July 4, 2025 [LINK / comment]

Birding in Virginia, July 2024

NOTE: This is yet another "catch-up" blog post based on Facebook posts from last July.

July 5: I hiked up Betsy Bell Hill this morning, curious as to what birds might be there. Highlights included some Great Crested Flycatchers, Eastern Wood Pewees, Eastern Towhees, Red-eyed Vireos, White-breasted Nuthatches, Downy Woodpeckers, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, and at least FIVE Pileated Woodpeckers making quite a racket! No photos of them, however. No warblers either.

(Betsy Bell Hill, July 5)

July 10: I braved the heat and did a late morning walk along Bell's Lane, and fortunately my efforts were rewarded. Eastern Kingbirds were in three different locations, and I don't recall seeing so many in the Bell's Lane area before. No Eastern Phoebes, however. The highlight of the day was a White-eyed Vireo, singing its curious staccato song. Also present were the usual Indigo Buntings, Eastern Bluebirds (family group!), Eastern Towhees, Gray Catbirds, American Goldfinches, and House Finches. Also a Brown Thrasher!

July 12: I went for a short walk along the trails at Sunset Park in Waynesboro for the first time today. (Actually, a few of us club members were given a tour of the site three or so years ago, before the development began.) It is quite an impressive facility, with a huge parking area and modern bathrooms, and provides a great view of Waynesboro and the Shenandoah Valley. It just opened in May. Anyway, I saw mostly the usual woodland birds in the forest: Red-eyed Vireo, Eastern Wood Pewee, Pileated Woodpeckers, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Eastern Bluebird, Indigo Bunting, a Scarlet Tanager, and several Tufted Titmice.

July 13: I drove all the way up to Reddish Knob today, in faint hopes that the Mourning Warbler(s) might still be there, but my efforts were not in vain. I had nice views of Canada Warblers, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Scarlet Tanagers, Black-and-white Warblers, American Redstarts, Indigo Buntings, Blue-headed Vireos, Black-capped Chickadees, a Downy Woodpecker, and a Brown Thrasher.

(Reddish Knob, July 13)

July 15: I did my walk along Bell's Lane this morning before the temps got into the 90s, and I had some nice surprises. The White-eyed Vireos are still singing, and I also heard an Eastern Screech Owl repeatedly whinnying in the vicinity. Wow!! I was also surprised to see a Black-and-white Warbler as well as a Worm-eating Warbler, along with the "usual suspects": Eastern Towhees, Field Sparrows, Eastern Kingbirds (not shown), and Indigo Buntings. I also saw an Eastern Phoebe that was either a youngster or a molting adult.

July 19: I saw a Great Crested Flycatcher (or maybe two) along Bell's Lane this afternoon, for the first time in a while. Also a Black-and-white Warbler again, as well as the usual Eastern Towhees, Eastern Kingbirds, and Indigo Buntings. Not pictured: Downy Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, American Goldfinch, and Gray Catbirds.

July 21: Jacqueline and I went for a big hike, starting at Milam Gap in the Shenandoah National Park and descending about 800 feet along the Mill Prong Trail to Rapidan Camp, where President Herbert Hoover built a summer retreat compound in 1929. Along the way we saw quite a few good birds, but it was hard getting photos of them. We saw Eastern Phoebe bringing a tasty treat to his/her nestlings, right at Hoover's cabin, a Blue-headed Vireo, an American Redstart, an American Goldfinch, an Acadian Flycatcher, and a House Wren. Jacqueline spotted a young Ruffed Grouse just a few feet a way, but all I could see was a rustle in the bushes. Also seen were a Least Flycatcher, a probable Yellow-billed Cuckoo, some Black-and-white Warblers, Downy Woodpeckers, a Ruby-throated Hummingbird (first of year for me!?), an Ovenbird, and a Dark-eyed Junco. It was quite a big day!

(Mill Prong Trail, Shen. Nat. Park, July 21)

July 23: Jacqueline and I went for another big hike today, this time along the Falls Hollow trail, which begins along Rt. 42 a few miles before Augusta Springs. It was my first significant visit there this year, and conditions were mild but humid. (Recent rains have benefited the greenery.) We heard and saw multiple Blue-headed Vireos and Acadian Flycatchers, as well as Eastern Towhees, but only one notable cluster of warblers, flitting about the tree tops. ID is hard, given the poor light conditions, but I think that's a Worm-eating Warbler and a Black-throated Green Warbler at the top right. The other two are a Red-eyed Vireo and a White-breasted Nuthatch. On the way back down we heard and saw a couple Louisiana Waterthrushes.

July 26: On Bell's Lane in the afternoon I once again saw Black-and-white Warblers as well as American Redstarts, but could only get photos of the former. This one is evidently a young male practicing to sing, as his throat was almost all white. Also present was a Great Crested Flycatcher, as well as the usual Indigo Buntings, Eastern Towhees, etc.

July 29: I had to go up to Harrisonburg today, and made several birding stops along the way. At Leonard's Pond were a couple Solitary Sandpipers, along with at least a dozen Killdeers. At Lake Shenandoah I saw some American Goldfinches, Eastern Bluebirds, and Eastern Kingbirds, but no egrets or herons. The lake is still in miserable condition, overgrown with weeds. At the JMU Arboretum I saw an Eastern Wood Pewee, an Eastern Phoebe, and a Ruby-throated Hummingbird. My first photo of the latter all year! Also, a pathetic-looking male Northern Cardinal in the process of molting. At Hillandale Park I saw some Eastern Towhees, Carolina Wrens, and a Downy Woodpecker.

(Leonard's Pond and Hillandale Park, Harrisonburg, July 29)

Additional photos and montages, including individual photos of some of the birds in the above montages, are now available on the NEWLY UPDATED (easier to navigate, etc.) Wild Birds chronological (2024) page. (I am in the midst of a major reorganization of my bird photos, so that they will be sorted year by year.)

July 3, 2025 [LINK / comment]

Birding out west (& in Virginia), June 2024

NOTE: This is another "catch-up" blog post based on Facebook posts from June of last year.

June 3: My first day of serious birding while traveling out west was at the Atkins Slough Wildlife Protection Area, on the west side of the town of Tea, about ten miles southwest of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. There were several Common Yellowthroats, Swamp Sparrows, Eastern Kingbirds, Killdeers, and even a couple Great Egrets, Great Blue Herons, Blue-winged Teals, and Black Terns. (The latter stayed too far away for me to get a good photo.) I did manage to photograph a Marsh Wren but was frustrated in trying to spot a nearby Ring-necked Pheasant lurking among the reeds. At a Little League game in the evening in a small town farther north, I saw a Baltimore Oriole and a pair of Eurasian Collared Doves.

(Atkins Slough Wildlife Protection Area, SD, June 3)

June 5: As I headed west and then south from Sioux Falls, my first major "nature break" was at the Lake Andes National Wildlife Refuge. Along the way I spotted a Ring-necked Pheasant in a farm driveway and did a U-turn, but it was gone by the time I had returned. I did, however, hear and then see a Willow Flycatcher. As I approached Lake Andes, I was very happy to get great closeup looks at Bobolinks as well as Western Kingbirds and Lark Sparrows. Near the shoreline I was thrilled to get excellent looks at several Yellow-headed Blackbirds for the first time in my life! (I had previously only seen them from a distance.) Also present were Orchard Orioles, Killdeers, Eurasian Collared Doves, and an Upland Sandpiper in an uncharacteristic location: the water! In the town of Lake Andes, SD I had a nice view of a couple Red-headed Woodpeckers. There weren't many birds as I crossed Nebraska into Colorado, however.

(Lake Andes National Wildlife Refuge and nearby parts of South Dakota, June 5)

June 6: My next birding expedition earlier this month took place in the Rocky Mountain National Park, where it's so crowded that you need a special entry reservation. Horrible traffic jams! Early on I was delighted to see a Wilson's Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon subspecies with the yellow throat), Mountain Chickadees, and even a Lincoln's Sparrow! Just as I was leaving I got nice photos of two species I had seen for the first time last summer in the San Francisco Bay area: a Pygmy Nuthatch and a Violet-green Swallow -- wonderful! I'll post other bird photos (including some from the tundra) in a separate batch later.

(Rocky Mountain National Park, June 6)

June 7: My second day of birding in Colorado focused on the area in and around the city of Boulder. I began at the Sawhill Ponds Wildlife Preserve, where I immediately heard the first of many Common Yellowthroats and Yellow Warblers. Soon I spotted a pair of American White Pelicans up above, and then a Swainson's Hawk. Aside from the typical water-oriented birds such as Belted Kingfisher and Great Blue Heron, I also saw some Warbling Vireos, House Wrens, Northern Flickers (the western red-shafted subspecies!), other woodpeckers, Willow Flycatcher, and a pair of Ospreys on a distant nest platform. (The above birds are included in the top composite photo.)

(southeast of Boulder, CO, June 7 A.M.)

It was a hot day, so I rested a while before proceeding to my next destination, the Chautauqua Park which is next to the scenic Flatiron rock formations southwest of Boulder. As I hiked up the trail in an open grassland I was amused to see three Broad-tailed Hummingbirds engaged in an aerial battle -- my very first hummingbirds of the year! Then I entered a brushy transitional area and heard an odd song, and thanks to Merlin identified it as a Lazuli Bunting. Before long I had my eyes on a life bird! My only closeup photo was a side view, shown at the bottom left. (The Lazuli Bunting on the top right was 80+ feet away.) I also saw some Black-billed Magpies and a Yellow-rumped (Audubon's) Warbler. In the late afternoon I saw some American Goldfinches, and in evening a group of Bushtits in some evergreen trees. Quite a big day!

(southwest of Boulder, CO, June 7 P.M.)

June 8: For my third and final day of birding in Colorado, I took my brother John's advice and explored the Pawnee National Grassland, about an hour northeast of Boulder. As expected, there were plenty of Western Kingbirds, Western Meadowlarks, Horned Larks, Lark Sparrows, and my main target bird: Lark Buntings! (Bottom right; that's the state bird of Colorado.) In short, lotsa larks! I also photographed what I believe is a juvenile Chestnut-collared Longspur (middle left), which would be a life bird. At one stop I witnessed a Western Kingbird defending his nest from a Swainson's Hawk; high drama! Then a fierce thunderstorm came upon me, so I had to leave and drive into Wyoming. As the afternoon turned toward dusk I was lucky to see some Mountain Bluebirds at close range, and then a Gray Partridge just sitting along the side of the road. Another life bird!!! Also some antelopes running at high speed. It was a wonderful day!

(Pawnee National Grassland, Colorado, and south of Casper, Wyoming, June 8)

June 9: My main destination in Wyoming was Devil's Tower, where Jacqueline and I had seen a Western Tanager back in 1998, when I was still a novice birder. Sure enough, I managed to spot and photograph my main target bird after I had hiked about 2/3 the way around the massive rock formation. Beautiful! I also had nice views of Western Wood Pewee, Bullock's Oriole, Yellow-rumped (Audubon's) Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Red-headed Woodpecker, Black-billed Magpies*, various nuthatches, and -- finally -- a Black-headed Grosbeak! Yet another fun and successful day of birding out west!
* For some reason, the Devil's Tower bird checklist indicates that Black-billed Magpies are rare in the summer. Not at all!

(Devil's Tower National Monument, June 9)

June 10: My main objective as I re-entered South Dakota from Wyoming was sightseeing in the picturesque Black Hills, especially at Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial. I did, however, set aside time for birding, with one particular target species: the American Dipper. At my brother John's recommendation, I drove up Spearfish Canyon and must have made ten or more stops along the way in my quest for this unusual bird. Early on I came across several Wild Turkeys and a Red-breasted Nuthatch, and along a big cliff I had very good views of a dozen or more White-throated Swifts. I even managed to get some decent photos of them! Further upstream I came upon some birds that would be considered common in the east: Red-eyed Vireos, American Redstarts, and Common Yellowthroats. Finally, as I was walking along the rapids, I saw a dark, chunky-shaped, medium-small bird darting around a big boulder: an American Dipper, a life bird for me! I waited ten or more minutes, but never saw it again, and failed to get a photo. Oh well. An hour or so later, along a trail near the Stratosphere Bowl historical site (about ten miles from Mount Rushmore), I had a nice closeup view of a Black-headed Grosbeak.

(Black Hills of South Dakota, June 10)

June 11: Leaving the Black Hills and heading east across South Dakota, my first stop was in the Badlands National Park. (Actually, I first spent quite a while shopping in the world-famous tourist shopping mecca of Wall Drug.) The Badlands scenery is awe-inspiring, as the green prairie suddenly changes to stark, barren, other-worldly landscape not unlike the Grand Canyon. For a while, the only birds I saw were swallows, Brown-headed Cowbirds, Western Meadowlarks, and a Brown Thrasher or two. Then finally I hit the jackpot at one of the overlooks, with a Western Kingbird and Orchard Oriole in close proximity (photos merged to compensate for different focal lengths), along with a Lark Sparrow, and best of all, a Rock Wren that perched just a few feet away and sang up a storm. Later in the afternoon, on a big pond south of the state capital Pierre, I saw some Blue-winged Teals, American Wigeons, and a Killdeer. It's amazing how many ducks, grebes, and even pelicans the isolated prairie lakes and ponds can sustain!

(Badlands National Park and central South Dakota, June 11)

June 13: A few days before I headed back east, I went hiking along the woodland trails at Beaver Creek Nature Area and then the Mary Jo Wegner Arboretum. There I saw several bird species that one could see just about anywhere in the eastern states, but are either much less common or not found at all in arid western South Dakota: Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Indigo Buntings, Common Yellowthroats, and American Redstarts. This shows how the state is a transition zone in terms of the ranges of many bird species. I also saw a few House Wrens and American Goldfinches that day, as well as several 13-lined Ground Squirrels, commonly called "gophers."

(Beaver Creek Nature Area and then the Mary Jo Wegner Arboretum, near Sioux Falls, SD, June 13)

June 15: On my next-to-last day in South Dakota, I spent about an hour south of Vermillion in the Missouri River valley. There I finally saw two of the most typical (but not always prominent) bird species of the Great Plains: a very close Grasshopper Sparrow and a distant Dickcissel. Also present were the quite widespread Lark Sparrow, Eastern Kingbird, and Brown Thrasher and a Red-headed Woodpecker. The day before while golfing I had seen a Bald Eagle (for the only time in my trip), and I was told that there was a nest of them near the Vermillion River, but I could not find it.

And that wraps up my western birding adventures of June 2024!

June 25: It was quite hot and dry after I returned to Virginia, but I took advantage of a mild day to make a visit to Bell's Lane. Among the highlights were several Orchard Orioles (including a mother feeding a fledgling), a House Wren, a Gray Catbird adorned with human-provided "jewelry," a Brown Thrasher, a Red-bellied Woodpecker, an Eastern Towhee, an an Eastern Kingbird, and an Indigo Bunting.

June 29: Today was another hot one, so I went to the shadiest trail I could think of: Chimney Hollow, near West Augusta along Rt. 250. There were several Acadian Flycatchers, which are usual summer residents there, but NONE of the expected Louisiana Waterthrushes. A result of the drought, perhaps? There was hardly any water in the stream. I also saw a Worm-eating Warbler, a Black-throated Green Warbler, several noisy Ovenbirds (including one that was faking an injury to distract me, just like a Killdeer!), a Scarlet Tanager, and a Blue-headed Vireo.

(Chimney Hollow, June 29)

Additional photos and montages, including individual photos of some of the birds in the above montages, will soon become available on the Wild Birds chronological (2024) page.

July 2, 2025 [LINK / comment]

My Great Train Odyssey, June 2023

Two full years after the fact, I now present a fairly complete description of the amazing rail journey across the United States which I took in June 2023. I took advantage of a special Amtrak deal whereby you can book ten train trips of any length over a 30-day period for just $499. (I had used the "USA Rail Pass" once before, to travel to the Midwest via New York City in 2008.) It was motivated in part by news reports last April (later confirmed) that the Oakland Athletics intended to relocate to Las Vegas; I just had to see Oakland Coliseum before it was too late! (I'm on a lifetime quest to see all 30 MLB stadiums and all 50 state capitol buildings.)

NOTE: My last travel-oriented blog post, about the road trip to Canada that Jacqueline and I took, was on August 4, 2022. Since then, we have also traveled to the Outer Banks of Norther Carolina (in August of 2023) and to New York City (last August), and I took a solo road trip to South Dakota, Colorado, and Wyoming one year ago. Obviously, I've got a lot of catching up to do!

Unfortunately, a few days after I bought the pass from Amtrak, I learned that a landslide had shut down rail service between Los Angeles and San Diego. Then, while considering alternative travel plans, I just couldn't get a straight answer from Amtrak [personnel] about the emergency bus connection between those cities. Anyway, here is a brief recapitulation of my lightning-paced itinerary, entirely by train except for one segment in California. The major urban destinations are in bold face, and the overnight stops (mostly the same) are underlined.

June 10-11 (Saturday-Sunday; 2.5 miles walked): I departed Charlottesville aboard Amtrak's "Crescent" train after dusk, and fell asleep by the time we reached Charlotte, North Carolina. I woke up as we entered Georgia, and I was disappointed that the train did not go to downtown Atlanta. Instead, we skirted the north edge of the city. In the early afternoon, we reached Birmingham, passing some of the steel mills that give the city its nickname "Pittsburgh of the South." Jacqueline and I had visited it briefly two years earlier, but did not see the downtown, where the buildings seem to be mostly from the early 20th Century. The next stop was Tuscaloosa, which features an attractive train station; it is the home of the University of Alabama. The bridge across the wide Tombigbee River provided an impressive view of white cliffs on the west side. We passed through southern Mississippi and crossed Lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana after dusk, arriving in New Orleans just before 9:00 -- on time! I considered walking a few blocks to get lodging for the night, but I learned that the streets are dangerous at night, so after checking with the security guard, I simply sat down in the waiting area of Union Station and slept as well as I could.

June 12 (4 miles walked): Early in the morning I did some hasty sightseeing in New Orleans, getting a closeup view of the nearby Superdome and Smoothie King Arena next door. (When I was there in 2021, it was called "Mercedes Benz Superdome"; now it's called "Caesar's Superdome.") Breakfast at Hurt's Donuts (a new business) was very satisfying. Then I boarded Amtrak's "Sunset Limited" train, which traversed several towns in the low bayou country, passing above-ground cemeteries, industrial areas, and residential neighborhoods, including some very poor ones. We also passed quite a few sugar cane fields. In the mid-afternoon we crossed into Texas, and in the port city of Beaumont I saw a U.S. Navy "roll-on, roll-off" transport ship, the MV Cape Taylor.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: a sugar cane field near Thibodaux, Louisiana, New Orleans, Atlanta (north), and Birmingham, Alabama. (June 11-12)

We arrived in Houston at 6:40 PM, and I was surprised that the train station was so modest in size. The walls were adorned with photos of the old Grand Central Station, which was built in 1934 but replaced only 25 years later by a much smaller facility, reflecting the decline in passenger rail traffic. I had to walk several blocks to make a connection on a local bus, crossing the Buffalo Bayou (as lowland rivers are called in the Gulf region) into downtown Houston. In a riverside park is a monument honoring President George H.W. Bush (senior), who in retrospect is the last American president who truly deserved unqualified respect. After a long bus ride a few miles south I arrived at the Wanderstay Hostel, which caters mainly to young international travelers. I met several interesting folks during my two evenings there.

Two views of the Houston skyline, the old Harris County Courthouse, and the Buffalo Bayou, which is what they call the river that flows through the center of the city. (June 12)

June 13 (5.7 miles walked): I spent all morning trying in the hostel to finalize Amtrak train reservations in California and the return leg of my trip, having had to change my plans due to the aforementioned landslide south of Los Angeles. [I should give credit to the helpful and understanding Amtrak agent who assisted me in making those reservations.] Given the uncertainties and my tight time constraints, I decided that the idea of trying to see a Padres game in San Diego was just too risky. Even worse, my hopes of stopping in Denver and/or Kansas City on the way back east were foiled when I found out that all trains going that way from Los Angeles were sold out at least ten days in advance. So much for my plans to see family members! Instead, I had to go "East by Northwest." (More on that later.) In the afternoon, I took a light rail train to see the Astrodome for the first time. That historic indoor stadium closed in 1999, but it served a vital role in housing refugees during and after Hurricane Katrina in September 2005. The city of Houston is still trying to figure out what to do with the aging structure. Then I boarded another commuter train to downtown Houston, and walked a few blocks to see the Nationals vs. Astros game at Minute Maid Park. (See my June 28, 2023 blog post about my baseball experiences during that trip.) The following composite "montage" photo shows all the MLB stadiums I saw during my trip out west, along with the dates.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Oracle Park (June 19), T-Mobile Park (June 21), Oakland Coliseum (June 18), Minute Maid Park, which has since been renamed "Daikin Park" and the Astrodome (both on June 13), and Dodger Stadium (June 16).

June 14 (3.5 miles walked): On Wednesday I rented a car and, at the recommendation of my brother John, I drove to Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge (about 25 miles east) to watch birds! Once again, it was very hot, probably over 100 degrees! (See my August 1, 2023 blog post about the birds I saw there.) In the evening I had a very good Mexican dinner in downtown Houston before returning to the train station to board Amtrak's "Sunset Limited" train. During the middle of the night we stopped for over three hours in San Antonio, and I got off to stretch my legs and take photos of the area, including the nearby Alamodome. (I wish I could have walked a few blocks to see the Alamo itself.) I was awake a couple hours later when we briefly stopped in the town of Uvalde, scene of a terrible elementary school massacre that had happened about a year earlier.

Scenes at the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge. Some reptiles are more dangerous than others! (June 14)

June 15 (1 mile walked): Dawn broke on Thursday soon after our train crossed the the Amistad Reservoir (part of the Pecos River) near the border town of Del Rio. About an hour later we passed over a canyon that I later determined (after returning home and consulting my maps) was within a mile or so of the village of Langtry, Texas, made famous by the eccentric Judge Roy Bean, who was actually a real person. (Paul Newman played him in that 1972 movie.) The terrain in west Texas is rocky and not much grows other than cactus and scrub brush. A couple hours later the train stopped in the town of Alpine, which features some impressive artistic murals on some buildings. Three hours later the landscape became greener, as we approached the Rio Grande valley once again. Finally, we pulled into Old El Paso and stopped for a while, so I got out and stretched my legs. The up-close views of the Mexican border as we left town were quite dramatic! After we crossed the Rio Grande into New Mexico, I was amused to see a section of the imposing steel wall abruptly stop where it reaches a steep, barren hillside, with some folks on the Mexican side peering across. (Were they planning to cross?) We passed saguaro cacti around dusk and reached Tucson as night fell. I was sound asleep as we passed Yuma (around 3:10 AM, perhaps?) and crossed the Colorado River into California -- the "Golden State"! Likewise, I entirely missed seeing the Salton Sea or Palm Springs, both of which we passed.

Looking across the Rio Grande toward Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, from El Paso; and various scrubland scenes in southern Texas. (June 12)

June 16 (10.8 miles walked): I gradually woke up as our train passed Pomona and the eastern suburbs of Los Angeles in the predawn hours of Friday morning. We crossed the Los Angeles River (fully "paved" and with very little water) just before arriving at historic Union Station. For many years I had studied L.A. geography, marveling at how close the train station was to downtown. As I emerged from the station I could see the iconic City Hall building only a few blocks away. The large presence of homeless people was immediately evident, and I tried to exercise due caution. I walked about a half mile to the "modest price" (relatively speaking!) hotel where I had made reservations in the Little Tokyo district, on the east edge of downtown. After a brief nap, I headed out for a busy day of touristing. Even in mid-morning it was still cool and overcast, to my surprise. I walked uphill past L.A.P.D. headquarters, which is located near City Hall, boarded the L.A. Metro subway, and headed west. In sharp contrast to the old days, Los Angeles now has a modern and comprehensive mass transit system. After the train emerged from the tunnels I could recognize Baldwin Hills, which are visible in the background of several Hogan's Heroes episodes. (The former "Stalag 13" set in the Culver City area has long since been replaced by new building developments, however.) After a half-hour ride, I got off and reached the Pacific Ocean at the Santa Monica pier, which is a major center of entertainment and commerce. There is a sign noting that it is the terminal point of the historic "Route 66," from Chicago to L.A. The clouds had lifted by noon, and the temperatures finally climbed into the 80s. The view of the coastline was spectacular, with the palm trees and lush flowering shrubs atop the palisades overlooking the sandy beaches. Little did I know that 15 months later that whole area to the north (known as Pacific Palisades) would be consumed by a massive wildfire that destroyed thousands of houses.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: L.A. City Hall (seen from Dodger Stadium) at night, Union Station, Santa Monica beach & palisades, and the Los Angeles River. (June 16 & 17)

After lunch at the "1986 Taco" restaurant I headed back east and got off at the University of Southern California, about two miles southwest of downtown. There I walked around Memorial Coliseum, home of the USC Trojans and former home of the L.A. Rams and the L.A. Dodgers, who played from 1958 to 1961, before Dodger Stadium was built. Then I walked for nearly two miles through a mostly middle-class neighborhood, passing a homeless encampment on the overpass over the Harbor Freeway. Finally I arrived at a park named for benefactors Kirk and Anne Douglas where the L.A. version of Wrigley Field once stood. (The L.A. Angels played there during their first year, in 1961.) Some of the houses had nice gardens, and the area seemed to be relatively safe. I couldn't find the historical marker (which I later learned is located 100+ yards from where the old stadium actually stood), so I got on a bus and returned to my hotel and then to Union Station, from whence a shuttle to Dodger Stadium departs. The Dodgers and Giants were playing that evening, but I missed the first three innings because of traffic jam delays caused a protest by certain religious activists against Pride Night. The Giants won that game, and in fact they swept the weekend series.

June 17 (9.3 miles walked): On my second day in Los Angeles (a Saturday), I did my laundry, checked out of the hotel, checked my backpack at Union Station, and then took the Metro subway to the Hollywood and Vine station. (I had considered going to see Angel Stadium, but just getting to Anaheim and back would have taken nearly two hours, and I figured it wouldn't have been worth my precious time just seeing the outside of the stadium.) I saw some of the stars embedded in the Hollywood Walk of Fame (such as Doris Day, James Dean, Katherine Hepburn, Boris Karloff), took note of some eccentric characters and tourists, and marveled at the famous cylindrical Capitol Records building. Then I walked a few blocks past some very posh houses toward Griffith Park, where the trail leading up to the famous Griffith Observatory begins. (I previously described my birding adventures in Los Angeles on October 28, 2023.)

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: The hillside Hollywood letters, Griffith Observatory, palm trees at the corner of Hollywood & Vine, a mural of Sidney Poitier and Judy Garland, and the Capitol Records tower. (June 17)

Late in the afternoon I strolled along the historic Olvera Street district, only a few blocks from Union Station, and bought a few souvenirs. That is the historic heart of Los Angeles, from back when it was a part of Mexico, and there are numerous plaques displaying the city's Hispanic cultural heritage. A mariachi singer was entertaining the local folks in a park, and it was just delightful. As dusk fell, I settled in to wait for the 1:00 AM Amtrak bus to Bakersfield. (There hasn't been any train service from L.A. to the San Joaquin valley since the 1970s, which is a major and annoying gap in their national rail network.) I was barely awake as the weary passengers got on the "Pacific Surfliner" train in Bakersfield.

June 18 (4.3 miles walked): As the sun rose over the San Joaquin Valley on Sunday morning, I could see the intensively irrigated fields for which California is famous. (But is it environmentally sustainable??!) I was surprised that the train didn't go directly toward the San Francisco Bay, but instead detoured around the east side of the mountain range, going north through Modesto and Stockton, and then looping back south along the Sacramento River.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Mount Diablo, Benicia-Martinez Bridges, palm trees, and irrigated fields in the San Joaquin Valley. (June 18)

Just before 11:00 AM our train arrived in Emeryville, on the north side of Oakland, and after checking in at a nice hotel (Four Points, by Sheraton) I quickly headed back to the train station to go see the Phillies vs. Athletics game. Unfortunately, there was a long delay (again!), so I didn't get inside Oakland Coliseum until the third inning. After the game I took the train back to Emeryville, and grabbed dinner (a veggie bean wrap) at a trendy grocery store called Trader Joe's.

June 19 (6.5 miles walked): I began the day by taking the BART subway to downtown San Francisco, my second time in that fabled city. (The first time was in 1987, when I had a pre-arranged rendevous with my friend Lanny Evans.) I soaked in the highly varied architectural styles of the buildings, and walked about a half mile downhill to Oracle Park (home of the Giants), taking a tour that lasted over two hours. Time well spent!

Then I walked back uphill and boarded a streetcar west from downtown through the historic Haight-Ashbury neighborhood. I was aware that this was the heartland of the 1960s hippie counterculture movement, but even so I was surprised to see a completely naked woman walking along the sidewalk! We then passed Kezar Stadium, which was the home of the San Francisco 49ers in the 1960s, but very little of the original structure remains. Finally we arrived at my main objective, Golden Gate Park, where I saw some interesting birds. I had a nice view of Mount Sutro, which is topped by a very sturdy (earthquake-proof?) communications tower. On the return trip I walked past the world headquarters of what was then called "Twitter," soon after Elon Musk acquired it in a highly leveraged buyout. (Now it's called just "X.")

Scenes from San Francisco (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT): the downtown skyline, the Transamerica tower, an antique trolley car, the corner of Haight and Ashbury Streets, and the Bay Bridge leading to Oakland. (June 19)

June 20 (7.5 miles walked): In the morning, I took a BART train to the Merritt Lake area south of downtown Oakland. It's not really a lake, but an inlet connected to the San Francisco Bay. I passed a museum with an exhibit about the radical activist Angela Davis, which happened to be located next to the courthouse where she once (allegedly) helped some prisoners escape. Then I walked down to the waterfront where the Athletics were hoping to build a new baseball stadium, but that scheme fell apart. That's why the Athletics are playing in Sacramento for the next few years, pending the construction of a new stadium in Las Vegas. It's all a terrible tragedy.

Scenes from Oakland (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT): downtown buildings and a new housing development, cranes handling port cargo, the Alameda County Courthouse, and Lake Merritt. (June 20)

In the afternoon, I took a bus northeast from Emeryville through the city of Berkeley, getting off at the campus of the University of California. From there I walked uphill to the Strawberry Canyon Natural Area, where I hiked and watched birds for about an hour. Then I toured the U.C. campus, famed as a center of the antiwar protest movement in the 1960s, seeing California Memorial Stadium, Sather Tower, and other landmarks. I had not previously realized that the entire campus is situated on a broad slope, with downtown below and the foothills above. From the top you can see the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance! It's extremely picturesque, and it was nice to see Redwood trees, even if they weren't as big as the ones that I saw at Redwood National Park in 1987.

Scenes from Berkeley (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT): Redwood trees, Strawberry Canyon Natural Area, and the Sather Tower on the campus of the University of California. (June 20)

June 21 (1.2 miles walked): My train (the "Coast Starlight") left after midnight, and I was half asleep as we passed through the state capital of Sacramento toward the north. As morning broke we were entering the Cascade Mountains, with an excellent view of Mount Shasta. Then we crossed into Oregon and stopped at the Klamath Falls station, which seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. The train passed a large lake where I was surprised to see many pelicans, as well as a Bald Eagle. Then we turned west and began ascending the mountains, through some scenic but precarious passes, and then back down to the lush agricultural Willamette Valley. A couple hours later we entered the city of Portland, as the sun was setting in the west. Unfortunately, our train was delayed by nearly three hours, so I didn't arrive in Seattle until well after midnight. Fortunately, I had reserved a room within a couple blocks of the train station, and grabbed a few hours of precious horizontal sleep.

Cascade Mountains: Willamette Pass, and Mount Hood from the north (across the Columbia River, top right) and southwest (near Salem, bottom left). (June 21 & 22)

Scenes from Portland (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT): Union Station, palm trees and high rises, the downtown skyline at dusk, and port facilities on the Willamette River. (June 21 & 22)

June 22 (3.8 miles walked): In the morning I did a rapid tour of Seattle, passing Lumen Field (home of the NFL Seahawks) and then T-Mobile Park (home of the MLB Mariners). Fortunately, they were both within a few blocks of the train station, so I was ready to board my next train, which departed at 9:50 AM. We headed straight south to Portland, which I had just passed the night before. Why the sudden round trip from Portland to Seattle and back? Well, I had some unused rides left on my Amtrak pass, and figured I might as well use one of them to see Seattle, but unfortunately all the trains eastbound from Seattle were booked, so I had to go back to Portland to catch the eastbound "Empire Builder" train! I had a three-hour layover in Portland, but decided to stay near the station rather than venture toward downtown. We left late in the afternoon, and began following the Columbia River through some deep, lush gorges into the arid countryside where apple orchards abound. As the sun set we left the Columbia River.

Scenes from Seattle (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT): the downtown skyline, the Space Needles, the Chinese gate, and the historic Triangle building. (June 22)

Views of the Columbia River Valley from the northern side (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT): Bridge of the Gods, "Lake" Bonneville (a reservoir), the Bonneville hydroelectric dam, and an apple orchard a hundred or more miles upstream. (June 22)

June 23 (1.2 miles walked): Around midnight the train stopped at the city of Spokane, Washington, where a male passenger boarded and sat down next to me. As dawn broke the next day he struck up a conversation about his evangelical mission. Eventually I decided to buy his book, Still Standing: a Testinmonial and a Warning, by "Prophet Roach." It tells the story of his harsh younger years growing up as a poor black boy in a small Louisiana town. He got involved in alcohol, drugs, and other vices, but eventually found God and got clean. Anyway, our train crossed the Rocky Mountains during the night, and passed through Glacier National Park during the morning. It was the first time I had been there, or indeed anywhere in northern Montana but unfortunately I couldn't see much. Then we headed straight east across the rolling plains of northern Montana, getting off for a while in the towns of Shelby and Havre, where there is a historical railroad monument with a steam locomotive. Later on the train tracks approached the Missouri River, following it for the next few hours. Just before crossing the state line, we passed the Fort Union Trading Post National Historical Site. As dusk approached we crossed northern North Dakota (another first time for me), where more and more oil wells and oil storage tanks were visible. After sunset we stopped for a while at the station in Minot, and I did some back-and-forth walking along the train platform to fulfill my daily exercise quota. After midnight we passed through Grand Forks and Fargo, my first time to either city, but I have only vague recollections of that.

Scenes from Montana (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT): leaving Glacier National Park, the Whitefish train station, Fort Union historical site, and a marshy pond with some swimming grebes of some sort. (June 23)

June 24 (2.0 miles walked): As dawn broke on the last full day of my journey, our train stopped in St. Cloud, Minnesota. I was disappointed that we did not go through downtown Minneapolis, and likewise that our stop in the state capital of St. Paul did not afford any good views. After a while we crossed the Mighty Mississippi River into Wisconsin, where I was pleased to see American Family Field, home of the Milwaukee Brewers, but more importantly, I had some good closeup views of downtown Milwaukee for the first time. (I had passed by there once before, in 2010.) Next came Chicago, Illinois, where I had a short layover before getting on board the "Cardinal" train back home.

Scenes from downtown Milwaukee (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT): the Hilton Hotel, construction, and building along the Menomonee River. (June 24)

June 25 (1.2 miles walked): During the night we passed through Indianapolis and Cincinnati, and early in the morning we stopped in Charleston, West, Virginia. An hour or so later I was mildly amused to see the women's prison in the town of Alderson, where TV mogul Martha Stewart was incarcerated a few years ago. Then back into the Old Dominion of Virginia, arriving in Staunton at 2:38 in the afternoon, and Jacqueline was there to pick me up. After a brief rest, I went to play music as part of a Beatles commemorative event, leading in the finale "Hey Jude," and finally got a good night's sleep!

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is that! Thank you for taking interest in my long-distances sojourns. [UPDATE: I would be remiss not to emphasize how enjoyable traveling on a train is. Aside from a few delays (probably stemming from having to share tracks with freight trains), Amtrak is very efficient and well run. I saw many, many sights that I simply never could have seen from a jet airplane or from an automobile. If you have time, it's a very convenient, relaxing way to travel.] Larger-size versions of most of the above photos can be found (either now or in the near future) at Chronological Photo Gallery, 2023

June 30, 2025 [LINK / comment]

Birding in Virginia, May 2024

NOTE: This is yet another "catch-up" blog post based on Facebook posts from May of last year. The previous one, covering April 2024, was posted on June 20.

May 3: I got some much-needed exercise along Bell's Lane in the morning, and although I could hear a great many birds singing, it was harder to see them -- in part due to the cloudy/hazy skies, but mostly due to the grass cutting that was being done. At least I saw my first Orchard Orioles (M & F, plus 1st-year male) and Yellow Warblers (M) of the year! I could also hear Indigo Buntings and White-eyed Vireos, likewise FOY. The other highlights were a Scarlet Tanager and a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. Gray Catbirds were everywhere!

May 5: I saw my first Common Yellowthroat of the year and heard my first Rose-breasted Grosbeak along Bell's Lane in the afternoon, but the photos I got were mostly the usual suspects. I did get first-year male Orchard Orioles in two different locations, as well as an Eastern Phoebe, Brown Thrasher (noisy!), Red-bellied Woodpecker at her nest hole, an Eastern Meadowlark, and perhaps most significantly, a late-lingering White-crowned Sparrow very close by. Finally, I glimpsed an Osprey flying overhead, and heard some Indigo Buntings and a White-eyed Vireo once again. Elusive!

(Bell's Lane, May 5)

May 7: I squeezed in a bit of birding time along Bell's Lane on the way home from work at BRCC this afternoon, and was promptly rewarded with my first views this year of both an Indigo Bunting and a White-eyed Vireo! (I had heard both species four days earlier.) I also heard a Yellow-billed Cuckoo (FOY), but it remained out of view. Other highlights included lots of Gray Catbirds, as well as some Blue Jays and Carolina Wrens.

May 9: It was a good day for flycatchers along Bell's Lane this afternoon, including an Eastern Phoebe, a Great Crested Flycatcher or two, and my first Eastern Kingbird of the year! Also some hyperactive American Goldfinches and a Field Sparrow with a big fat worm for dinner!

May 10: We had a slow start at the east-side overlooks along the Blue Ridge Parkway during our Augusta Bird Club field trip this morning, with the usual Indigo Buntings and a nice White-eyed Vireo. We had better luck at the telephone tower, however, where multiple American Redstarts, Cerulean Warblers, Hooded Warblers, and Red-eyed Vireos all made appearances. We also heard a couple Ovenbirds there, but for some reason we didn't actually SEE an Ovenbird all day! We really hit pay dirt at the Pioneer Village adjacent to the Humpback Rocks visitor center: An Eastern Wood Pewee, more Redstarts and Ceruleans, a Scarlet Tanager, and the twin highlights of the day: a Least Flycatcher only about 15 feet away, and a Kentucky Warbler! The latter was identified by Scott Priebe, who just moved to this area. Jo King tallied 42 species overall.

(Blue Ridge Parkway & Rt. 610, May 10)

May 11: Here are the highlights of what my group saw at McCormick's Farm this morning: two kinds of vireos (Warbling and Red-eyed), two kinds of orioles (Baltimore and Orchard), two kinds of warblers (Yellow and Blackpoll), as well as Eastern Kingbird, Solitary Sandpiper, Gadwall (evidently injured, as it should have migrated north by now), and an Eastern Meadowlark. It was a beautiful (if rather brisk) day!

(McCormick's Farm, May 11)

May 13: My first real wilderness adventure of the season took place along the Dowells Draft fire road (near Braley Pond in western Augusta County), where I hiked about 3 miles round trip today. On the way back home I spent about 20 minutes checking out the Chimney Hollow trail. The composite image below shows the five migratory birds I saw for the first time this year (clockwise from top left): Worm-eating Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Acadian Flycatcher, Wood Thrush, and Black-and-white Warbler. In the center is a Red-breasted Nuthatch, and on the left of course is a Scarlet Tanager. Other notable sightings of the day (photographed) included a Red-eyed Vireo, a Blue-headed Vireo, an Ovenbird, a Louisiana Waterthrush, a N. Flicker, an E. Towhee (F), and an Eastern Phoebe. Other notable sightings (not photographed) included a Red-tailed Hawk, and I also heard some loud squawking, probably a female Ruffed Grouse.

(Dowells Draft, May 13)

May 16: I went for a nice walk along YuLee's Trail at Montgomery Hall Park this afternoon, and had very good views of a White-eyed Vireo and Red-eyed Vireo (in close proximity to each other), as well as a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and Indigo Bunting. Near the top of the hill I eventually saw an Eastern Wood Pewee and a Great Crested Flycatcher. I also heard a Broad-winged Hawk nearby, but didn't see it. No warblers at all, however!

(Montgomery Hall Park, May 16)

May 18: A quick visit to Leonard's Pond this afternoon yielded a Spotted Sandpiper, a Semipalmated Sandpiper, a couple Killdeer, a family of Mallards, some Tree Swallows and Barn Swallows, and a Red-tailed Hawk flying overhead.

May 19: Jacqueline and I went hiking in the area around Jarman Gap in the Shenandoah National Park today, but the very soggy ground prevented us from getting as far as we wanted. It was very foggy along Skyline Drive and generally gloomy until the early afternoon. I managed to photograph a Red-eyed Vireo, a Hooded Warbler, and an American Redstart or two, but not the Ovenbirds, Black-and-white Warblers, and Wood Thrushes that we also glimpsed along the way. By 3:00 the sun was shining and I had some nice photo ops of Indigo Buntings and an Eastern Towhee at one of the overlooks, as well as a Common Raven and some kind of hawk in the distance.

(Jarman Gap, Shenandoah National Park, May 19)

May 20: Late this afternoon along Bell's Lane I saw a Cedar Waxwing for the first time in months; three of them, in fact! A Northern Flicker briefly flashed his dazzling yellow under-wing feathers, but I had to content myself with a profile pose. Otherwise, the usual cast of characters, including a daddy Red-bellied Woodpecker cautiously peering out of the family nest hole.

May 21: I went hiking on one of my favorite trails today, going from the Confederate Breastworks south along the crest of the Shenandoah Mountain for a little over two miles, and then back. I got most of my target birds, including three for the first time this year, or two if you count ones that I *heard* previously. Clockwise from top left: Black-throated Blue Warbler (FOY), Black-and-White Warbler, Blue-headed Vireo, Canada Warbler (FOY), Scarlet Tanager, Black-throated Green Warbler, and in right-center, an Ovenbird. Other sightings included Indigo Bunting, Worm-eating Warbler, Pileated Woodpecker, Great Crested Flycatcher, Eastern Towhee, and Rose-breasted Grosbeak* (FSOY). Others identified by sound included Hooded Warbler, Hairy Woodpecker, Dark-eyed Junco, American Redstart, and Eastern Wood Pewee. Also a probable Broad-winged Hawk. It was a great day to be outside!
* I was about to take a nice photo of a singing male just as my camera battery died. Curses! Foiled again!

(Shenandoah Mountain trail, May 21)

May 22: There were plenty of highlights from the bird club's morning bird walk led by Penny Warren along Bell's Lane, such as Brown Thrashers and Eastern Phoebes. Later on toward the northeast end of Bell's Lane, after everybody else went home, I saw an Eastern Meadowlark, Baltimore Oriole, Orchard Oriole (1st year male), fledgeling Brown Thrasher, and a Yellow Warbler -- one of two males that I saw fighting! I also spotted a Willow Flycatcher but could not confirm it with a photo or by playing its "fitzbew" song on my iPhone in hopes of inducing a response. That was the only audio playback I used today.

(Bell's Lane, May 22)

May 25: Today I went to the location where two birds that I had not yet seen this year are most likely to be found: Ramsey's Draft, on the west edge of Augusta County. HUGE success!!! Clockwise from top left: Northern Parula (FSOY)*, American Redstart, Blackburnian Warbler (FOY), Black-and-white Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler (eating a worm), and Worm-eating Warbler (not). I also heard but did not see two other warblers: Ovenbird and Louisiana Waterthrush. It was all just wonderful. I'll post non-warbler photos below later on today.
* I had heard one of these at Dowell's Draft a couple weeks ago.

(Ramsey's Draft, May 25)

May 28: Jacqueline and I went for a nice walk along the Mill Place trail in Verona on this nice day, and saw several nice birds. Most notable were an Eastern Kingbird, an American Goldfinch, and a first-year male Orchard Oriole. On the way home we made a couple stops along Bell's Lane and saw a Yellow Warbler, several Brown Thrashers, a Cedar Waxwing, and a Red-tailed Hawk that was being harassed by a Crow (presumably American).

Additional photos and montages, including individual photos of some of the birds in the above montages, will soon become available on the Wild Birds chronological (2024) page.

June 29, 2025 [LINK / comment]

Nationals tumble into the cellar

After a brief respite from a horrible slump provided by James Wood's walk-off home run on Thursday, June 19th (a.k.a. "Juneteenth"), the Washington Nationals resumed their downward trajectory. Since then they have fallen behind the Miami Marlins, thus becoming the last-place team in the NL East Division.

The Nats opened their series against the Dodgers in Los Angeles on June 20 with their ace pitcher Mackenzie Gore going against Clayton Kershaw. The visiting team took an early lead thanks to a first-inning by Amed Rosario, but fell behind in the third inning. A 2-run homer by Miguel Rojas in the sixth inning knocked Gore out of the game. The Nats closed the gap with 3 runs in the latter innings, but still lost, 6-5. In the Saturday game, James Wood and Luis Garcia hit back-to-back homers in the fourth inning, and Nathaniel Lowe hit two home runs later on, as the Nats went on to win, 7-3. On Sunday, Nathaniel Lowe hit a 3-run homer in the the third inning, but as soon as starting pitcher Michael Soroka was replaced by Jose Ferrer in the sixth inning, Max Muncy hit a grand slam to give the Dodgers a 4-3 lead. It got ugly after that, with 9 more runs by the home team in the next two innings. To give their bullpen a rest, the Dodgers had first baseman Kike Hernandez pitch in the ninth inning, and the Nationals soon narrowed the gap with 4 runs, but they still lost the game (and the series) to the defending world champions, 13-7.

The next day (Monday, June 23) the Nationals took a bus down to San Diego to face the Padres. They won the first game of the series 10-6, thanks to home runs by James Wood and Josh Bell. But on Tuesday they squandered a 3-0 fourth-inning lead as starting pitcher Trevor Williams just could not contain the home team, who won it, 4-3. The Nats were glaringly listless in the Wednesday game, only getting 3 hits, and Mackenzie Gore was charged with another loss in spite of only giving up one run, which was all the Padres would need. So, it was another 2 games to 1 series loss. That marked the Nats' 81st game of the season, exactly the mid-point in terms of number of games, and [their 33-48 record was five games below their corresponding record last year (38-43), while exactly matching that of the first half of 2023.]

The Nats had a day off on Thursday, and hopefully enjoyed some nice California sun shine, trying not to think about the Marlins having overtaken them in the National League East. On Friday the Nats had an amazing offensive outburst, but the outcome of the game was in doubt until the latter innings. Josh Bell hit a 2-run homer in the second inning, and all the team's batters [reached base on hits]. To erase any doubt, the Nats tacked on 4 more runs in the ninth inning to make the final score 15-9. That was the team's most number of runs in a game (15) since July 19, 2021, when the Nats beat Miami 18-1. On Saturday the Nats had a 2-1 lead when Michael Soroka was replaced by Zack Brzykcy in the sixth inning. He and Eduardo Salazar gave up a combined 6 runs, and the Angels went on to win, 8-2. Today's rubber match game was another tense, back-and-forth affair, which went into extra innings thanks to a clutch RBI single to tie the game in the top of the ninth. Kyle Finnegan pitched the ninth, tenth, AND eleventh innings -- the first time in his career the Nats' closer has pitched three full innings. In the top of the eleventh inning, Drew Millas hit an RBI double to take the lead. (He was called up from the minors after the Nats' first-string catcher Keibert Ruiz was struck in the head by a ball.) C.J. Abrams then batted in two more runs with a triple to the right field corner, and that's how the Nats won it, 7-4. It was their first series win since May 30 - June 1 against the Diamondbacks in Phoenix.

The Nationals' 7-19 record for June was their worst monthly percentage (.269) since August 2022 (.240). You can find all those factoids, as well as others, on the Washington Nationals page.

On a more positive note, with 22 home runs this year, James Wood is currently tied with the Cubs Seiya Suzuki for #6 ranking in the majors. That should qualify him for this year's Home Run Derby. Having racked up his 31st career home run, Wood has tied both Bryce Harper and Juan Soto for having homered 31 times during the first 162 games of their career. Hopefully, the Nationals front office will make a determined effort to keep Wood for the long term.

[FUN FACT: In today's game in Anaheim, James Wood was intentionally walked FOUR times! (In his first at bat in the first inning, he singled.) The last player to be intentionally walked four times in one game was Barry Bonds, on September 22, 2004.]

FUN FACT: There is a 70-something movie actor names James Woods (plural), whereas James Wood the baseball player has a "singular" last name.

Other accomplishments of note

The suddenly red-hot Miami Marlins have replaced the Nationals in fourth place, having won seven games in a row. In fact, they are only a half game behind the Atlanta Braves, who are now 38-45. At the top of the division, the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets have been switching first- and second-place positions for the past couple weeks.

Another surprise is that the other Florida team -- the Tampa Bay Rays -- came to within a half game of the Yankees in the AL East race on Saturday, but fell back after losing today. The possibility that MLB postseason games might be played in a minor league ballpark with only about 11,000 seats has led to discussions among MLB officials about how that awkward situation should be handled. I don't understand why they can't hurry up and finish rebuilding the roof at Tropicana Field by September.

And in other ballpark news, there was a "groundbreaking" ceremony in Las Vegas that supposedly proves that they really are going to build a stadium there for the Athletics. Franchise owner John Fisher, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo, and others were all there to validate this risky not-quite-finalized venture. I'll believe it when I see it. (MLB.com)

June 20, 2025 [LINK / comment]

Birding in Virginia, April 2024

NOTE: This is another "catch-up" blog post based on Facebook posts from April of last year.

April 7: I was quite surprised to see a Hermit Thrush in the bushes out back in the morning, a sign that migration is definitely under way. In the afternoon along Bell's Lane I saw some Yellow-rumped Warblers, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Eastern Phoebes, American Goldfinches (turning yellow!), Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, Tree Swallows, and at least two Brown Thrashers! (I saw one of the latter at Montgomery Hall Park yesterday, my first one of the year!)

(Bell's Lane & north Staunton, April 4)

April 13: I really wanted to go on Allen Larner's field trip to Piney Grove, but I just had too many other things to do. Instead, I squeezed in about 45 minutes along Bell's Lane late this afternoon, and was rewarded with a nice view of my first Blue-gray Gnatcatcher of the year! Plus some American Goldfinches, Eastern Towhees, and Red-winged Blackbirds, all of which have been singing loudly and proudly as breeding season gets underway.

(Bell's Lane, April 13)

April 19: I saw my first Gray Catbird of the year out back this morning, and as expected, there were more of them along Bell's Lane! I also spotted my first Chimney Swift of the year up above. Other highlights included Brown Thrasher, Eastern Towhees, American Goldfinches, Tufted Titmice (in frantic courtship mode), various sparrows, some Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Yellow-rumped warblers, and a distant Eastern Phoebe.

(north Staunton & Bell's Lane, April 19)

April 20: I went on a serious nature hike for the first time in several weeks, walking around the Augusta Springs wetlands. Right away I had a nice view of a Palm Warbler, my first one of the year. After that, however, it slowed down for quite a while. After crossing the long boardwalk I heard and then saw a Pine Warbler. At that point, however, I was stalked by an unfriendly stray dog, and had to wait for about 20 minutes before it backed off. Then I headed up the upland trail, but didn't see much other than woodpeckers (including a Hairy!) and a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher or two. On the return leg I came across Louisiana Waterthrushes at two different places, and then an Ovenbird, both likewise FOY for me. As I approached the trail crossing near the restroom I was surprised to hear a Yellow-throated Vireo, and eventually managed to get some nice photos of it. My fourth first-of-year bird of the day! There were also a few Yellow-rumped Warblers and Eastern Phoebes. Overall, it was a very rewarding day!

(Augusta Springs, April 20)

April 26: We had quite a variety of woodpeckers out back this morning, including Pileated, Red-bellied, Downy, and even a pair of Northern Flickers! Late in the afternoon I strolled along Bell's Lane and spotted several Ruby-crowned Kinglets and Yellow-rumped Warblers, as well as an American Goldfinch.

April 27: After doing the recycling, I headed over to the Cheese Shop in Stuarts Draft, and sure enough, the Purple Martins were there! Later I spent a couple hours at Ridgeview Park in Waynesboro, where I saw my first Blue-headed Vireo of the year (probably a record late FOY date for me), as well as FOY Great Crested Flycatchers and to top it off, a Chestnut-sided Warbler (also FOY)! Other highlights included Yellow-rumped Warblers, a Louisiana Waterthrush, a few Ruby-crowned Kinglets, American Goldfinches, and a surprise Swamp Sparrow! Then I went to Riverfest and said hello to Rich Wood, Bonnie Hughes, and Antonio Martinez, who were manning their respective displays for the Augusta Bird Club.

(near Stuarts Draft & Ridgeview Park in Waynesboro, April 27)

April 28: In Staunton, the most reliable place to see Scarlet Tanagers during breeding season is Betsy Bell Hill. So, that's where I went this afternoon, and eventually my quest paid off. My first one of the year! Along the road to the top I also saw a Great Crested Flycatcher and quite a few Yellow-rumped Warblers, as well as an Eastern Towhee. On the way down I heard a Red-eyed Vireo and after a few minutes got a look at him. FOY bird #2! Back near the parking area I was startled to see an Ovenbird only about 15 feet away, and managed to get a photo of it just in time.

(Betsy Bell Hill, April 28)

Additional photos and montages, including individual photos of some of the birds in the above montages, will soon become available on the Wild Birds chronological (2024) page.

June 19, 2025 [LINK / comment]

Nationals' miserable slump ends, thanks to James Wood

The long Nationals nightmare (i.e., an 11-game losing streak dating back to June 7) came to a merciful end in Washington this afternoon. In the bottom of the 11th inning, with two outs and the Nats trailing the Colorado Rockies 3-2, budding superstar James Wood hit a 2-run walk-off home run. It was the first such feat of his career, and the first by any Nationals player in almost two years! (The last time was on August 12, 2023, when Keibert Ruiz propelled the Nats to a 3-2 victory over the Oakland Athletics. That's from the soon-to-be-updated Washington Nationals BIG moments page.) It was actually Wood's second two-run homer of the game. And that's how the Nats' awful 11-game losing streak came to an end, as the Nats prevailed, 4-3.

James Wood, standing at second base after hitting an RBI double in the bottom of the ninth inning in the game against the San Francisco Giants on May 25. He would have been the game-tying run, but the game ended two outs later.

With those two home runs today, Wood now has 20 home runs for the season, threatening to break all sorts of team records for a rookie's first full season. (He was called up to the majors on July 1 last year.) He is a shoo-in to become an All-Star this year, and his pitching team mate Mackenzie Gore likewise is expected to receive the honor. The Mariners' young slugging phenom Cal Raleigh current leads the majors in home runs with 27, just ahead of Aaron Judge (26) and Shohei Ohtani (25).

The Nats had a very encouraging 15-12 win-loss record in the month of May. On the final day of the month (in Phoenix) they set a team record (and tying NL record) by scoring 9 runs before the first out was made in the 1st inning, and then one more before the D-Backs came to bat. The last such feat in the National League was on August 13, 1948, by the Phillies. In the AL, the Red Sox scored 10 runs before the first out on June 27, 2003. The D-backs' starting pitcher Brandon Pfaadt was replaced after the seventh run scored, and the reliever Scott McGough didn't do much better. The D-Backs gradually narrowed the gap, but the Nats held on to win, 11-7.

After that mini-triumph, the Nats expected to continue surging toward the .500 mark as June began, but instead they suddenly fell into the proverbial abyss of doom. The Nats lost their final game in Phoenix, as the D-Backs averted being swept, and then back in Washington the Nats lost series to both the first-place Chicago Cubs and the Texas Rangers, in both cases 2 games to 1. Disappointing, but no big deal.

Then followed an unusual three-game road trip (June 10 - 12) against the Mets at Citi Field in New York. If there was a "defining moment" during this slump, it would have to be the first game of that series. Mackenzie Gore had yet another fine outing, going six innings, and this time he had some run support: Nathaniel Lowe and C.J. Abrams both hit home runs. Hopes were high for an upset win against the first-place Mets. But with a score of 4-2 and two outs with a runner on first in the in 8th inning, Kyle Finnegan took the mound, and things fell apart. Juan Soto (a former National!) hit an RBI double and then scored on a single by Pete Alonso, thus tying the game, which went into extra innings. The first batter in the bottom of the 11th, Jeff McNeil, drove in the winning run from second base, and that was that. The Nationals had been SO close to an upset win over the daunting division-leaders, but instead lost, 5-4. The Nats were shut out 5-0 in the second game and failed to score until the ninth inning of the third game. That's when the Nats staged a big rally, scoring 3 runs, only one behind the Mets, and had runners on 2nd and 3rd with only one out. It was another golden opportunity to defeat their first-place rivals, but Jose Tena and Keibert Ruiz both grounded out to end the game.

Next came a home stand against two last-place teams: the Miami Marlins and the Colorado Rockies, who did not win their 10th game of the year until June. No problem, right? WRONG! After a two-hour rain delay on Friday the 13th Mitchell Parker was terribly ineffective and got replaced in the 4th inning, his shortest outing of the year. James Wood, who had been slumping in early June, homered and helped the Nats narrow the gap, but they still lost to the Marlins, 11-9. On Saturday the Nats' bats were mostly quiet, and their 2-run rally in the 9th inning fell just short. Final score: 4-3. On Sunday, it was another lackluster batting performance, and the home team lost again, 3-1. Another series sweep, and eight losses in a row, surpassing their seven-game losing streak in early May.

On Monday the woebegone Colorado Rockies came to town, and the Nationals had a 4-3 lead going into the 9th inning. But once again, closing pitcher Kyle Finnegan flinched when the going got tough: two Rockies batters homered to give their team a 6-4 lead, and the Nats failed to respond in the bottom of the 9th. That was just awful. On Tuesday the Rockies had a 3-1 lead going into the 7th inning, when they exploded with 6 runs, charged to relievers Cole Henry and Jackson Rutledge. That pretty much put the game out of reach, but the Nats staged a 4-run rally in the bottom of the 9th to narrow the gap a bit. Final score: 10-6. Wednesday's game was quite a pitchers' duel, as neither team scored until the 6th inning, but the Nats ended up losing again, 3-1. That bleak sequence of events set the stage for today's heroics, described in the first paragraph above.

Will Davey Martinez get fired?

After the game against Miami last Saturday, Manager Davey Martinez denied that the team's coaches were responsible for the Nationals' continual failure to perform. "It's never on coaching," he declared. This created a bit of a scandal, as described in the Washington Post. Under normal circumstances, the combination of repeated losses and seeming to blame the players might get a manager fired. Is Davey's job at risk? Probably not. Unfortunately, the Nats' owners do not seem particularly concerned about the team's losing record. They are content with mediocre attendance figures, while charging the highest prices for beer in the major leagues. (I paid $16.99 for a jumbo-sized Stella Artois when I was there on May 25.) In short, the "rebuilding" effort seems to be half-hearted at best, and there's not much chance of getting a new manager (or better players) any time soon.

Tomorrow the Nationals take a cross-country flight out to Los Angeles to begin a ten-day road trip that includes one off day. The Nats' ace pitcher Mackenzie Gore (who leads the National League in strikeouts, with 119) will go up against aging future Hall-of-Famer Clayton Kershaw.

ICE blocked at Dodger Stadium (?)

The Nationals will arrive in an atmosphere of distrust and turmoil, as the streets of Los Angeles are still being patrolled by National Guard troops and U.S. Marines, following confrontations with ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents earlier this month. Today the Dodgers front office announced that ICE agents would not be allowed into Dodger Stadium, or the surrounding parking areas. There were reports that ICE would seek to detain illegal immigrants working at the stadium, but details of what actually happened today are still sketchy. See NBCNews.com.

New name: "Daikin Park"

Last November the Houston Astros' owner Jim Crane announced that Minute Maid Park would be renamed "Daikin Park" for the 2025 season, as reported by KHOU.com and other media outlets. (A video of the announcement is at MLB.com.) The naming-rights contract has a 15-year term, and Minute Maid will continue sponsoring activity at the ballpark, but on a lower scale. Somehow I missed this news until the beginning of this season, but I did at least update the Minute Maid Park page with the new name.

Unlike some other recent name changes, this one seems to be quite legitimate, as the Daikin Comfort Technologies Corporation (based in Japan but with North American headquarters in Houston) has a long, stable history. Given the enormous air conditioning system in the Astros' stadium (which I vividly recall from two years ago when I saw a game there on a 100-degree day), the partnership certainly makes sense. (NOTE: "Daikin" rhymes with "liken.")

The water tower at the Daikin plant in Verona, Virginia.

Baseball, NASCAR style?

Somebody in the MLB offices thought it would be fun to play a baseball game in a NASCAR stadium. And so, this August 2, the Atlanta Braves will "host" the Cincinnati Reds in a spectacle that will surely make a big splash in the Appalachian region. With some of the NASCAR and Indy racetracks having seating capacities well above 100,000, that idea strikes me as a bit absurd, but the Bristol Raceway in northeastern Tennessee is smaller than most. [CORRECTION: It is small in terms of track length, but actually one of the largest in terms of seating capacity: 146,000. See NBCSports.com. That article omits Indianpolis Motor Speedway because it is privately owned and therefore not obliged to report its capacity, but the unofficial capacity there is over a quarter million.] Virginia Tech and Tennessee played a football game there a [few years ago, in September 2016]. If the Dodgers could use the absurdly-big L.A. Memorial Coliseum as a home for four years, why not? Read all about it at bristolmotorspeedway.com. I suppose this means that I'll have to do a diagram, but the scale will have to be drastically reduced in order to fit on a normal size web page.

But wait, they used to play baseball at what used to be a race car track in Mexico! At Foro Sol, now known as Estadio GNP Seguros. Apparently it is used exclusively for musical events nowadays.

June 15, 2025 [LINK / comment]

Birding in Virginia, March 2024

NOTE: This is another "catch-up" blog post based on Facebook posts from March 2024. I aim to post one such monthly review blog post per day until I get caught up by the end of this month.

March 2: There were hundreds of robins around Bell's Lane, but what grabbed my attention were the Red-winged Blackbirds (FOY for me!) and Cedar Waxwings. Also appearing: Red-bellied Woodpecker, American Kestrel, and Yellow-rumped Warbler. White-throated Sparrows were out back, as usual.

(Bell's Lane & north Staunton, March 2)

March 3: Another late-afternoon excursion to Bell's Lane yielded a (mostly) different cast of characters compared to yesterday. Robins abounded once again, of course. Other highlights included a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, a Downy Woodpecker, some White-crowned Sparrows, several Eastern Bluebirds, and most striking of all, an Eastern Meadowlark warily perched only a few feet away from an American Kestrel that was having dinner! I also spotted a pair of Red-tailed Hawks, but no Harriers or Short-eared Owls at dusk.

March 9: I saw my first Grackles of the season a couple weeks ago near Grottoes, and yesterday morning one showed up on our back porch. Their iridescent plumage is nice to behold. Blue Jays and a Red-bellied Woodpecker also showed up. As I was leaving my office in the afternoon, I heard and then saw a Yellow-rumped Warbler up in the trees, as well as a Cooper's Hawk overhead.

March 10: Back to Bell's Lane this afternoon, and I was happy to see two different Yellow-bellied-Sapsuckers: M & F! Also the usual American Robins by the dozen, Carolina Chickadees, Blue Jays, White-throated & White-crowned Sparrows, and a lone American Kestrel hovering over the fields.

(Bell's Lane, March 10)

March 12: I never saw my main target bird at Piney Grove nature preserve today, but I think I heard it, at least. "It" would be the famed (and elusive) Red-cockaded Woodpecker, of course. There were dozens of Pine Warblers singing up a storm all over the place, my first ones of the year. Also present were some Ruby-crowned Kinglets and Northern Flickers. But the big highlight of the day was seeing a group of Fox Sparrows at fairly close range, and I even managed to get a decent shot of one. (Some digital editing was required.) It has been well over a year since the last time I saw one of those. On the way back to Richmond in the afternoon I stopped at Dutch Gap natural area, where I saw some Yellow-rumped Warblers, an Osprey (FOY), large numbers of Black Vultures, and an Eastern Phoebe (FOY). Not a bad day at all!

(Piney Grove nature preserve, near Wakefield, VA, March 12)

March 13: Yesterday morning, Jacqueline called my attention to an unusual bird out back, and I was dumbfounded to realize that it was a Fox Sparrow -- the very same species I had seen the day before in the Piney Grove area of southeastern Virginia! Go figure.

March 15: Once again I was startled by an unusual bird in the back yard this morning: in this case a Pileated Woodpecker! In the afternoon along Bells Lane I spotted THREE Eastern Phoebes (recently-arrived, no doubt), some Tree Swallows up high (the first of the year for me), as well as some Yellow-rumped Warblers, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, etc.

March 22: This afternoon I finally made it up to the JMU Arboretum in Harrisonburg, along with Jacqueline, to see the Great Horned Owl nest. It's fairly easy to find, in a sycamore tree near the center of the Arboretum. Amazingly enough, I had not seen this species (in the wild) in at least 15 years! I waited about a half hour for the mother to return and feed the babies, to no avail. Maybe next time. Also present were some Red-bellied Woodpeckers and American Robins. Back in Staunton, we stopped at a few places along Bell's Lane in hopes of seeing Tree Swallows, but had to settle for a Yellow-rumped Warbler and a few Eastern Bluebirds.

(JMU Arboretum in Harrisonburg, March 22)

March 29: While strolling along the big pond at Dulles Airport early this afternoon I saw my first Chipping Sparrow of the season, and my second Field Sparrow. I saw at least 5 or 6 Yellow-rumped Warblers flitting around the bushes, while in the distance were three Double-crested Cormorants. On the way home I stopped at the JMU Arboretum to see the Great Horned Owl nest, and had nice views of a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and a White-breasted Nuthatch.

Additional photos and montages, including individual photos of some of the birds in the above montages, will soon become available on the Wild Birds chronological (2024) page.

June 14, 2025 [LINK / comment]

Birding in Virginia, February 2024

NOTE: This is another "catch-up" blog post based on Facebook posts from [February 2024].

February 3: I got some much-needed exercise at Augusta Springs during the very pleasant afternoon, but there weren't as many birds as I had hoped. (I'm overdue for a big winter day.) Highlights included Hooded Mergansers (one adult male plus 3-4 others), some Swamp Sparrows, a Red-tailed Hawk, some White-breasted Nuthatches, a Downy Woodpecker, and a possible American Black Duck. (If not, then a Mallard.)

(Augusta Springs, February 3)

February 9: I was looking forward to enjoying the beautiful weather today, but a lengthy Zoom meeting kept me inside until 2:00, by which time the skies had turned overcast. At least I got some good exercise hiking to the top of Betsy Bell Hill, where I saw lots of Eastern Bluebirds and a White-breasted Nuthatch or two.

February 16: Allen Larner and I went down to Mount Pleasant, about 12 miles east of Buena Vista, in search of the Gray-crowned Rosy Finch that has been seen there recently. It was unfamiliar territory, and we hiked up the wrong trail, reaching the top of Cole Mountain, about two miles from where we should have been. A friendly hiker crossed paths with us up there, informing us of our mistake. Three wasted miles! So we retraced our steps, found the proper trail head, and started over on a hike of nearly six miles (round trip) to where the bird actually was, or had been. Along the way we met a birder from Honduras named Roger Medina, and later on, some other folks descending from the summit. They told us the target bird was not present, and we likewise had no luck after we finally made it to the top. We saw a few birds along the way, and heard a Barred Owl as we approached the trail head on the way back, but otherwise zilch. At least it was vigorous exercise in very scenic territory. A few days later the bird was sighted in that same area once again, so we were just unlucky that day. Darn it! I have never had a definite sighting of any of the Rosy Finches.

February 18: Nothing out of the ordinary for this year's Great Backyard Bird Count here at the Clem residence, but at least the sunlight made for some good photographs. I certainly saw a lot more birds from the comfort of my sofa today than I did while hiking to the top of "Mount Unpleasant" on Friday!

February 23: I squeezed in some time for a walk in Montgomery Hall Park this afternoon, and saw a Red-bellied Woodpecker, a Pileated Woodpecker, some Eastern Towhees, a few Tufted Titmice, and just as I was leaving a Hermit Thrush!

(Montgomery Hall Park, February 23)

February 25: I spent a bit of time on Bell's Lane for the first time in over a month late this afternoon. Highlights included a Red-bellied Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Red-tailed Hawk, an American Kestrel, many American Robins in the pastures, a distant Northern Harrier, and a few White-crowned Sparrows.

(Bell's Lane, February 25)

Additional photos and montages, including individual photos of some of the birds in the above montages, will soon become available on the Wild Birds chronological (2024) page.