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The
Buchanan County Bird Club meets the Volume 3 Issue 10 October 2004 |
 Sept 13 Club MeetingUnexpected guests showed up at the last club meeting, when David Raines’ parents along with his brother and sister-in-law came to the meeting. We always enjoy having new people at our meetings and outings. Due to the death of his mother, Bob Riggs was not able to present the scheduled program on raptors, so Roger Mayhorn presented a PowerPoint program called A Nature Walk Down Memory Lane. The program was a series of slides showing past outings and meetings of the bird club as well as photos of birds, butterflies, plants and landscapes. After the meetings several members went to Grundy High School to watch the flock of Chimney Swifts that come to roost in the school’s chimney. Bob Riggs will present his raptor program at the next club meeting on Oct. 11. Some members will join Bob at Italian Village at 5:00 PM for dinner before the meeting. Come join them. |
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Townsend’s Warbler in Buchanan County On Sunday, September 26 David Raines was birding around his property in the Breaks community and found a warbler at the edge of a field, that he first thought was a Black-throated Green Warbler. He then realized that the bird had a yellow breast and could not be a Black-throated Green. David got a good look at the bird and found that it was a female Townsend’s Warbler, a bird that normally inhabits the western U.S. from West Texas westward. David then called Roger Mayhorn and Ed & Michelle Talbott. These three arrived shortly with cameras and video cameras to attempt to record the unusual visitor. After a couple of hours of searching the group concluded that the Townsends had moved on. The sighting was posted to the VA-Birds internet listserv. This is only the second sighting of this species in Virginia. Congratulations David! |
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Cooper’s Hawk Gets Lunch Johnnie Ratliff was recently working in his backyard at Little Prater when he heard a “whoosh” sound and a thump. He looked up to see a Cooper’s Hawk flying from the yard amid a shower of feathers, carrying a pigeon that it had just taken near one of his seed feeders. The ‘whoosh” was the sound of the bird’s wings as it bore down on the unsuspecting pigeon. The thump was the sound of the hawk hitting the bird. According to Johnnie it was all over within a couple of seconds. A rather large flock of pigeons lives in the area and Cooper’s and Sharp-shinned Hawks are now migrating through our area. It is possible that a migrating Cooper’s saw the pigeon flock from the air and came down to see if he could get lunch. If that was the case, he was successful. |
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Mourning Warbler in Buchanan County Michelle Talbott was birding on Caney Island Branch near Weller Yard on September 18, 2004. There she observed a Mourning Warbler, a small rather plain bird just over five inches long with a gray head, olive colored back and yellow underbelly. This was only the second recorded sighting of this species within the county. The first was by Roger Mayhorn at his home on Compton Mt on September 19, 2002. Way to go Michelle! |
 Late Yellow WarblerUsually Yellow Warblers leave this area for their wintering grounds in July, but on September 17 Roger Mayhorn saw and photographed one in his yard. He was rather surprised to see one so late. He took several photos to make sure that he was correct in his identification. At first he thought the bird might be another small yellow warbler called an Orange-crowned Warbler, but after getting close looks at the bird he was convinced that it was a Yellow Warbler. The bird he saw was more than likely one of the northern subspecies of Yellow Warbler that has been sighted in southeastern Alaska as late as November 12. |
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More Migrants Passing Through Many different avian species have continued through September to come through Buchanan County on their way south. David Raines has been seeing several species around his property at the Breaks. In addition to the Townsend’s Warbler he has been seeing Palm Warblers, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Black-throated Greens, Black-throated Blues, Blue-headed Vireos, American Redstarts, Cape May Warblers, Blackburnian Warblers, Tennessee Warblers, Chipping Sparrows, Eastern Kingbirds, Eastern Wood Pewees, Hooded Warblers, Indigo Buntings, Magnolia Warblers, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Swainson’s Thrushes, Red-eyed Vireos, Wood Thrushes, Yellow-throated Vireos, Yellow-throated Warblers and both Summer and Scarlet Tanagers. One of the most notable species David has found this fall is the Sedge Wren, a species that has been recorded in Buchanan County only a few times. |
 Birch Knob Hawk WatchOn September 19, 20 and 25th, members of the BCBC went to Birch Knob in Dickenson County to watch for migrating hawks. On Sunday, September 19, Ed Talbott II., Ed Talbott III, Roger Mayhorn, David Raines and visitor Tom Dye counted 650 Broad-winged Hawks, 4 Osprey, 3 Peregrine Falcons, 2 Sharp-shinned Hawks and 3 Red-tailed Hawks. On September 20 Roger & Lynda Mayhorn spent the day there and counted 350 Broadwings and one Red-tail. September 25 was not very productive with only 6 Broad-wings and 1 Red-tail counted. |
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Osprey on Boyd Ridge Todd Perkins was looking things over on Boyd Ridge on Saturday, September 25, when an Osprey flew low and directly overhead. Ospreys are migrating southward during this time of the year so keep an eye trained on the sky. You might be lucky, or unlucky, depending on what falls on you. |
 Bluebird Trail 2004 TotalsFrom our club’s two bluebird trails, the Compton Mt Trail and the Johnnie & Betty Ratliff Trail (Breaks) with a total of 51 boxes (including a few in members’ yards) we had the following data: Nest Attempts 62: Some bluebird adults and young were lost, due to attacks from House Sparrows. Some eggs mysteriously disappeared, possibly from being taken by Flying Squirrels. The data has been submitted to the Virginia Bluebird Society. The club owes thanks to Johnnie & Betty Ratliff for the new nest boxes added to the Breaks trail and specifically to Johnnie for building and helping to erect them. Johnnie & Betty also monitored the Compton Mt Trail for two weeks in April and May, while the Mayhorns were on a trip to the western U.S. Thanks also should go to David Raines for his hard work in helping to erect new boxes and in monitoring the 22 boxes of the J&B Ratliff Trail in spite of his busy schedule. This is David’s second year as monitor of that trail. |
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The Raines Invite Birders to their Home David & Susan Raines have extended an invitation to members of the Buchanan County Bird Club to come to their house on Saturday, October 16 for lunch and a day of birding. The day will start with members meeting at Beaver’s Knob near Elkhorn City, KY at 9:00 AM. After birding there for a couple of hours everyone will then go the Raines home, where hot dogs will be served. Those attending should bring a lawn or camp chair, their own drinks with chips etc. After lunch David will lead a bird walk around his property in the hopes of seeing some different species of sparrows. Remember that October is the month when sparrows migrate through the area. Many thanks to the Raines for this invitation. |
 Warbler Watch Day at Mayhorn Home21 Birders showed up on Compton Mt at the Mayhorn home on September 11 to join Roger & Lynda Mayhorn in watching the many migrants pass through their yard. Ed Talbott and David Raines were the first to arrive just after sunrise. By the time other birders arrived a little later several warbler species had already been logged. Some of these were Blackburnian Warblers, Black-throated Greens, Chestnut-sided Warblers, Hooded Warblers, Tennessee Warblers and American Redstarts. Later a Blue-winged Warbler and Magnolia Warblers were observed on the birding trail around the yard. A Red-headed Woodpecker and a Great Blue Heron were observed flying over the area. The Great Blue Heron was being chased by a Chimney Swift. |
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Guesses Fork Sparrow Day The invitation for the annual birding of Guesses Fork on the property of Bill and Shirley Justus and Michelle Talbott has been graciously offered once again to the BCBC, to take place on Saturday, October 30. After a morning of birding a wiener roast will take place on the property. Ed & Michelle Talbott will provide hot dogs. Birders attending should bring a chair, drinks and any other foodstuffs they wish to eat. Thanks again to the Justus and the Talbotts for the invite. |
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BCBC Members Attend Bibbee Nature Club Dinner Three BCBC members, Marie Miller and Roger & Lynda Mayhorn accepted an invitation to attend the Bluefield Bibbee Nature Club’s annual “wild” dinner on Saturday, October 2. At this “wild” dinner Bibbee members bring foods made from wild, natural foods. The delicious foods at this year’s dinner included venison and rice in currant sauce, ramp casserole, bison meat loaf, turkey meat loaf, morel soup, raspberry cobbler, molasses cookies and black walnut pie. Bob Hilton of Hilton’s Pond in South Carolina presented an informative program on Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. Bob has banded Ruby-throats since the 1980’s. He marks the banded birds with a green marker on their throats. If you ever see a hummer with a green throat at your feeder, try to see if it is wearing a band. If the band is on the right leg it is probably a female. Contact someone immediately. Marie, Roger & Lynda greatly enjoyed the evening with the Bibbee Nature Club and look forward to more interaction between the two clubs. Bibbee club member, Allen Waldron, expressed the desire to come down and help with the Breaks Christmas Bird Count. |
 Dead Bobolink on Compton MountainRoger Mayhorn was walking through his backyard, when he saw a bird lying on the ground. After picking it up and looking it over he decided that it was a male Bobolink in winter plumage. It looked as if the bird had flown into a window. Roger has never had a Bobolink on his property before, but hopes that he will see a live one there sometime in the future. The only records of Bobolinks within Buchanan County are those of David Raines at his home in the Breaks. He occasionally sees them in the fields during fall migration. |
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