Crozet, VA 4/11/17

All photos are © Marshall Faintich

Lickinghole Creek and Reservoir

It was hot and sunny this morning. I drove over to the nearby Lickinghole Creek and Reservoir where I ended up with 30 avian species, not including several common species that I usually see there but did not see this mornng. In fact, I think that this was the first time in the many times I have hiked there that I did not see even a single Northern Mockingbird. The Bald Eagle was in its nest, and there were five Blue-winged Teals near the gravel bar. This duck species must be moving through the area, as it was the third location I have seen them in the past three days.

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Pine Warbler

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Bald Eagle

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Blue-winged Teals

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Wood Duck

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Red-shouldered Hawk

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Carolina Chickadee

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Pied-billed Grebe drafting behind Canada Goose

And now a warning: as I hiked the trail on the north side near the dam, the trail gets very close to the water. I saw a beaver swimming there.

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Beaver

When the beaver saw me, it turned and started swimming right towards me. Less than 100 feet away, it dove under the water. I then noticed that I was standing right next to some branches at the shoreline, assumed that it must have been the beaver's lodge, and thought it prudent to move from that spot next to the water. I didn't want to mess with an angry beaver. I walked about 50 feet back along the trail, and the beaver turned and swam back out to the middle of the reservoir. I took a photo of the lodge from a safe distance.

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Beaver

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Beaver

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Beaver's lodge

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Another trail hiker

This morning's avian list:

Pied-billed Grebe
Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Mallard
Blue-winged Teal
Turkey Vulture
Red-shouldered Hawk
Bald Eagle
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Eastern Phoebe
Blue Jay
American Crow
Tufted Titmouse
Carolina Chickadee
Brown Creeper
Carolina Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
American Robin
Brown Thrasher
Pine Warbler
Northern Cardinal
Eastern Towhee
Field Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle


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