A small group of birders (3) enjoyed a bright sunny morning for First Saturday Bird Walk at Boxwood on March 7th. Among the birds seen were some nice winter representatives (many Pine Siskins and Purple Finches) and some early spring arrivals (Red-Winged Blackbirds) as well as the usual suspects. The feeders were definitely the hubs of activities, but other interesting sightings were found throughout the property. Kieran Kilday


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Date: Sun, Mar 8, 2015 at 10:37 AM
Subject: eBird Report - Boxerwood Gardens - MRR03, Mar 7, 2015
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Boxerwood Gardens - MRR03, Rockbridge, US-VA
Mar 7, 2015 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
Comments:     Sunny, snow on the ground, mid 30's
28 species

Turkey Vulture  1
Mourning Dove  4
Red-bellied Woodpecker  3
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker  1
Downy Woodpecker  4
Pileated Woodpecker  2
Blue Jay  8
American Crow  20
Carolina Chickadee  5
Tufted Titmouse  5
White-breasted Nuthatch  2
Carolina Wren  4
Ruby-crowned Kinglet  1
Hermit Thrush  1
American Robin  11
Northern Mockingbird  1
European Starling  13
Field Sparrow  6
Song Sparrow  2
White-throated Sparrow  20
Dark-eyed Junco  8
Northern Cardinal  12
Red-winged Blackbird  14
Common Grackle  1
House Finch  3
Purple Finch  22     Purple finches were seen throughout the walk but most heavily concentrated around feeders. predominantly female birds, but several male birds seen and heard.
Pine Siskin  16
American Goldfinch  15

Six birders attended the monthly First Saturday Bird Walk today at Boxerwood. While the sky was overcast for the entire time, the slowly rising temperature seemed to activate the birds as the morning progressed with many new species seen in the Children's Playground and near the Parking Area at the end of the Walk. Highlights included several less common (for this area) winter birds including a well viewed Black-Capped Chickadee, single shivering Catbird, and several Purple Finches. 

Boxerwood Gardens - MRR03, Rockbridge, US-VA
Feb 7, 2015 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
Comments:     Low 30's; overcast
27 species

Turkey Vulture  1
Mourning Dove  6
Red-bellied Woodpecker  4
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker  2
Downy Woodpecker  8
Northern Flicker  1
Pileated Woodpecker  3
Blue Jay  12
American Crow  8
Common Raven  1
Carolina Chickadee  11
Black-capped Chickadee  1     Single bird well observed. Distinctive white edges on secondaries as well as primaries; buffy flanks. Larger and chunkier than the many Carolina Chickadees observed in same area. Responded immediately to recorded BCCH call. Possible second bird calling but not observed.
Tufted Titmouse  10
White-breasted Nuthatch  6
Carolina Wren  6
Eastern Bluebird  3
American Robin  8
Gray Catbird  1
European Starling  21
Eastern Towhee  2
Song Sparrow  4
White-throated Sparrow  24
Dark-eyed Junco  4
Northern Cardinal  16
House Finch  10
Purple Finch  5
American Goldfinch  3

Twelve Rockbridge Bird Club members travelled to Highland County yesterday.  We were joined by leaders Pattie Reum and John Spahr in Monterey who led us to friendly and selected homes with bird feeders, and to high mountain passes.  Thank you to both of them for spending the day with us!  We had a great outing--- temps averaging mid 30’s, bright sunny day, a snowy landscape of white glaze and plentiful birds.Wendy’s list follows, and includes sightings en route to Highland.
Laura Neale

In order of sighting:

Great Blue Heron
Red-tailed Hawk -2
Canada Goose
Redhead
Ring-necked Duck
Hooded Merganser
Wigeon
Mallard
Golden Eagle -2 immature
Bald Eagle - 1 adult & 1 immature
Eastern Bluebird
Blue Jay
Dark-eyed Junco
American Crow
Red-bellied Woodpecker
House Sparrow
European Starling
White-breasted Nuthatch
Common Raven
Northern Cardinal
Pine Siskin
Hairy Woodpecker
American Tree Sparrow
Downy Woodpecker
Tufted Titmouse
Mourning Dove
Common Grackle
American Goldfinch
Black-capped Chickadee
Song Sparrow
Pileated Woodpecker
Northern Mockingbird
Carolina Wren
American Kestrel - 3
Rock Pigeon
House Finch
Northern Harrier - 1

This morning five birders endured the cold temperatures to enjoy an otherwise sunny day at Greenfield-Botetourt. The focus of the field trip was geese and ducks and no one was disappointed with 10 species spotted. The first bird of the day was an Adult Coopers Hawk posing at the entrance of the old K-mart, followed by multiple Red-Tailed Hawks sitting in trees along I-81. With the bright skies, scope and calm birds great views and comparisons were had by all. Kieran Kilday

Greenfield--Botetourt Center, Botetourt, US-VA
Nov 15, 2014 8:30 AM - 10:30 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
Comments:     Rockbridge Bird Club Field Trip; Very cold, some ice on the lake.
41 species (+1 other taxa)

Canada Goose  9
Gadwall  10
American Wigeon  2
Mallard  38
Northern Shoveler  1
Green-winged Teal  21
Canvasback  1
Ring-necked Duck  25
Hooded Merganser  3
Ruddy Duck  1
Pied-billed Grebe  5
Great Blue Heron  1
Turkey Vulture  4
Red-shouldered Hawk  1
American Coot  2
Wilson's Snipe  1
Belted Kingfisher  2
Red-bellied Woodpecker  2
Downy Woodpecker  2
Northern Flicker  2
Pileated Woodpecker  1     heard
Blue Jay  8
American Crow  8
Carolina Chickadee  12
Tufted Titmouse  6
Carolina Wren  5
Golden-crowned Kinglet  1
Eastern Bluebird  4
American Robin  8
Northern Mockingbird  1
European Starling  8
Cedar Waxwing  24
Eastern Towhee  2
Field Sparrow  3
Song Sparrow  5
White-throated Sparrow  20
White-crowned Sparrow  18
Dark-eyed Junco  14
Northern Cardinal  4
Rusty Blackbird  1
blackbird sp.  4
American Goldfinch  5

Despite the rainy weather, 12 local birders attended this morning's First Saturday Bird Walk at Boxwood Gardens.Fortunately the rain held off during the 1 and 1/2 hour walk and the participants got good looks at the new winter arrivals. Highlights were a large mixed flock of sparrows (including FOS Fox Sparrows) allowing ample time to compare field marks and size differentials. 
Kieran Kilday

Boxerwood Gardens - MRR03, Rockbridge, US-VA
Nov 1, 2014 8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
Comments:     Breezy and windy with heavy cloud cover, between showers
29 species (+1 other taxa)

Black Vulture  2
Turkey Vulture  3
Cooper's Hawk  1
Mourning Dove  1
Red-bellied Woodpecker  3
Downy Woodpecker  1
Northern Flicker  3
Blue Jay  11
American Crow  18
Fish Crow  21
Carolina Chickadee  9
Tufted Titmouse  7
White-breasted Nuthatch  2
Carolina Wren  6
Ruby-crowned Kinglet  1
Eastern Bluebird  12
American Robin  80
Northern Mockingbird  1
European Starling  15
Cedar Waxwing  9
warbler sp.  1     Quick view, very yellow breast. Could not relocate
Eastern Towhee  2
Field Sparrow  4
Fox Sparrow  6
Song Sparrow  24
White-throated Sparrow  22
White-crowned Sparrow  2
Northern Cardinal  2
Purple Finch  5
American Goldfinch  7

This morning 11 Birders attended the Rockbridge Bird Club sponsored field trip at Rockfish Valley Trail. The Field Trip was led by long time Trail expert, Walt Childs, with advanced scouting provided by Marshall Faintich. The first half hour of the trip was stationary in the Trail parking area as the group was treated to an impromptu hawk watch as resting Broad-Wing Hawks rose from the nearby woods on their migration journey. Throughout the morning raptors kept appearing making for a great day. Shortly after leaving the parking area, the group came across a feeding flock of warblers which kept everyone busy as the birds darted in and out of the leaves. Eventually, the group had to call it a day although the bird sightings never let up. Thanks Walt and Marshall for hosting a great trip.(ed. note: Marshall actually had a little different experience as he tried to scout ahead for us. You can find his description of the day here.) 

Kerry Kilday


Rockfish Valley Trail, Nelson, US-VA
Sep 20, 2014 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Protocol: Traveling
1.5 mile(s)
Comments:     Very Sunny and mild 70 degrees at start
40 species (+1 other taxa)

Great Blue Heron  2
Black Vulture  1
Turkey Vulture  11
Sharp-shinned Hawk  1
Cooper's Hawk  1
Bald Eagle  1
Red-shouldered Hawk  1
Broad-winged Hawk  27
Red-tailed Hawk  1
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)  3
Ruby-throated Hummingbird  4
Red-headed Woodpecker  2
Red-bellied Woodpecker  2
Northern Flicker  3
Pileated Woodpecker  3
Eastern Wood-Pewee  3
Acadian Flycatcher  1
Empidonax sp.  1
Eastern Phoebe  3
Warbling Vireo  1
Blue Jay  10
American Crow  9
Carolina Chickadee  2
House Wren  1
Carolina Wren  4
Eastern Bluebird  40
Gray Catbird  5
European Starling  11
Cedar Waxwing  7
Tennessee Warbler  1
Common Yellowthroat  4
American Redstart  2
Cape May Warbler  1
Magnolia Warbler  1
Black-throated Blue Warbler  1
Palm Warbler  2
Black-throated Green Warbler  2
Northern Cardinal  2
Indigo Bunting  1
House Finch  1
American Goldfinch  17

On Saturday, September 6 the Rockbridge Bird Club held its first monthly bird walk at the Boxerwood Nature Center and Woodland Gardens (www.boxerwood.org). The joint event will take place in the future on the first Saturday of each month. Today, a group of 10 birders saw a total of 31 species with the highlight being a Blue Winged Warbler and a calling nearby Eastern Screech Owl. Several feeding flocks provided additional warblers as migration begins. The Gardens are open to the public daily. The detailed bird list is below:

Boxerwood Gardens - MRR03, Rockbridge, US-VA
Sep 6, 2014 7:30 AM - 9:30 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
Comments:     Sunny Day '80s
31 species

Red-shouldered Hawk  3
Mourning Dove  10
Eastern Screech-Owl  1     heard
Ruby-throated Hummingbird  6
Downy Woodpecker  1
Pileated Woodpecker  2     heard
Eastern Wood-Pewee  1
Eastern Phoebe  1
Great Crested Flycatcher  2
Blue Jay  8
American Crow  14
Carolina Chickadee  12
Tufted Titmouse  6
White-breasted Nuthatch  1
House Wren  2
Carolina Wren  12
Eastern Bluebird  8
American Robin  2
Gray Catbird  4
Brown Thrasher  4
Northern Mockingbird  2
European Starling  1
Worm-eating Warbler  1
Blue-winged Warbler  1
American Redstart  2
Magnolia Warbler  1
Black-throated Green Warbler  1
Northern Cardinal  8
Indigo Bunting  1
House Finch  2
American Goldfinch  8

Kieran Kilday

Kerry Kilday lead 16 bird watchers on a lovely walk at Bruce and Nancy Summers place in the Mt. Pleasant National Scenic Area this morning. We were at about 2700 ft. elevation on the slopes of Bald Knob according to Bruce. Around the house we heard Wood Thrush and Ovenbird and saw as well as heard a Gray Catbird, Eastern Bluebird and a Chipping Sparrow which, as we watched, plucked several plastic strings from a larger bird's nest and headed off with them to probably use them for it's own nest construction.

We headed up a lovely trail, flanked by the soft green canopy of new leaf growth. With wildflowers at our feet and bird song in the trees it was a delightful mix of looking up and looking down as we walked on Bruce's masterfully maintained trails. We reluctantly turned around when the rain drops became a steady downpour. Luckily we were able to take refuge in Nancy & Bruce's warm, dry and welcoming home.

Here are the birds we identified:
At the Food Lion parking lot:
Fish Crow
Kildeer
At Summers place:
Indigo Bunting
Gray Catbird
Wood Thrush
Ovenbird
Eastern Bluebird
American Goldfinch
Chipping Sparrow
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
Woodpecker (Downy or Hairy)
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Scarlet Tanager
Hermit Thrush
Northern Cardinal
Blue-headed Vireo
American Redstart
Eastern Towhee
Eastern Phoebe
Common Crow


Wendy Richards

Photo by Lad Sessions

We had a cool but lovely morning for birding at Apple Orchard Mountain this past Saturday, May 3rd.  There were 17 of us with a few others joining in as we hiked up the road into early Spring conditions.  Migrants were everywhere singing and cavorting around.  The sharp eyes and trustworthy ears of our leader, Dick Rowe, resulted in some first time sightings for some folks.  Here’s what we saw and/or heard:

Ovenbird
Scarlet Tanager
Red-eyed Vireo
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Veery
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Hairy Woodpecker
Blue-headed Vireo
Tufted Titmouse
Blue Jay
Eastern Towhee
White-breasted Nuthatch
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Canada Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Eastern Phoebe
Dark-eyed Junco
Downy Woodpecker
Red-tailed Hawk
Common Raven
Turkey Vulture
Pileated Woodpecker
Chickadee
Eastern Bluebird
American Goldfinch
Indigo Bunting (seen along the P’way while driving)

Wendy Richards


(eds. note: lots of great views of American Redstarts, Black-throated Blue's and Canada Warblers which are particularly striking.)

This is why we go up into the mountains to look for warblers during spring migration. Fewer leaves mean better views of the birds.
Photo by Lad Sessions

On April 24, a group of five headed to the Locher Tract and later, up Petite's Gap to the Parkway to see what was about.  Locher was loaded with Blue-Gray Gnatcatchers, along with a Great Crested Flycatcher, Louisiana Waterthrush, Red Winged Blackbirds, Blue Headed Vireos and several more of the usual suspects. We decided to drive up Petite's Gap in search of Warblers and weren't disappointed with good looks at a Black Throated Green and the songs of several more. The highlight of that drive may have been the unexpected sound, and sight of a Ruffed Grouse as it left a small clearing on the road just after we stopped to look around. Next week we're thinking perhaps one more try at a lower altitude, unless the canopy fills in a lot more this week. Perhaps the Chessie Trail.  We leave from the old K-Mart parking lot at 7, and everyone i