Buchanan County Bird Club Newsletter
Editors Roger & Lynda Mayhorn
Gray Foxes Still Around
In the winter of 2008-2009 there were three, sometimes four Gray Foxes coming into our yard every night here on Compton Mt. They came for a hand-out, and Lynda and I enjoyed feeding them. When spring came only two remained. Those two raised 5 young. The parents then brought their young ones to be fed too. This winter 3 of the 7 are still coming nearly every night, except when the snow is too deep. This one is the male (taken about March 1). The female is a bit smaller and a bit more timid. The third one is one of their kits. It comes very near the dining room door like it did last summer. It is about the same size as its father and eats twice as much. As you can see this one looks well fed. We hope they will raise another litter here this summer.
Roger Mayhorn
Another Fox Sparrow
A Fox Sparrow came to our feeders here on Compton Mt on March 5th. This is only the second one we have seen all winter. It has been my experience that these birds are shy, secretive and easily spooked. The ones I have had the privilege to observe take cover at the slightest sound or movement. In the woods they are usually found in thicker cover, so it probably makes them nervous to have to come out into the open to feed.
After looking at the colors on the fox in the first photo and at this bird it's easy to see how it got its name.
Roger Mayhorn
Burkes Garden In The Snow
On Sunday, March 7th, Don Carrier, his son Christian, his brother Rick, and I decided to check out Burkes Garden to see if there were any eagles still in the area. It is about this time of year that the Golden Eagles that winter there head back north to nest and raise their young. We thought the snow that has become a constant since December and which kept the bird club from making its annual February trip to Burkes Garden might have melted. We should have known better. As you can tell from these photos there is still a lot of melting to be done before the Garden becomes snow free. We found 29 species for the day with this sleepy Barred Owl being our closest encounter. The bird was perched near the roadway and was not unduly disturbed by our presence. He was still snoozing when we left. We found Horned Larks congregating in the few spots in pastures that had melted. In one pasture we counted 107.
Though we were hoping to find Golden Eagles they failed to make an appearance. However, we did find the Bald Eagle's nest in the Garden and enjoyed watching one adult on the nest and the other enjoying the sun from a nearby perch. Other birds of prey that we found were American Kestrels and Red-tailed Hawks. On the Mill Pond and along the stream we found a couple of Black Ducks, 4 Canada Geese, 12 Green-winged Teal, 2 Wood Ducks and 124 Mallards.
The number of raccoons out foraging in the snow in the daytime was surprising. We saw at least 12 live ones and 3 or 4 dead ones. We deduced that the heavy snow cover may have driven them to near starvation. Every raccoon we saw looked gaunt with unkempt fur.
Even though we didn't find all of our target species we had a relaxed, enjoyable day.
Roger Mayhorn
Eagle Survey on New River
On March 6th club members, Allen and Mindy Waldron joined other birders to participate in the annual eagle count along the Bluestone and New Rivers in Southern WV. Jim Phillips, the naturalist at Pipestem State Park, is in charge of the count that is now in its 5th year. This year's count logged 19 Bald Eagles and 5 Golden Eagles. In December the first active Bald Eagle's nest was discovered in that area.
In addition to eagles Allen and Mindy observed several other species including Red-tailed and Red-shouldered Hawks, both Common and Hooded Mergansers, Redheads, Gadwall and American Pipits.
Yellow Rumps Come to Visit
BCBC member Diane Holsinger of Farmville, VA had a pair of Yellow-rumped Warblers spend the winter at her feeders. They fed at her homemade suet mixture.
Yellow-rumped Warblers are the only warblers that spend the winter this far north with the exception of the occasional ones that remain behind in Eastern VA, where the winter climate is more moderate because of the north moving Gulf Stream.
Another Trip to Burkes Garden
Dan Kendrick of West Union OH and Steve "Kip" Sweeney of Ashland KY, both cousins of David Raines, had never been to Burkes Garden and wanted to see the valley and bird there. The three decided to go there on March 10th, and I was invited along. The birding there was much better on the 10th than it had been on my first trip on the 7th. We recorded 47 species with the highlight being a Peregrine Falcon. It was found just before we called it a day and headed home, and just after we ran into club member Dave Worley. Dave was looking for the Barred Owl that we had seen there on the last trip. Red-winged Blackbirds along with other blackbirds were by far the most numerous with 1500 recorded, but the number was probably over 2000. Some other species found throughout the day were Rusty Blackbirds, Wilson's Snipe, a Bald Eagle on the nest, a Barred Owl, Red-tailed Hawks, American Kestrels, Black Ducks, Green-winged Teal, Hooded Mergansers, and the first Tree Swallow of the season.
Roger Mayhorn
FOS Pine Warbler
David Raines found the First Of the Season Pine Warbler this spring. On March 14th a male was found singing in his yard in the Breaks community. It was only in 2006 that the species was found on territory in the Breaks Park. They have returned to nest there every spring since.
On at least two occasions this month David has heard a Pine Warbler singing in his yard. He hopes a pair might nest there, which would be a first.
Black Bear Encounter
Cheryl Thompson of Conaway (near Big Rock VA) was surprised recently when she and her nephew encountered two Black Bear cubs. Cheryl was driving up Conaway Creek when two cubs crossed the road in front of her vehicle. They got into the nearby woods before she could get a picture. Neither Cheryl or her nephew got out of the car, just in case the mother of the cubs was nearby.
Winter Visitors
A Red-breasted Nuthatch and an immature White-crowned Sparrow have been regular visitors at the Raines home in the Breaks for a good part of the winter.
Red-breasted Nuthatches are periodic visitors to the area, especially when their food is in short supply farther north. White-crowned Sparrows on the other hand, are usually only found in Buchanan County during spring and fall migration. It is unusual for one to become a regular winter visitor.
Diminutive Sharp-Shinned
On March 14th this very small (about 10 inches long) Sharp-Shinned Hawk came to our yard here on the mountain. It stayed around for over an hour while titmice and chickadees flew within a few feet of it, as they came in to grab sunflower seeds. Once the hawk made a quick chase afer a chickadee, but was unable to catch it. Finally, the little fellow left with no lunch.
Roger Mayhorn
Bald Eagle in Grundy
Faith Sutherland, the wife of Dr. Clint Sutherland of Grundy saw a Bald Eagle flying overhead at the Buchanan General Hospital on March 16th. Bald Eagle sightings are becoming more common in the area.
Dr. Clint Sutherland saw a Bald Eagle in the same location in March of 2009.
The second active Bald Eagle's nest recorded in recent history in this area was discovered in December 2009 in Burkes Garden in Tazewell County while the adult eagles were still constructing it. It was discovered by Stan Bently of Pulaski VA. We will want to monitor the nest from a distance during the breeding season to see if the parents are successful at raising one or two chicks.
First Tree Swallow
The first Tree Swallow of the season for the area appeared at David Raines' home at Breaks on March 18. On March 20th club members Jerry and Jane Thornhill had their first Tree Swallow of the season in the town of Lebanon VA. Later that day Jerry saw another one near their home at Rosedale VA.
Towhees Return
Even though a few lucky people, like club members Sheldon and Orpha Woods, had Eastern Towhees at their feeders all winter, the rest of us had to wait for spring for their return. The first one, a male, appeared here on Compton Mt on March 20th. It was followed on March 25th by a female. A female came to David and Susan Raines' feeders in the Breaks on March 26th. Now it feels like spring.
Birding in Florida
Recently BCBC members, Dan Kendrick, David Raines and Don Carrier made a trip to Florida to do some spring birding. The three (3D birders, as Ed Talbott III called them) birded around the Titusville area. They spent several days birding the Orlando Wetlands, Merritt Island, the Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area and Lake Kissimee. They each got lifebirds for their life lists - David had the most with 9 lifers, Don got 4 and Dan got 2. One of the highlights of the trip was when a Florida Scrub Jay landed on Dan's cap and began pecking at the button on top. Fortunately, Don was handy with his camera and recorded the event. The Painted Bunting (left) and the Tricolored Heron (right) were two of the 140 species they saw while in Florida. Sounds like the guys had a great trip.
Birding in Kentucky
Since club members, Ed and Michelle Talbott, moved to Richmond KY they have enjoyed hiking and birding the surrounding areas. They recently had a good birding day at Cave Run Lake. You can see more of their great photos of the day at http://www.pbase.com/aquilaet/caverun2 . Ed has also put up a great, new, personal birding site. It can be found at
http://thegain.net/talbott/birding.htm . We wish them good birding.
FOS Brown Thrasher
Our First Of the Season Brown Thrasher showed up here on Compton Mt on March 27th. It was found singing in the backyard . We have a pair, sometimes two pairs, nesting here every year. When we have two pairs the two males will stake out territories adjacent to each other and each tries to out sing the other. It adds amusement and enjoyment to our spring mornings.
Roger Mayhorn
FOS Blue-headed Vireo
David Raines found the First Of the Season Blue-headed Vireo in the Breaks Park on March 27th. Aside from Pine Warblers this is the earliest migrant to arrive in the area in the spring, and most of the time the species is discovered in the Breaks Park first.
FOS Osprey
Ed Talbott III, while visiting the area on March 29th, found the first Osprey of the spring. It was on the Levisa River in the Big Rock area. This is the spot that Ospreys seem to prefer along the river. The fishing must be good there. During the breeding season Ospreys are often seen along the river, but no active Osprey nest has yet been found. Perhaps the birds seen are bachelors that have not found a mate, as sometimes happens in the bird world.
New Bluebird Trail Monitor
Club member Rosemarie Miller has volunteered to monitor the Early White Bluebird Trail on Keen Mountain this summer. Her friend Eddie Farmer may also help. I am going to go with Marie on her first monitoring trip to show her how it is done and how to record the data that is gathered as each nest box is opened and examined. The nest boxes are checked once a week from April 1 to the end of August. The info gathered is then sent to the Virginia Bluebird Society where it is added to the info from other bluebird trails within the state. That information is then sent on to NABS, the North American Bluebird Society. By gathering this information the condition of Eastern Bluebirds, a species whose numbers had once dropped to dangerously low levels, can be determined.
Thank you Marie for helping out. It is much appreciated!
(The neat nest box in this photo was one designed and built by club member Johnnie Ratliff. He built it from leftover covers for 4x4 fence posts. He also built others using the same material and a similar design for titmice, chickadees, and woodpeckers. )
Roger Mayhorn
Getting Ready For Bluebirds
Having more than seventy bluebird nest boxes in Buchanan and Dickenson Counties ready for each year's nesting season requires some work. David Raines and I have been painting, replacing and repairing boxes that were damaged or destroyed by bears, vandals and weather. Sometimes the box, pole and predator guard have to be replaced, but in other cases it may just be a matter of replacing a few screws. The predator guards made of 6 inch PVC pipe don't need replacing very often but having some of our boxes on a golf course runs the hazard of the boxes or guards being hit by the occasional golf ball.
The nest boxes are now up and ready to use for this year and by the end of March a few nests had already been started in some of the boxes here on Compton Mt.
Roger Mayhorn
They're Baaaack!
Johnnie and Betty Ratliff's Purple Martins have returned for another year. The first martins came in to check out their houses and gourds on March 20th, a couple of days later than their normal March 18th return date. Johnnie and Betty live at the mouth of Little Prater not far from Grundy. Because their location is right next to the Levisa River the martins have easy access to mud, which they use in the construction of their nests. Johnnie says the nests often include fresh water mussel shells that are also found in the river. Johnnie and Betty's martin colony has grown over the past few years. Starting with only a few pairs they now host 40 pairs or more of these friendly swallows. In July when the young have left the nests and the colony is preparing to leave on its journey to South America for the winter, the sky is filled with noisy, happy birds. If I remember correctly there were over 140 young birds fledged from their houses and gourds last year. Once the birds have gone there is a notable quietness, because martins are a gregarious species and constantly chatter and chirp. Many people who host martin colonies often report a feeling of sadness at their departure.
No Purple Martins But Tree Swallows
Several years ago after seeing the success that Johnnie Ratliff had with Purple Martins, I put up a martin house and gourds on our property in the hopes of having martins nest here on the mountain. Unfortunately, we have never had martins, but we have had the next best species, Tree Swallows. Each spring near the end of March or the first of April a few Tree Swallows with iridescent green feathers shining in the sun come twittering and gliding into our yard to check out our gourds and our bluebird nest boxes. They sometimes prefer the boxes to the gourds. This year it was March 31st when 6 Tree Swallows were seen circling and chirping as they dropped from the sky to check out the yard, the martin house and the gourds. They stayed around for about an hour and were gone, but this is they way they do it every year. They have checked out the condition of their summer home and will be back. They start nesting a bit later than the bluebirds but they can soon be seen picking up straw from the neighbor's pasture and making trip after trip to the gourds - getting ready for a new brood.
If You Build It They will Come
Johnnie and Betty Ratliff have a beautiful yard pond that Johnnie built, and over the years they have had many visitors to it and not just humans. There have been Great Blue Herons, Belted Kingfishers, raccoons and frogs just to name a few. These Green Frogs (hope I'm right on that ID) were some that came to their pond last year. They became Betty's pets, and when Betty went out to sit near the pond the frogs sat nearby, and didn't seem disturbed by her presence.