Bird sightings galore greet birders

The weather was perfect Saturday — clear sky and cool temperatures — for the first fall field trip sponsored by the Lynchburg Bird Club.

Eleven people met at Long Island Park in southern Campbell County, parked just inside the entrance and walked down to the Staunton River, hoping that a stray shorebird would turn up along the muddy flats.

Although we didn’t have any luck with water birds, we did find a migrating veery in the nearby shrubs. This species breeds at high elevations in Virginia and north into Canada.

Related to the wood thrush but much paler in color and with a relatively clear breast, the veery has one of the most beautiful songs of any North American bird.

Of course, it was simply moving through when we saw it last Saturday and, with no territory to defend, our veery was silent.

The group walked along the river and spotted a variety of birds. Many of the shrubs were already in fruit, and the birds that will be leaving soon for winter vacations in a warmer climate were busy stocking up for their flight. We found a young redstart, easily identified by the broad yellow bands on the tail. A rather drab chestnut-sided warbler flitted through the heavy brush. Luckily, the pale eye-ring, sharp wing-bars and greenish back made identification not too difficult.

A series of rocky outcroppings in the river at the eastern edge of the park provided a nice resting spot for a group of killdeer. A flock of cedar waxwings had found a bonanza of insects over the water and put on a real show swooping down to snatch their breakfast from the air. A nearby green heron was using another strategy to find a morning snack. The heron posed, motionless with outstretched neck over the ripples, waiting for a careless fish to swim its way.

Our last stop was just across from the park and along the roadside of a farm on the large island in the Staunton River from which the nearby community takes its name. A pair of kestrels were having some fun harassing the local meadowlarks, and Dale Miller, a sharp-eyed member of our group, spotted some migrating rough-winged swallows. A raptor, hunkered down on the top of a spindly tree and sitting with its back toward us, puzzled everyone until it took flight
and the bright red tail gave us its name.

It was the first time that Forrest Taylor, who is working on a bird study merit badge, had ever been on a bird walk, and he sure picked a nice day for it. We finished the morning with 43 species and, even though autumn is officially a few weeks away, it was a great preview of the upcoming season.

News and notes
Recently, I’ve become interested in the movement of migrating thrushes at night. On Sept. 6, thousands of Swainson’s thrushes were heard an hour prior to dawn moving over eastern Pennsylvania. I’m planning to get up early for the next week or so, and listen here at my house. I’m hoping that a gray-cheeked thrush will fly my way.