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

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

Volume 3     Issue 2     February 2004
January 12 Club Meeting
Several club members met at Long John Silver’s (right) for dinner before the last club meeting. Since this was a January meeting officer elections were on the agenda. Club members voted for the second year in a row to keep their current officers: Roger Mayhorn – President, Ed Talbott III – Vice President, Lynda Mayhorn – Secretary and Treasurer.  Ed Talbott then showed video of recent birding outings and Roger Mayhorn presented a Power Point presentation showing photos of the Selasphorous Hummingbird taken by Johnnie Ratliff and himself. Marie Miller’s sister, Helen was a welcome guest at the meeting.  The two presented a birding puzzle to the club. Members enjoyed the challenge.  The next club meeting will be on Monday, February 9.  The group plans to eat at the Grundy Pizza Hut at 5:00 pm before the next meeting. 
Possible White-throated Sparrow and Dark-eyed Junco Hybrid near Hurley
Roger Mayhorn recently got a call from Hurley club member, Jack Brown. Jack had seen an unusual bird at his father-in-law’s bird feeder on Coon Branch of Hurley. He described this bird as looking very much like the rare White-throated Sparrow – Dark-eyed Junco hybrid pictured in the Sibley guide. Roger then placed a call to the father-in-law, Arville Mullins, who graciously invited Roger and his wife Lynda to come over and try to see the bird. The next day the Mayhorns were there with high hopes and cameras in hand. Even though the Mayhorns had a very enjoyable visit with Mr. Mullins, the rare bird did not show. Jack Brown and his father-in-law are keeping watch to see if the bird returns. If it does Jack hopes to get some video. 
Interesting Events
On Saturday, January 10 Ed & Michelle Talbott, along with dog, Chazzie, birded Caney Island Branch near their home at Weller Yard. The highlights of their outing were Ruffed Grouse 1, Wood Duck 1 (on the Levisa River), Golden-crowned Kinglet 1 and Yellow-rumped Warblers 2.
Roger Mayhorn birded a graveled road called Mary Kelly Road, near his home on Compton Mt on Saturday, January 17. The birds of note for the day were a Brown Creeper, a male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, a female Pileated Woodpecker, 4 Northern Flickers, 2 male Downy Woodpeckers and 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker.
The Purple Finches continue to increase at the Mayhorns’ feeders on Compton Mt. The number has now reached 17. During a recent snow storm 10 Eastern Towhees also made an appearance.
On January 19 Johnnie and Betty Ratliff took stock of the birds at their feeders and around their yard. They had a Brown Creeper, a male Eastern Towhee, Red-winged Blackbirds, Cardinals, Titmice, Goldfinches, Mourning Doves, Blue Jays, a Carolina Chickadee, a Carolina Wren, 7 Dark-eyed Juncos and 2 Song Sparrows. 
Apology
Here is a sighting that was inadvertently left out of last month’s newsletter.  Club member, Dave Worley, got a good look at a Sharp-shinned Hawk in Tazewell County. During his 20 mile drive to Russell County he saw 5 Red-tailed Hawks and got good looks at another Sharp-shinned.
A Hermit Thrush, like this one at left, that was photographed at an earlier date by Ed Talbott, made an appearance near Jack Brown’s home near Hurley on January 19. Jack also saw a Savannah Sparrow, a Brown Creeper, a Northern Mockingbird, Song Sparrows, White-throated Sparrows, a Downy Woodpecker a Common Grackle, and lots of American Goldfinches. 
A Chipping Sparrow showed up David Raines’ feeder in the Breaks Community on January16. 3 Chippers showed up at David’s neighbor’s feeder on January 24. Chipping Sparrows are not common here in the county during winter. Most of them usually show up again in the area in late March or early April.  

Susan Raines, David’s wife, saw 3 Red-shouldered Hawks and 1 Red-tailed in their area on January 16. On January 9 David had a Red-winged Blackbird at his feeder. On the 17th He saw two Eastern Phoebes perched on a wire on his property. He also has a Northern Mockingbird that has been hanging around for some time this winter. It feeds on the fruit of a Flowering Crab Apple Tree. David has also been hearing a Common Raven calling in his home area .

David Raines recently heard a strange story concerning a Red-tailed Hawk from his next door neighbor. The neighbor, recovering from surgery, was at home watching birds with his binoculars. He was watching some crows eating nightcrawlers from the rain soaked ground in a nearby field. As he watched, an immature Red-tailed Hawk came down near the crows and clutched a nightcrawler in its talons, then ate it. The hawk then hopped forward, caught another nightcrawler and ate it. Very unusual behavior for a Red-tail.
Club member, Orpha Woods, saw a Great Blue Heron on January 22. She was driving on Route 83 near Vansant, VA, when she saw the heron near the Levisa River.
40 Mourning Doves and American Goldfinches have become a problem at Clarence Brown’s feeders in Hurley. They are eating so much seed it is difficult for the other birds to feed. Clarence also has 5 Carolina Chickadees, 10 Northern Cardinals, 2 White-breasted Nuthatches, 2 Hairy Woodpeckers, 5 Tufted Titmice, 4 Blue Jays, 2 House Sparrows, 3 Song Sparrows, 2 Field Sparrows, 1 Carolina Wren, 1 DownyWoodpecker and sometimes as many as 20 Dark-eyed Juncos.

Roger and Lynda Mayhorn have had 48 doves recently at their feeders as well as 83 Goldfinches. Ed and Mary Talbott have nearly 200 Goldfinches at their feeders at Big Rock.

This Savannah Sparrow was one of several species observed and photographed by Ed and Michelle Talbott, when they birded Beaver Knob near Elkhorn City, Kentucky on February 1. Despite freezing temperatures some birds were active. Other sparrow species found were White-throated, White-crowned, Song and Swamp. Also seen was a female Northern Harrier (hawk) hunting over the reclaimed strip site. To see more go to Ed and Michelle’s website at http://www.grundynet.net/talbott/birding/hikes/W03/Beaver1.htm

While Ed and Michelle were at Beaver Knob on February 1 they heard the “peent” call of a Woodcock. These unusual birds usually return to the county during February, where their twittering, courting flights can be seen just after sunset. The males fly high into the air then spiral downward, twittering as they fall. They then land close to a female and give the “peent” call. It is something worth seeing.

Avian Flu Virus Outbreak
A recent outbreak of a lethal bird virus in 10 eastern countries has become a cause of some concern.  The avian flu was first identified more than 100 years ago, when it showed up in Italian chicken flocks. A form of that flu is believed to have caused the devastating “Spanish Flu” between 1918 and 1920, which killed at least 25 million people in a year. It is feared that this year’s avian flu strain may be one of the deadly ones. So far 13 people have died as a result of it. Most of them have been the children of poultry workers.  There is also concern that birds may spread the disease during migration.
New Regional Editors
Recently the VSO ( Virginia Society of Ornithology) has decided to publish a quarterly journal dealing with rare bird sightings, unusual bird behavior, etc. throughout the state. Roger and Lynda Mayhorn have been asked to be regional editors for the Southwest Region, an area that covers the 14 counties of Buchanan, Russell, Tazewell, Bland, Dickenson, Wise, Lee, Scott, Washington, Smyth, Wythe, Grayson, Carroll and Floyd counties. The Mayhorns have agreed to take on the job and are in the process of making contact with birders and bird clubs in the counties mentioned. They will be gathering information soon for the first issue.
This Ruby-crowned Kinglet was one of 21 species found on Caney Island Branch near Weller Yard on January 11. Ed Talbott III and Roger Mayhorn spent several hours birding the area. Some of the other birds encountered on the snowy walk were Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Winter Wren, Pileated Woodpecker and Yellow Rumped Warbler. From up on the mountain a Cooper’s Hawk was seen circling over Ed’s house. Ed had been finding bird remains in his yard. Evidently the Cooper’s had found a snacking place at Ed and Michelle’s feeders.
Ed Talbott recently witnessed some unusual kingfisher behavior on the Levisa River. Ed watched as a Belted Kingfisher flew from tree to tree as it followed a small flock of feeding Mallards down the river. As the ducks fed they apparently forced minnows out ahead of them. The kingfisher would then dive near the ducks to get the minnows. The kingfisher was letting the ducks “bird dog” (pardon the pun) for him. It made the kingfisher’s fishing easier. This action is just more proof that birds and other animals are very adaptable. They have to be to survive.
Future Events
At the next Buchanan County Bird Club meeting, Monday, February 9, Ed Talbott will present a program on raptors mainly featuring hawks. The hawks that migrated southward last fall will soon be arriving again in our area to nest.  At the March club meeting David Raines will show a video dealing with hummingbirds. It is just a short time before the hummers start returning from their stay in the south. We sometimes have hummingbirds that show up at feeders within Buchanan County as early as April 7th or 10th. At the last Buchanan County Bird Club meeting it was proposed and agreed upon that the club would host an “Open House” at the April club meeting. An article will be placed in the Mountaineer inviting people of the community to come to our “open house” and see what our bird club and birding is all about. We hope this will draw in some potentially new club members. We know there are many other people interested in birds within the area. We just need to let them see how much fun birding with other birders can be.
Did You Know?
According to “The Birder’s Handbook” most birds cruise at speeds in the 20-30 mile per hour range. During a chase ducks can fly as fast as 60 mph or faster. It has been reported that Peregrine Falcons can stoop (dive on prey) at speeds of 200 mph. There is little relationship between the size of a bird and how fast it flies. Both hummingbirds and geese can reach roughly the same maximum speeds.  

Most birds fly below 500 feet except during migration. During migration birds may go to great heights, possibly to avoid dehydration in the warmer air near the ground. Long distance migrants seem to start out at about 5000 feet, then climb to 20,000 feet. A flock of Whooper Swans was seen during migration on radar over Northern Ireland at an altitude of 29,000 feet. 

 
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