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May 25, 2026 [LINK / comment]

Birding in Virginia, January 2025

January 5: Almost all of my birding during the cold spell was from inside looking through the window onto the back porch. I needed to get outside for a bit of exercise, so I went to Bell's Lane and soon saw a Northern Harrier in the distance, as well as a Short-eared Owl flying overhead just after sunset.

January 9: I made two trips to Bell's Lane after a snow storm, but just couldn't find a Short-eared Owl that had been reported there. The only notable bird sightings for me were out back, where the usual woodpeckers, sparrows, White-breasted Nuthatches, and Blue Jays keep showing up.

January 12: I went out to Bell's Lane right after dusk, and before long I heard the familiar "bark" call of the Short-eared Owls. So I drove in that direction and saw one owl perched in the top of a distant lone tree. I used a flash on one of the shots, just to see if it would make any difference, and you can see the reflection in its eyes!

January 15: I was one of the lucky people who got to see the Rough-legged Hawk that had been reported east of Mount Sidney, southeast of Blue Ridge Community College. (Thanks to Tim Burnett who alerted me to its presence.) It was at least 1/3 mile away, so the images aren't very good, but I was more than satisfied. Other highlights in and around that part of Augusta County: Common Raven, Savannah Sparrow, Eastern Meadowlarks, Red-shouldered Hawks, Red-tailed Hawks, an American Kestrel, and a probable Peregrine Falcon.

Rough-legged Hawk (top right and bottom center), etc. east of Mount Sidney, January 15.

January 17: I went birding at two separate locations, first on the campus of Christendom College, east of Front Royal. There I saw a Northern Flicker and two Hermit Thrushes. The second place was at Lake Shenandoah, southeast of Harrisonburg. Upon entering the neighborhood, I saw a gorgeous adult Bald Eagle circling in the sun overhead, but there was no place to park and get a photo of it. Within just a few minutes of arriving at the parking lot, I spotted and photographed the American Tree Sparrow, which was my target bird. It was my best-ever photo of that species!

Hermit Thrush & N. Flicker at Christendom College (east of Front Royal), American Tree Sparrow at Lake Shenandoah (east of Harrisonburg), January 17.

January 25: Since it warmed up just a bit in the afternoon, I went for a walk along the trail behind the Murphy-Deming School near Fishersville. It's still mostly snow-covered, rather hard to walk on. Eventually I had nice looks at two target birds: Hermit Thrush and Yellow-rumped Warbler. Also present were many Dark-eyed Juncos, American Robins, a White-throated Sparrow, a Song Sparrow, and a Field Sparrow. Later on along Bell's Lane, I saw a Northern Harrier and met a group of birders from Roanoke. I also saw Eric Pritchett, the chief meteorologist for WVIR Channel 29 in Charlottesville.

Hermit Thrush and Yellow-rumped Warbler near Fishersville, and Northern Harrier, etc. on Bell's Lane, January 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 (2025) page. (I am still struggling to get caught up with describing my bird outings via blog posts, part of the task of reorganizing my bird photos.)

May 24, 2026 [LINK / comment]

Birding in Virginia, December 2024

December 8: I paid a visit to Bell's Lane as the sun was about to set, and was delighted to see THREE Northern Harriers swooping around! The adult male "gray ghost" shown below perched on a fence post was the best view that I had. Short-eared Owls had been reported in that area recently.

December 8, Bell's Lane

December 9: A quick visit to Verona proved very rewarding, as I spotted a dozen or so Hooded Mergansers on the pond behind Hardee's (the first ones of the season for me!), along with a Great Blue Heron, and a Belted Kingfisher -- probably the same one I saw there last week. Near the Mill Pond trail I heard a familiar loud PIT-PIT call, and soon located the Yellow-rumped Warbler that was making the noise.

December 14: Along Bell's Lane in the afternoon, I saw two Northern Harriers (adult male & female/juvenile), as well as a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (1st-year male), White-crowned Sparrow, and the usual American Robins. There were more Robins back home, along with ten or so Cedar Waxwings in a Bradford pear tree.

December 15: I covered various parks and wooded areas in Staunton for the Christmas Bird Count, enduring bone-chilling sleet and snow for the betterment of Citizen Science! No really big finds, unfortunately.

December 17: Not only was the weather nice, but the raptors were plentiful in the Bell's Lane area! I saw a probable Red-shouldered Hawk as well as a Sharp-shinned Hawk early on. Then there were at least three Northern Harriers squabbling with a Red-tailed Hawk, as the sun began to set. Then I headed up to the gate at the high elevation point, where Scott Priebe was standing vigil, and just after sunset I was astounded to see a Short-eared Owl flying past.

December 19: Just like two evenings ago, the Short-eared Owls came out shortly after sunset, i.e. 5:00 PM. There were three once again, but this time were farther south, near that big red barn, and this time they perched in a tree so that I could get a recognizable photo. I also saw two Northern Harriers in a low-altitude tussle very close by, but my camera simply cannot deal with motion in low light.

December 26: The sun finally came out in the afternoon, and I got a few good views of birds here and there. A Red-tailed Hawk was perched alongside the bypass on the west side of Staunton. The rest of them were in the Verona area, including a Belted Kingfisher at the pond behind Hardee's and a Red-shouldered Hawk a few hundred yards to the south. In the cat-tail reeds by the Mill Place trail there was a lone Winter Wren, a nice surprise.

December 26, Mill Place, Verona

December 28: The sun came out this afternoon after much rain, so I headed over to Bell's Lane and saw a few good birds, including a Red-tailed Hawk that had been perching on a fence post and flew off. Also an American Kestrel in the distance.

December 30: I drove out to Swoope in hopes of seeing the Loggerhead Shrike that has been reported there, but did not succeed. I did, however, see my first Brown Creeper of the season, along the trail/road heading into the forest from the Boy Scout camp. It was on the same tree as a White-breasted Nuthatch. On the pond there was a Great Blue Heron but nothing else. I spotted American Kestrels at three different locations, but no other raptors.

December 31: Nothing really spectacular along Bell's Lane during a post-rain end-of-year stroll this afternoon, but I was mildly surprised to see an Eastern Towhee, which are much scarcer here during the colder months. It was in the bushes next to the house on the corner with the "Beware of dog" sign.

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. (I am in the midst of a major reorganization of my bird photos, so that they will be sorted year by year.)

May 14, 2026 [LINK / comment]

Birding in Virginia, November 2024

Here we go again with another "catch-up" blog post summarizing an especially busy month of birding ...

November 2: I led an Augusta Bird Club field trip, hiking along the Chimney Hollow trail, with clear blue skies and relatively mild temperatures. I tabulated 17 species at that location, including the Brown Creepers that Antonio Martinez found, and we added a few more at Braley Pond afterwards. We came upon one of the target birds -- Winter Wrens -- soon after we began, but they were very difficult to actually see for more than a half second at a time. Purple Finches and American Goldfinches were also there. Later on we went to nearby Braley Pond and had a great closeup view of a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, as well as an Eastern Phoebe.

November 2: ABC: Chimney Hollow, Braley Pond

November 3: At Bell's Lane in the late afternoon, I found TWO first-of-season species: Northern Harrier and White-crowned Sparrow! (Someone else had reported a Harrier there a few weeks ago.) Other highlights included a dozen or so Cedar Waxwings, many American Robins, several Carolina Chickadees and Tufted Titmice, a few Eastern Bluebirds, and one Red-bellied Woodpecker.

November 4: We saw hundreds of American Robins and dozens of Black Vultures on Penny Warren's bird walk for the Augusta Bird Club along Bell's Lane this morning, but the big highlights were the Cedar Waxwings, Purple Finch (F), American Kestrel, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (M), and Red-bellied Woodpeckers. (The latter bird and the Downy Woodpecker shown below were both in our back yard after I got back home.)

November 6: I went for a walk around the Mill Place trail in Verona in the afternoon, and saw 25 or so Cedar Waxwings flying all around, as well as five or so Yellow-rumped Warblers, some Song Sparrows, and a Swamp Sparrow or two. A Belted Kingfisher was at the pond behind Hardees. Then on Bell's Lane I spotted a White-crowned Sparrow.

November 8: I drove out to Augusta Springs, and eventually managed to spot two of my target species: Hermit Thrush and Brown Creeper. Both were the first ones of the season for me. Other highlights included Pileated Woodpeckers (at least three), Pied-billed Grebe, Golden-crowned Kinglets, Purple Finch, Eastern Towhee, and best of all, an American Woodcock that flushed only about 15 feet away from me! That twittering sound they make in flight is very entertaining. No photo of it, unfortunately.

November 8: Augusta Springs

November 13: I found a Pied-billed Grebe on the Mill Place trail pond late in the afternoon, along with some kind of duck that flew away before I could identify it. There were lots of sparrows as well, including Field and Swamp Sparrows, plus a dozen or so American Goldfinches and a few Red-winged Blackbirds.

November 16: Just before noon I drove up to the place west of Dayton where the Snowy Owl was seen yesterday, to no avail. Then I headed over to nearby Paul State Forest, and embarked on a hike that turned out to be twice as long as I expected: nearly two miles each way. (I had only been there once before, and figured that I might as well go to the very end of the trail, since I'm unlikely to return there any time soon.) Eventually I saw five of the six woodpecker species that are found in most parts of Virginia: [Pileated, Hairy, Red-bellied, Downy, and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.]

November 16: Paul State Forest.

November 22: A nice side-effect of the bitterly cold temperatures is that more birds come looking for food provided by us nice humans. I barely even had to step outside to get nice views and photos of a wide variety of colorful birds! The highlights were a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (or maybe two) and a Ruby-crowned Kinglet. The Carolina Wrens now have their rich beige winter plumage, the opposite of most birds which tend to be duller in the colder months.

November 23: Jacqueline and I went up to Dayton and Harrisonburg for shopping today, but a brief visit to Silver Lake proved fruitless: just a few Mallards, and nothing else. Later on I went to Bell's Lane and had my first view of a male "gray ghost" Northern Harrier of the season! A female or young one was also swooping around in the distance. Other highlights included some distant Cedar Waxwings, very close White-crowned Sparrows, Eastern Bluebirds, a Red-bellied Woodpecker, etc.

November 25: We had a Northern Flicker out back in the morning, and it happened to be accompanied by a Red-bellied Woodpecker. In the afternoon I paid a quick visit to the Swoope area, but didn't see much other than an American Kestrel. At Montgomery Hall Park I lured two Hermit Thrushes into my vicinity by playing their call, but otherwise it was very quiet there, bird-wise. Back home, finally, I spotted a Downy Woodpecker and a White-breasted Nuthatch.

November 27: One of my favorite trails during the colder months is behind the Murphy-Deming College (part of Mary Baldwin University) in Fishersville, so that's where I went for a walk. Eventually I got to see almost all of my target birds, starting with a Red-breasted Nuthatch and ending with a Winter Wren, both very close by. I also saw a White-breasted Nuthatch, Purple Finch (F), a Hermit Thrush (hard to see in the bad lighting conditions), and a few Yellow-rumped Warblers.

November 28 (Thanksgiving!): A mid-afternoon walk along Bell's Lane yielded some of the usual winter residents, including 50+ American Robins, Northern Mockingbirds, White-crowned Sparrows, and a Northern Harrier (male), as well as a few nice surprises, such as a Red-tailed Hawk, an American Goldfinch, and best of all, a Great Blue Heron that flew right in front of my car and then landed in an open field. I had not seen any of that species for well over a month!

November 28: Bell's Lane.

November 30: It was brutally cold again, but I really needed the exercise, so I went for a walk around the Mill Place trail in Verona. There were a few Field Sparrows and other kinds of sparrows, but not much else. Birds are smart! A lone Belted Kingfisher was patrolling the pond behind Hardee's, and I almost got a closeup shot. Over at Bell's Lane there were some White-crowned Sparrows, House Finches, American Robins, Cedar Waxwings, and a distant Northern Harrier.

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. (I am in the midst of a major reorganization of my bird photos, so that they will be sorted year by year.)

April 16, 2026 [LINK / comment]

Birding in Virginia, October 2024

October 4: After going to the recycling center, I headed over to Montgomery Hall Park, and was not disappointed! There were multiple Magnolia Warblers (bottom left), American Redstarts, Northern Parulas (left), and Red-eyed Vireos as soon as I entered the woods around Yulee's Trail. Best of all, I saw my first Ruby-crowned Kinglet (top left) of the [fall season]* there! Later on I came upon some Swainson's Thrushes and several Northern Flickers, perhaps 7 or 8.

[UPDATE: But that's not all! Somehow I neglected to mention the most significant bird of that day: a Kirtland's Warbler, the very first one I have ever seen! Late in the afternoon I drove over to Coyner Springs Park in Waynesboro, after finding out about this incredible rare bird sighting. As soon as I arrived in the parking area I spotted several birders probing the bushes in obvious pursuit of something special. Before long someone saw it, and we carefully went back and forth in hopes of getting a better view. The light conditions weren't that good, but my photos were better than I had hoped for. Life bird!]

Montgomery Hall Park [and Coyner Springs Park, October 4, 2024. Roll your mouse over the composite image to see a larger image of the Kirtland's Warbler.]

October 5: I went hiking along the Shenandoah Mountain trail (on the border between Augusta and Highland Counties, 15 or so miles west of Staunton), about 3/4 mile south of Rt. 250 (near the Confederate Breastworks) and then back again. It was rather quiet most of the way, with a few Blue-headed Vireos and Eastern Phoebes, but not much else. During the return phase I saw a Hairy Woodpecker, a young Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, a couple Red-breasted Nuthatches, a Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Dark-eyed Juncos, and a Cape May Warbler. The "winter" birds arrive earlier in the mou.

Shenandoah Mountain trail, October 5, 2024.

October 7: A walk along Bell's Lane in the morning yielded two warbler species (Yellow-rumped and American Redstarts), and probably a Common Yellowthroat, based on their loud "TSCHAT" calls. Also present were a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker**, assorted woodpeckers (such as the Downy here), and a Swainson's Thrush or two, as well as many of their American Robin and Eastern Bluebird relatives. Finally, I saw one or two Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and I think I heard a White-throated Sparrow. Most of the photos I took that day, and for the next two weeks or so, were only so-so.

October 11: I paid a brief visit to Bell's Lane late in the afternoon, and finally got a decent view of some White-throated Sparrows, confirming my first-of-season observation for this species. You can hear them all around, but they are still very shy -- perhaps getting used to their new surroundings. Other highlights included a couple Ruby-crowned Kinglets (chasing each other), some Tufted Titmice, Carolina Wrens, and a Red-bellied Woodpecker.

October 12: On Bell's Lane, I finally saw a Palm Warbler for the first time this fall, as well as a few Yellow-rumped Warblers. I was amused to see an Eastern Bluebird checking out the nest hole that had been made this past spring by a Red-bellied Woodpecker, and the previous occupant soon showed up as well! A couple Eastern Phoebes rounded out the brief outing.

October 13: Jacqueline and I hiked along the Appalachian Trail to the top of Bear Den Mountain in the Shenandoah National Park, beginning on the northern side at Beagle Gap. (Our last time there we approached from the south.) Bird highlights included a Field Sparrow, some newly-arrived White-throated Sparrows, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, White-breasted Nuthatches, Carolina Chickadees, and a noisy Common Raven. We also heard Eastern Towhees and a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.

October 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), Indigo Buntings, and an Eastern Phoebe.

October 19: I saw my first (lowland) Dark-eyed Junco of the season out back on Friday (the 18th), but couldn't get a photo of it. Then on the trail upstream from Braley Pond yesterday, I must have seen 40 or 50 of them! Otherwise it was fairly quiet bird-wise: just a few Eastern Towhees, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Black-capped Chickadees, a Hairy Woodpecker, and various sparrows, including a Swamp Sparrow.

October 25: After a busy week I found some time to visit Bell's Lane late this afternoon, and I was amply rewarded with a nice first-of-season view of a male Purple Finch. Just beautiful perched in the sunlight! There must have been 40 or more Cedar Waxwings in various places, along with tons of frantic American Robins, a few White-throated Sparrows, an Eastern Phoebe, a Red-bellied Woodpecker, and a distant American Kestrel. I also heard and barely glimpsed a Ruby-crowned Kinglet.

Bell's Lane, October 25.

October 26: I went to the Cowbane nature preserve in hopes of seeing one of the Orange-crowned Warblers found there recently. No luck in that regard, but I did see plenty of Palm Warblers! At least a dozen, and probably 15 or more. Other highlights included Eastern Bluebirds and Cedar Waxwings (both numbering in double digits), as well as a Yellow-rumped Warbler, Red-bellied Woodpecker, a Red-tailed Hawk, and some Song Sparrows and Swamp Sparrows.

Additional photos -- both composites (montages) and individual photos, will soon become available on the Wild Birds chronological (2024) page.

April 15, 2026 [LINK / comment]

Birding in Virginia, September 2024

(This is another episode in my valiant efforts to get caught up with my blog posts about birding; the last such post was on February 22.) My first big bird outing of September was on the 6th, driving along the Blue Ridge Parkway. (Actually, Jacqueline drove.) The highlights were Black-throated Green Warblers (two different ones shown below), Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Northern Parula, Red-eyed Vireo, Magnolia Warbler, and Tennessee Warbler.

Blue Ridge Parkway, September 6.

Three days later (September 9), I joined an Augusta Bird Club bird walk along Bells Lane, where a variety of confusing fall warblers were present, along with both a Red-eyed and a Yellow-eyed Vireo. Finally, we also saw a Red-tailed Hawk and a Great Crested Flycatcher.

Bells Lane, September 9.

On September 14, I went birding at Augusta Springs for the first time in a while. Sure enough, I saw some nice migrating species, but the only warblers were at the very end, in the bushes along the north stretch of the boardwalk. Clockwise from top left: Ruby-throated Hummingbird, American Goldfinch*, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Tennessee Warbler, Least Flycatcher, Wood Thrush, Eastern Phoebe, and (in the center below) a probable Nashville Warbler. Also seen: Cedar Waxwings and Indigo Buntings.

Augusta Springs, September 14.

The very next day (a Sunday), we went hiking at Calf Mountain in the Shenandoah National Park. I came about several clusters of neotropical migrants, and the highlight was no doubt getting great closeup looks at Black-throated Blue Warblers. I think it was the first time I had seen this species all year. Nearby were Pine Warblers (bottom left), Red-eyed Vireos, an Eastern Wood Pewee (bottom center), and goodness knows what else. This was on the north side of the Little Calf Mountain. It was indeed quite a weekend of birding and healthy exercise!

Calf Mountain in the Shenandoah National Park, September 15.

During the latter half of the month, I made the usual trips to Bells Lane, as well as to Montgomery Hall Park and Ridgeview Park in Waynesboro. Nothing really spectacular on those occasions, however. Additional photos and montages, including individual photos of some of the birds in the above montages, can be seen on the Wild Birds chronological (2024) page.