Crozet, VA 10/27-31/2021
All photos are © Marshall Faintich
Old Trail; October 27
I picked up my good camera lens yesterday afternoon that had been in the shop for internal cleaning, and was eager to go out and do some birding. Yesterday's strong winds had cleared out the skies, and it was calm, bright, and sunny this morning. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky; in fact, the only thing in the sky that wasn't a flying bird was the waning gibbous moon that was on its way down to set at 2:01 p.m. this afternoon. I've included some Black Vulture photos in this report for my St. Louis birding pal, Dave, who is recovering from a medical procedure, doesn't see Black Vultures where he is, and can't go birding for a couple of weeks.
Moon
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I started off at the wetlands in Western Park where there are a few wintering sparrow species and Red-winged Blackbirds. A Red-shouldered Hawk was perched high in a tree there, looking for a meal.
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-winged Blackbird
An unusual looking bird grabbed my attention. At first, I saw a complete white eye-ring and red on its back, and my mind jumped to Vesper Sparrow as they are moving through the area during migration now. But then I saw a bold white supercilium and a streaked breast. It was a rather odd looking Red-winged Blackbird.
Red-winged Blackbird
I continued on my hike, and ended up with 27 avian species. It was weird that the last species I saw this morning was a lone Yellow-rumped Warbler, as I had seen lots of them here yesterday morning.
Field Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Tennessee Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Black Vulture
I saw my first of season Hermit Thrush.
Hermit Thrush
In the evening, I took advantage of the calm, clear, and moonless night sky to do some astrophotography. My best result was Andromeda galaxy with the much smaller M110 galaxy below it.
Andromeda and M110 galaxies
Old Trail; October 28-30
With mostly dark clouds, and off and on, and sometimes very heavy, rain, I spent these days processing photos and doing home chores and home repairs.
Old Trail; October 31
The rain cleared out overnight, leaving a mix of sun and clouds, along with brisk winds. With all the people out and about this Sunday morning, doing serious birding was a challenge, and I ended up with only 22 avian species. However, 5 of these species were not on my list from October 27, giving me a two day list of 32 avian species.
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black Vulture
Black Vulture
Field Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
October 27 list:
Black Vulture
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Blue Jay
Carolina Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Eastern Bluebird
Northern Mockingbird
Tennessee Warbler
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
American Crow
House Sparrow
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Downy Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
White-breasted Nuthatch
Eastern Phoebe
Hermit Thrush
House Finch
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Species added to list October 31:
Swamp Sparrow
European Starling
Turkey Vulture
Canada Goose
Pileated Woodpecker