Buffleheads
Old Trail; Crozet, VA 3/10/17
The crazy weather continues here in central Virginia. Spring came and went away in February, and winter is here in March. High temperatures in the mid-40s with brisk winds made it feel really cold, and I stayed close to home and hiked here at Old Trail. There weren't very many birds out, but I did see a few. Two Buffleheads were in the pond next to the golf course. One of them was clearly a female, but the other one looks like it might be an immature male. Several Black Vultures were circling, and one of them had darker wing tips - never seen one like this before - perhaps new feathers are coming in?
Buffleheads
Black Vulture
Pileated Woodpecker
Augusta County, VA 3/12/17
It was still cold, but the wind had died down quite a bit. Walt Childs and I headed west over the Blue Ridge into the Shenandoah Valley, and took one of our normal routes from Waynesboro to the Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport. We saw several American Kestrels and Red-tailed Hawks.
American Kestrel
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
We stopped along one of the country farm roads when we saw a large raptor perched quite some distance away. It was a sub-adult (Basic III) Bald Eagle.
Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle
After a quick stop for lunch, we drove south to Swoope, and soon after getting onto Hewitt Road, saw more American Kestrels and Red-tailed Hawks.
American Kestrel
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
As we drove into the private property (with permission) where Smith Lake is located, we saw one of the resident Bald Eagles perched in a sycamore tree. It took off, circled several times, and then headed toward its nest.
Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle
We saw a few more avian species, and then took the loop around North Mountain Road. As we neared Hewitt Road, we were able to get a good, but distant look at the eagle nest, and both adult eagles were there. We then headed back east, and ended the day trip with 36 avian species.
Red-winged Blackbird
Bald Eagle
Old Trail; Crozet, VA 3/13/17
My new Manfrotto monopod arrived this morning, and I wanted to try it out before the forecasted 3 to 8 inches of snow hits here tonight. My old, quick release, Manfrotto monopod, works better (with a minor modification that I made to it), but it is too large to fit in any suitcase when collapsed, except for one that has the maximum dimensions allowed by the airlines. The new one collapses to 10 inches shorter, but has four twist adjustments. Anyway, it was cold, but not too windy. I got a few really close-up shots of a couple of Song Sparrows.
Song Sparrow
As I neared the end of my hike, I saw four Eastern Meadowlarks in the grassy field across from the town center. This species is fairly common in central Virginia, but was a new Old Trail species for me (my Old Trail #107).
Eastern Meadowlarks
Eastern Meadowlark
Eastern Meadowlark
Eastern Meadowlark