The Chat
Buchanan County Bird Club Newsletter
Editors Roger and Lynda Mayhorn

The Buchanan County Bird Club meets the 2^nd Monday of each month at the Buchanan County Public Library at 6:30 PM

Volume 1   Issue 2    February 2002

The Jan. 14 Meeting:

The second meeting of the BCBC was just as good if not better than the first one. 12 members were present. Two new members were added: Clarence Brown from Hurley and young Todd Perkins of Deskins. During the video Todd displayed his growing knowledge of birds and is already showing the signs of becoming a good birder. Members discussed birds at their feeders, and Jeff Boardwine related to the others that a Bald Eagle * had been sighted in the Vansant area along the Levisa river. This piqued the interest of other club members. Should this be true it could be a first documented sighting for the county.

Next, dues were collected then elections were held. Roger Mayhorn was elected club president, Ed Talbott Vice President and Lynda Mayhorn Secretary/Treasurer.  County maps were passed out to all members present to help with future birding projects. 

 A vote was taken, and passed, to join the Virgina Society of Ornithology. Ed and Michelle Talbott then gave an account of their several birding trips of the past month, which was very interesting to the rest of the group. 

Next on the agenda was a discussion of the informal Winter Waterbird Count which takes place on Saturday Jan 26. The group decided to participate and river sections and streams were chosen.

On that day the group decided to meet at Italian Village at 5:00 PM for compilation of numbers.

The group then discussed the Russell Co. Burkes Garden Outing, of Feb 16.  Several members expressed the desire to take part.

Next, Roger Mayhorn talked about the Great Backyard Bird Count to take place Feb 15-18. Members were encouraged to participate.

The last few minutes of the meeting were spent watching Roger Mayhorn’s video of birds at his feeders. The video concentrated on distinguishing between male and female Red-bellied Woodpeckers, recognizing Fox Sparrows and there was interesting video clip of an immature Sharp-shinned Hawk near the feeder, In the video small passerines (songbirds) hopped around and scolded nearby.  Members had fun trying to name birds seen on the video.

Next Meeting – Feb 11, 2002

On Jan. 14 Vice President Ed Talbott and Roger Mayhorn birded a Compton Mtn. strip mine site. 18 species were found, the most notable was a Barred Owl that flew up into a tree and watched the birders for a few minutes. 2 Red-breasted Nuthatches, 2 Golden-crowned Kinglets, and 1 Pileated Woodpecker were also found.

On Jan. 15, Roger Mayhorn and Bob Riggs, president of the Russell Co. Bird Club, birded a section of Buchanan Co. along State Line Road toward Guesses Fork. They were looking for raptors, but not one hawk was found. They did see 4 Pileated Woodpeckers during the drive and a Northern Mockingbird near Whitewood.  Bob did show Roger three ponds above Whitewood that show a lot of promise for the spring migration of waterfowl. Also nearby is an area that, according to Bob, has hosted many Blue-winged Warblers during the spring.

 The sighting of the Bald Eagle in the Vansant area was checked out. It seems the eagle was seen on Sept. 11 only. It was seen perched in a large Sycamore tree just below the Vansant bridge.

When shown photos of a Bald Eagle and an Osprey the fellows who saw it, who were not birders, said they were 90% sure that it was a Bald Eagle. These fellows also mentioned another fellow, who was supposed to be “bird smart” that had reported seeing a Peregrine Falcon within the county. When contacted the guy said it was true, but that it had been a few years ago.  So one thing we should learn from this is to keep our eyes and ears open. We don’t want to let important sightings like these go unnoticed. For sightings like these we need knowledgeable birders to see these birds, and if possible get photos or video. 

On Jan. 26, 2002 the BCBC (Buchanan County Bird Club) participated for the first time in the state wide Mid-Winter Waterbird Count. At 5:00 PM that evening the group met at Italian Village to compile their lists. Ed & Michelle Talbott and Larry Ramey searched the lower Levisa, below Grundy.  Ed & Mary Talbott birded Knox Creek.

Sheldon & Orpha Woods birded The Russell Fork, in the Davenport area. Jeff Boardwine birded some ponds in the Breaks Community and Russell Prater. Grayson Perkins birded Dismal River and Roger & Lynda Mayhorn birded Slate Creek and the upper Levisa. Three species were found: 86 Mallards, 4 Belted Kingfishers and 4 Great Blue Herons. Not too bad for a county with no large bodies of water. 

* Red signifies an unusual species for the area

During the waterbird count, club members Ed Talbott, Michelle Talbott and Larry Ramey, birded the Levisa River from Grundy to Weller Yard. Water birds were in short supply, but they managed a couple of Great Blue Herons and a few Mallards. The most interesting species of note were the number of Red-tailed Hawks spotted – nine. They were able to get the scope on several of these beautiful birds. They also spotted an American Kestrel working the rail yard for small birds.

The next day club members, Ed Talbott III and Ed and Mary Talbott decided to spend the day hiking and birding in the Russell/Washington County area. First stop was Hidden Valley Lake in Washington County; the day was beautiful and the view from the cliffs was magnificent. They noted no waterbirds on the lake, and decided to try Laurel Bed Lake in Russell County. There was a lack of waterbirds there also. Ed mentioned this to Bob Riggs, president of the Russell County Bird Club, who told him that the birds leave the area when the lake freezes over and will not return until their migration north in the spring.

  
Grayson Perkins has once again put one of his many talents to good use. Combining his interest in birds with his creative talent for building he has created a Pileated doorknocker. The bird is mounted in a vertical position on to a natural branch. A cord is attached that runs down through the body. When the cord is pulled the bird’s head swings forward and strikes the wood. When the cord is released the bird’s head returns to its original position. By imbedding screw heads in the end of the bill and in the branch the sound is amplified, giving the realistic sound of a woodpecker pecking. Good job Grayson.  

Nest box Plans

FEEDERS 

Jack Brown, from Hurley, who recently joined our club, saw the following species at his feeder on Jan. 26: Goldfinch, Titmouse, Hairy Woodpecker, Blue jays, Cardinals, Chickadees, Robin and a European Starling.   

Grayson and Shirley Perkins had the following birds on or near their feeders during the week of Jan. 27: American Goldfinch 20-25, Carolina Chickadee-several, Carolina Wren-4, White-breasted Nuthatch-6, Northern Cardinals-several, one with a very short tail, Dark-eyed Junco-several, Downy Woodpeckers-4, Hairy Woodpeckers-2, Tufted Titmouse-6, Blue Jays-2, Pileated Woodpeckers-4 (possibly more), House Finch-1, American Crows-12, Mourning Doves-12 on the ground, then a large flock flew in, Belted Kinfisher-3 (They enjoyed watching these dive for minnows in the creek), Red-tailed Hawks-2, American Robin-1  

Ed and Michelle Talbott have been seeing the usual suspects at their feeders since the last meeting – Finches, Nuthatches, Cardinals, Blue Jays, Mourning Doves and Rock Doves. They had a couple of Brewer’s Blackbirds stop by for a quick lunch one day, but they soon departed. The Great Blue Herons are seen daily fishing the river behind their house.

Roger and Lynda Mayhorn had a Pine Siskin at their thistle feeder (right) on Jan. 28. This bird can be mistaken for a Goldfinch because it has the same shape and size of a Goldfinch. Its tail is also notched like a Goldfinch’s, but it has a striped chest and its back is more brown than greenish yellow.  

Future Events

Feb. 11 – Buchanan County Bird Club meeting – Guest speaker Bob Riggs – Subject Whimbrels

Feb. 16 - Russell County Bird Club outing – Burkes Garden

 Feb. 15 – 18   – The Great Backyard Bird Count. This is where you count the birds at your feeder or backyard during one or all of the dates mentioned. Everyone is encouraged to participate even if you don’t know all of the birds. Information is available at http://birdsource.cornell.edu/gbbc/how.html

March 2 – Bluefield Bird Club outing – Burkes Garden

March 11- Next meeting of the Buchanan County Bird Club

March  - BCBC outing to Musick’s Campground and Weir Dam near Bristol. We will vote on a Saturday at our next meeting.