaks in bad light Common Grackle--3 Blackbird species--40, just distant silhouettes Purple Finch--1 male No Warblers or Vireos. Terry Bronson Morgantown, WV Subject: Milton, Winfield, Greenbottom WMA From: Ben Borda <abbreb AT COMCAST.NET> Date: Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:41:24 -0400 Hoping to see some waterfowl, I made a quick trip this morning over to the treatment ponds at Milton, then on to the Winfield Locks/National Guard Armory ponds, and then to the observation tower at the Greenbottom WMA. I was only able to spend a few minutes at each area and all I saw at Milton were a few Mallards and Canada Geese. I was hoping to see some Green- winged Teal and the Long-Tailed Duck at Winfield, but all that I saw there were some Mallards, Canada Geese, a Great Blue Heron, numerous unidentified sparrows, a Red-Tailed Hawk and a small flock of Coots. Near the observation tower at Greenbottom, there was a large flock of Cedar Waxwings feeding in the Boxelder trees. Other birds of note observed in this area were a small group of Eastern Bluebirds, several dozen Tree Swallows flying over the swamp, a pair of Kingfishers, several Song Sparrows and Field Sparrows and some other Sparrows that I could not see well enough to identify. Ben Borda Huntington, WV Subject: Crows From: Greg Eddy <gregeddy AT AOL.COM> Date: Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:30:04 -0400 The crow roost in the Wheeling area is active. This morning I saw several 1000 leaving at dawn. The roost is on Wheeling Island and Bridgeport Ohio at the I 70 bridge. The crows are in the trees next to the highway mostly on the Ohio side. The crows have numbered from 20 to 30,000 in past years. Carl Slater and myself have attempted to determine the area that this roost services. We know that the birds go as far as the western edge of Washington, Pa. We are looking for someone to give us their observations along the Ohio River to determine how far north and south they go. Can any of you help us? Thanks Greg Eddy = Subject: crows to roost From: "Cynthia D. Ellis" <cdellis AT WILDBLUE.NET> Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 22:18:06 -0400 Noted 48 American Crows, apparently heading to traditional local roost area, at 5:30 p.m. In other years, later in the season, the daily evening flights occurred at about 4:30. So the Crows are not on daylight savings time... Do not see White-crowned Sparrows here today. Had been seeing 3-5 each day for about 7-8 days. Did see one Palm Warbler. ~Cindy Ellis, Putnam County -- Cynthia D. Ellis RR 1 Box 163 Red House, WV 25168 304 586-4135 cdellis AT wildblue.net "There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of birds. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature--the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter." --Rachel Carson Subject: Morgantown on Oct. 26--Cormorants, Grebe, Junco From: Terry Bronson <terrybronson AT YMAIL.COM> Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:10:38 -0700 Today was a day of local birding in the Morgantown area. I covered the following 3 locations with the indicated highlights: Core Arboretum, 8:25-11:40 am, 24 species: Double-crested Cormorant--2 flyovers heading south. Interestingly, they were flying over the paved trail rather than the river. Great Blue Heron--1 Accipiter species--1. Flew quickly across the trail and then directly into the sun, which blinded me, before disappearing into the trees. I wouldn't hazard a guess. Belted Kingfisher--1 heard 5 Woodpecker species, as usual--Downy, Hairy, Red- bellied, Flicker, Pileated Carolina Chickadee--12 Tufted Titmouse--10 White-breasted Nuthatch--6 Brown Creeper--1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet--1 Carolina Wren--13 Song Sparrow--11 White-throated Sparrow--14 Northern Cardinal--20 Dorsey's Knob Park, 12:15-1:55 pm, 20 species: Red-tailed Hawk--2 Same 5 Woodpecker species, with a family group of 4 Pileateds Cedar Waxwing--50. A large flock of 50-75 has been around for 2 months, it seems. Must be lots of food to keep them there. White-throated Sparrow--4 Dark-eyed Junco--1 Monongahela River Trail at Uffington access, 2:00-3:00 pm, 12 species: Pied-billed Grebe--1 floating downstream under the I-79 bridge Great Blue Heron--2, not together Cedar Waxwing--10. They apparently nested here, since I've seen some every time I've been there. Terry Bronson Morgantown, WV Subject: Recent sightings including Common Moorhen at Greenbottom WMA From: Matt Orsie <wvbirder AT COMCAST.NET> Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:47:06 -0400 All, Sorry for the delay. Recent sightings have been my first yard Yellow-rumped Warblers ( yard species #100 ) this morning. They only pass through the tops of the trees and pressed on. Yesterday I spent a few hours hawk watching in SE Jefferson county: Bald Eagle 3 (not migrating) Sharp-shinned Hawk 7 Cooper's Hawk 2 Red-shouldered Hawk 1 Red-tailed Hawk 11 On Saturday Mike Griffith and I found a Common Moorhen in the back pond at the Hoeft Marsh section of Greenbottom WMA in Cabell county. Also 15 American Coots and a few Wood Ducks were present. The Moorhen is probably the same bird that was reported by Gary Rankin on the 19th at the Powell Wetlands. Good Birding, Matt Orsie Summit Point, WV Subject: Grant Co, from Cabins to Scherr, golden eagle, pipits, sparrows Sunday Oct 25 From: Frederick Atwood <fredatwood AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Sun, 25 Oct 2009 21:54:11 -0700 Dear WV birders. Here is my list of 53 species in Grant Co Sunday Oct 25 from about 7:30 AM to about 5 PM I hope the cut-and-pasted eBird-summary tranfers OK on the list serve. The Golden Eagle was an immature soaring forseveral minutes with vultures over the farmland along Maysville Rd between Cabins and Maysville. An adult bald eagle was also in this area and perhaps the same bird soaring over Jordan Run Rd later in the day.  The 23 pipits were in a plowed farm field on Heuglin Rd (off of 55 near Cabins) after the road takes a sharp bend.  Red-headed woodpeckers were near the highway construction along Knobbly Rd between Maysville and Greenland Gap. Lots of white-crowned sparrows, bluebirds, and the vesper sparrow were in the vicinity of that first sharp bend in Heuglin Rd.  A tree swallow flew overhead along this route also. At my cabin on Knobbly/Little Mtn there were still 2 blue-headed vireos around and three purple finches flew overhead.  50 cedar waxwings were eating cedat berries along Powers Hollow Rd (Cabins). . The Screech Owl along Maysville Rd called back in response to my whitsled imitation as I tried to attract the smaller birds. Species Totals Report Details Date range: Oct 25,  2009 Total # of Species: 53 Total # of Checklists: 6 Location(s):   Heuglin Rd-Corners Rd Loop, Cabins; Maysville Rd, Route 42/5 Grant Co; Maysville to Scherr loop via Greenland Gap, Grant Co; Powers Hollow Area, Grant Co, WV; The Cabin, New Creek Mtn Estates, Grant Co Summary   Oct 25 Oct 26 Oct 27 Oct 28 Oct 29 Oct 30 Oct 31 Number of Species 53 -- -- -- -- -- -- Number of Individuals 695 -- -- -- -- -- -- Number of Checklists 6 -- -- -- -- -- -- Total Number of Birds   (sample size) Species Name Oct 25 Oct 26 Oct 27 Oct 28 Oct 29 Oct 30 Oct 31 Black Vulture 12 (3) -- -- -- -- -- -- Turkey Vulture 62 (6) -- -- -- -- -- -- Bald Eagle 1 (1) -- -- -- -- -- -- Red-tailed Hawk 9 (5) -- -- -- -- -- -- Golden Eagle 1 (1) -- -- -- -- -- -- Rock Pigeon 3 (2) -- -- -- -- -- -- Mourning Dove 11 (3) -- -- -- -- -- -- Eastern Screech-Owl 1 (1) -- -- -- -- -- -- Red-headed Woodpecker 3 (1) -- -- -- -- -- -- Red-bellied Woodpecker 11 (5) -- -- -- -- -- -- Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1 (1) -- -- -- -- -- -- Downy Woodpecker 6 (3) -- -- -- -- -- -- Hairy Woodpecker 3 (3) -- -- -- -- -- -- Northern Flicker 9 (4) -- -- -- -- -- -- Pileated Woodpecker 6 (4) -- -- -- -- -- -- Eastern Phoebe 4 (4) -- -- -- -- -- -- Blue-headed Vireo 2 (1) -- -- -- -- -- -- Blue Jay 32 (6) -- -- -- -- -- -- American Crow 43 (5) -- -- -- -- -- -- Common Raven 2 (2) -- -- -- -- -- -- Horned Lark 2 (1) -- -- -- -- -- -- Tree Swallow 1 (1) -- -- -- -- -- -- Black-capped Chickadee 4 (2) -- -- -- -- -- -- Tufted Titmouse 25 (4) -- -- -- -- -- -- White-breasted Nuthatch 8 (3) -- -- -- -- -- -- Brown Creeper 1 (1) -- -- -- -- -- -- Carolina Wren 18 (6) -- -- -- -- -- -- Winter Wren 1 (1) -- -- -- -- -- -- Golden-crowned Kinglet 8 (4) -- -- -- -- -- -- Ruby-crowned Kinglet 3 (2) -- -- -- -- -- -- Eastern Bluebird 55 (5) -- -- -- -- -- -- American Robin 15 (2) -- -- -- -- -- -- Northern Mockingbird 13 (5) -- -- -- -- -- -- European Starling 17 (2) -- -- -- -- -- -- American Pipit 23 (1) -- -- -- -- -- -- Cedar Waxwing 50 (1) -- -- -- -- -- -- Yellow-rumped Warbler 24 (3) -- -- -- -- -- -- Palm Warbler 1 (1) -- -- -- -- -- -- Chipping Sparrow 15 (3) -- -- -- -- -- -- Field Sparrow 5 (2) -- -- -- -- -- -- Vesper Sparrow 1 (1) -- -- -- -- -- -- Savannah Sparrow 6 (1) -- -- -- -- -- -- Song Sparrow 46 (4) -- -- -- -- -- -- White-throated Sparrow 7 (2) -- -- -- -- -- -- White-crowned Sparrow 24 (2) -- -- -- -- -- -- Dark-eyed Junco 13 (4) -- -- -- -- -- -- Northern Cardinal 9 (3) -- -- -- -- -- -- Red-winged Blackbird 30 (1) -- -- -- -- -- -- Eastern Meadowlark 1 (1) -- -- -- -- -- -- Purple Finch 3 (1) -- -- -- -- -- -- House Finch 5 (2) -- -- -- -- -- -- American Goldfinch 32 (5) -- -- -- -- -- -- House Sparrow 7 (2) -- -- -- -- -- --  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 Subject: Long-tailed duck, Great Egret, Norhtern Harrier, Rusty Blackbirds From: "Rankin, Gary" <rankin AT MARSHALL.EDU> Date: Sun, 25 Oct 2009 22:22:49 -0400 I made a foggy trip from Lavalette to Winfield this morning to see if the Long-tailed duck was still around at the Lock and Dam area. In spite of the fog, I found the duck around 8:30 am on the large pond near the armory. I was extremely fortunate to find the duck. It wasn't on the pond were it was first seen on the right side of the road to the armory, and if it hadn't popped up in front of me as I stood on the edge of the largest pond I probably would not have found it. The fog was so thick that I couldn't even make out the small island in the pond! There were also five green-winged teal and a few mallards. Golden-crowned kinglets were also present in the evergreens along the road to the pond. Leaving Winfield I drove over to Rte. 2 and made stops at Crab Creek, Robert C. Byrd Lock & Dam and Ashton. The fog finally started ti lift around 9 am, so I was able to bird much better once I got to Rte 2. Birds of note: Shady Waters Campground (Crab Creek) Great Egret (1) Robert C. Byrd Lock & Dam Herring Gull (10) Ring-billed Gull (2) DC Cormorant (4) Ring-necked Duck (5) Pied-billed Grebe (4) A. Coot (6) Savannah Sparrows (6) Ashton wetlands Northern Harrier (male) Rusty Blackbird (2) Savannal Sparrow (18) Gary Rankin Lavalette, WV Wayne Co. Subject: Purple Fiinch and Dark-eyed Junco at Feeder From: "Rankin, Gary" <rankin AT MARSHALL.EDU> Date: Sun, 25 Oct 2009 22:04:15 -0400 On Saturday I had a purple finch (first of the fall) spend most of the day coming to my sunflower feeder. Today, the first dark-eyed junco of the fall showed up in the yard. We also had a yellow-rumped warbler in the yard this afternoon. Gary Rankin Lavalette, WV Wayne Co. Subject: American woodcock From: Wilma Jarrell <wjar AT FRONTIERNET.NET> Date: Sun, 25 Oct 2009 21:15:41 -0400 Flushed a woodcock on walk today. Goldfinch were everywhere feeding on weed seeds. Total list for today follows, Wilma Jarrell Wileyville > > > Location: Fairview Ridge > Observation date: 10/25/09 > Number of species: 29 > > Turkey Vulture 1 > Red-tailed Hawk 3 > American Woodcock 1 > Red-bellied Woodpecker 2 > Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1 > Downy Woodpecker 1 > Pileated Woodpecker 1 > Eastern Phoebe 1 > Blue Jay 1 > American Crow 5 > Carolina Chickadee 2 > Tufted Titmouse 2 > White-breasted Nuthatch 4 > Carolina Wren 4 > Eastern Bluebird 6 > American Robin 1 > European Starling 13 > Cedar Waxwing 20 > Yellow-rumped Warbler 1 > Eastern Towhee 1 > Chipping Sparrow 1 > Song Sparrow 2 > White-throated Sparrow 9 > White-crowned Sparrow 1 > Dark-eyed Junco 2 > Northern Cardinal 4 > Red-winged Blackbird 2 house finch 1 saw as I ate brekfast > American Goldfinch 80 > House Sparrow 5 > > This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.421 / Virus Database: 270.14.27/2452 - Release Date: 10/22/09 18:44:00 No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.421 / Virus Database: 270.14.27/2452 - Release Date: 10/22/09 18:44:00 Subject: Black Vultures in New River Gorge From: Terry Bronson <terrybronson AT YMAIL.COM> Date: Sun, 25 Oct 2009 17:51:16 -0700 My wife Nancy and I went down to the New River Gorge today to see some fall foliage and do a bit of hiking. Colors appeared to be near peak--maybe a bit past in some areas. Simply gorgeous! We hiked out the Endless Wall Trail from the Fern Creek trailhead to Diamond Point. Just 200 feet or so before Diamond Point we saw 3 Vultures soaring over the Gorge and coming in for a landing on the clifftop to our right when looking at the gorge. They turned out to be Black Vultures, and 1 of them had blackish facial skin instead of gray, which would seem to make it an immature bird. Then I noticed 2 more Vultures on a ledge with an awful lot of whitewash about 30-50 feet below the clifftop where the Black Vultures were perched. These 2 were adult Turkey Vultures. This ledge looked like an ideal spot for a nest site. Not too much else of interest during the heat of the day, but a few more highlights along that trail: Blue-headed Vireo--1 seen and 3 heard Golden-crowned Kinglet--2 Yellow-rumped Warbler--1 Pileated Woodpecker--1 seen and 2 heard After lunch along the Fayetteville Town Park Loop Trail: Hairy Woodpecker--1 female Pileated Woodpecker--1 heard Cedar Waxwing--10  Terry Bronson Morgantown, WV Subject: Prickett's Fort shorebirds and Wood Ducks From: Terry Bronson <terrybronson AT YMAIL.COM> Date: Sat, 24 Oct 2009 17:40:12 -0700 I spent a couple of hours this morning, Oct. 24, at Prickett's Fort State Park north of Fairmont and for about 0.5 miles north along the Monongahela River Trail. 28 species were present, plus 4 domestic species. Highlights: Canada Goose--55 Wood Duck--72 American Black Duck--6 Mallard--103 (The duck species may be considerably undercounted due to being spread out over a wide area and partially hidden by foliage.) Great Blue Heron--1 American Kestrel--1 male Killdeer--5 Greater Yellowlegs--1 Spotted Sandpiper--1 4 Woodpecker species (Hairy, Red-bellied, Flicker, and Pileated) Eastern Bluebird--11 Yellow-rumped Warbler--1 White-throated Sparrow--5 Domestic species were 2 Muscovy-type Ducks, 3 white ducks, 1 white goose, and 3 Greylag-type geese.  Terry Bronson Morgantown, WV Subject: Ruby-crowned Kinglet- Summit Point From: Carol Del-Colle <WVnaturalist AT COMCAST.NET> Date: Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:25:02 +0000 Greetings,    I had a male Ruby-crowned Kinglet near the pond this morning.  He was flashing his red crown so I got some good looks at it as he moved around in the tall grasses at the pond.  Hadn't seen one for quite a while.  Always a pleasure to observe.  Also had a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in the yard a couple days ago.  Hadn't seen one of those for a bit either.  Love the change of seasons.           Happy birding,                Carol Del-Colle                Summit Point                 Jefferson County  Subject: junco From: "Cynthia D. Ellis" <cdellis AT WILDBLUE.NET> Date: Fri, 23 Oct 2009 09:08:04 -0400 First of season Junco here early this morning. ~Cindy, Putnam Co. -- Cynthia D. Ellis RR 1 Box 163 Red House, WV 25168 304 586-4135 cdellis AT wildblue.net "There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of birds. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature--the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter." --Rachel Carson Subject: Christmas Bird Counts From: LeJay Graffious <lejay AT FRONTIERNET.NET> Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2009 22:04:07 -0400 The Brooks Bird Club would like to publish a list of official and unofficial West Virginia Christmas Bird Counts on our web site (brooksbirdclub.org) . Please go to the web site and click on CBC to review the current list on Counts and their contacts. We would appreciate any corrections and this years count date. We also would like to a copy of each counts data for a summary to be published in the BBC Red Start journal. The Morgantown CBC will be on Saturday, December 19, 2009 and the coordinator is LeJay Graffious. Thank you. LeJay Subject: Purple Finch, Red-breasted Nuthatch From: "Cynthia D. Ellis" <cdellis AT WILDBLUE.NET> Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2009 18:59:56 -0400 One Purple Finch yesterday; one Red-breasted Nuthatch today. ~Cindy Ellis, Putnam County -- Cynthia D. Ellis RR 1 Box 163 Red House, WV 25168 304 586-4135 cdellis AT wildblue.net Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble. Subject: purple finch From: Jim & Judy Phillips <cne01663 AT MAIL.WVNET.EDU> Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2009 18:48:55 -0400 My first of the season purple finch was on the nature center feeder in Pipestem S.P. this afternoon. Jim Phillips Summers County Pipestem, WV Subject: Western Monongalia County--Killdeers, Grebes, Grackles From: Terry Bronson <terrybronson AT YMAIL.COM> Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:25:51 -0700 I swung through the western portion of Monongalia County this morning, visiting the following 3 areas: Mason-Dixon Historical Park, 8:45-10:50, with 9:35-10:05 being spent in the PA portion of the park. Wood Duck--1 female in the creek Killdeer--4 at the parking area Pileated Woodpecker--1 heard Eastern Bluebird--4 Cedar Waxwing--21 Blackbird species--a distant flyover flock of about 100, making Icterid chatter. Tails appeared to be neither short nor very long, so likely Red-wings. In the PA portion: Ruby-crowned Kinglet--1 White-throated Sparrow--10 17 other common species in both portions. Pedlar Wildlife Management Area, Mason Lake Unit, 11:05-11:25: White-throated Sparrow--8 7 other common species Pedlar Wildlife Management Area, Dixon Lake Unit, 11:30 am-12:50 pm: Pied-billed Grebe--2 birds reported from my last visit continue, today hiding out in the small shrubs in the large pond Red-tailed Hawk--1 adult Belted Kingfisher--1 heard Common Grackle--about 500 birds noisily moving through the trees just before I left. Very rough estimate since many were at least partially obscured by the trees. 7 other common species  Terry Bronson Morgantown, WV Subject: White Hummingbirds From: "Bill Hilton Jr. (RESEARCH)" <research AT HILTONPOND.ORG> Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:34:26 -0400 Although none of them were from West Virginia, I thought you might like to see my gallery of white hummingbirds reported from around the U.S. this year. It's part of the current "This Week at Hilton Pond" installment at http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek091016.html Happy Nature Watching! BILL ========= RESEARCH PROGRAM c/o BILL HILTON JR. Executive Director Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History 1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA (803) 684-5852 Please visit our web sites (courtesy of Comporium.net): Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History at http://www.hiltonpond.org "Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project" at http://www.rubythroat.org ================== Subject: Late Post: Morgantown Common Nighthawk and American Coot From: Kyle Aldinger <kaldinge AT MIX.WVU.EDU> Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:17:28 -0400 Hey all, Tuesday afternoon I saw an American Coot on the Monongahela River at the boat launch by the Westover Bridge in Morgantown.  Later that night, at the intramural fields by the medical science campus of WVU there was a Common Nighthawk again feeding on insects attracted by the field lights. Kyle Aldinger Morgantown, WV Subject: Might not be a hummer From: M Fowler <mffowler AT EARTHLINK.NET> Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2009 10:41:08 -0400 I think Bill Hilton is right - the hummer that has been showing up at my feeder was back again this morning at about 10:15. I got a decent look through the foggy kitchen window, and it seemed to be about half again as large as a female Rubythroated. It flew away to the nearby trees so I raced upstairs for the digital camera and managed to get one shot when it came back to the feeder, not a great one, but I THINK there was a small area of darker rust/brown or maybe blackish feathers under the bill area, and there appeared to be a reddish or darker area under or behind the eyes. Here is the link to the not-so-great picture: http://home.earthlink.net/~mymodels1/hummer_1.JPG . No enhancement or anything, I just cropped out the extraneous background stuff. Monty Fowler, Cabell County, 25705 Subject: Cooper's Rock State Forest--5 Thrushes, Pine Warbler From: Terry Bronson <terrybronson AT YMAIL.COM> Date: Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:17:12 -0700 Oct. 21 at Cooper's Rock State Forest east of Morgantown. 2 separate areas birded with the following highlights: Ken's Run Trailhead and surrounding area across from Chestnut Ridge Campground, 8:35-10:55, 24 species: Blue-headed Vireo--2, with 1 singing Brown Creeper--2 Golden-crowned Kinglet--7 Ruby-crowned Kinglet--7, including 1 which sang the first few bars of its song Hermit Thrush--1 Swainson's Thrush--1 Veery--1 American Robin--4 Eastern Bluebird--1 heard Brown Thrasher--1, in a Pine tree Pine Warbler--1 male. Guess what kind of tree it was in. Chipping Sparrow--20 White-throated Sparrow--4 Dark-eyed Junco--21 Virgin Hemlock Trail, 11:10-12:30, 12 species. I did the entire loop, and all birds except the Kinglet were way back in the woods or flying overhead: Cooper's Hawk--1 migrating Red-tailed Hawk--1 heard Common Raven--5, including 4 together. 2 or 3 of them flew up to challenge the Cooper's Hawk as it migrated by. Brown Creeper--1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet--1  Terry Bronson Morgantown, WV Subject: McDonough From: Jon Benedetti <jon.benedetti AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:32:59 -0400 John Tharp II and myself birded McDonough this morning from 7:50 to 11:00 a.m. Highlights; Sharp-shinned Hawk - 2 Blue-headed Vireo - 3 Brown Creeper - 1 seen, JTII heard several more Winter Wren - 2 - heard by JTII Golden-crowned Kinglet - several heard by JTII Eastern Bluebird - 3 Cedar Waxwing - >40 Nashville Warbler - 1 Black-throated Green Warbler - 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler - >25 warbler - sp. - 1 - too many leaves to be sure of ID Chipping Sparrow - 20+ Field Sparrow - 4 Savannah Sparrow - 1 - JTII Lincoln's Sparrow - 3 Song Sparrow - >30 Swamp Sparrow - 15 White-throated Sparrow - >25 White-crowned Sparrow - 3 Dark-eyed Junco - 1 - heard by JTII It is painfully obvious that John hears and IDs many birds that I do not even hear. Youth is great. Jon Benedetti Vienna, WV Wood County jon.benedetti AT gmail.com Subject: ohio county bird-rough legged hawk? From: paul m mckay <mckayandmckay AT VERIZON.NET> Date: Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:00:01 -0400 Need help on this one, I saw a large buteo today in my horse pasture, sitting on the edge of the field facing me. The bird was white from the throat to the tip of the tail, the tip had indication of darker band, there was no difference between the white on the throat, chest, belly and tail and there was not a band around belly as the red tails and rough leggeds have. The head had no markings but was light brown, the back was darker brown the color of milk chocolate. My guess at first was light rough legged, but could be light red tailed (the lack of any color on the tail and the uniform white tail to chest makes me doubt that unless albino) Could be something from the west but that seems more unlikely . Let me know what you think. Bird was in area of west liberty to Clinton on rt 88 Paul McKay McKay and McKay Attorneys at law 83-12th Street Wheeling, WV 26003 1-304-232-2234 The information contained in this email message may be confidential and may contain privileged information and material. Any review or use of the information contained in this email message by persons other than the intended recipient(s) is prohibited. In compliance with regulations issued by the Internal Revenue Service, we inform you that any Federal tax advice contained in this communication,including any attachments, was not written to be used and may not be used by any person to avoid any penalties under the Internal Revenue Code. Subject: FOS yard birds-Summit Point From: Carol Del-Colle <WVnaturalist AT COMCAST.NET> Date: Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:49:38 +0000 Greetings,    I had my FOS White-throated sparrow and Yellow-rumped warbler in the yard this morning.  Have also had a noisy group of Blue Jays(6) as well as two species of woodpeckers, Downy and Red-bellied.  One Common Grackle was under one of the feeders getting some spilled seed.  A White-breasted Nuthatch was at the suet while a Bluebird with its subtle call let me know it too was around.  A lot of busy activity around the feeders and the pond on this beautiful fall morning.          Happy birding,             Carol Del-Colle             Summit Point             Jefferson County  Subject: Smart Birds From: Susan Aaron <sf46aron AT EARTHLINK.NET> Date: Wed, 21 Oct 2009 09:11:31 -0400 I saw my first white throated sparrow of the year...on a cruise ship doing New England/Canada last week. It had found the solarium and was content to remain there...especially as our last day and night out we got to experience a nor'easter on the "very high" seas. My first cruise, sure made me wistful about the solidity of the ground of WV. There were also a couple of house sparrows onboard, an incongruous sighting. Unfortunately didn't see or recognize any new birds along the coast as I had hoped. Most had migrated, probably to WV. :) Susan Aaron Huntington, WV Cabell Co.