July 17, 2026 [LINK / comment]
Birding in Virginia, March 2025
This is another episode in my efforts to get caught up with my blog posts about birding; the last such post was on July 4.
On March 2 (of last year) I was pleased to see and photograph a Short-eared Owl in their usual location along Bell's Lane. Six days later I saw a Bufflehead on the pond behind Hardee's on Mill Place Parkway in Verona, along with a Great Blue Heron and some raptors. On the Ides of March (the 15th) I saw a Common Grackle out back, a sign that spring migration was underway. That species is supposedly non-migratory, but they gather in large flocks in "undisclosed locations" during the winter months, and are seldom seen. The next day along Bell's Lane I spotted two more migrating birds: an Eastern Phoebe and a Tree Swallow. There was also a Bald Eagle flying above, and a Great Blue Heron foraging along a pond. In my visits to Bell's Lane in the following weeks, I saw Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers and Yellow-rumped Warblers several times.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (M), Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Red-bellied Woodpecker (F), Eastern Towhee (M), and Common Grackle. (Bell's Lane, March 15)
On March 29 I was determined to see a Pine Warbler, so I went to the closest place where they are reliably seen during the warmer months around here: Coal Road, in the Big Levels area. At the trailhead that leads up to Coles Run Reservoir I heard and soon saw one nearby, and then at least one or two more. The first one of the year for me!! Also along that trail: Downy Woodpeckers, a Hairy Woodpecker, a White-breasted Nuthatch, a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, and a Brown Creeper.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Pine Warbler, Brown Creeper, Purple Finch (F), Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (F), and Downy Woodpecker (M). (Big Levels, March 29)
Birding in Virginia, April 2025
The month of April got off to a nice start with a Brown Thrasher and Blue-winged Teal along Bell's Lane. In Waynesboro's Ridgeview Park on April 6 I was surprised to see an Osprey (first of year, i.e. "FOY" for me) and two Hermit Thrushes. At Augusta Springs on April 12 I saw a Pine Warbler and my first Louisiana Waterthrush of the year. On April 17 the Gray Catbirds began taking over Bell's Lane, and the next day at Montgomery Hall Park I saw a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and a White-eyed Vireo, both FOY. With the Augusta Bird Club at Natural Chimneys on April 19 I saw a migrating Broad-winged Hawk, and other good birds. We heard a Wood Thrush and a Louisiana Waterthrush, but I couldn't get photos of either one.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Pine Warbler, Brown Creeper, Purple Finch (F), Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (F), and Downy Woodpecker (M). (Montgomery Hall Park, April 18)
On April 24 I saw my first Great Crested Flycatcher and Red-eyed Vireo of the year on Montgomery Hall Park. On April 27 I was alerted by Allen Larner to the presence of a Black Tern flying around the big pond at Bell's Lane, and I managed to get some barely-recognizable photos of it for confirmation. On April 28 I was delighted to find a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers behind Staunton High School. Back at Montgomery Hall Park on April 29 I saw Great Crested Flycatchers, Red-eyed Vireos, and Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, and heard but did not see a Rose-breasted Grosbeak and an Indigo Bunting. But not a single warbler! Late in the afternoon a Cooper's Hawk flew across North Coalter Street toward Staunton High School.
Pileated Woodpecker (M) (Staunton High School, April 28)
Additional photos and montages, including individual photos of some of the birds in the above montages, can be seen on the Wild Birds chronological (2025) page.