Augusta and Rockingham Counties, VA 11/19/18

All photos are © Marshall Faintich

It was good to be out birding again, although I still need to take it easy for a few weeks. Walt Childs and I headed west over the Blue Ridge and then north on Route 340. Our first stop was at Strickley Road where we saw a flock of 50+ Horned Larks in the field next to Patterson Mill Road. These little birds were tough to see and photograph in the tall stubble, but I was able to count 51 of them when the flock flew elsewhere in the field.

Photo Unavailable
Horned Lark

Photo Unavailable
Horned Lark

Photo Unavailable
Horned Larks

We continued birding for about 5 hours in northern Augusta County and southern Rockingham County, and ended the outing with 40 avian species.

Photo Unavailable
White-crowned Sparrow

Photo Unavailable
White-crowned Sparrow

Photo Unavailable
White-throated Sparrow

Photo Unavailable
House Finch

Photo Unavailable
Great Blue Heron

Photo Unavailable
Hairy Woodpecker

Photo Unavailable
Northern Shoveler and Green-winged Teal

But it was the raptors that stole the show. We saw at least one distant Bald Eagle, a distant Cooper's Hawk, a Northern Harrier, and three American Kestrels.

Photo Unavailable
Bald Eagle

Photo Unavailable
Cooper's Hawk

Photo Unavailable
Northern Harrier

Photo Unavailable
American Kestrel

And we saw at least seven Red-tailed Hawks that ranged from boldly-colored adults to pale juveniles.

Photo Unavailable
Red-tailed Hawk

Photo Unavailable
Red-tailed Hawk

Photo Unavailable
Red-tailed Hawk

Photo Unavailable
Red-tailed Hawk

Photo Unavailable
Red-tailed Hawk

Photo Unavailable
Red-tailed Hawk

Photo Unavailable
Red-tailed Hawk

Photo Unavailable
Red-tailed Hawk

Photo Unavailable
Red-tailed Hawk

Photo Unavailable
Red-tailed Hawk

We doubled-back on our return, and stopped at the bridge on Cline River Road where it crosses the Middle River. We often see large numbers of Icterids at this stop, and today was no different, except . . .

There must have been 40 to 60 blackbirds there, and almost all of them were Rusty Blackbirds with a few Red-winged Blackbirds and Brown-headed Cowbirds in the mix. In my prior years of birding, I have seen perhaps a dozen or so Rusty Blackbirds, at most, in a single flock, but never this many together.

Photo Unavailable
Some of the Rusty Blackbird flock

Photo Unavailable
Rusty Blackbirds

Photo Unavailable
Rusty Blackbird

Photo Unavailable
Rusty Blackbird and Red-winged Blackbird

Photo Unavailable
Rusty Blackbird and Brown-headed Cowbird

Today's trip list:

Canada Goose
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
Black Vulture
Northern Harrier
Cooper's Hawk
Bald Eagle
Red-tailed Hawk
Mourning Dove
Rock Pigeon
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
American Kestrel
Blue Jay
American Crow
Carolina Wren
Eastern Bluebird
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
White-crowned Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Eastern Meadowlark
Killdeer
Red-winged Blackbird
Horned Lark
Northern Shoveler
Green-winged Teal
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Flicker
Hairy Woodpecker
American Robin
White-breasted Nuthatch
Common Grackle
Carolina Chickadee
Common Raven
House Finch
Rusty Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird


E-mail comments on this report

Return to blog page home