Bells Lane, Dec 28, 2023 – Nine members of the Augusta Bird Club turned out for the walk this morning; a foggy start but it started to lift soon after and eventually we had sun and blue skies and we tallied 40 species. The private pond gave us a large raft of Ring-necked Ducks, one Hooded Merg, one Greater Scaup, few Gadwalls, handful of Ruddies, Canadas and Mallards. Back on the lane, we were past the first wetlands area and Mr. Peeler’s house on the left and we heard something and we were not quite sure what it was. Merlin suggested a Cooper’s Hawk but we were not totally sold on this identification. Not too long after, we saw something flying low, a few feet above ground level and when it landed it was a big, gorgeous, beautiful, wonderful Barred Owl!! He was perfectly perched in a tree and gave us really long looks for close to 10 minutes! He eventually took off. All of us were elated to see this owl. Allen said that he has never seen a Barred Owl on Bell’s prior to today.

After the owl left, we were discussing the calls and sounds of a Barred and nothing matched with what we heard and we listened to the alarm call of a Coopers and that is exactly what it was. So, the speculation is that the Coopers was giving his alarm call due to the owl and the owl finally took off. We never did see the Coopers. Everyone agreed that we could go home after that experience! We picked up a few more waterfowl at the upper pond… Common Mergs, more Hooded and there was one Great Blue. Across the lane, we had Red-tailed and Kestrel. Further up toward the beaver ponds, we picked up YR warblers. It was a great group of birders and I thank all of them for participating!  – Penny Warren

Chimney Hollow Trail, Nov 18, 2023 – Four club members headed out to Chimney Hollow Trail on Saturday, Nov 18. It was a pleasant, invigorating walk in a beautiful setting, thanks in part to an overnight rain that washed the skies of smoke, butoverall, the birds were scarcer than usual. Highlights were seeing Winter Wrens in two separate locations, along with a probable Brown Creeper, and a fleeting glimpse of a Pileated Woodpecker. Things were no better at nearby Braley Pond, so we called it a day. Many thanks to Joel Thompson, Jim Hill, and Wendy Hill for joining me!  – Andrew Clem

McCormick’s Farm, Nov 15, 2023 – A group of 10 members conducted a field trip to McCormick Farm in Raphine. A total of 32 species were recorded. Highlights of the walk were trees filled with over 100 Red-winged Blackbirds and Rusty Blackbirds fluttering around. In another location, a flock of over 90 Mourning Doves lifting from the ground flying from tree to tree were fun to watch. Two Red-shouldered Hawks in an aerial display delighted us as well. Many thanks to all the participants. It was a time well spent in the field. Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day with family and friends. Looking forward to seeing everyone at the ABC Christmas Party and the two Christmas Bird Counts.  – Jo King

Bells Lane, Nov 6, 2023 – To quote Jo King, we had a “bonanza day” of birding on Bell’s Lane today with 42 species!!! The remarkable highlight was a White-winged Scoter on the private pond. Per Allen, this is the county’s 5th fall record. We also had a smattering of other duck species; a couple WoodDucks, Shovelers, American Wigeon, and Ring-necked Ducks. Other highlights were 2 Sharp-shinned Hawk, 1 Bald Eagle, 1 Peregrine, and a Blue-headed Vireo! All in all,it was a beautiful morning to be out and about birding, a great day, greatgroup of birders (13 of us, plus 2 more that we caught up with a bit later). My thanks to everyone!  – Penny Warren

Augusta Springs Wetlands, Sep 16, 2023 – We couldn’t have asked for a prettier sunny day at the Augusta Springs Wetlands walk on Sept. 16. Thirteen of us walked around the pond twice, but our biggest treat was along the power line cut, where we found a flock of warblers seen at eye level. We had 45 species of birds altogether, including 12 species of warblers and 4 of vireos:  Blue-headed, Yellow-throated, White- and Red-eyed. There were 14 first-year Wood Ducks huddled together in the pond. Cedar Waxwings gathered in the snags, and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks chipped in the pines. The goldenrod, great blue lobelia, and asters were gorgeous! – Lynne Parks

McCormick’s Farm, Jun 14, 2023 –  Eight hardy, windblown birders conducted a field trip to McCormick Farm on Wednesday, June 14 . A total of43 species were recorded. Most noteworthy was observing a pair of Belted Kingfishers feeding their young, andIndigo Buntings, newly born baby Bluebirds, swarming Tree and Barn Swallows, along with Cedar Waxwingsand American Goldfinches delighting the landscape. Thank you to everyone for your wonderful energy and camaraderie. Have a great summer. See you in August. – Jo King

McCormick’s Farm, May 17, 2023 – On May 17, 12 members of the ABC enjoyed a field trip to McCormick’s Farm. A total of 64 species were recorded.The weather was so pleasant. Everyone enjoyed each other’s company and spotted some good birds and wildflowers.Bill Benish spotted 4 Cliff Swallows and Blue Grosbeak, to my delight.  – Jo King

Middle River, May 17, 2023 – The weather was absolutely perfect as 12 members of the ABC leisurely paddled a short section of the Middle River on May 17. An adult Bald Eagle welcomed us just after we put in, and we saw/heard many birds, including lots of Warbling Vireos and Baltimore Orioles singing from the tall Sycamores, and Louisiana Waterthrushes near the water’s edge. We ended with an awesome riverside picnic lunch with delicious grilled hot dogs (thanks, Mike!). Great People ~ Great Birds ~ Great Paddling ~ oh, and a Great Lunch! A big THANKS to Ann Cline for coordinating this!

Cowbane Prairie Natural Area Preserve, May 6, 2023 – On May 6, 22 ABC members showed up at Cowbane Prairie Natural Area Preserve. Ryan Lepsch from the VA Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) was there to open the gate, so we had plenty of parking. I think a lot of us have been curious about Cowbane but didn’t know how to access it. For future reference, individuals can park at the white gate just past Ply Gem Siding and walk in. It’s good to check in with Ryan in case there are any ecological managements scheduled for the day. We walked for 3 hours covering 1.5 miles. We had 56 species—we had a lot of good eyes and ears! There were at least 5 Orchard Orioles, and they put on quite a show, especially a first-year and an adult male chasing each other. Baltimore Orioles were in the same trees, so it was colorful. Grasshopper and Field Sparrows buzzed and trilled. Some attendees saw both Spotted and Solitary Sandpipers. A Black-billed Cuckoo chortled. We repaid the nicety by coming out and pulling Garlic Mustard 2 weeks later.  – Lynne Parks

Chincoteague Island, VA, Apr 29, 2023 – Four members (Jim and Wendy Hill, Elaine Carwile, and I) embarked on an adventure to Chincoteague Island for a fun weekend of birding. On Friday, my travel day consisted of rain, rain, and more rain for the entire trip to the Eastern Shore. Fortunately, by the time I arrived at my hotel, the rain had stopped. I met up there with Elaine andher husband, Tim (Jim and Wendy would join us on Saturday), and the three of us went out to the refuge to scout for Saturday’s birding, where we found several birds that we would not find the next day, including Red-necked Phalarope, Lesser Black-backed Gull, and Common Tern.

Saturday, we started at 8:00am in the McDonald’s parking lot, which overlooks a marsh full of Clapper Rails, and saw a flyby Laughing Gull. We headed to a local nature trail on the island, where we found several warblers, includingYellow-throated, Black-throated Blue, Ovenbird, Worm-eating, Northern Waterthrush, and Black-and-white. In addition,we added both Scarlet and Summer Tanagers, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Red-headed Woodpecker, Great-crested Flycatcher, and White-throated Sparrow.

We then went out on the Causeway, where we had Great and Snowy Egrets, Tri-colored Heron, as well as Herring, Laughing, and Great Black-backed Gulls. We also added Forster’s, Caspian, and Royal Terns, Black-necked Stilt, and White Ibis. Our next stop was Saxis Marsh, where we had more Clapper Rail, Seaside Sparrow, and Marsh Wren (the latter two were target birds). We also added Boat-tailed Grackle, Orchard Oriole, Yellow Warbler, Gray Catbird (they were everywhere we went), and Barn Swallow.

We finally entered Chincoteague NWR at 3:30pm, where our first stop was Tom’s Cove area. Our highlights here were Willet, Least Tern, Whimbrel, Short-billed Dowitcher, Dunlin, Black-bellied Plover, and 5 Piping Plovers. We also watched large flocks of Double-crested Cormorants flying north (estimate of 300–400). We then hit the Wildlife Loop around 4:30pm, where we spotted several waterfowl: Mallard, Black Duck, Bufflehead, Green-winged Teal, and Canada Goose. We also saw more Gulls, Terns, Egrets, and Herons. But the big highlight was seeing more than 258 Glossy Ibis! The weather was great, the birding was great, and, most of all, the fellowship was great – and new friendships were formed! Our species total for the trip was 105.  – Allen Larner

McCormick’s Mill Farm, Apr 19, 2023 – Eight members of the Augusta Bird Club met on Wednesday, April 19th to conduct a bird walk at McCormick’s Mill Farm in Raphine, Va. Thirty seven species were recorded. The weather was clear and warm with no wind. We had great views of six Blue-winged Teal, along with a Solitary Sandpiper, several Woodpecker species and a Cooper’s Hawk. Also it is good to mention the return of the Eastern Towhee and Brown Thrasher. Other highlights included: Tree and Barn Swallows, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Chipping, Song, White-throated, Whitecrowned and Field Sparrows.  – Jo King

Piney Grove, VA, Mar 18, 2023 – On March 18, five early-rising birders went on an expedition to the pine forests near Waverly, Virginia, in search of the fabled Red-cockaded Woodpecker. Allen Larner was our guide. We saw many birds, but at least 95% of them were just two species: Brown-headed Nuthatches and Pine Warblers. As we got started  (9am), it was overcast, damp, and chilly, with lingering drizzle. After lunch the sun came out, and the temperature rose a little. We saw a few Red-breasted Nuthatches, Pileated Woodpeckers, Northern Flickers, and Eastern Phoebes as well as a Red-shouldered Hawk and Bald Eagle. We also heard a few Eastern Towhees and a White-breasted Nuthatch.  Around 3pm we drove west and stopped in an open field along Summerfield Road, where several sparrows were scurrying about, as well as Eastern Bluebirds and a Red-tailed Hawk. We came across a guy who had just seen the elusive Red-cockaded Woodpecker, on his fifth visit to that forest, but we never did find it in the area he indicated, or anywhere else. Next time maybe? Anyway, many thanks to Allen Larner for driving and for showing us around this unique ecological habitat in the southeastern part of the Old Dominion!

Boy Scout Camp, Jan 28, 2023 – On January 28, 13 members of the Augusta Bird Club went hiking for almost a mile along the woodland road at the Boy Scout camp west of Swoope. There were several woodpeckers, including a distant Red-headed one, as well as many White-throated Sparrows, Tufted Titmice, Carolina and/or Black-capped Chickadees, and Red-breasted Nuthatches. Later we all stopped at Cattleman Road, and Bill Benish eventually spotted our main target bird, the Loggerhead Shrike. It was very cooperative as it gradually got closer to us in the course of its hunting routine. Finally, we headed east on Livick Road where, to our utter amazement, we saw a SECOND Loggerhead Shrike! One day later, Bill Benish and Robyn Puffenberger returned and determined beyond a shadow of a doubt that they were in fact two separate birds. Thanks to Josephine King for keeping track of all the species we saw, including several Northern Harriers and American Kestrels, but no Bald Eagles, unfortunately. On the way back to Staunton we saw three or four Red-tailed Hawks, some of which were being harassed by American Crows. Many thanks to all the participants, including three new members: Jeff and Jeanie Roberts, and Eric Pritchett.  – Andrew Clem