January is always an exciting time for birders everywhere as they begin to record species on their new annual lists. An impressive number of birds at the beginning of the year bodes well for the avid birder.

A winter walk around Shirley is certain to beef up that growing list. I was greeted on the 4th of January by an adult bald eagle perched on his usual tree by the James River. I also found my first robin—scores of them I should say—in the horse pasture by the entrance road. Large wintering flocks of robins have become the norm here in recent years. It was neat to find a wintering yellow-bellied sapsucker, our only woodpecker which is not a year-round resident of Virginia.

Other wintering species which I observed included the white-throated sparrow, junco, and ruby-crowned kinglet. The kinglet, that most acrobatic elf, was seen investigating a hole in the brick wall of the historic Store House.

Another target bird at Shirley is the meadowlark, the lovely denizen of our fields and pastures. I was not disappointed. A sizable flock took wing as I drove past the fields beyond the entrance gate. Meadowlarks charm us all year long at Shirley with their handsome plumage and plaintive whistle.

And so the old plantation provides an excellent habitat for our feathered friends and very profitable grounds for the January birder on his listing quest. Be sure to join us for the March bird walk where Randy and I will guide you through areas of the plantation normally left only for wildlife.

Tom McCary

Spring 2010

How grateful I was when the clouds began to disappear early on the morning of March 13, the day of our long-anticipated bird walk around the gardens and ponds of Shirley Plantation. The first rays of sunshine lifted our spirits and put us all in the mood to enjoy some serious birding. In the parking lot a pair of amorous robins reminded me that spring was soon to come.

We began our search in front of the Great House, where we discovered a flock of cedar waxwings perched high in the top of a tree. In contrast to the quick waxwings, grackles and starlings announced their presence with a variety of cackles and chortles. White-throated sparrows put on a show on the patio behind the gift shop.

In the formal gardens our group was treated to a number of birds, including cardinals, blue jays, red-winged blackbirds, and our target species, the white-crowned sparrow. Two woodpeckers were observed in a tree near the arbor: the yellow-bellied sapsucker and the red-bellied woodpecker. Beyond the arbor by the fence we searched the polo field with our binoculars, and we were richly rewarded by an excellent sighting of that golden denizen of our fields, the Eastern Meadowlark. In the distance a killdeer thrilled us with his plaintive cry.

We were now ready for the impoundments, where Randy Carter’s familiarity with waterfowl proved invaluable. Just on one pond we found gadwall, ring-necked ducks, shovelers, green-winged teal and American wigeon. Needless to say, we lingered for some time, savoring the experience. Soon these ducks would be heading for their breeding grounds far away. Later at the Earl Pit our group enjoyed watching many ruddy ducks and some handsome bufflehead. All the while, over a hundred Canada geese were watching us from the nearly fields. Perhaps their sage leader was announcing, “We’re safe. They are all birdwatchers.”

Our ramble had been a delight, heightened indeed by our visit to the out-of-the-way impoundments. Quite an auspicious morning! The warm sun was now shining in earnest, betokening the arrival of yet another spring.

Tom McCary

Summer 2010

The Eastern wood pewee, a diminutive brown “plain Jane” of the bird world, would be easily overlooked were it not for the fact that he calls attention to his presence by repeatedly singing his name. Like other flycatchers, he is wont to sally forth from a branch to snap up a hapless insect and then return to almost the exact spot from whence he came. Mission accomplished, he will frequently celebrate his success with his haunting, rather wistful whistle: “Pee-a-wee, pee-yur…” The first notes rise with expectation; the latter fall dramatically.

The pewee spends the winter in Central and South America; thus he graces us with his company only in the breeding season. He enjoys the trees near the Great House at Shirley; certainly he finds many tasty insects in the formal gardens and by the banks of the James River nearby.

Speaking of breeding, a handsome pair of barn swallows has been busy incubating eggs in a nest they constructed at the top of one of pillars on the portico of the Great House. Barn swallows also spend the cold months in Central and South America; they usually arrive in Virginia fairly early in the spring.

We have a number of these of these lovely swallows nesting in the old barn at Shirley, but imagine our excitement when the one couple chose the landside portico as their summer home. We have witnessed the preparation of the nest, the brooding, and now on the 20^th of June, the arrival of three tiny chicks. I believe these birds are on their way to becoming the most photographed swallows in the entire state of Virginia!

Tom McCary

Fall 2010 - A Day in the Country

One could not have asked for a more beautiful fall day for our staff trip to Montpelier, home of President James Madison. The sun was bright, and everywhere we looked the leaves were resplendent in their hues of red, yellow, and gold. On the other hand the wind was rather brisk, and I know our feathered friends for the most part would be hidden and hunkered down. Birding would be challenging.

On Shirley’s entrance drive I observed a mockingbird and three mourning doves. As is usual this time of year, large numbers of Canada geese were seen foraging on the Shirley fields. Turkey vultures were tilting with the winds both at Shirley and at Montpelier. As our van pulled away from the plantation, my colleagues and I were thrilled to witness an adult bald eagle in his usual spot in a tree by the banks of the James River.

At Montpelier, the winds picked up from time to time, causing the turkey vultures to appear almost comical as they rode the gales with abandon and increased rapidity. Their smaller cousins, the black vultures, at one point were witnessed in flight over the duPont formal gardens.

Immediately behind the mansion the “tut-tut-tutting” of robins revealed a pair of these friendly birds, perhaps attracted by the abundant berries and other tasty treats in the gardens. Raucous cawing turned my eyes skyward, where I discovered a pair of American crows.

A member of the Montpelier staff alerted us to the presence of bluebirds, and I was finally rewarded by an excellent view of one perched on a wire behind the Visitor Center.

Another prized sighting was a pair of yellow-rumped warblers viewed at eye level as they perched in a bush by a path across from the parking lot. The yellow-rumped warbler, humorously called “butter butt” by birders, is our common wintering warbler in Virginia.

As we left magnificent Montpelier with its enthralling view of the Blue Ridge, a horse barn provided us not only handsome horses but also rock pigeons, as much at home in a horse pasture as in a city park. Even in the country, you’ll meet a dude from the city now and then.

Tom McCary