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January 21, 2017 [LINK / comment]
Field trip to Mont... Highland County!
I was going to lead a field trip for the Augusta Bird Club to Montgomery Hall Park this morning, but -- once again -- nobody else showed up! So, I quickly changed plans and hurried west to Highland County, where Allen Larner was leading a field trip that was originally scheduled for January 7. I only stopped briefly at the Confederate Breastworks (at the top of the mountain ridge which defines the county line), getting a nice view of the thick layer of fog that blanketed the lowlands. Then I proceeded directly to the house across from Snowy Mountain where Margaret O'Bryan used to live, where we always visit. I was guessing that was where the group would be, but as it turned out I arrived first. The skies turned sunny, and I was excited to see three Bald Eagles about a quarter mile away. After 20 minutes or so, I headed south and soon found the other two carload of birders. So returned to the place I had just visited, and thanks to Allen Larner's "eagle eyes," I saw a Golden Eagle almost a mile away. We both saw a probably Golden Eagle on the way back south, but I couldn't get a photo of it. (Arghh!) We then drove around looking for Snipes, to no avail, and after that searched for Rough-legged Hawks, likewise without result. We did see a few good birds here and there, including a noisy Kestrel circling overhead.
After a rest stop in Monterrey, Allen and two other birders headed south to Lake Moomaw in Bath County, while I headed back to Staunton. (I had scheduled a field trip to Lake Moomaw for Saturday, December 10, but had to cancel it because of freezing temperatures.) On the way back to Staunton I made brief stops near a wildlife preserve southwest of the town of Headwaters, at Confederate Breastworks (again), and at Chimney Hollow, but didn't see hardly any birds. Overall, it was kind of a mediocre day, bird-wise.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Black-capped Chickadee, Golden Eagle, Bald Eagle, American Kestrel (M), Downy Woodpecker (F), and American Goldfinch.
One day earlier (Friday, which was Inauguration Day!), I stopped at the pond behind Hardees in Verona, where I had seen several Hooded Merganser the week before. The sun was finally shining after several days of gloom and doom, and I was hoping to get a better photo of those stunning ducks. After a minute, I spotted them, and got some nice photos after a few of them swam in my direction. Now if I could only get within 20 yards rather than 40 yards...
Hooded Merganser, in Verona on Friday. More photos can be seen on the Wild Birds yearly page.
Posted (or last updated or commented upon): 22 Jan 2017, 12: 00 AM
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Category archives:
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Baseball
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Wild Birds
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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.)