Horned Grebe
Walt Childs and I decided to check out the wetlands area at the James River State Park. Along the way a Red-shouldered Hawk carrying a small animal in its talons, flew right in front of the car and into the woods. Our first stop was at the public boat landing at the James River bridge in Wingina. We were surprised to see a Horned Grebe floating down the river, and saw a few birds on shore including Golden-crowned Kinglets and a Winter Wren. Once into Buckingham County, we saw lots of newly planted pine trees and large clear cut areas, and saw/heard Pine Warblers all the way to and into the state park.
Horned Grebe
Winter Wren
Pine Warbler
The wetlands in the state park was active, but not as busy as when we were there a few weeks ago. We saw American Coots, Gadwalls, Blue-winged and Green-winged Teals, and Wood Ducks. An American Kestrel was just outside of the marshy area, and a female Northern Harrier made a pass over the marsh. There were lots of sparrows in the vegetation around the marsh, and several Swamp Sparrows played hide and seek with us in the reeds.
Gadwalls
Blue-winged Teals
Wood Ducks
Northern Harrier
Northern Harrier
Swamp Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
We saw 22 species in the park. We encountered three different Red-tailed Hawks within a few miles of leaving the park, and another Red-shouldered Hawk flew past the car on our return trip. We saw a small flock of Wild Turkeys, and ended the trip with about 35 species.
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Wild Turkeys