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May 14, 2009 [LINK / comment]
Return to Trimble Mountain
Last weekend, Jacqueline and I went on our first major hike of the year, climbing Trimble Mountain in northern Augusta County. It was about 900 feet gain in elevation, covering four miles altogether. Boy, did I need the exercise! The last time we were there was in July 2003; time flies. At several points we came across noisy groups of birds, but most of them remained hidden amidst the now-thick foliage. At the top of the mountain, interestingly, the trees were still partly bare. Here are the highlights of the birds we saw:
- Red-eyed vireos
- Ravens
- Acadian flycatcher (FOS)
- Black-throated blue warblers
- Worm-eating warblers
- Scarlet tanager (M, F)
- Hooded warblers (M)
- Eastern wood pewee (FOS)
- Black and white warblers
- Swainson's thrush (FOS)
- Pine warbler
- Redstarts (M, F)
We also heard some Great-crested flycatchers, Black-throated green warblers, Blue-headed vireos, and a Pileated woodpecker.
McCormick's Mill
On Wednesday I joined Jo King on an Augusta Bird Club field trip to McCormick's Mill, and we had a pretty good day. As soon as I arrived, I heard the loud singing of a Warbling vireo not twenty feet away from me. It is aptly named, and I don't recall hearing one of them sing before. They make up for their plain appearance with rich musical tones. Later I saw its (presumed) mate as well. The highlights:
- Warbling vireos (FOS)
- Baltimore orioles [M]
- Chipping sparrows
- Towhees (M)
- Solitary sandpipers
- Yellow-rumped warblers
- Eastern wood pewee
- White-breasted nuthatches
- Goldfinches [M, F]
- Yellow-billed cuckoo
- Cooper's hawk (prob.)
- House wren
That's a hearty meal
My brother John encountered quite a photo op while driving to work this morning. He took this great shot of an American Bittern, at the very moment of catching its prey. The hapless amphibian "was eventually swallowed whole," John reports.
American Bittern eating a salamander, somewhere in southeastern South Dakota. (Courtesy of John Clem.)
Posted (or last updated or commented upon): 16 May 2009, 10: 25 AM
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Category archives:
(all years)
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This (or that) year's
blog highlights
January 5, 2009 Illegal immigration: no problem
January 10, 2009 Bush's fiscal profligacy: a recap
January 20, 2009 Inauguration Day 2009
March 13, 2009 Tax revolt in Augusta County!
March 14, 2009 Mexican Army counterattacks
March 27, 2009 Facebook: resistance is futile
April 5, 2009 RPV chair Frederick is removed
April 8, 2009 Fujimori is convicted, again
May 3, 2009 (Very) Big Spring Day, 2009
June 12, 2009 Tiger Stadium memorial update
June 16, 2009 Home runs in New Yankee Stadium
June 28, 2009 Obama's health care proposals
June 29, 2009 House votes to regulate climate
July 7, 2009 R.I.P. Michael Jackson, Superstar
July 9, 2009 Conservative defeat in Mexico
August 16, 2009 Great Baseball Road Trip 2009
August 23, 2009 Road Trip 2009: The Birds of August
August 27, 2009 R.I.P. Edward M. Kennedy
September 7, 2009 Two clutch homers end Nats' skid
October 10, 2009 Republicans reunite in Verona
October 16, 2009 Health care polemics heat up
November 4, 2009 Republicans sweep Virginia races
November 5, 2009 Yankees are the 2009 champions
November 21, 2009 Senate votes on health care
December 23, 2009 Musings on health care "reform"
December 30, 2009 Decade of creation, and destruction
December 30, 2009 Whither the Republican soul?
December 31, 2009 A (half) decade of baseball in D.C.
Blog highlights have been compiled for the years 2010-2012 thus far, and eventually will be compiled for earlier years, back to 2002.
Explanation
The "home made" blog organization system that I created was instituted on November 1, 2004, followed by several functional enhancements in subsequent years. I make no more than one blog post per day on any one category, so some posts may cover multiple news items or issues. Blog posts appear in the following (reverse alphabetical) order, which may differ from the chronological order in which the posts were originally made:
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Also see: My blog practices.
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