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 6:00 PM

Volume 4     Issue 7     July 2005

Two new members, Cheryl Thompson and Chris Coleman attended the meeting. Secretary, Lynda Mayhorn gave an update on club finances and the plans that had been completed concerning the club’s hosting the VSO annual conference in May of 2006. This was followed by some excellent video by Ed Talbott III.  President, Roger Mayhorn, then gave a lesson in the use of the club database that he has been working on for the last couple of years. The database now contains over 9000 entries of bird sightings within Buchanan County and surrounding areas.

July 11 - Regular meeting of Buchanan County Bird Club 6:00 p.m. Pre-dinner meeting at 5:00 at Italian Village Restaurant.

July 29 – The BCBC will be represented at the Buchanan County Fair at Poplar Gap Park. 

130 eggs have been laid so far this nesting season on the Compton Mountain Bluebird Trail with 67 young fledged. The freeze and snow on April 23 was responsible for almost a third of the eggs laid at that time not hatching.

Johnnie & Betty Ratliff monitor the Early White Bluebird Trail on Keen Mt. They have had 55 eggs and 41 birds to fledge. This total also includes the Titmice, Chickadees, and Tree Swallows nesting in their yard. 

No birds have yet nested in the 6 nest boxes of the David Raines Bluebird Trail around Laurel Lake in the Breaks Park. Those boxes were erected there this spring.  Sometimes it takes a year or so for birds to get used to new boxes before using them. David Raines, the monitor of the Johnnie & Betty Ratliff Trail was out of town so no update was available for that trail. 

Eight to ten years ago Northern Mockingbirds were very rarely seen in Buchanan County, then their numbers started increasing in the area, especially during the winter months. About 5 years ago mockingbirds were seen within the county during breeding season. Area birders suspected they were nesting here, but no nests have ever been found. In 2004 Johnnie & Betty Ratliff at Little Prater near Grundy watched a pair of mockingbirds carry food, but were unable to find the nest. For the first time ever a pair of mockingbirds was found on Compton Mt this spring, then they seemed to disappear.

On June 29 two recently fledged mockingbirds were observed and photographed in Roger & Lynda Mayhorn’s yard on Compton Mt. The young were begging and being fed by an adult. This is the first confirmation that the species is nesting here in the county. A few days later Johnnie & Betty saw a flock of 5 mockingbirds in their yard at Little Prater. Some were young birds being fed by adults.

Morris Wallace of Elkhorn City, KY says that Mockingbirds have been nesting in that area for 10-12 years. 

Larry Pinson of Elkhorn City, KY has had Bluebirds nest twice in his nest boxes this season. During the second nesting he watched some of the youngsters from the first nesting carry food to help feed the second group. This often happens with Eastern Bluebirds. Raising the young becomes a family affair. 

On July 5 this unusual warbler showed up on Compton Mt at the Mayhorns’ yard. This is believed to be a juvenile Brewster’s Warbler, which is a hybrid. It was being fed by an adult male Blue-winged Warbler. Here is how a Brewster’s Warbler comes about. A Golden-winged Warbler mates with a Blue-winged Warbler. The offspring is a Brewster’s Warbler. This is the second time a Brewster’s Warbler has been found within Buchanan County. This is only the third time one of these hybrids has been found within Buchanan County. The first was a Lawrence’s Warbler, another Blue-winged, Golden-winged hybrid, found on Caney Island Branch near Weller Yard by Michelle Talbott on April 25 2002.

On June 27 Sheldon and Orpha Woods at Russell Prater had 2 male Scarlet Tanagers (like the one in this photo) sitting on a wire near their house. These brilliantly bright red birds with black wings are also known locally as “Bee Birds” because they and Summer Tanagers will sometimes catch bees at a beehive.  According to the Peterson field guide their song sounds like a robin with a sore throat.

Cooper’s Hawk

In early June Roger & Lynda Mayhorn kept finding Mourning Dove feathers in their yard. They suspected a hawk, and on June 14 this Cooper’s Hawk showed up in the tree where their bird feeders hang. Cooper’s Hawks and Sharp-shinned Hawks are very similarly marked and are hard to tell apart. The bird in this photo can be identified as a Cooper’s because of its large flat head, and the darker cap on its head that does not go all the way down the backside of the neck, like a hood, as it would on a Sharp-shinned. The Cooper’s generally has a longer tail also, but it doesn’t seem really long on this bird. Cooper’s are also larger than Sharp-shinneds. Males are smaller than females. A large female Sharp-shinned is nearly as large as a small male Cooper’s. After a few days this raptor moved on. 

On June 27 Ed & Michelle Talbott decided to bird Haw Orchard Mt. in the Grayson Highlands, the 3rd highest mountain in Virginia at 5,089 feet. They first found Black-capped Chickadees and some Carolina Chickadees. (Carolina Chickadees generally occupy areas at lower elevations.) They found Blue-headed Vireos, Magnolia Warblers, Black-throated Green Warblers, Veeries, Golden-crowned Kinglets and Red-breasted Nuthatches. Many of these species we see at the lower elevations only in winter or during migration. They also found a male Yellow-rumped Warbler, which was a surprise.

On July 4 Ed & Michelle went to Roan Mt in TN to look for the high altitude species of Red Crossbills and Alder Flycatchers. They found Alder Flycatchers at Carver’s Gap at an elevation of 5,512 feet. They thought they saw two crossbills fly over, but couldn’t be sure. Michelle also saw what may have been a Saw-whet Owl flying into nearby cover. The bird could not be relocated. They also found Dark-eyed Juncos (Snowbirds), Pine Siskins, Canada Warblers, Red-breasted Nuthatches and Golden-crowned Kinglets.  Click Here for more trip pictures.

Each year the VSO (Virginia Society of Ornithology) chooses a different section of VA in which to do a birding survey during the breeding season. This year the Society chose to bird Wise and Russell counties during June 4-12. Club members, Roger & Lynda Mayhorn, David Raines and Ed Talbotts II and III participated in the survey in Russell County. Ten birders in all participated in the survey with 71 hours being spent birding with 114 species being found. 

On June 24 David Raines and Roger Mayhorn spent the morning birding a couple of areas in the Breaks area. They started on the ridge adjoining the Middle Fork of Grassy Creek. This is a beautiful wooded area with very large trees. There they found Blue-headed Vireos, Red-eyed Vireos, Scarlet Tanagers, Black-and-White Warblers, Black-throated Green Warblers, Hooded Warblers and Great Crested Flycatchers. Later these two birders birded a nice trail behind David’s parents’ house. The trail is called Dogwood Lane and was created by David’s father. There they found Wood Thrushes, Acadian Flycatchers, Broad-winged and Red-tailed Hawks, Carolina Chickadees, Eastern Wood Pewee, Gray Catbirds, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Common Yellowthroats and Yellow-throated Warblers. They found a total of 38 species for the day.

This brightly marked juvenile American Robin was found by Lynda Mayhorn in the Mayhorns’ yard on Compton Mt. on June 21. The dark head, which is indicative of eastern Robins, makes the bright of the face really stand out more than usual. 

Club member, Dave Worley of Rosedale on June 28 saw his first Bobwhite in the area since birding the area for 9 years. In recent years Bobwhites have become very scarce throughout the state of VA. This bird may have been an escaped or released bird. 

Roger & Lynda Mayhorn were recently asked to help out with teaching young people about nature, when the VA Department of Game, the National Turkey Federation and the Buchanan Hunting Club sponsored an outing for young people at Keen Mt Park on June 25. Roger & Lynda took young people on bird walks around the park and explained how to identify the different species.

A Cerulean Warbler sang at the edge of the Mayhorns’ yard on Compton Mt. for about 3 days during the week of June 8. They also have a pair or Scarlet Tanagers nesting nearby. On June 29 a male Scarlet Tanager was feeding a young bird in a tree just across the road from their house. They have also had a pair of American Redstarts nesting just below their house this spring.

Jean Gilbert, who lives on Rockhouse Mt. on Slate Creek, saw a Great Blue Heron fly over her house nearly every morning during the month of June. She said the bird seemed to come from the tall White Pine trees at the foot of Rockhouse Mt., possibly from near the white house just across the creek. This could be an indication of a nest site for the species. No Great Blue Heron nest has yet been found in Buchanan County or Eastern KY. 

Ed Talbott III also saw 2 Great Blue Herons on July 1 on the Levisa River near his house at Weller Yard.

This Wood Duck Box was recently erected by David Raines near a pond in the Breaks area. It is probably too late this year for Wood Ducks to use it, but it is hoped that it will get use next spring. The box was built and donated by Johnnie & Betty Ratliff.

A hen Wood Duck with 9 ducklings was seen on the Levisa River by Ed Talbott III on July 1. He also saw juvenile Northern Rough-winged Swallows along the power lines.

A field full of Grasshopper Sparrows was found on Lynn Camp near Weller Yard on July 3. Ed & Michelle Talbott found the small sparrows that sound like a buzzing insect. The area most abundant with this species in the immediate region is a strip site on Beaver Knob near Elkhorn City in Pike County KY. During the breeding season as many as 50 of these sparrows can be heard in the large grassy fields there. There are only a few areas within Buchanan county where Grasshopper Sparrows can be found. There are a few at Poplar Gap Park, and club member, Todd Perkins recently found some in a field on Mott Branch of Leemaster. 

Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers

Compare the woodpeckers in these two photos. These two species are common in our area, though the Downy is more common than the Hairy. Notice that the Hairy (left) has a longer bill than the Downy (right). Notice also that the head pattern is a bit different. If you look closely at the Downy you can see black spots in the white, outer tail feathers. The Hairy doesn’t have those. It isn’t evident in these photos, but the Hairy is generally somewhat larger than the Downy. While the Hairy and the Downy have similar calls, the Hairy’s is a deeper pitch, and with a little listening practice the difference can be heard.

These photos were taken at the Mayhorns’ yard on Compton Mt. The Downys visit their yard year round, but this Hairy that showed up on June 29 is the first one seen in their yard in several months. Johnnie & Betty Ratliff of Little Prater have both species regularly at their feeders.

At this time of the year there are lots of young birds that have just come out of the nest. This is a young Eastern Towhee begging for food from its mother. Towhees nest on the ground often in a clump of grass. Notice that the adult female towhee is chocolate brown on the head and back where an adult male is black.