Eastern Bluebird
I started today's birding at the Rockfish Valley Trail at 8:45. My objective was not to see how many species that I could log this morning, but to just see what might be on the trail. It did not take long to get 21 species. On the downstream trail I saw the following 12 species: Kingfisher, Savannah Sparrow, American Crow, Eastern Bluebird, Blue Jay, American Goldfinch, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Chipping Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Eastern Phoebe, Red-bellied Woodpecker, and Turkey Vulture.
Eastern Bluebird
But it was Yellow Bird Thicket that rocked! There was a constant stream of multiple birds from 9:00 to 9:30, and in the 30 minutes that I stayed there, I logged 9 species in the thicket. In addition to Song Sparrow that I had already logged on the downstream trail, I saw Northern cardinal, White-crowned Sparrow, Field Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Blue-headed Vireo, Swamp Sparrow, Downy Woodpecker, and Cedar Waxwing.
White-crowned Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Blue-headed Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
I crossed the first wooden bridge, and there were sparrows everywhere in the field - mostly Song Sparrows, but a few Swamp Sparrows, and a single Palm Warbler that has been there for the past week. I also photographed an unusual sparrow, and would appreciate help with the ID. It has characteristics of both Lincoln's and Swamp Sparrows, but has a faint central breast spot, and yellow eyebrows. I am thinking that a juvenile White-throated Sparrow is the mostly likely match, but am not sure. I left the trail at 9:45, and headed home to change clothes, grab a bite to eat, and head off to the Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch.
Unidentified Sparrow
Unidentified Sparrow
I arrived at the Hawk Watch around 11:15 a.m. Another observer, Buzz, said that he had just seen a Northern Harrier a few minutes before I arrived. He stayed until 12:00 - I stayed until 2:15. The winds ranged from strong to very strong. A few birds (Turkey Vulture, Sharpie) were blown sideways past the Afton Inn. It was much colder on Afton Mountain than it was down in the valley, and the wind chill was downright cold!
I saw 10 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 3 female American Kestrels, 1 Red-tailed Hawk, another Northern Harrier, 5 unidentified raptors that were not vultures - I think that at least two of them were Sharp-shinned Hawks, 2 unidentified falcons (probably Kestrels), some Ravens, and lots of Black and Turkey Vultures. All of the raptors were neat to see, but the Kestrels stole the show. Hope you enjoy the photos as much as I did taking them.
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Turkey Vulture
female American Kestrel
female American Kestrel
female American Kestrel
female American Kestrel
female American Kestrel
female American Kestrel
female American Kestrel
female American Kestrel