Pine Warbler
It was sunny and warm this morning. I went over to the Lickinghole Creek and Reservoir. It turned out to be quite a morning for my birding! I already had a few avian species by the time I got to the reservoir. A few Pine Warblers were singing in the coniferous trees along the reservoir.
Pine Warbler
My first-of-season (FOS) Green Heron was fishing in the middle of the reservoir near the gravel bar, and a pair of Killdeers were doing their thing (mating) at the edge of the gravel bar. Two Blue-winged Teals were nearby, and they must be two of the three that I saw there last week, as the male had the unusual (for me to see) white crown stripes that joined and went down its nape, a feature that I saw on one of the BW Teals last week.
Green Heron
Killdeers
Blue-winged Teal
Near the Killdeers were three Wilson's Snipes. The center one in the first picture below had a much redder head and breast than the other two. The white marking on its folded wings were also different from the other two Snipes. I don't know if this reddish coloring is usual, or if this Snipe was a different sub-species or perhaps a different Snipe species. The only information I could find is that a Common Snipe has much more orange on the breast than Wilson's, but Virginia is far, far out of range for this species. Any comments would be appreciated.
Wilson's Snipes
Wilson's Snipes
Wilson's Snipes
Wilson's Snipes
Wilson's Snipes
I continued around the reservoir to the far side, and logged more avian species.
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Swamp Sparrow
Along the way, I looked at the Bald Eagle nest from several vantage points, but couldn't see if there was an eagle in it. When I got near the end where the dam/waterfall is, I usually stop and go back, but for the first time, I decided to hike all the way to the end. When I got there, I could see that there was a narrow path to the other side of the waterfall, so I decided to go farther. As soon as I got to the other side, I thought that this area was good habitat for a Louisiana Waterthrush. I didn't have to wait very long for one to show up.
Louisiana Waterthrush
Louisiana Waterthrush
Louisiana Waterthrush
Louisiana Waterthrush
As I hiked back along the far end of the reservoir, an Osprey flew by and then out of sight. When I got near to the gravel bar area, I heard a lot of commotion. Two hawks, an adult and a juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk, were driving a third hawk out of their territory. At first I thought that the third hawk was a Broad-winged, but it was another adult Red-shouldered.
Red-shouldered Hawks
Red-shouldered Hawks
Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk
Juvenile and adult Red-shouldered Hawks
Well, at this point, I had a really good birding outing, but it wasn't over yet. A minute later, the Osprey appeared, and swooped down to catch a fish.
Osprey
Osprey
Osprey
Osprey
I hiked back to where I had parked my car, and decided to check out a short bit on the Crozet Connector Trail before driving home. Another Red-shouldered Hawk put on a show for me!
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
I ended this morning's hike with 33 avian species. It was another good birding day!
Today's Bird List:
Green Heron
Canada Goose
Blue-winged Teal
Turkey Vulture
Black Vulture
Red-shouldered Hawk
Osprey
Killdeer
Wilson's Snipe
Mourning Dove
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Eastern Phoebe
Blue Jay
American Crow
Tufted Titmouse
Carolina Chickadee
Carolina Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
American Robin
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Pine Warbler
Louisiana Waterthrush
Northern Cardinal
Field Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Swamp Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle