White-crowned Sparrow
It was cloudy and fairly cold today, with some light snow in the forecast for later today and overnight. Walt Childs and I did some birding in Augusta County, and ended up with 43 avian species. We saw a good number of woodland birds, including six sparrow species: Song, Swamp, White-crowned, White-throated, Field, and Dark-eyed Junco. We made our way west and north to the Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport, and then headed south to Swoope.
White-crowned Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Great Blue Heron
Great Blue Heron
Eastern Meadowlark
We logged six of the seven area woodpeckers: Downy, Hairy, Red-headed, Red-bellied, Pileated, and Northern Flicker.
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker and Red-winged Blackbird
The highlight of the day were the raptors. We saw Black and Turkey Vultures, including one very large kettle of 30-40 vultures, and we saw 8 American Kestrels.
American Kestrel
American Kestrel
The pair of resident Bald Eagles were perched near their nest in Swoope.
Bald Eagles
We saw 10 Red-tailed Hawks, and the last one, in Swoope, was flying near a female Northern Harrier carrying nesting materials.
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-tailed Hawks
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Female Northern Harrier
Female Northern Harrier and Red-tailed Hawk