Central Virginia 11/20-21/2020

All photos are © Marshall Faintich

Lickinghole Creek; November 20

I returned to look for the extremely late season Northern Parula and intergrade Northern Flicker that I saw yesterday. I didn't find the Northern Parula, and while a Northern Flicker flew overhead in the same area where I saw one yesterday, I didn't get a good enough look for a photo or a good visual. I saw about 15 avian species along that section of the trail.

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Carolina Wren

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Chipping Sparrow

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Northern Mockingbird

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Great Blue Heron

Rockfish Gap; November 21

I haven't seen a Rough-legged Hawk since March 2016, but one has been reported every day for the past week or so up at the hawk watch, so I assumed it might be a winter resident and had established its territory near there. I decided to give it a try, drove up to the hawk watch, and about a half hour or so after I arrived, the Rough-legged Hawk appeared, but a good distance away.

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Rough-legged Hawk

This hawk flew a bit closer, and then perched for a while.

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Rough-legged Hawk

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Rough-legged Hawk

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Rough-legged Hawk

It was still too far away for decent photos, so I drove down to the Rockfish Valley overlook on Route 250 for a closer view. I couldn't see up the hill very far, so I got onto I-64 and stopped at the overlook there. I thought that I saw the hawk perched, but I had to walk along the interstate on the outside of the guard rail, being careful not to slide down the hill to Route 250. When I got closer, I saw that it was a Red-tailed Hawk.

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Red-tailed Hawk

Well, both the Northern Flicker and the Rough-legged Hawk should be here all winter, so I'll keep trying.


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