June 3, 2006 [LINK]
This morning Jacqueline and I splurged on breakfast at Shoney's and went for a casual, impromptu drive in no particular direction. We soon found ourselves on Route 794, a picturesque remote road north of Fishersville, and stopped for a few minutes at the water treatment plant near Christians Creek. I had been there once before, doing a bird survey, but had never before continued across the bridge where the asphalt turns to gravel. We saw:
Mary Gray Hill (left) and Betsy Bell Hill (right), as seen from the north side of Fishersville, a few miles to the east of Staunton. If you ask me, preserving scenery like this is ... priceless.
Click on the camera icon below to see an Eastern box turtle we found on the side of the road.
Heading into downtown Staunton on our way to the farmer's market later on, we were surprised to see a Cedar waxwing in a bush across the steet from Mary Baldwin College. This afternoon, a female hummingbird showed up at our nectar feeder for the first time in over a week.
After participating in Memorial Day observances on Monday, we went for an excursion up to the Blue Ridge Parkway, and had lunch at the Humpback Rocks parking area. I walked down along the trail to where I had seen the Sharp-shinned hawks making a nest on April 2, but was disappointed not being able to find it. I would be surprised if the hawk nestlings had already fledged, so they may still be there. On the plus side, I did see two first-of-season birds. Highlights: