August 9, 2024 [LINK / comment]
Birding in Virginia, November 2023
NOTE: This is another "catch-up" blog post based on Facebook posts from last November; the last such blog post was August 4.
November 3: I saw White-crowned Sparrows on Bell's Lane for the first time this season, after having seeing one in the Swoope area the week before. Both they and their White-throated relatives are remarkably consistent in sticking to their respective customary habitats: open vs. bushy landscapes, respectively. There were also a dozen or more Yellow-rumped Warblers in the afternoon, along with American Robins, Blue Jays, Downy Woodpeckers, etc. NO Northern Harriers, however!
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Yellow-rumped Warbler, White-crowned Sparrow (J), Downy Woodpecker, White-crowned Sparrow (A), Blue Jay, and in center, White-throated Sparrow. (Bell's Lane, November 4)
November 5 (Sunday): In hopes of seeing a very rare Limpkin that had been reported there as recently as a few days ago (probably a lost stray from Florida), Jacqueline and I paid a visit to the Totier Creek Reservoir Park near Scottsville for the first time. Despite much effort hiking and scanning the lakeside, we just couldn't find the our target bird, however. As a consolation prize, we got to see both kinds of kinglets at close range, as well as Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, a Great Blue Heron, and a Double-crested Cormorant. There were also dozens of Tufted Titmice every which way! The hawks (Red-tailed and Cooper's, perhaps?) were flying over the picnic area where Route 29 crosses the Rockfish River.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Cooper's (or Sharp-shinned?) Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (M), Great Blue Heron, Double-crested Cormorant, and in center, Ruby-crowned Kinglet. (Totier Creek Reservoir Park, near Scottsville, November 5)
November 10: I saw my first Northern Harrier of the season in the usual area along Bell's Lane late in the afternoon. Carolyn Ford told me that she saw two Short-eared Owls on her property, but I didn't have any luck in that regard. Allen Larner arrived just before sunset and stayed later than me, so maybe he saw one. We saw two Savannah Sparrows along Carolyn's driveway, and I had seen a Hairy Woodpecker earlier, along with a bunch of American Robins, etc.
November 15: It was a pretty gloomy day, especially with all the smoke from the wildfires, but I managed a couple very interesting bird sightings. On the pond at the Mill Place trail in Verona was a Pied-billed Grebe, while a Great Blue Heron was stalking prey on the bigger pond behind Hardee's. But the biggest surprise of the day was a Great Egret on the distant farm pond east of Bell's Lane, along with an assortment of ducks and Canada Geese.
November 18 (Saturday): I led an Augusta Bird Club field trip to Chimney Hollow trail, and three other members joined me for a pleasant, invigorating walk. The previous night's rain had washed the skies of all that nasty smoke, but our hopes for a good day of birding did not pan out. We did see Winter Wrens in two separate locations (different individuals are shown below), along with Carolina Wrens and a probable Brown Creeper. Otherwise, just some White-breasted Nuthatches, and fleeting glimpses of a Pileated Woodpecker, and a Downy Woodpecker. We heard Carolina Chickadees and Tufted Titmice (the one shown here was by our back porch, actually), as well as a few American Goldfinches. Things were no better at nearby Braley Pond, so we called it a day.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, White-breasted Nuthatch, Winter Wren, Downy Woodpeker, and Winter Wren. (Chimney Hollow, November 18)
November 23 (Thanksgiving Day!): Among the highlights on Bell's Lane in the afternoon were a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, some White-crowned Sparrows, an Eastern Meadowlark, a Tufted Titmouse, and a Yellow-rumped Warbler.
November 25: In Montgomery Hall Park I saw all three winter residents of the thrush family: American Robins, Eastern Bluebirds, and Hermit Thrushes. Not much else, however. Along Bell's Lane I spotted three Golden-crowned Kinglets, several White-crowned Sparrows, and a pair of Downy Woodpeckers, but no Northern Harriers or Short-eared Owls. So, I drove to the end of the extended portion past the golf course, and came upon dozens of American Robins, several Cedar Waxwings, a Pileated Woodpecker, and a Red-tailed Hawk that briefly perched nearby.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Red-tailed Hawk, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Cedar Waxwing, American Robin, Hermit Thrush, Downy Woodpecker, and in center, Eastern Bluebird. (Montgomery Hall Park & Bell's Lane, November 25)
November 28: I was delighted to see a few Yellow-rumped Warblers and American Robins flitting about in the frigid air as I was leaving work today. Just as I got home I saw a huge flock of Turkey Vultures overhead, so I snapped a couple photos of them.
Additional photos and montages, including individual photos of some of the birds in the above montages, will soon become available on the Wild Birds chronological (2023) page.