On a typical early spring day, with weather ranging from the upper 30’s when we started to short sleeves when we finished, 10 participants joined leaders Michael Sciortino, Joe Coleman and Mary Ann Good for a bird walk at the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship on March 27. The main highlight of the walk was the four Louisiana Waterthrushes we found along Piney Run. Many of the migrants, including at least three of the four Waterthrushes, two Chipping Sparrows and winter residents were singing. Other highlights included seven very vocal Field Sparrows, Red-shouldered Hawks (both close-by and high in the sky), numerous Tree Swallows quarreling with each other and Eastern Bluebirds over the Center’s many nestboxes, as well as a couple of Common Ravens. For a complete list of the birds observed, see the list below or view on eBird at https://ebird.org/checklist/S84186105.
Canada Goose 4
Wood Duck 2
Mourning Dove 1
Great Blue Heron 3
Black Vulture 3
Turkey Vulture 12
Cooper’s Hawk 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 4
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Belted Kingfisher 2
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 5
Downy Woodpecker 6
Pileated Woodpecker 4
Northern Flicker 2
Eastern Phoebe 4
American Crow 8
Fish Crow 4
Common Raven 2
Carolina Chickadee 15
Tufted Titmouse 5
Tree Swallow 12
White-breasted Nuthatch 2
Brown Creeper 1
Carolina Wren 6
European Starling 1
Northern Mockingbird 1
Eastern Bluebird 8
American Robin 1
House Finch 1
American Goldfinch 1
Chipping Sparrow 2
Field Sparrow 7
Dark-eyed Junco 5
White-throated Sparrow 15
Song Sparrow 3
Brown-headed Cowbird 6
Common Grackle 2
Louisiana Waterthrush 4
Northern Cardinal 8