Swoope, VA 5/29/18

All photos are © Marshall Faintich

There was a break in the multi-day rain along the east coast, so I did some birding in Swoope. Skies were mostly cloudy when I arrived around 10:00 a.m. and had cleared a bit by the time I left at 12:45. I drove west on Hewitt Road, and had 12 avian species by the time I turned onto Cattleman Road. I stopped a short distance before Livik Road as I heard several avian species there. A Willow Flycatcher was singing its whit call.

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Willow Flycatcher

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Willow Flycatcher

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Willow Flycatcher

I heard a Common Yellowthroat there, as well as two more times in other parts of Swoope, and then saw a yellow colored warbler some distance away. In the field, I couldn't tell if it was a Yellow Warbler or a Wilson's Warbler, but it is clear that it was a Yellow Warbler after processing some photos of it.

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Yellow Warbler

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Yellow Warbler

I continued along Cattleman Road, and stopped to watch a Red-headed Woodpecker, and then saw two Red-winged Blackbirds chasing a female American Kestrel.

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Red-headed Woodpecker

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Red-winged Blackbirds and American Kestrel

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Red-winged Blackbird and American Kestrel

I continued to Glebe School Road, and then turned onto Trimbles Mill Road to look for the Alder Flycatcher that Allen Larner had seen just past Shuey Road. At the bottom of the road, just before it turns right, I heard the distinctive rreeBEEa of the Alder Flycatcher, and was able to locate it for a few photos.

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Alder Flycatcher

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Alder Flycatcher

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Alder Flycatcher

My high freqency hearing is fairly good, and the higher pitched and emphasized second note of the Alder Flycatcher was easy for me to hear. I tried to record its call on my iPhone. The recording was very soft, so during post-processing of the audio, I increased the volume and cut out the delay between two of its calls. I don't think that the recording is as clear as what I heard in the field. Perhaps the iPhone didn't capture all of the higher freqencies.

Click here to hear the recording.

I continued on and turned onto North Mountain Road. Two Bobolinks were perched on the fence across from the vineyard, but they flew when I stopped my car. I was able to get one poor photo through my windshield.

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Bobolink

As I drove the loop, I saw multiple species of birds, including Brown Thrashers and a Grasshopper Sparrow.

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Brown Thrasher

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Brown Thrasher

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Grasshopper Sparrow

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Grasshopper Sparrow

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Grasshopper Sparrow

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Grasshopper Sparrow

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Eastern Meadowlark

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Savannah sparrow

I returned to Cattleman Road, relocated the Willow Flycatcher, and then turned onto Livik Road, where I added another species to bring my Swoope list for the day to 31 avian species.

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Willow Flycatcher

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Eastern Kingbird

Today's Swoope avian list:

American Kestrel
Mourning Dove
Rock Pigeon
Red-headed Woodpecker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Willow Flycatcher
Alder Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Eastern Kingbird
American Crow
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Carolina Wren
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher
European Starling
Wilson's Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Northern Cardinal
Field Sparrow
Grasshopper Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Eastern Meadowlark
Bobolink
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
American Goldfinch


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