Winter Birding in Virginia

Visiting Chris and Kenni in Buena Vista, Virginia to share the birth of their baby girl Zuri Rose. She was born Dec. 23. Chris came out for Nathan's wedding (the 2nd of Jan.) on the 31st, and we flew back to Virginia with him on the 3rd. While here we decided to see if we could get some bird pics, so I got on the web and found a guy on BIRDINGPAL.COM.

The guy I connected with is 81 year old retired printer Bob Abraham. A truly delightful guy, we found that we had in common Grants Pass, Oregon, where I grew up and he worked briefly for the Forest Service in the early 50's. He now spends his days hiking along the lakeshores and rivers of south central Virginia looking for and photographing birds. He is known by the local hikers, birders and even the birds themselves! We thoroughly enjoyed his stories, knowledge and willingness to share. A true example of what birding does to bring people together.

Chris, although not a birder, may be hooked. He suffered through the 20 degree (much colder if you factor the wind) weather to look at ducks, woodpeckers, and lot's of little brush skulkers. He is interested in photography however, and this made it fun to watch him go for the birds. He even braved this old Great Blue Heron out on the end of a dock.


This guy really was old and gnarly looking. I think he had been chewing on himself.





Lot's of ducks out on the lake we visited. Grebe's, Coot's, Bufflehead's, Ruddy Duck, etc. etc. While the light was pretty tough, I did get this shot of a Ring Necked Duck on the wing.


Lot's of Chickadee's, Titmice, and Nuthatch's. Bob had been feeding crushed peanuts to some along the river trail, and they mobbed us when he walked up. He even had us feed them.




These Tufted Titmice are common here but were really fun for us western boys who are not used to seeing them. We also saw the Carolina Chickadee which is different from the very common Blackcapped Chickadee common to our feeders in Oregon.


While they are also common in Oregon, the White Breasted Nuthatch is a very gregarious and fairly tame bird. I have gotten them to eat out of my hand before at home while I am filling the feeders.



Several really fun woodpeckers are common in this area. Among them are the Downy (first picture) and the Yellow Bellied Sapsucker.


This picture of the Yellow Bellied Sapsucker is interesting because you seldom see them harvesting berries this way. Usually they are seen working their way up the trunk of a tree.

One of my favorite sparrows is the White Throated Sparrow. Often overlooked among other species, it really stands out in the snow with its distinctive white racing stripes along the head with a tinge of yellow near the eyes and the bright white chin.


While I initially thought this was an Eastern Phoebe, Bob Abraham, our local birder has convinced me that it is a Northern Mockingbird. The bill shape is the primary difference, and the fact that the Eastern Phoebe probably wouldn't be back from the south yet tells me I initially screwed up! This is a good example of how careful we need to be with judging size. The Phoebe is a 7 inch bird and the Mockingbird is a 10 inch bird. Without something to compare to in the field, that can be very tough to call.



As evidence of what the wind was doing to us, I thought I would include this photo of the Mockingbird getting it's "do" blown back!


Finally, the Virginia State bird, the Northern Cardinal. Common here, but really beautiful in the winter. Both the male and female are striking in their own way.