Buchanan County Bird Club Newsletter

Editors Roger & Lynda Mayhorn

Volume 7    Issue 1 January - February 2008

Great Finds of 2007

Sixteen unusual birds and twelve species were found in Buchanan and Dickenson Counties during 2007.

        Scouting for a New CBC Circle

     David Raines is standing on the shore of Lake Berwind in McDowell County WV. This was on January 9. He and I, Roger Mayhorn, were scouting out areas that might be included in the new Buchanan County CBC circle that the Buchanan County Bird Club is establishing this year. Since no other ponds of any size are going to be included in the 15 mile diameter CBC circle, it was hoped that this one could be included. Unfortunately, it proved to be a bit too far away to be included and still encompass as much of Buchanan County as we wanted. The tentative center for the new CBC circle will be at Pilgrims Knob. This will take in most of eastern Buchanan County, a part of McDowell County WV and a small section of Russell County.

     I have been in touch with Teta Kain the state compiler for Virginia CBC's and she is excited about a new circle being established. She is offering valuable information and advice on establishing the new circle. Because of her advice club members spent time this winter birding areas within the proposed circle to see what might be found there. Areas just outside the proposed circle like Lake Berwind have also been investigated for possible inclusion.

Male Bluebird Never Gives Up

     This male bluebird started fighting his image in the mirrors and windows of our SUV in March of 2007 here on Compton Mt. Despite all efforts to discourage him he continued the combat during the nesting season and into the fall. In winter we were sure he would quit, but on warm days throughout the winter he could be seen at the mirror, deep in the heat of battle. This photo was taken on January 9, 2008.

     Now that spring is here he is back at it with renewed intensity. He surely had to consume a lot of insects to have the energy to constantly fight, and  find food for himself and his two nests of young, which he and his mate raised successfully last year. We just wish he didn't get the urge to drop his load during the battle. I think I will catch him and tape a paper towel neatly around him. He will then be the Sumo Bluebird, and he can clean up his mess from the side of the vehicle as he goes.

Birding Greene County Tennessee

     Don and Christian Carrier, shown here, invited David Raines and me to come down to TN during January to go see a Barn Owl that the two had found in an old barn in western Greene County. Barn Owls are a very rare sight for Buchanan County. I have seen only one here in the 40 years I have lived here, and David had never seen one.We didn't find the owl, but we had a great day of birding in beautiful weather. We did get to watch 7 Northern Harriers seeming to float as they hunted over the open fields. It's easy to see why that bird is called "The Gray Ghost". We also saw Red-tailed Hawks and several American Kestrels, and Savannah Sparrows were everywhere. We logged only 31 species but we had plenty of birds.

Birding Burkes Garden

     There are certain days during our lives when the universe seems to be in balance and everything seems to fall into place to make for a near perfect day. The Burkes Garden outing on February 9th was just such a day. The morning was a crisp but beautiful 37 degrees. The twenty-two birders in the group were upbeat with good natured joking and banter. Then the eagles began to appear. First it was a pair of Bald Eagles not far from the Burkes Garden pond, that were first sighted by Tom Hunter. Then came the Golden Eagles. Ten Golden Eagles were found with four being in the air at one time. Red-tailed Hawks were everywhere, and four Rough-legged Hawks were in the air at different times. A couple of these birds gave birders great looks as they wheeled and turned above the fields. These were lifebirds for at least three of the group, and Don Carrier and Jerry Thornhill  did a lifebird dance to the amusement of all. Forty species were logged for the day. This will be a day that will live in our memories for a long time.

Birder of the Month for November 2007

     BCBC member Cheryl Thompson is the recipient of the Birder of the Month award for November. Cheryl lives at Conaway on the Levisa River not far from the VA - KY state line. On November 3rd Cheryl saw an Osprey flying along the river. This is a late date for that species here in Buchanan County. The previous late date was Oct. 7, 2005 when Ed & Michelle Talbott found an Osprey on the Levisa River in that same area.

Congratulations Cheryl!

Birder of the Month for December 2007

     BCBC Vice-President Ed Talbott III and wife Michelle were the Birders of the Month for December, when they logged several species of waterfowl on Laurel Bed Lake in the Clinch Mountain Wildlife Management Area during the Blackford (Russell County) CBC.  The most unusual find of that day was a Long-tailed Duck like the female shown here. Long-tailed Ducks are usually found along the coast but occasionally are found inland.

Congratulations Ed and Michelle !  

Birder of the Month for January 2008

     Shirley Justus of Guesses Fork is the Birder of the Month for January for her sighting on January 2nd of two American Pipits, a rare species for Buchanan County. She found the birds on her farm there on Guesses Fork. Shirley started birding only a few years ago, but with the help of her daughter Michelle, has come along really quickly with her knowledge of birds and the ability to identify them. Congratulations Shirley!

Birder of the Month for February 2008

     For the month of February the Birder of the Month is new BCBC member Tom Hunter of Lebanon. Tom found a Sora, a small brown bird of the rail family that inhabits marshy areas (photo), near the intersection of Elk Garden Road and Green Valley Road in Elk Garden.

Congratulations Tom!

     Tom and his wife Laverne recently joined the Buchanan County Bird Club, but they have been birding for years and both are excellent birders. We look forward to the help of Tom's excellent birding eyes and Laverne's exceptional birding ears on future BCBC outings. Welcome Tom and Laverne. 

Welcome New BCBC Members

     The Buchanan County Bird Club would like to extend an official welcome to new members Allen and Mindy Waldron of Surveyor WV in Raleigh County, Ernest and Shirley Raines of  Breaks, VA and Tom and Laverne Hunter of Lebanon, VA.

     Allen and Mindy are members of the Bibbee Nature Club of Bluefield.. They have been birding for years and are excellent birders. They take part for WV in the World Series of Birding, which is held in NJ each year.

     Ernest and Shirley are the parents of our own David Raines. They have always been interested in birds and other wildlife. They feed the birds, and have welcomed some of BCBC's bluebird nest boxes onto their property.

     Tom and Laverne are veteran birders and are very good at it. Tom's sharp eyes and Laverne's excellent hearing for bird song make them a good combination.

     We look forward to birding with all of these new members.

Welcome Allen, Mindy, Ernest, Shirley, Tom and Laverne!

Golden Eagles in Russell County

     The number of Golden Eagles in Russell County seems to have increased this year. BCBC members Tom and Laverne Hunter, Jerry and Jane Thornhill, Dave Worley and Richard Kretz have all been seeing them. Tom has been finding them on a regular basis. Sometimes he has found as many as seven especially in the Corn Valley area.

     On January 18th Tom found seven with five in the air at one time. Five of these birds were juveniles.

     On January 26 Tom, Dave and Richard found one in Corn Valley.

     On January 24th Jerry Thornhill found one on Rte 19 just north of Elk Garden School.

     Seven Golden Eagles were found by Tom and a friend on February 8th. Five of these birds were in Corn Valley. The other two were found near House and Barn Mountain.

     Tom, Richard and Dave found two in Corn Valley on February 15th. In addition to the eagles they found waterfowl on Stuart's Pond and two Loggerhead Shrikes on Clifton Farms Road.

Yellow-rumped Warblers at Feeder

     David and Susan Raines had a Yellow-rumped Warbler at their suet feeder on February 8th. Since then at least two Yellow-rumps have been regular visitors to their feeders. Yellow-rumps coming to feeders is not unknown but it isn't seen often enough to be called common. Perhaps, as David suggested, Yellow-rumps are coming to feeders this winter because some of the foods they feed on such as Poison Ivy did not bear fruit this past year, possibly due to last year's drought. Poison Ivy berries often hang on the vine all winter so they are a valuable food source, especially during bad weather when insects are not available. 

Scott's Oriole

     On Saturday, February 2nd, Don Carrier drove to Hickory, North Carolina to get a look at, and to photograph this unusual bird for the area. This Scott's Oriole showed up at a feeder there earlier that week, much to everyone's surprise. This bird normally inhabits the western states of Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona and California, but for some reason this fellow lost his way.

    According to Don there were lots of birders there to see the bird the morning that he drove down. Congratulations Don on a nice photo and another lifebird.

New Yard Bird for the Talbotts

     Michelle Talbott reports that on Friday, February 29th, an Eastern Meadowlark was observed west of Grundy in their yard during a rainstorm.. Over the years this grassland species has declined in numbers not only in our area but across the United States. We still see a few mated pairs in hay fields here on Compton Mountain. Congratulations Ed and Michelle on another yard bird!