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January 2, 2017 [LINK / comment]
Greater White-fronted Geese!
Bird-wise, it was definitely a Happy New Year's Day for me! Thanks to an e-mail alert from Shannon Updike, and some assistance from Diane Lepkowski who arrived soon after I did, I was able to see and photograph the Greater White Fronted Geese yesterday. It was the best view I ever had! (I saw several of them on Bell's Lane last February 2, about 200 yards away.) Yesterday's birds were on a pond behind (Sentara) Rockingham Memorial Hospital, east of Harrisonburg, part of a flock of nearly 100 Canada Geese and a couple dozen Mallards. Also present were two Snow Geese, one Bufflehead (female), and an American Coot. I didn't see the Cackling Goose that was reported there, however.
Then on the way back to Staunton, I checked out Strickley Road for a third time (!), hoping to get a better view of the Snow Bunting than I had last week. The field seemed utterly empty, unfortunately, but after lengthy, careful scanning, I eventually noticed a few Horned Larks quietly foraging, and then a few more. That got my hopes up, and finally I spotted the the Snow Bunting. It was still too far away for a good photograph, so I may have to go back there once again!
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Red-tailed Hawk, Snow Bunting, Snow Goose, American Coot, Greater White-fronted Goose, Great Blue Heron, Bufflehead (F), and in center, Horned Lark. (Roll mouse over the image to see a closeup of the Greater White-fronted Goose.)
The Red-tailed Hawk shown above was perched in a tree along Route 11 on the north edge of Staunton, as I was leaving town. One second later, it flew away! The Great Blue Heron was on Bell's Lane, where I stopped on the way home to look (in vain) for the Short-eared Owls just before dusk. [Enlarged versions of those photos can be seen on the Wild Birds yearly page.]
Strickley Road, with the Blue Ridge in the background. (Madison Run Gap is on the right.) The brownish field to the right of the road is where the Snow Bunting and Horned Larks have been seen.
On a side note, I thought it was odd that I saw two "snow birds" (Snow Bunting and Snow Goose) yesterday, after having seen two "horned birds" (Horned Lark and Horned Grebe) on the same day last week.
Posted (or last updated or commented upon): 02 Jan 2017, 4: 11 PM
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Category archives:
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Baseball
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This (or that) year's
blog highlights
January 16, 2017 ~ Is Trump a serious president-elect?
January 20, 2017 ~ #45: Donald J. Trump is inaugurated president
February 19, 2017 ~ Trump's first month: worse than expected
March 13, 2017 ~ Baseball in South Florida
March 20, 2017 ~ Birding in Peru
March 21, 2017 ~ An avalanche of photos from Peru
March 25, 2017 ~ Birding in Colombia
March 29, 2017 ~ Photo tour of my first trip to Colombia
March 31, 2017 ~ Birding in south Florida
April 6, 2017 ~ Photo tour of the "Sunshine State": Florida!
April 21, 2017 ~ Baseball is back: Opening Day(s) Week(s) 2017!
April 30, 2017 ~ Nationals finish big first month with a BANG!
May 2, 2017 ~ Stevie Nicks in concert!
May 4, 2017 ~ Peak bird migration season (?)
May 15, 2017 ~ Wilson's Warbler in Staunton!
June 30, 2017 ~ "Really big show" at Bedlam Brewing
July 1, 2017 ~ Bullpen woes = misery for the Nationals
July 26, 2017 ~ Nationals: nearly dominant
July 1, 2017 ~ North of the border: trip to Canada & the Midwest
August 16, 2017 ~ Baseball road trip 2017
August 23, 2017 ~ Totally awesome * eclipse of the sun!
August 27, 2017 ~ Our eclipse trip to Tennessee
August 30, 2017 ~ Another BIG show at Bedlam Brewing
August 31, 2017 ~ Trains, plains, and a new automobile!
September 8, 2017 ~ Ozark Mountain Daredevils in concert!
September 8, 2017 ~ Bird breeding season 2017
September 10, 2017 ~ Nationals clinch NL East Division, again!
September 12, 2017 ~ Birding in South Dakota & Wisconsin: August 2017
September 12, 2017 ~ Birding in South Dakota & Wisconsin: August 2017
September 18, 2017 ~ Catch 22!! Indians set AL winning streak record
September 27, 2017 ~ One more time (with feeling!) at Bedlam Brewing
Blog highlights have been compiled for the years 2010-2012 thus far, and eventually will be compiled for earlier years, back to 2002.
Explanation
The "home made" blog organization system that I created was instituted on November 1, 2004, followed by several functional enhancements in subsequent years. I make no more than one blog post per day on any one category, so some posts may cover multiple news items or issues. Blog posts appear in the following (reverse alphabetical) order, which may differ from the chronological order in which the posts were originally made:
- Wild birds (LAST)
- War
- Science & Technology
- Politics
- Latin America
- Culture & Travel
- Canaries ("Home birds")
- Baseball (FIRST)
Also see: My blog practices.
Blog errata (Nobody's perfect.)