Lickinghole Creek and Reservoir; Crozet, VA; 12/19/18

All photos are © Marshall Faintich

I hadn't been to the Lickinhole Creek and Reservoir for a couple of weeks, and decided to give it a try this morning. I knew that with all the recent rain and snow, the trail would be really muddy in places. When I arrived, the temperature was 33 degrees, and the shaded areas of the trail were frost covered, and the muddy ground still frozen. But trail areas in the sunlight were muddy, and there was more water in the creek than I have ever seen. It was more like a river than a creek. I hiked along the reservoir to past the marsh area at the northern end, but soon after crossing the small wooden bridge, a section of the trail was completely under water, so I headed back. Of course, by this time, the sun was at a higher angle, and more of the trail was muddy. There weren't any geese or ducks in the reservoir; only two Killdeers on the gravel bar and a Belted Kingfisher looking to catch a meal. There were quite a few sparrows, and almost all of them were White-throated.

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Lickinghole Creek

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Yellow-rumped Warbler

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Yellow-rumped Warbler

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Northern Cardinal

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Killdeer

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Belted Kingfisher

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Red-shouldered Hawk

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Carolina Wren

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Blue Jay

I started to hike part of the Crozet Connector Trail there, but soon after passing the grassy field, a downed tree was blocking the path, and the only way through was crossing some deep mud, so I turned around, and headed south along Lickinghole Creek. This section of the trail is wide and partially covered with gravel. I usually don't go that direction, but with the Connector Trail blocked, I gave it a go. I added a few more species, bringing my morning total so far to 20 avian species. The highlight of the morning was watching a flock of 25 to 30 Cedar Waxwings feeding on some berries.

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Field Sparrow

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Hermit Thrush

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Cedar Waxwings

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Cedar Waxwing

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Cedar Waxwing

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Cedar Waxwings

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Cedar Waxwings

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Cedar Waxwings

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Cedar Waxwings

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Cedar Waxwings

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Cedar Waxwings

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Cedar Waxwings

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Cedar Waxwing

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Cedar Waxwings

I then drove to the nearby Beaver Creek Reservoir, but only saw some Canada Geese there (# 21 for the day). Beaver Creek Reservoir is the water source for Crozet, and the road to the parking area goes across the dam. I attended a meeting last week where there was a presentation given by the Albemarle County Service Authority (water), and they said that the dam is planned to be re-built within the next year or so, and the road over the dam will be closed during dam construction. They did not indicate temporary road plans.

Today's list:

Canada Goose
Turkey Vulture
Red-shouldered Hawk
Killdeer
Mourning Dove
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Carolina Wren
Hermit Thrush
Cedar Waxwing
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Field Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
American Goldfinch


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