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McCary's Migrants
Spring 2011 |
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We could not have asked for a better morning for our spring bird walk at Shirley on the 12th of March. Recent winds had abated, the sun was shining brightly, and the birds were in fine fettle and fine feather. An affable and knowledgeable band of birders joined Randy Carter and me for what proved to be a very pleasant and productive prowl. Our enjoyment was heightened by the spotting scopes which several of our companions shared with us.
The field south of the grape arbor was our first “hot spot.” There tidings of spring were announced by a few handsome tree swallows. On the field itself, we discovered a most cooperative meadowlark, a flicker, a ring-billed gull, and two killdeer. A red-winged blackbird and a cowbird displayed their stuff on a nearby tree. But the scene stealers were two charming horned larks, which delighted our company for some while as they scurried about the field. Even two ospreys, gorgeous and regal in flight over the James River, for the moment at least, didn’t seem to have quite the same cachet. It was hard to leave the field, but the impoundments were calling. These areas normally not toured by visitors yielded a variety of waterfowl, but not quite as many species as we had sought. No doubt some waterfowl had left recently for northern breeding grounds. Even the Canada geese were not as ubiquitous. Ruddy ducks and green-winged teal were still in good number and were readily seen. We were also treated to bufflehead, ring-necked duck, and gadwall. The highlight of the outing for Randy Carter and me came as we were in his four-wheeler heading for the body of water known as “The Cove.” A woodcock flew from the fields directly across the road in front of us on its way to a nearby thicket. What a magnificent sight! The extraordinary bill! The huge eye! Unfortunately our fellow birders in the vehicles behind us missed his sudden appearance. Fortunately, one of our group members from Lynchburg told us that she would be leading a woodcock walk that very evening near her fair city. May our bird’s cousins make the scene! At “The Cove,” we added a red-tailed hawk, a calling fish crow, and, not to be overlooked, rock pigeons to our list. Our morning’s tally was a respectable forty-six species. As we pulled away, a large flock of tree swallows reminded us of more birds to come. Tom McCary |
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| Birdwatching in 2004 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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