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Updated on Thursday, February 9 at 09:19 AM EST
The most recently received Mail is at the top.


Scarlet Tanager,©Douglas Pratt

9 Feb canaan valley eagle, kingfisher [Ken Dzaack ]
9 Feb Fox Sparrow (Tucker) [Casey Rucker ]
8 Feb PVAS Bird Trip to Shenandoah River and Old Country Club Road ponds [sanford sagalkin ]
7 Feb Another Wood Duck drake, Harpers Ferry [Deb Hale ]
7 Feb Little Indian Creek WMA, Monongalia County [Terry Bronson ]
7 Feb Re: Bat flying around before dusk [Patsy Hunter ]
7 Feb Re: Bat flying around before dusk [Patsy Hunter ]
7 Feb Re: Bat flying around before dusk ["Olcott, Susan P" ]
6 Feb FOY Wood Duck et al, Harpers Ferry [Deb Hale ]
6 Feb Wild Turkey- Jefferson County [Carol Del-Colle ]
5 Feb Hancock County - Tree Sparrows [John Boback ]
5 Feb Monongahela River Trail north of Hildebrand Dam--Mergs, Grebes, Butter-butts [Terry Bronson ]
5 Feb Pine siskins [Kevin Cade ]
5 Feb Fwd: eBird Report - Pipestem State Park, Feb 5, 2012 [Jim & Judy Phillips ]
5 Feb Fwd: eBird Report - New River-Madams Creek to Sandstone Falls, Feb 5, 2012 [Jim & Judy Phillips ]
5 Feb Snow Goose & raptors @ UDC [Gary Felton ]
5 Feb Gull hat trick, Surf Scoter, Horned Grebe [Matt Orsie ]
5 Feb Chipping Sparrow [Dave Patick ]
5 Feb Fw: Post "Breakfast Special" [Bruni Haydl ]
5 Feb PVAS Birdwalk at the National Conservation Training Center [sandy sagalkin ]
5 Feb Rusty blackbirds and waterfowl ["Rankin, Gary" ]
4 Feb Bat before dark [Rennie Talbert ]
4 Feb Berkeley Co. turkeys [Alex ]
4 Feb Rte. 2 Birding [Dave Patick ]
4 Feb Eagles and Chipping Sparrows, Hardy County ["David E. Carr" ]
4 Feb Great Backyard Bird Count scheduled for Feb. 17-20 [Terry Bronson ]
4 Feb Re: Bat flying around before dusk [Gary Felton ]
4 Feb Re: Bat flying around before dusk [Steve Mace ]
3 Feb Bat flying around before dusk [Deborah Beutler ]
4 Feb common goldeneye, yellow-rumped warbler and one not idetified [Wilma Jarrell ]
3 Feb peent [Jim & Judy Phillips ]
3 Feb Watters Smith State Park and Jackson Mills 4-H Center [Terry Bronson ]
3 Feb Jefferson county waterfowl [Matt ]
3 Feb Singing Horned Lark, Common Mergansers, Ring-billed Gull- Jefferson County [Carol Del-Colle ]
3 Feb More Common Goldeneyes, other neighborhood birds, Harpers Ferry [Deb Hale ]
3 Feb 2011 CBC's [Jane Whitaker ]
3 Feb morning walk [Jim & Judy Phillips ]
2 Feb American Woodcock [Mike Griffith ]
2 Feb wide variety of waterfowl/Winfield Locks [richardkazmierski Kazmierski ]
2 Feb Randolph County Crossbills ["Tallman, Robert E" ]
2 Feb Re: birds, recently [Bruni Haydl ]
2 Feb Cheat Lake RB Merganser; Core Arboretum update [Terry Bronson ]
2 Feb Re: birds, recently [Terry Bronson ]
2 Feb We are now within Bald Eagle safe dates! [Richard Bailey ]
2 Feb FOY Yellow-bellied Sapsucker- Yard/Summit Point [Carol Del-Colle ]
2 Feb birds, recently [Jim & Judy Phillips ]
2 Feb ruffed grouse [Wilma Jarrell ]
1 Feb RS nest [Bruni Haydl ]
1 Feb Winter finches defy prognosticators ["gljeinwv AT juno.com" ]
1 Feb Turkey Vulture Roost/Cross Lanes [richardkazmierski Kazmierski ]
1 Feb Vulture Roost []
1 Feb Randolph Countyr Mergansers ["Tallman, Robert E" ]
31 Jan Golden-crowned Kinglets [Willa Grafton ]
31 Jan Screech Owl [Rennie Talbert ]
31 Jan Northern Pintail - Claymont Court [Matt ]
31 Jan Pied-billed Grebe at Teter Creek Lake in Barbour County [Kyle Aldinger ]
31 Jan Showing off [Bruni Haydl ]
30 Jan Cheat Lake additions [Ryan Tomazin ]
30 Jan Barbour-Randolph-Tucker-Preston Counties loop; Canaan Valley Shrike--maybe [Terry Bronson ]
30 Jan American Pipits --- Harrison Co.; Waterfowl --- Cheat Lake [Derek Courtney ]
30 Jan 50+ Siskins (Tucker) [Casey Rucker ]
30 Jan open water has helped ["gljeinwv AT juno.com" ]
30 Jan ducks and bald eagle [Wilma Jarrell ]
29 Jan Ross's Goose, Bonaparte's Gull, Red Crossbills and other FOY's [Matt ]
30 Jan Surf Scoter and American wigeons on Shenandoah River - Jefferson County [Bird Mom ]
29 Jan Brooke County - A Bufflehead [John Boback ]
29 Jan Preston notables - Black Vultures, ducks, Rusty Blackbird ["gljeinwv AT juno.com" ]
29 Jan Moncove Lake, Monroe County [Sharyn Ogden ]
29 Jan Multiplying Meadowlarks, Harpers Ferry [Deb Hale ]
29 Jan Another huge Wild Turkey flock [Terry Bronson ]
28 Jan Ride [Herb & Sarah Myers ]
28 Jan Purple Finches and Robin [Ginnie ]
28 Jan Pleasant Creek WMA and Tygart Lake birds [Terry Bronson ]
28 Jan test message [Ginnie ]
28 Jan Pipits, waterfowl, and raptors in Hardy County ["David E. Carr" ]
27 Jan eagles near Winfield ["Cynthia D. Ellis" ]

Subject: canaan valley eagle, kingfisher
From: Ken Dzaack <crossfire02 AT HOTMAIL.COM>
Date: Thu, 9 Feb 2012 09:00:19 -0500
2-8-12: I got a good look at a Kingfisher and a mature Bald Eagle this 
afternoon at the intersection of Coffman Lane and Cortland Rd. I also saw the 
Northern Shrike last week near the same location. Pine Siskins in numbers, 
finches, and cardinals were at my feeders in Canaan Valley. 

Subject: Fox Sparrow (Tucker)
From: Casey Rucker <autoblock AT FRONTIERNET.NET>
Date: Thu, 9 Feb 2012 08:37:12 -0500
Hi, all,
 
The first, and quite early, Fox Sparrow of the year appeared on my porch
yesterday evening, and it's there now.  High count of Pine Siskins last week
was 162, and I had fun yesterday feeding them by hand.  The bird on my palm
would defend its territory vigorously.
 
Good birding,
Casey Rucker
Dry Fork, WV 
Subject: PVAS Bird Trip to Shenandoah River and Old Country Club Road ponds
From: sanford sagalkin <monsansagalkin AT MYACTV.NET>
Date: Wed, 8 Feb 2012 15:54:43 -0500
Braving the forecast of snow, a few hearty PVAS souls went out looking for 
waterfowl this morning along Bloomery and John Rissler roads and in the Old 
Country Club Road ponds. 


At the Old Country Club Road ponds, we saw large numbers of Gadwals, two 
Pied-billed Grebes, a few Mallards and the usual complement of Canada Geese. 


Along Bloomery and John Rissler Roads, we picked a couple dozen American Black 
Ducks, Mallards, Common Mergansers, Hooded Mergansers, Gadwals, and over a 
dozen American Widgeons near the Rt 9 bridge. 


In addition, we had a Bald Eagle, Great Blue Herons, Mourning Doves, Belted 
Kingfishers, Pileated Woodpeckers, American Crows, White-breasted Nuthatches, 
Carolina Wrens and Eastern Bluebirds, the latter flying around the rocks in the 
middle of the river near the Rt 9 bridge. 


We checked the owl tree and found the occupant missing. By then, the snow 
started and we went home. 


Sandy Sagalkin
Sharpsburg, MD
Subject: Another Wood Duck drake, Harpers Ferry
From: Deb Hale <debhale72 AT GMAIL.COM>
Date: Tue, 7 Feb 2012 16:21:32 -0500
I found this WOOD DUCK drake swimming in the Shenandoah near town - in a
not easily accessible stretch of the river: down from the VA-340 bridge &
along the Nat'l Park wetlands, there is a little path that crosses the
railroad track & leads down to the river.

He was swimming closely with a pair of GREEN-WINGED TEAL.  Another pair of
teals swam closer to the far bank; nearby a pair of Canada Geese and
American Black Ducks dilly-dallied.  Closer toward the bridge, I could see
several Mallards.

I forgot to mention the other waterfowl I found on the Shenandoah yesterday
(Bloomery-Rissler Rds):
40 Common Mergansers
2 A. Black Ducks
1 Mallard (Drake)
3 Gadwall
2 A. Wigeon

I am determined to find more secretive hideouts of these Wood Ducks!


Deb Hale
Harpers Ferry/Bolivar
Subject: Little Indian Creek WMA, Monongalia County
From: Terry Bronson <bronsonwv AT GMAIL.COM>
Date: Tue, 7 Feb 2012 15:20:35 -0500
Derek Courtney and I went in search of Short-eared Owls this morning.

Along John Fox Road west of I-79, we found zero owls. Only 2 Killdeer,
1 Red-tailed Hawk, 5 Juncos, and 2 Song Sparrows at dawn.

By the time we got to Little Indian Creek WMA about 15 minutes later,
it was already light, so we found no owls there either. We spent 2
hours and 45 minutes, hiking 2 miles out and back, then checking
briefly along the road next to the creek. Birding was slow at first,
but eventually we netted 27 species with these highlights:

Great Blue Heron--1
Red-tailed Hawk--2
Killdeer--2
Northern Flicker--4
Golden-crowned Kinglet--1
Eastern Bluebird--6
American Robin--1, Derek's first of the year
Yellow-rumped Warbler--5
American Tree Sparrow--3
Field Sparrow--1
Song Sparrow--15
White-throated Sparrow--2
Dark-eyed Junco--12
Northern Cardinal--10, including 2 singing males
Brown-headed Cowbird--2 flyovers

-- 
Terry Bronson
Morgantown, WV
Subject: Re: Bat flying around before dusk
From: Patsy Hunter <patsyhunter AT GMAIL.COM>
Date: Tue, 7 Feb 2012 14:43:32 -0500
Sorry for the mass email folks -- hit the wrong button!

On Tuesday, February 7, 2012, Patsy Hunter  wrote:
>
>
> On Tuesday, February 7, 2012, Olcott, Susan P 
wrote:
>> It's not unusual to see red bats flying around during warmer days in the
winter.  They'll catch things like stoneflies and cold hardy moths that may
be out.  This is normal behavior.  So far, so called tree bats, like red
bats, hoary bats, and silver-haired bats, haven't contracted white-nose
syndrome (WNS).  These guys migrate south, then hibernate under leaf piles
and other stuff on the forest floor and come out periodically if it's warm
enough (above about 50 degrees) - usually in the afternoon or early
evening.  Bats that get WNS are cave bats (little brown bat, northern
long-eared bat) that migrate to specific caves or other underground areas
that maintain constant temperatures and humidity in order to hibernate.  If
you want further information on WNS (and grim it is), check out the FWS
website that's acting as a clearing house for everyone working on this
disease (http://www.fws.gov/WhiteNoseSyndrome/)
>>
>> Susan Olcott
>> Wildlife Diversity and Technical Services Unit
>> WVDNR Wildlife Resources Section
>> PO Box 99
>> 1110 Railroad St
>> Farmington, WV 26571
>> (304)825-6787
>> fax (304)825-6270
>> susan.p.olcott AT wv.gov
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Audubon birding discussion for WV [mailto:WV-BIRD AT LIST.AUDUBON.ORG]
On Behalf Of Deborah Beutler
>> Sent: Friday, February 03, 2012 9:43 PM
>> To: WV-BIRD AT LIST.AUDUBON.ORG
>> Subject: Bat flying around before dusk
>>
>> I know this is a bird list server but I thought my observation might be
of interest to nature lovers.  During the last two evenings, I have
observed a small bat flying around the Morris Creek Watershed area (on the
border of Fayette and Kanawha counties).  Two things struck me as odd about
this observation: 1) it was flying around in February when most bats should
be hibernating or farther south and 2) it was more than an hour before
sunset.
>>
>> The bat this evening was flying over a freshwater pond; I assume it was
looking insects.  I watched it flying around at night.  It was almost
glowing with the sun shining on its golden brown fur.  It seemed to be
healthy.
>>
>> Has anyone else observed bat flying around in February in the bright
light of the sun?
>>
>> The birding was rather dull with a few Northern Cardinals, several
Carolina Chickadees, and distant calls of Pileated Woodpeckers and American
Crow.
>>
>> Deb
>>
>>
>>
>> Deborah K. Beutler, Ph.D.
>> Associate Professor, Department of Biology
>> Faculty Athletic Representative
>> Biology Club Advisor
>> Director of the Central and Southern West Virginia RSEF
>> 2110 Orndorff Hall
>> WVU Institute of Technology
>> Montgomery, Fayette Co., West Virginia 25136
>>
>> Office Phone: 304-442-3202
>>
>> www.wvutech.edu
>>
>>
>>
>>
Subject: Re: Bat flying around before dusk
From: Patsy Hunter <patsyhunter AT GMAIL.COM>
Date: Tue, 7 Feb 2012 14:38:56 -0500
Chuck:  another wrinkle in the bat saga --- maybe it doesn't have
white-nose syndrome .... From the original poster mentioned the red fur so
maybe it's a red bat....  See you Friday!

On Tuesday, February 7, 2012, Olcott, Susan P  wrote:
> It's not unusual to see red bats flying around during warmer days in the
winter.  They'll catch things like stoneflies and cold hardy moths that may
be out.  This is normal behavior.  So far, so called tree bats, like red
bats, hoary bats, and silver-haired bats, haven't contracted white-nose
syndrome (WNS).  These guys migrate south, then hibernate under leaf piles
and other stuff on the forest floor and come out periodically if it's warm
enough (above about 50 degrees) - usually in the afternoon or early
evening.  Bats that get WNS are cave bats (little brown bat, northern
long-eared bat) that migrate to specific caves or other underground areas
that maintain constant temperatures and humidity in order to hibernate.  If
you want further information on WNS (and grim it is), check out the FWS
website that's acting as a clearing house for everyone working on this
disease (http://www.fws.gov/WhiteNoseSyndrome/)
>
> Susan Olcott
> Wildlife Diversity and Technical Services Unit
> WVDNR Wildlife Resources Section
> PO Box 99
> 1110 Railroad St
> Farmington, WV 26571
> (304)825-6787
> fax (304)825-6270
> susan.p.olcott AT wv.gov
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Audubon birding discussion for WV [mailto:WV-BIRD AT LIST.AUDUBON.ORG]
On Behalf Of Deborah Beutler
> Sent: Friday, February 03, 2012 9:43 PM
> To: WV-BIRD AT LIST.AUDUBON.ORG
> Subject: Bat flying around before dusk
>
> I know this is a bird list server but I thought my observation might be
of interest to nature lovers.  During the last two evenings, I have
observed a small bat flying around the Morris Creek Watershed area (on the
border of Fayette and Kanawha counties).  Two things struck me as odd about
this observation: 1) it was flying around in February when most bats should
be hibernating or farther south and 2) it was more than an hour before
sunset.
>
> The bat this evening was flying over a freshwater pond; I assume it was
looking insects.  I watched it flying around at night.  It was almost
glowing with the sun shining on its golden brown fur.  It seemed to be
healthy.
>
> Has anyone else observed bat flying around in February in the bright
light of the sun?
>
> The birding was rather dull with a few Northern Cardinals, several
Carolina Chickadees, and distant calls of Pileated Woodpeckers and American
Crow.
>
> Deb
>
>
>
> Deborah K. Beutler, Ph.D.
> Associate Professor, Department of Biology
> Faculty Athletic Representative
> Biology Club Advisor
> Director of the Central and Southern West Virginia RSEF
> 2110 Orndorff Hall
> WVU Institute of Technology
> Montgomery, Fayette Co., West Virginia 25136
>
> Office Phone: 304-442-3202
>
> www.wvutech.edu
>
>
>
>
Subject: Re: Bat flying around before dusk
From: "Olcott, Susan P" <Susan.P.Olcott AT WV.GOV>
Date: Tue, 7 Feb 2012 13:29:46 -0500
It's not unusual to see red bats flying around during warmer days in the 
winter. They'll catch things like stoneflies and cold hardy moths that may be 
out. This is normal behavior. So far, so called tree bats, like red bats, hoary 
bats, and silver-haired bats, haven't contracted white-nose syndrome (WNS). 
These guys migrate south, then hibernate under leaf piles and other stuff on 
the forest floor and come out periodically if it's warm enough (above about 50 
degrees) - usually in the afternoon or early evening. Bats that get WNS are 
cave bats (little brown bat, northern long-eared bat) that migrate to specific 
caves or other underground areas that maintain constant temperatures and 
humidity in order to hibernate. If you want further information on WNS (and 
grim it is), check out the FWS website that's acting as a clearing house for 
everyone working on this disease (http://www.fws.gov/WhiteNoseSyndrome/) 


Susan Olcott
Wildlife Diversity and Technical Services Unit
WVDNR Wildlife Resources Section
PO Box 99
1110 Railroad St
Farmington, WV 26571
(304)825-6787
fax (304)825-6270
susan.p.olcott AT wv.gov

-----Original Message-----
From: Audubon birding discussion for WV [mailto:WV-BIRD AT LIST.AUDUBON.ORG] On 
Behalf Of Deborah Beutler 

Sent: Friday, February 03, 2012 9:43 PM
To: WV-BIRD AT LIST.AUDUBON.ORG
Subject: Bat flying around before dusk

I know this is a bird list server but I thought my observation might be of 
interest to nature lovers. During the last two evenings, I have observed a 
small bat flying around the Morris Creek Watershed area (on the border of 
Fayette and Kanawha counties). Two things struck me as odd about this 
observation: 1) it was flying around in February when most bats should be 
hibernating or farther south and 2) it was more than an hour before sunset. 

 
The bat this evening was flying over a freshwater pond; I assume it was looking 
insects. I watched it flying around at night. It was almost glowing with the 
sun shining on its golden brown fur. It seemed to be healthy. 

 
Has anyone else observed bat flying around in February in the bright light of 
the sun? 

 
The birding was rather dull with a few Northern Cardinals, several Carolina 
Chickadees, and distant calls of Pileated Woodpeckers and American Crow. 

 
Deb
 
 

Deborah K. Beutler, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Biology
Faculty Athletic Representative
Biology Club Advisor
Director of the Central and Southern West Virginia RSEF
2110 Orndorff Hall
WVU Institute of Technology
Montgomery, Fayette Co., West Virginia 25136
 
Office Phone: 304-442-3202
 
www.wvutech.edu
 
 
 
Subject: FOY Wood Duck et al, Harpers Ferry
From: Deb Hale <debhale72 AT GMAIL.COM>
Date: Mon, 6 Feb 2012 17:59:13 -0500
This afternoon, 3-4 pm:
The WOOD DUCK drake silently paddled round the corner of the river bank
while I had stopped to check out the male Belted Kingfisher sitting on a
branch hanging out over the Potomac (at Potomac St. extension above the
dam). Just as silently the drake retreated back behind the bank, which
abuts private land. I only got a solid 2 minutes of him, but it was
glorious.  There was also a PIED-BILLED GREBE swimming nearby.

I found the EASTERN PHOEBE again along the Shenandoah, in trees near
Moulton Park; two PIED-BILLED GREBES swam together downstream from the BTI
put-in. But the RED-TAILED HAWKS won the day: 3 circling above the tiny
train town of Millville; 1 perched in a farmland tree nearer the
Shenandoah; a pair sharing a tree branch on Bakerton Rd....One adult BALD
EAGLE flew upriver from the S-Curve spot on Bloomery.

This morning, 10 am:
2 COMMON RAVENS being very vocal near the footbridge at Harpers Ferry.


Deb Hale
Harpers Ferry/Bolivar
Subject: Wild Turkey- Jefferson County
From: Carol Del-Colle <WVnaturalist AT COMCAST.NET>
Date: Mon, 6 Feb 2012 12:07:33 +0000
Greetings, 

    Yesterday evening around 4:45, on my way to a church Super Bowl party, 
 I saw 7 Turkey in some trees that line the creek at Claymont on Huyett 
Road.  When I first noticed the large birds in the trees, from a distance, I 
thought Turkey Vulture, and then as I got closer, I could see they were Wild 
Turkey instead.  With no other cars on the road at the time, I stopped the 
car to look more closely, and count how many I saw.  While I was doing this, 
the closest bird took off in flight to the fields on the other side of the 
creek.  The other birds followed into the fields.  I have seen Turkey in 
trees before, but not very often, so it was a very nice surprise.  


     Happy birding, 

         Carol Del-Colle 

          Summit Point, 

           Jefferson County  
Subject: Hancock County - Tree Sparrows
From: John Boback <morlitte AT YAHOO.COM>
Date: Sun, 5 Feb 2012 19:27:15 -0500
Hi All:

I spent some time this afternoon birding around Hillcrest WMA. I had hoped for 
raptors, but ended up with sparrows. 


American Tree Sparrow (31)
White-crowned Sparrow (1) FOY
Field Sparrow (1) FOY

The wetland complex was ice free and duck free. 

John Boback
Subject: Monongahela River Trail north of Hildebrand Dam--Mergs, Grebes, Butter-butts
From: Terry Bronson <bronsonwv AT GMAIL.COM>
Date: Sun, 5 Feb 2012 17:27:23 -0500
I hiked along the Monongahela River Trail from Uffington to the
Hildebrand Lock and Dam this afternoon--about 3 miles each way. Birds
were concentrated near Uffington and the I-79 bridge at the east end
and the open-field area north of the dam at the west end. Of note:

Uffington area:
Common Merganser--11, just downstream from the bridge
Pied-billed Grebe--5
Great Blue Heron--2
Balted Kingfisher--1
Yellow-rumped Warbler--5

At and near field area north of dam:
Great Blue Heron--1
Pileated Woodpecker--1
Common Raven--1
Brown Creeper--1
Golden-crowned Kinglet--1
Eastern Bluebird--2
Song Sparrow--5
Dark-eyed Junco--5
Wild Turkey--tracks on the trail, but no birds seen

-- 
Terry Bronson
Morgantown, WV
Subject: Pine siskins
From: Kevin Cade <dmgraphics AT DAILYMAIL.COM>
Date: Sun, 5 Feb 2012 16:17:53 -0500
Saw a couple of pine siskins today at a feeder near my parents' home in Wayne 
County. They live about a mile from the Beech Fork Dam & Marina. 


Kevin Cade
Putnam County
Subject: Fwd: eBird Report - Pipestem State Park, Feb 5, 2012
From: Jim & Judy Phillips <jimandjudyphillips AT GMAIL.COM>
Date: Sun, 5 Feb 2012 16:07:11 -0500
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	eBird Report - Pipestem State Park, Feb 5, 2012
Date: 	Sun, 5 Feb 2012 16:02:45 -0500 (EST)
From: 	do-not-reply AT ebird.org
To: 	jimandjudyphillips AT gmail.com



Pipestem State Park, Summers, US-WV
Feb 5, 2012 11:00 AM - 12:15 PM
Protocol: Traveling
1.5 mile(s)
Comments:     Den Tree&  Law Hollow Trails
11 species

Black Vulture  2
Red-tailed Hawk  1
Downy Woodpecker  2
Pileated Woodpecker  1
Blue Jay  1
American Crow  5
Tufted Titmouse  2
White-breasted Nuthatch  2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet  1
Eastern Bluebird  2
American Goldfinch  3

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)
Subject: Fwd: eBird Report - New River-Madams Creek to Sandstone Falls, Feb 5, 2012
From: Jim & Judy Phillips <jimandjudyphillips AT GMAIL.COM>
Date: Sun, 5 Feb 2012 16:06:15 -0500
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	eBird Report - New River-Madams Creek to Sandstone Falls, Feb 
5, 2012
Date: 	Sun, 5 Feb 2012 15:55:05 -0500 (EST)
From: 	do-not-reply AT ebird.org
To: 	jimandjudyphillips AT gmail.com



New River-Madams Creek to Sandstone Falls, Summers, US-WV
Feb 5, 2012 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Protocol: Traveling
8.0 mile(s)
13 species

Canada Goose  12
Mallard  13
Hooded Merganser  2
Common Merganser  1
Great Blue Heron  3
Turkey Vulture  3
Bald Eagle  1     adult on nest
Red-tailed Hawk  1
Golden Eagle  1     adult over Sandstone Falls
American Kestrel  1
Belted Kingfisher  1
American Crow  8
American Goldfinch  20

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)
Subject: Snow Goose & raptors @ UDC
From: Gary Felton <wvfauna AT YAHOO.COM>
Date: Sun, 5 Feb 2012 11:00:54 -0800



________________________________
 Snow Goose
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk - 3
American Kestrel

FOY Northern Flicker at Kingwood 
Subject: Gull hat trick, Surf Scoter, Horned Grebe
From: Matt Orsie <wvbirder AT COMCAST.NET>
Date: Sun, 5 Feb 2012 13:57:15 -0500
All.
 Between the "S" turn and the Rt 9 bridge this AM I saw Ring-billed, Herring, 
and a lone Bonaparte's Gull. Also, a Horned Grebe was at Moulton Park and 
perhaps the same Surf Scoter that was seen last weekend. 


Duck notables were numerous American Wigeon and a female Common Goldeneye.

Only found a handful of Horned Larks along Cattail Run road in the 1 1/2 inches 
of snow that fell last evening. 


Matt Orsie
Summit Point
Subject: Chipping Sparrow
From: Dave Patick <patick AT COMCAST.NET>
Date: Sun, 5 Feb 2012 17:29:46 +0000
I did some casual birding at Beech Fork State Park Campground this am and 
refound the previously reported flock of 25 Chipping Sparrows.They were found 
along the road just past the Park Headquarters and directly across from the 
Rest Room facilities.There was also 2 Field Sparrows within the flock and 3 
Swamp Sparrows nearby. 


  

David Patick, 

Huntington,WV 25701 
Subject: Fw: Post "Breakfast Special"
From: Bruni Haydl <bruni AT CITLINK.NET>
Date: Sun, 5 Feb 2012 11:34:22 -0500
If this is a duplication, please forgive me. I got an error message on my first 
attempt. 

Bruni

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Bruni Haydl 
To: WV-BIRD AT LIST.AUDUBON.ORG 
Sent: Sunday, February 05, 2012 11:08 AM
Subject: Post "Breakfast Special"



After a delicious breakfast I was admiring a handsome Flicker on the suet when 
the female Pileated flew in and made him scoot over to the other suet cake. 
Then the male Flicker came. At one point they were both whacking away at the 
suet while three Flickers were gobbling up the crumbs at the base of the tree. 
At the same time there were two Downy's, a Hairy and a Red Belly on the trunk 
of the tree. Absolutely amazing how close they all were to each other since my 
suet hangs only about 5 ft above ground. Truly a wonderful sight. The female 
Pileated is now coming to the feeder several times a day, with or without him. 



A couple of mornings ago one of the RS hawks flew over us carrying a twig. It 
headed straight for the nest and I could see its head and tail bobbing around 
as it was working it in. That afternoon one of the hawks was perched in a tree 
by the driveway, facing the late afternoon sun. The deer were lounging on the 
lawn on the other side. Nobody bothered to move as my dog and I walked by. They 
all seem to know our routine. This morning when we came back from our walk the 
female was sitting in the side yard. Shortly thereafter I checked and the male 
had joined her on the branch. When I opened the back door to get a photo he 
took off but she stayed for another hour. A Sharpie was also in the back yard 
but didn't come near the feeders. 


On the small bird front, I've noticed an abundance of House finches, often more 
than 30. 


Bruni Haydl
Charles Town
Subject: PVAS Birdwalk at the National Conservation Training Center
From: sandy sagalkin <monsansagalkin AT MYACTV.NET>
Date: Sun, 5 Feb 2012 07:27:33 -0800
The Potomac Valley Audubon Society started its 2012 birding season with a bird 
walk at the National Conservation Training Center. We had a group of almost 20, 
NCTC being our most popular birding venue. It was a cold and cloudy morning 
with not a great deal of bird activity. But the beauty of the western reach of 
the campus, one of my favorite areas, made up for it. We followed the Riverview 
Farm trail through meadows and woods. The highlight of our walk was the eagle 
nest. the Riverview Farm trail circumnavigates it closely enough to get good 
views but not so close as to disturb the eagles. Both were on duty yesterday. 
We saw or heard 25 species. Dark-eyed Juncos and Eastern Bluebirds were 
plentiful and showy. Some of our group heard a Common Raven. And the Pileated 
Woodpeckers were noisy and showy. We will be going back March 31. Anyone 
interested in going can contact me. 


Please be sure to visit the new Potomac Valley Audubon Society's new website. 
We have a new interactive birding trail map that will direct birders in our 
neck of the woods to the best sites in the Eastern Panhandle. 


Sandy Sagalkin
Sharpsburg, MD
Subject: Rusty blackbirds and waterfowl
From: "Rankin, Gary" <rankin AT MARSHALL.EDU>
Date: Sun, 5 Feb 2012 04:58:30 +0000
I made a trip up Rte. 2 and over to Winfield late this afternoon. As David 
Patick reported earlier, there weren't too many birds out along the river. I 
did find a nice mixed flock of Rusty and Red-winged Blackbirds (about 30 all 
together with about 12 Rusty BB) at Ashton. Most of the ducks David reported at 
Gallipolis Ferry were still there, although no Lesser Scaup or Am. Wigeon were 
present. 


Since it was getting late, I decided to drive along Rte. 35 to the Winfield 
locks area, seeing a flock of about 25 Wild Turkeys along the way in Mason Co. 
When I checked the largest pond near the armory around 5:15 pm, I found a nice 
variety and number of waterfowl. A list of birds seen on the Winfield pond are 
shown below: 


Canvasback 1female
Redhead 16 mostly males
Ring-necked Duck 16 mostly males
American wigeon 2 females
Hooded Merganser 10
Common Goldeneye 1 female
Gadwall 6
Mallard 6
Am. Coot 4
Canada Goose 2

Gary Rankin
Lavalette WV
Wayne Co.
Sent from my iPad
Subject: Bat before dark
From: Rennie Talbert <renniett AT FRONTIER.COM>
Date: Sat, 4 Feb 2012 16:31:40 -0500
I also saw a bat flying before sundown on Thursday at Barboursville Park. It 
was a warm enough day, but the way the bat was flying and that it was out at 
all also made me think that it was diseased. While I watched it, it didn't fly 
more than ten feet off of the ground, and it flew more or less in a straight 
line. 


Rennie Talbert
Barboursville, WV
Subject: Berkeley Co. turkeys
From: Alex <aatsiatsos AT YAHOO.COM>
Date: Sat, 4 Feb 2012 12:07:04 -0800
I thought I saw a shrike half way along the north side of Business Park Dr (the 
new road connecting I-81 with Rt. 11 -- the Tabler Station Road exit).  I never 
found the shrike, if that's what it was, but in the cul-de-sac at the end of 
the road running in front of Allmine Paving I saw 18 turkeys. 

 
--Alex Tsiatsos
Berkeley Co.
Subject: Rte. 2 Birding
From: Dave Patick <patick AT COMCAST.NET>
Date: Sat, 4 Feb 2012 19:55:42 +0000
Wendell Argabrite ,Mike Griffith and I birded this am along Rte. 2 with most of 
the highlights at Gallipolis Ferry.The Temp. was around 40 degrees and overcast 
with showers starting around 1130 am.Here are some of the birds seen: 


  

Gallipolis Ferry: 

  

Canvasback-2 

Lesser Scaup-1 

American Black Duck-2 

Coot-2 

Ring-necked Duck-4 

Pied-billed Grebe-1 

American Wigeon-2 

Gadwall-1 

Mallard-12 

Horned Lark-1 

  

Greenbottom : 

  

Sharp-shinned Hawk-1 

  

David Patick , 

Huntington,WV 25701 
Subject: Eagles and Chipping Sparrows, Hardy County
From: "David E. Carr" <dec5z AT CMS.MAIL.VIRGINIA.EDU>
Date: Sat, 4 Feb 2012 09:43:44 -0500
I counted at least 22 Bald Eagles this morning along Parker Hollow Road in 
Hardy County, west of Baker.  Almost all of these eagles were concentrated 
in a small woodlot at the edge of a large chicken farm about a mile and a 
half south of the parking lot for Parker Hollow Lake.  At least 12 of the 
eagles were adults, and there were more than a dozen Common Ravens in the 
area as well.  I have long suspected that the large winter concentrations of 
eagles that tend to turn up in this area were being created by scavenging 
opportunities at the many large chicken operations in the Baker area.  This 
seemed to be what was going on here.

A stop at Kimsey Run Lake was less impressive by comparison: 2 adult Bald 
Eagles, a Cooper's Hawk, American Kestrel, Red-headed Woodpecker, 2 Canada 
Geese, but no other waterfowl.  I was surprised to find 6 Chipping Sparrows 
mixed in with Dark-eyed Juncos across from the small campground on Kimsey 
Run Rd.

David Carr
Arkansaw, WV
Hardy County
Subject: Great Backyard Bird Count scheduled for Feb. 17-20
From: Terry Bronson <bronsonwv AT GMAIL.COM>
Date: Sat, 4 Feb 2012 07:20:19 -0500
I haven't seen much publicity on this, so I thought I'd help spread
the word. Below is the promotional excerpt from National Audubon.

The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is a great way to learn about and
enjoy your local birds, engage with family and friends, and join
thousands across the country in submitting observations to the GBBC
database. Simply count any birds you observe in your backyard, local
park or other location for just 15 minutes on one or more days between
February 17 and 20, and report your findings online at
http://birdcount.org. Learn more about participating in the GBBC at
http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/howto.html.

And don't forget to enter your sightings in eBird too.

-- 
Terry Bronson
Morgantown, WV
Subject: Re: Bat flying around before dusk
From: Gary Felton <wvfauna AT YAHOO.COM>
Date: Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:53:55 -0800



________________________________
 Years ago, I recall seeing a Red Bat, out during the day, in November.

Gary Felton -  Kingwood


From: Deborah Beutler 
To: WV-BIRD AT LIST.AUDUBON.ORG 
Sent: Friday, February 3, 2012 9:43 PM
Subject: Bat flying around before dusk
 
I know this is a bird list server but I thought my observation might be of 
interest to nature lovers.  During the last two evenings, I have observed a 
small bat flying around the Morris Creek Watershed area (on the border of 
Fayette and Kanawha counties).  Two things struck me as odd about this 
observation: 1) it was flying around in February when most bats should be 
hibernating or farther south and 2) it was more than an hour before sunset. 


The bat this evening was flying over a freshwater pond; I assume it was looking 
insects.  I watched it flying around at night.  It was almost glowing with the 
sun shining on its golden brown fur.  It seemed to be healthy. 


Has anyone else observed bat flying around in February in the bright light of 
the sun? 


The birding was rather dull with a few Northern Cardinals, several Carolina 
Chickadees, and distant calls of Pileated Woodpeckers and American Crow. 


Deb



Deborah K. Beutler, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Biology
Faculty Athletic Representative
Biology Club Advisor
Director of the Central and Southern West Virginia RSEF
2110 Orndorff Hall
WVU Institute of Technology
Montgomery, Fayette Co., West Virginia 25136

Office Phone: 304-442-3202

www.wvutech.edu
Subject: Re: Bat flying around before dusk
From: Steve Mace <sdmace AT FRONTIERNET.NET>
Date: Sat, 4 Feb 2012 02:52:19 +0000
I saw one flying in McClintic WMA here in Mason County a couple of days ago. It 
was about the same time of day as your bat. I'm fearful we have White-nose 
Syndrome. 


Sent from Steve Mace

On Feb 3, 2012, at 9:43 PM, Deborah Beutler  
wrote: 


> I know this is a bird list server but I thought my observation might be of 
interest to nature lovers. During the last two evenings, I have observed a 
small bat flying around the Morris Creek Watershed area (on the border of 
Fayette and Kanawha counties). Two things struck me as odd about this 
observation: 1) it was flying around in February when most bats should be 
hibernating or farther south and 2) it was more than an hour before sunset. 

> 
> The bat this evening was flying over a freshwater pond; I assume it was 
looking insects. I watched it flying around at night. It was almost glowing 
with the sun shining on its golden brown fur. It seemed to be healthy. 

> 
> Has anyone else observed bat flying around in February in the bright light of 
the sun? 

> 
> The birding was rather dull with a few Northern Cardinals, several Carolina 
Chickadees, and distant calls of Pileated Woodpeckers and American Crow. 

> 
> Deb
> 
> 
> 
> Deborah K. Beutler, Ph.D.
> Associate Professor, Department of Biology
> Faculty Athletic Representative
> Biology Club Advisor
> Director of the Central and Southern West Virginia RSEF
> 2110 Orndorff Hall
> WVU Institute of Technology
> Montgomery, Fayette Co., West Virginia 25136
> 
> Office Phone: 304-442-3202
> 
> www.wvutech.edu
> 
> 
> 
Subject: Bat flying around before dusk
From: Deborah Beutler <Deborah.Beutler AT MAIL.WVU.EDU>
Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2012 21:43:15 -0500
I know this is a bird list server but I thought my observation might be of 
interest to nature lovers. During the last two evenings, I have observed a 
small bat flying around the Morris Creek Watershed area (on the border of 
Fayette and Kanawha counties). Two things struck me as odd about this 
observation: 1) it was flying around in February when most bats should be 
hibernating or farther south and 2) it was more than an hour before sunset. 

 
The bat this evening was flying over a freshwater pond; I assume it was looking 
insects. I watched it flying around at night. It was almost glowing with the 
sun shining on its golden brown fur. It seemed to be healthy. 

 
Has anyone else observed bat flying around in February in the bright light of 
the sun? 

 
The birding was rather dull with a few Northern Cardinals, several Carolina 
Chickadees, and distant calls of Pileated Woodpeckers and American Crow. 

 
Deb
 
 

Deborah K. Beutler, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Biology
Faculty Athletic Representative
Biology Club Advisor
Director of the Central and Southern West Virginia RSEF
2110 Orndorff Hall
WVU Institute of Technology
Montgomery, Fayette Co., West Virginia 25136
 
Office Phone: 304-442-3202
 
www.wvutech.edu
 
 
 
Subject: common goldeneye, yellow-rumped warbler and one not idetified
From: Wilma Jarrell <wjar AT HUGHES.NET>
Date: Sat, 4 Feb 2012 02:28:04 +0000
   This afternoon I birded north of Hannibal Lock and Dam.  One common 
goldeneye has joined the canvasback, bufflehead, and ruddyducks, with the usual 
mallards and Canada geese. 

 One pied-billed grebe, belted kingfisher, three killdeer and ring-billed 
gulls. 

   Saw the first of season yellow-rumped warblers today.  
 Suprise of the day was a very unexpected bird I got a brief look at as we were 
walking up bike and walking trail. Saw movement in tree thought it was probably 
a junco. Got bins on it as the bird  turned to reveal a bright yellow breast 
and neck. As it looked below a limb once to show a white eye ring. 

Flew across trail into brushy area inside of fence. Could not relocate it. 
After we had dinner I returned to try to find it again with no luck. 

To brief of time to  id this one for sure.

Wilma Jarrell
Wetzel Co.
wjar AT hughes.net
Subject: peent
From: Jim & Judy Phillips <jimandjudyphillips AT GMAIL.COM>
Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2012 19:02:28 -0500
We heard our first of the season woodcock this evening at 6:10.
Jim & Judy Phillips
Summers County
Pipestem, WV
Subject: Watters Smith State Park and Jackson Mills 4-H Center
From: Terry Bronson <bronsonwv AT GMAIL.COM>
Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2012 16:53:14 -0500
Deciding to do something different, I headed this morning to 2 areas I
had never birded before.

Watters Smith Memorial State Park is in far southern Harrison County
between Clarksburg and Weston. I was really impressed with the mixture
of habitats in this historical park, which includes the 1795 log cabin
and outbuildings of pioneer Watters Smith and the more modern home of
his descendants. It is mostly forested, but has some nice bottomland
along a creek and several meadow/grassy areas. I can see that
Louisiana Waterthrushes and Yellow-throated Warblers would love it. In
fact, I nominated it as an eBird hotspot. The southern half is in WV
Breeding Bird Atlas block West Milford-6, a priority block which has
already been half-completed. The northern half is in West Milford-5,
which has not been covered at all since it's not a priority block.

I found a respectable 18 species in the dead of this abnormally mild
winter. Mostly usual suspects, but the following were of note:

Red-shouldered Hawk--2, near each other, both screaming periodically
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker--1 female
Also Flicker, Red-bellied, Downy, and Hairy Woodpeckers.
Brown Creeper--1
Eastern Bluebird--3
Hermit Thrush--1 possible. Flushed in woods and flew off low to
ground. Never got a good look at it, but size, habitat, and behavior
seemed right.
Field Sparrow--2
Dark-eyed Junco--4
Sparrow species--15, flushed from the weeds with the Juncos and Field
Sparrows, but barely seen. Most likely Juncos.

At midday, I visited the Jackson Mills State 4-H Conference Center
just north of Weston in Lewis County. Fortunately, no activities were
going on and I was able to wander around the entire grounds. The
Center is in non-priority block Weston-1. Only 13 species there, all
usual suspects, the most notable being:

Red-tailed Hawk--1
Pileated Woodpecker--1
Northern Mockingbird--2

At both locations, Tufted Titmice were singing away like spring was
here. One White-breasted Nuthatch and one Carolina Wren were also
belting it out.

I was able to add my first species of 2012 to the Breeding Bird
Atlas--the coveted House Sparrow in Weston-1!

-- 
Terry Bronson
Morgantown, WV
Subject: Jefferson county waterfowl
From: Matt <wvbirder AT COMCAST.NET>
Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2012 14:19:56 -0500
All,
    The Shenandoah river has returned to a normal flow allowing the 
dabblers more access points. An Eastern Phoebe was seen along Bloomery 
road between the "S" turn and Moulton Park. Ring-billed and Herring 
Gulls were near the Rt 9 bridge.


CC = Country Club road pond   CL - Claymont creek
SR = Shenandoah River

Gadwall              121  CC
American Wigeon        2  CC
American Black Duck    3  (2 SR, 1 CL)
Mallard               15  (3 SR, 12 CL)
Northern Pintail       1  CL
Common Merganser      38  SR
Hooded Merganser       2  SR

Pied-billed Grebe      2  SR
Eastern Phoebe         1  SR
Ring-billed Gull       3  SR
Herring Gull           3  SR


Good Birding,
  Matt Orsie
  Summit Point
Subject: Singing Horned Lark, Common Mergansers, Ring-billed Gull- Jefferson County
From: Carol Del-Colle <WVnaturalist AT COMCAST.NET>
Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2012 18:46:52 +0000
Greetings, 

    Yesterday a little before noon, I dropped by Candlewood Drive to check 
things out.  All in all, it was very quiet except for a wonderful Horned Lark 
who was singing his heart out from the top of one of the wooden posts near the 
curb.  I sat in the car with the window down and just enjoyed his serenade.  
Eventually, he flew down into the grass and worked his way toward the 
field.  Through my binoculars, I got some very good looks at him singing.  
Sweet! 


    Next I took a ride by the Shenandoah on Rissler and Bloomery.  Not too 
many species of waterfowl were present, although the Common Mergansers took 
the lead with 38 of them spread out up and down the river.  The majority of 
them I saw from Rissler Road as they splashed and chased one another.  More 
than half of the Mergansers on the river were males.  On Rissler, I also found 
a group of 5 American Black Ducks.  Only saw 3 Mallards.  On Bloomery a 
little ways down river from the dam, I found a Ring-billed Gull with a fish 
dangling from its beak.  When I first saw it, the gull was in the water and 
seemed to be struggling with what to do with the fish.  He finally flew,with 
fish still firmly in place, over to a rock, and began to try to get a better 
hold on his prey,so as to be better able to partake of his lunch .  When I 
left, he seemed to be doing very well.  


   Some of the other usual suspects were seen and heard.  The owl was not 
home. 


       Happy birding,      

          Carol Del-Colle 

           Summit Point 

            Jefferson County
Subject: More Common Goldeneyes, other neighborhood birds, Harpers Ferry
From: Deb Hale <debhale72 AT GMAIL.COM>
Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2012 13:16:40 -0500
This morning I counted a whopping 35 COMMON GOLDENEYES on the Potomac at
Harpers Ferry (in their same favorite spot near Lock 34).  A COMMON RAVEN,
being chased by two A. Crows, and an adult BALD EAGLE, flying across the
river and settling on a branch near the old eagle's nest, were other
highlights of my walk.

A little later I encountered - finally - my first flock of about 15 CEDAR
WAXWINGS this winter on the Bradford pear trees here in town, plus 10 FISH
CROWS perched in a neighborhood tree, and 3 RED-SHOULDERED HAWKS circling
and making noise over the woods near Nash Farm (the same area where I saw a
family of them in late spring).

I was out of town for a few days, so nice to come back to this beautiful,
magical setting of Harpers Ferry.

Deb Hale
Harpers Ferry/Bolivar
Subject: 2011 CBC's
From: Jane Whitaker <jane.whitaker AT ME.COM>
Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2012 10:40:11 -0500
Fellow birders;
As you are probably aware the Audubon CBC portal is still not functional. I 
need the WV CBC's to write the report for the Brooks Bird Club REDSTART. 


I presently have the following CBC's: Canaan, Charleston/Kanawha, Hardy, 
McDowell, Mountaineer(Morgantown), Parkersburg, Pipestem, and Raleigh. If any 
of you have access to other completed counts would you please email them to me 
or pass this info on to your count compiler. Our publishing deadline is early 
March. 


Thanks for your help.

Jane Whitaker,
jane.whitaker AT me.com
Subject: morning walk
From: Jim & Judy Phillips <jimandjudyphillips AT GMAIL.COM>
Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2012 08:37:32 -0500
On my morning walk on Pipestem State Park, I found the following:
winter wren
15 robins
2 red-shouldered hawks
1 sharp-shinned hawk being chased by 2 dozen blue jays
3 pileated woodpeckers
Song sparrows, bluebirds, cardinals, chickadees, titmice, Carolina wrens 
and white-breasted nuthatches were all in fine voice.
Jim Phillips
Summers County
Pipestem, WV
Subject: American Woodcock
From: Mike Griffith <birdonawire47 AT HOTMAIL.COM>
Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2012 20:59:56 -0500
American Woodcocks were displaying this evening at the entrance to Beech Fork 
State Park (Cabell Co.) and at the mouth of Butler Adkins Branch (Wayne Co.) - 
one at each location. Also, a Barred Owl was calling at the first location. 

This is the first definite Woodcock display I have observed this year.

Mike Griffith
Huntington
Subject: wide variety of waterfowl/Winfield Locks
From: richardkazmierski Kazmierski <richardkazmierski AT MSN.COM>
Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2012 16:06:56 -0800
Hi All,
I birded at the Winfield Locks and Dam area today. What a nice variety of 
waterfowl! Most were on the 3rd pond. I wore brown, so I think I blended in, 
nothing flew while I was there. 

 
List of birds seen, sorry not numbers:
Mallards
Canada Geese
Redheads
Canvasbacks
Green-winged Teal
Common Goldeneye-only 1
Ring-necked Ducks
Wigeon
Gadwalls
Coots
Hooded Mergansers
Cormorants
Kingfisher
Great Blue Heron
Swamp Sparrow
Red-tailed Hawk-2
 
 
Kim Kazmierski
Hurricane, WV
  		 	   		  
Subject: Randolph County Crossbills
From: "Tallman, Robert E" <Robert.E.Tallman AT WV.GOV>
Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2012 17:08:44 -0500
This morning I spotted a nice flock of RW Crossbills along the Shavers Fork 
near the mouth of Beaver Creek. I counted 18 individuals, but I could hear 
several more chattering in the trees that I could not see. These are the first 
RW Crossbills I've seen on Cheat Mountain since 2010. 


Rob Tallman
Huttonsville,WV
Randolph County
Subject: Re: birds, recently
From: Bruni Haydl <bruni AT CITLINK.NET>
Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2012 15:43:11 -0500
Both male and female Flickers are at the suet daily. They also like the 
homemade peanut suet I offer for a treat. 


Bruni Haydl
Charles Town
Subject: Cheat Lake RB Merganser; Core Arboretum update
From: Terry Bronson <bronsonwv AT GMAIL.COM>
Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2012 15:39:57 -0500
This morning at the WVU Core Arboretum in Morgantown I found 21
species, almost all usual suspects, with the following being most
notable:

Canada Goose--36, constantly honking, a lot of chasing going on
Pied-billed Grebe--2
Great Blue Heron--1
Belted Kingfisher--1
Eastern Bluebird--2
Yellow-rumped Warbler--1
Singing birds included Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch,
Carolina Wren, Song Sparrow, and Eastern Bluebird.

At Cheat Lake in late morning north of the I-68 bridge:

Red-breasted Merganser--1 male sleeping north of the bridge
Canvasback--11
Redhead--12
Common Goldeneye--5
Bufflehead--61
Mallard--25
Hooded Merganser--2 at Sunset Harbor Marina
Scaup species--8, too distant to be sure

South of I-68 bridge:

Bufflehead--15
Ruddy Duck--5
Lesser Scaup--5
Mallard--41, could have been same flock seen earlier north of the bridge

At Cheat Lake Park in early afternoon only the following were present:

Canada Goose--1
Mallard--1
Hooded Merganser--2
Pied-billed Grebe--3

-- 
Terry Bronson
Morgantown, WV
Subject: Re: birds, recently
From: Terry Bronson <bronsonwv AT GMAIL.COM>
Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2012 15:20:01 -0500
I have a male Flicker that comes to our suet feeders regularly--at
least a couple of times a day. Have not seen a female yet.

On 2/2/12, Jim & Judy Phillips  wrote:
> I saw a  couple dozen robins in Pipestem State Park yesterday.
> On Tuesday, I stopped by the Glenwood Sewage Lagoons in Mercer
> County(between Bluefield & Princeton) and saw 75 mallards, 15 black
> ducks, a common goldeneye and a male green-winged teal.
> Also, that day, I saw a sharp-shinned hawk catch a bird in our yard and
> carry it to a fence post dining area.
> We have been having a female pileated woodpecker on our suet lately.
> This is only the second winter I have had such a treat. In 40 years or
> so of feeding  the birds, I have never seen a flicker at our suet. I
> wonder how many folks on the list-serv have had flickers on the feeder?
> The song sparrows and chickadees have been singing for a couple of weeks
> now in our neighborhood. Yesterday, I heard my first of the season full
> song from a cardinal.
> Happy Groundhog Day!
> Jim Phillips
> Summers County
> Pipestem, WV
>


-- 
Terry Bronson
Morgantown, WV
Subject: We are now within Bald Eagle safe dates!
From: Richard Bailey <rsbailey76 AT GMAIL.COM>
Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2012 09:11:13 -0500
Hi folks,

As of 2/1 we are now within bald eagle and English sparrow safe dates!
These two species are probably in different places on your priority
list, but it is important that we get as much data as we can on ALL
species breeding in WV.

Other species now able to be reported:

Great-horned Owl, Barred Owl, Red Crossbill, Rock Pigeon.

** NEXT UP: common raven, carolina chickadee, tufted titmouse,
carolina wren, screech owl - all on 3/1 **

What Donna said last time bears repeating:

Just a reminder that if you don't know what Breeding Bird Atlas block
you are in, you can go to the following web site:

http://martes.dnr.state.wv.us/BreedingBirdsAtlas/AbundanceSurvey/AbundSurv.aspx

Scroll to the bottom and put in the "find" box any information you can
remember from your location such as a town, cemetery, road name,
school, etc. along with the county name and WV. It won't always find
where you are but it's pretty good. Example: Barbour County High
School, Barbour County, WV. It takes me right to the Belington 1
block.

Also, there are 3 ways you can look up when birds are in their "safe
dates". One lists the species phylogenetically, another lists the
birds by the starting safe date which is the most useful early in the
season, and the last by the ending safe date which will be more useful
at the end of the breeding season.

They can all be found under the Atlas Information tab at the following web 
site: 


http://martes.dnr.state.wv.us/BreedingBirdsAtlas/default.aspx

However, I know that everyone is busy with all kinds of things, so at
the very least a report via the listserv is valuable, particularly if
you include good location information so that I can pull it up on a
map.

Any questions, feel free to give me a call or email

Rich
richard.s.bailey AT wv.gov
304-637-0245
Subject: FOY Yellow-bellied Sapsucker- Yard/Summit Point
From: Carol Del-Colle <WVnaturalist AT COMCAST.NET>
Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2012 13:58:06 +0000
Finally got my first Yellow-bellied Sapsucker of the year.  It joined 3 other 
woodpecker species in the yard yesterday. 


   Happy birding, 

     Carol Del-Colle 

     ----- Forwarded Message -----




Yard-Summit Point , Jefferson County, Jefferson, US-WV 
Feb 1, 2012 7:30 AM - 11:30 AM 
Protocol: Stationary 
Comments:     The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was the first one I have seen for 
this year (2012). 

18 species 

Mourning Dove  5 
Red-bellied Woodpecker  2 
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker  1 
Downy Woodpecker  2 
Hairy Woodpecker  1 
Carolina Chickadee  2 
Tufted Titmouse  3 
White-breasted Nuthatch  2 
Brown Creeper  5 
Carolina Wren  1 
European Starling  1 
Song Sparrow  1 
White-throated Sparrow  7 
Dark-eyed Junco  3 
Northern Cardinal  4 
House Finch  1 
American Goldfinch  3 
House Sparrow  5 

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org) 
Subject: birds, recently
From: Jim & Judy Phillips <jimandjudyphillips AT GMAIL.COM>
Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2012 08:37:01 -0500
I saw a  couple dozen robins in Pipestem State Park yesterday.
On Tuesday, I stopped by the Glenwood Sewage Lagoons in Mercer 
County(between Bluefield & Princeton) and saw 75 mallards, 15 black 
ducks, a common goldeneye and a male green-winged teal.
Also, that day, I saw a sharp-shinned hawk catch a bird in our yard and 
carry it to a fence post dining area.
We have been having a female pileated woodpecker on our suet lately. 
This is only the second winter I have had such a treat. In 40 years or 
so of feeding  the birds, I have never seen a flicker at our suet. I 
wonder how many folks on the list-serv have had flickers on the feeder?
The song sparrows and chickadees have been singing for a couple of weeks 
now in our neighborhood. Yesterday, I heard my first of the season full 
song from a cardinal.
Happy Groundhog Day!
Jim Phillips
Summers County
Pipestem, WV
Subject: ruffed grouse
From: Wilma Jarrell <wjar AT HUGHES.NET>
Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2012 02:33:53 +0000
 Watched 2 red-tailed hawks flying together then land in different trees in 
same area this afternoon. 

 Walking back through a neighbors woods I flushed 3 ruffed grouse. A treat 
seeing this group. 


Wilma Jarrell
Wetzel Co.
wjar AT hughes.net
Subject: RS nest
From: Bruni Haydl <bruni AT CITLINK.NET>
Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2012 17:50:19 -0500
I've been seeing these hawks almost daily and this morning while dogwalking I 
saw one of them fly over me with something in its talons, land on the nest just 
briefly and then continue on to my yard. Hmm! Made me wonder if the female was 
in the nest and he was delivering breakfast. Will definitely keep an eye on the 
nest. 


Walking to the river late afternoon I scanned the water and the far shore for 
activity. Turned out an adult eagle and Kingfisher were in a sycamore on "my" 
side of the river. They both took off as I got close to shore. That'll teach me 
to not overlook what is right in front of my nose. 


Bruni Haydl
Charles Town
Subject: Winter finches defy prognosticators
From: "gljeinwv AT juno.com" <gljeinwv@JUNO.COM>
Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2012 21:08:55 GMT
Posted on annother listserv.

Newspaper article about the predictions in the Winter Finch Forecast being 
wrong 

this year. Wonder why?

See: http://bit.ly/ymA8Rv  
 
____________________________________________________________
60-Year-Old Mom Looks 27
Mom Reveals Free Wrinkle Trick That Has Angered Doctors!
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Subject: Turkey Vulture Roost/Cross Lanes
From: richardkazmierski Kazmierski <richardkazmierski AT MSN.COM>
Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2012 09:41:27 -0800
Howdy Birders,
Thought I would chime in on the Vulture Roost, too.. Since before Christmas, 
there have been 200+ -300 Turkey Vultures flying in to roost on Koontz Drive in 
Cross Lanes. My Mom and Dad live on a road off of Koontz, so that is why I've 
been able to see them. I haven't checked super close, but I made out one Black 
Vulture. I'll try to check closer the next time I'm over during the evening 
hours. 

 
Kim Kazmierski
Hurricane, WV 		 	   		  
Subject: Vulture Roost
From: trfox AT WIREFIRE.COM
Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2012 09:17:08 -0500
	Watched approximately 75 vultures go to roost in downtown Grantsville,
Calhoun County last evening.  The count included three Black
Vultures.


	Tom Fox


	Millstone, WV
Subject: Randolph Countyr Mergansers
From: "Tallman, Robert E" <Robert.E.Tallman AT WV.GOV>
Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2012 09:01:40 -0500
While floating and squirrel hunting the Tygart Valley River between Valley Bend 
and Dailey (Randolph County) yesterday I observed 2 Hooded Mergansers and at 
least 12 Common Mergansers. Also several raptors including: Northern Harrier, 
RSHA, SSHA, RTHA and AMKE. Also a large flock of Black Vultures. 


Rob Tallman
Huttonsille,WV
Randolph County
Subject: Golden-crowned Kinglets
From: Willa Grafton <wgrafton1 AT YAHOO.COM>
Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:24:43 -0500
Three GC kinglets on the tree farm this evening. I know others have been 
posting them, but I always get excited when I see them this time of year. Love 
them. Nothing else real exciting. Saw 19 mallards on the lake (Salt Lick #4). 
Not one other bird. I've been seeing the kingfisher, but didn't show up this 
evening. 


Willa Grafton
Heaters,WV
Sent from my iPhone
Subject: Screech Owl
From: Rennie Talbert <renniett AT FRONTIER.COM>
Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:21:22 -0500
I was walking my dog at Barboursville Park this evening when I decided to check 
on the screech owl denning over there. The previous couple of times I've been 
over there he was gone. Today he was sleeping away in his den. He was the only 
bird of note. 


Rennie Talbert
Huntington, WV
Subject: Northern Pintail - Claymont Court
From: Matt <wvbirder AT COMCAST.NET>
Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:12:46 -0500
All,
     It was a nice finish to the month seeing a FOY drake Northern 
Pintail in the creek that runs by Claymont Court off of Huyett road. The 
current house at Claymont was built in 1840 by Bushrod 

Washington, 

grand-nephew  of George Washington. Also seen were serveral American 
Black Ducks and 83 Mallards.

Matt Orsie
  Summit Point

Subject: Pied-billed Grebe at Teter Creek Lake in Barbour County
From: Kyle Aldinger <kaldinge AT MIX.WVU.EDU>
Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:54:42 -0500
Hey all,

Terry's post with the Pied-billed Grebes at Teter Creek Lake reminded my that I 
saw the same species at the same location on 29 May 2008.  The reason I bring 
this up is that this is a species of statewide conservation concern and rarity 
for the atlas.  Unfortunately, my observation could not be submitted because 
the atlas had not started yet, but it may be a place to check this summer (safe 
dates for Pied-billed Grebes 15 May - 15 July)!  They are common during the 
winter, but so far only 5 blocks have Pied-billed Grebes reported for the 
atlas!! 


Kyle Aldinger
Morgantown, WV
Subject: Showing off
From: Bruni Haydl <bruni AT CITLINK.NET>
Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2012 11:32:38 -0500
 While chatting with a neighbor who had stopped by this morning I noticed the 
male Pileated on the suet cake. People can't help but be impressed by these 
giants. As I'm explaining the markings of the male, the female flies in and 
starts feeding on the other suet cake. I was thrilled. This is the first time 
I've seen her since last spring when they both frequented the feeder. 


A few minutes later I noticed the RS hawk sitting in the same walnut tree, 
right off the patio. Another chance to show off. ):-) I always appreciate these 
opportunities to possibly increase someone's interest in birds. Seeing these 
magnificent birds up close without the need for binoculars just never gets old. 


Bruni Haydl
Jefferson Co
Subject: Cheat Lake additions
From: Ryan Tomazin <wvwarblers AT HOTMAIL.COM>
Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:49:21 -0500
Hello All,

LeJay Graffious brought me to bird around Cheat Lake, but the only place we had 
anything was near the bridge and down the road: 


Hooded Merganser - 2M, 2F

Common Goldeneye - 8

Bufflehead - at least 25-35

Redhead - 10 or so

Lesser Scaup - 10-15

Pied-billed Grebe - 1

Ruddy Duck - 14 past bridge, 22 down the dead end road at a private marina

Canvasback - 2M, 2F

Ryan Tomazin | Bridgeville, PA 		 	   		  
Subject: Barbour-Randolph-Tucker-Preston Counties loop; Canaan Valley Shrike--maybe
From: Terry Bronson <bronsonwv AT GMAIL.COM>
Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:03:04 -0500
I had a Breeding Bird Atlas meeting in Elkins today, so I birded a bit
on the way down and some on the way back. Highlights:

Barbour County:
Route 92 between Claude and Cove Run Roads:
American Crow--300. I understand this is a resident flock.

Teter Creek Lake Wildlife Management Area--lake 95% unfrozen:
Pied-billed Grebe--3

Tygart Valley River in Belington:
Domestic Greylag Goose--20. 11 were the usual grey plumage, 9 were
white or mostly white.
Domestic Swan Goose--4
Canada Goose--1
Mallard--5
All these birds were together just north of the bridge downtown.

Tucker County:
Timberline Road, Canaan Valley:
Red-bellied Woodpecker--1
American Tree Sparrow--4

Cortland Road, Canaan Valley:
Red-tailed Hawk--1 immature along South Cortland Road
Black-capped Chickadee--4
Blue Jay--2
European Starling--132
Northern Shrike--maybe. I saw a bird fly to the top of a conifer tree
between Sagebrush Lane and Coffman Lane Road, at the low spot where
there are a few cattails. A very quick 1-handed binocular look
revealed what looked like a grayish bird with blackish wings. The bird
flew off almost immediately, though, into more conifers, and by the
time I could park and get out, I couldn't find it. I did, however,
find a Blue Jay where I thought the bird flew, so perhaps that was
what I saw.

Route 32 north of Canaan Loop Road at Canaan Heights:
Common Raven--4
Black Vulture--1

Preston County:
Cheat River south of Rowlesburg along Route 72:
Common Merganser--4. There was a little half-hearted displaying going
on by the 3 males.

-- 
Terry Bronson
Morgantown, WV
Subject: American Pipits --- Harrison Co.; Waterfowl --- Cheat Lake
From: Derek Courtney <derek.dana.courtney AT GMAIL.COM>
Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:32:14 -0500
Hi all,

     Did a small bit of birding today. Waterfowl numbers were low at Cheat
Lake and diversity dwindling. I didn't check Cheat Lake park as LeJay
already had that area covered. I had a small flock of about 20 American
Pipits and 1 Killdeer across from United Hospital Center in Harrison County
this afternoon as a driveby. Could have been more but I didn't see anything
else that struck me as different species-wise. Numbers are mostly estimates
as I didn't spend much time counting. Best to you all.

Cheat Lake --- Marinas
Mallard   40
Ruddy Duck   25
Bufflehead   5

Cheat Lake --- I-68 Bridge
Mallard   20
Lesser Scaup   2
Canvasback   3
Redhead   4
Common Goldeneye   5
Bufflehead    25

Cheat Lake --- Sunset Harbor
Mallard   10
Pied-billed Grebe   1

Good birding,
Derek
Subject: 50+ Siskins (Tucker)
From: Casey Rucker <autoblock AT FRONTIERNET.NET>
Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:01:55 -0500
Hi, all,
 
The Pine Siskin population at my feeders has risen above 50 in the last few
days.  House Finches, Purple Finches and American Goldfinches show up in
much smaller numbers, and the Carolina Wren is still hanging in there.
 
The last Northern Shrike sighting I know of is last Tuesday (1/24), on the
fence line on Coffmans/Old Timberline Road.
 
Good birding,
 
Casey Rucker
Dry Fork, WV 
 
Subject: open water has helped
From: "gljeinwv AT juno.com" <gljeinwv@JUNO.COM>
Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:25:56 GMT
This time last year, I don't think I had seen more than 30, or 35 species of 
birds in Preston Couny.  That was partially due to winter starting with a 
vengence on Dec. 1 and not letting up until sometime in March.  As of now,
I've seen 62 species in Preston County.  That's due in part to the mild
winter we've been having, which has resulted in some open water, plus, some
 lingerers I normally don't see in Preston County in January, such as Towhee, 
Gray Catbird and Chipping Sparrow.  Except for one trip to the Cranesville
area, all of my Preston County birding has been done around Kingwood 
and in the Reedsville/Masontown area (UDC),  Even if February turns ugly
and I don't see any new species, I'm still ahead of the game compared to the
last two winters. 


Gary Felton - Kingwood   
 
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57 Year Old Looks 27
Local Woman Reveals Wrinkle Secret That Has Doctors Angry.
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Subject: ducks and bald eagle
From: Wilma Jarrell <wjar AT HUGHES.NET>
Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2012 02:53:48 +0000
       Checked the river at Proctor and above the dam in New Martinsville 
this afternoon. Observed a male northern pintail, a red-tailed hawk, 2 
great-blue heron and 3 pied-billed grebe at Proctor. 

      Above dam a pair of canvasback, 2 ring-necked duck, 1 bufflehead, 16 
ruddyduck, a juvenile bald eagle, and 23 ring-billed gulls.     

 At home saw a golden-crowned kinglet. First of year and number 51 for Wetzel 
County. 

     
 Saw a black vulture, sharp-shinned hawk, and red-shouldered hawk in Upshur 
County that I have not seen in Wetzel County this month. 


                                                                 

Wilma Jarrell
Wetzel Co.
wjar AT hughes.net
Subject: Ross's Goose, Bonaparte's Gull, Red Crossbills and other FOY's
From: Matt <wvbirder AT COMCAST.NET>
Date: Sun, 29 Jan 2012 20:15:30 -0500
All,
    I can echo John Boback's lament of no waterfowl! I spent the last 
few days birding a couple of hours here and a couple of hours there with 
Wendell Argabrite and Mike Griffith on the West Virginia west coast. No 
waterfowl to say the least (combination of weather this winter, river is 
very high, and frequent hunters in the backwater areas). Definitely the 
most dismal waterfowl numbers I've ever seen on the Ohio river during 
this time of year. Having said that all things are relative and 14 
species of duck were seen on the trip.

I came back home today through Cranberry Glades. Just a dusting of snow 
on the ground. I even drove the Scenic Hwy (Rt 150) from the south end 
to Williams River. Above 4,000 ft the road was crunchy with some icy 
spots but was drivable. Only an inch of snow at Black Mtn (4,500+ ft). 
The number of Red Crossbills seen near the visitor's center was 
outstanding. I counted 34 which is a personal high count in WV. Also 
present were Red-breasted Nuthatches (4) and Pine Siskins (7).


I also stopped at the Belle Babb road reservoir and the 2 Martin road 
ponds (off of Balle Babb) in Grant county. Saw 10 species of duck in 
these three water areas and they are all within one air mile of each other.

Ducks seen in these three areas:
  American Black Duck   45
  Mallard               14
  Green-winged Teal      4
  Canvasback             2
  Redhead                2
  Ring-necked Duck       1
  Bufflehead             1
  Common Goldeneye       1
  Hooded Merganser       2
  Ruddy Duck             1



New FOY's for the year:

Ross's Goose              - Coonskin Park, Charleston
Double-crested Cormorant  - many
Sharp-shinned Hawk (2)
Peregrine Falcon          - Pt Pleasant bridge going into Ohio
Bonaparte's Gull          - Huntington - Harris Riverside Park
Red-breasted Nuthatch (4)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet      - Beach Fork SP
Cedar Waxwing             - Fish Hatchery - RCB Locks
Eastern Towhee (2)        - Greenbottom WMA
Savannah Sparrow          - Fish Hatchery - RCB Locks
Fox Sparrow (4)           - Greenbottom WMA
Red Crossbill (34)

Where are all the Common Grackles and Purple Finches?


Good Birding,
  Summit Point
Subject: Surf Scoter and American wigeons on Shenandoah River - Jefferson County
From: Bird Mom <pep4223 AT COMCAST.NET>
Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:56:56 +0000
A late afternoon drive at 4:30 PM on Bloomery Road was fairly quiet except for 
a lone Surf scoter ( that was being spied on by Barry Marts when I arrived) 
located near the Zimmerman's property.   I  found a pair of American 
wigeon n ear the Route 9 bridge as seen from  John Rissler Road at 5:00 
PM.  And I also heard a starling that was imitating a red-tailed hawk 
perfectly .  




The Canada geese (300ish) were unsettled at Country Club ponds at 5:30 PM.  
Small flocks would fly in, and then others would leave in a fuss.  There were 
about 45 Gadwall and 28 Mallards also present. 




BIRDMOM 

Jefferson County, WV 
Subject: Brooke County - A Bufflehead
From: John Boback <morlitte AT YAHOO.COM>
Date: Sun, 29 Jan 2012 18:01:11 -0500
Hi All:

Today I birded the Ohio River in Brooke County along the rail trail south of 
Wellsburg. I checked about three miles of the river on foot and came up with: 


Bufflehead (1) female type
Ring-billed Gull (3)

At least it was one more duck than I had on the river last weekend. 

John Boback
Washington County, PA
Subject: Preston notables - Black Vultures, ducks, Rusty Blackbird
From: "gljeinwv AT juno.com" <gljeinwv@JUNO.COM>
Date: Sun, 29 Jan 2012 20:15:41 GMT
UDC this morning;

Pied-billed Grebe
Northern Pintail
Black Duck  -  few
Mallard - several
Green-winged Teal - pair
Hooded Merganser - several
Black Vulture - 7
Turkey Vulture - few
American Kestrel
Northern Mockkingbird
Rusty Blackbird
American Tree Sparrow

Other common resident birds not listed

Gary Felton - Kingwood



 
____________________________________________________________
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The Stunning Results of Her Wrinkle Trick Has Botox Doctors Worried
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Subject: Moncove Lake, Monroe County
From: Sharyn Ogden <aussiebwat AT COMCAST.NET>
Date: Sun, 29 Jan 2012 10:20:07 -0500
Have been travelling up to Moncove lake over the last few weekends. Below 
are sightings from these visits

American coots have increased from 250 to 600 plus yesterday
mallards, 2 pair
hooded mergansers 1 pair
Juvenile goshawk 1
Red Shouldered Hawk 1
3rd year Bald Eagle 1
4th year Bald Eagle 1
Mature Bald Eagles 2
various titmice
Ring Neck Ducks 40 plus
Redheaded Ducks 3 pair
Canada Geese 20
and a partridge in a pear tree (okay, so no partridge but it just ended the 
list nicely)

Sharyn Ogden
Blacksburg VA



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Deb Hale" 
To: 
Sent: Sunday, January 29, 2012 10:11 AM
Subject: Multiplying Meadowlarks, Harpers Ferry


> We counted 21 E. MEADOWLARKS flying over the fields of Murphy Farm this
> morning (& there may have been more taking turns resting in the grass).
> They are really starting to sing again, too.  Also, my band of N. FLICKERS
> graced the trees & fields: we estimated 14 of them.  4 Common RAVENS were
> seen & heard. And one immature BALD EAGLE sat perched along the river's
> edge.
>
> We left the park before 10 AM; the birds were only starting to warm up.
> Full list follows.
>
> Deb Hale
> *Harpers Ferry/Bolivar*
>
> Murphy Farm, Jefferson, US-WV
> Jan 29, 2012 8:45 AM - 9:45 AM
> Protocol: Traveling
> 2.0 mile(s)
> Comments:     clear skies, chilly but mild, no wind
> 17 species
> Canada Goose  2     flying over
> Turkey Vulture  2
> Bald Eagle  1     immature; perched on tree down along Shenandoah River
> Downy Woodpecker  1
> Hairy Woodpecker  2
> Northern Flicker  14     educated guess; saw 6 earlier in the walk flying
> from trees, about 14 later on flying from grass - figured they were all
> part of the same band
> Pileated Woodpecker  1
> American Crow  8
> Common Raven  4
> Tufted Titmouse  4
> White-breasted Nuthatch  2
> Carolina Wren  1
> Eastern Bluebird  2
> Northern Mockingbird  1
> European Starling  14
> Dark-eyed Junco  14
> Eastern Meadowlark  21     we counted them as they flew up into the air;
> could be more -
> This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)
> 
Subject: Multiplying Meadowlarks, Harpers Ferry
From: Deb Hale <debhale72 AT GMAIL.COM>
Date: Sun, 29 Jan 2012 10:11:37 -0500
We counted 21 E. MEADOWLARKS flying over the fields of Murphy Farm this
morning (& there may have been more taking turns resting in the grass).
They are really starting to sing again, too.  Also, my band of N. FLICKERS
graced the trees & fields: we estimated 14 of them.  4 Common RAVENS were
seen & heard. And one immature BALD EAGLE sat perched along the river's
edge.

We left the park before 10 AM; the birds were only starting to warm up.
Full list follows.

Deb Hale
*Harpers Ferry/Bolivar*

Murphy Farm, Jefferson, US-WV
Jan 29, 2012 8:45 AM - 9:45 AM
Protocol: Traveling
2.0 mile(s)
Comments:     clear skies, chilly but mild, no wind
17 species
Canada Goose  2     flying over
Turkey Vulture  2
Bald Eagle  1     immature; perched on tree down along Shenandoah River
Downy Woodpecker  1
Hairy Woodpecker  2
Northern Flicker  14     educated guess; saw 6 earlier in the walk flying
from trees, about 14 later on flying from grass - figured they were all
part of the same band
Pileated Woodpecker  1
American Crow  8
Common Raven  4
Tufted Titmouse  4
White-breasted Nuthatch  2
Carolina Wren  1
Eastern Bluebird  2
Northern Mockingbird  1
European Starling  14
Dark-eyed Junco  14
Eastern Meadowlark  21     we counted them as they flew up into the air;
could be more -
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)
Subject: Another huge Wild Turkey flock
From: Terry Bronson <bronsonwv AT GMAIL.COM>
Date: Sun, 29 Jan 2012 08:25:28 -0500
I received another reply a couple of days ago to my query on large
turkey flocks.

Jim Phillips saw 200 at the Bluestone Wildlife Management Area in the
1980s. Again, note that this was over 20 years ago and that recent
sightings have been much smaller.

I believe Gary Felton's reply of 120 in Preston County did go directly
to this list serv.

A few other folks replied with flocks in the 50-bird range.

-- 
Terry Bronson
Morgantown, WV
Subject: Ride
From: Herb & Sarah Myers <hesemyers AT GMAIL.COM>
Date: Sat, 28 Jan 2012 20:20:01 -0500
We took a ride late afternoon through snow squalls to Whitmer and over the
mountain to Job looking for Golden Eagles where we saw them last year. We
did not see any, but we did not strike out on raptors. Below Whitmer along
the Dry Fork, we saw a mature Bald Eagle and a female American Kestrel. It
was nice to see the latter since I haven't seen any around here this winter.
Herb Myers, Harman, Randolph County
Subject: Purple Finches and Robin
From: Ginnie <cronen AT ZOOMINTERNET.NET>
Date: Sat, 28 Jan 2012 14:20:41 -0500
This is still a test run for me. So it will have some content, I will mention 
that the first Purple finches arrived at our feeders on Jan. 18. the next day 
the first Robin of the year was in the side yard and yesterday, Jan. 27 I heard 
a Kingfisher along the creek across the road for the first time this winter. 


I have intended to learn for a long time how to make entries. Then Matt Orsie 
mentioned a couple years ago that they almost never receive reports for the 
area between Parkersburg and Clarksburg, so I said I’d send some. Also need 
to send some so others know where I am working on BBA II. I have done a BBS run 
in southern Ritchie County for several years and Tom Fox before me, I’m well 
acquainted with neighbors and the area, so have quite a lot to send in if I can 
learn to do that. (Right now I have a couple of computer people with me to see 
if they can help me.) 


Ginnie Cronenberger
Petroleum
Ritchie County
Subject: Pleasant Creek WMA and Tygart Lake birds
From: Terry Bronson <bronsonwv AT GMAIL.COM>
Date: Sat, 28 Jan 2012 14:19:40 -0500
Despite several hunters running their dogs, I was able to find a few
nice birds this morning at Pleasant Creek Wildlife Management Area in
Barbour County.

West of Routes 119/250:
Red-shouldered Hawk--2
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker--1
Eastern Bluebird--3
Yellow-rumped Warbler--4
Eastern Towhee--1
American Tree Sparrow--1
Swamp Sparrow--1
11 other common species

East of Routes 119/250 in area between that road and the railroad trestle:
Red-shouldered Hawk--1 heard
Hairy Woodpecker--2
Eastern Bluebird--1
American Robin--3
Yellow-rumped Warbler--8
8 other common species

Other area locations:

Tygart Lake, south end:
Mallard--6
American Black Duck--4
Ring-necked Duck--3
Common Merganser--1

Bailey Road:
Common Raven--1
Yellow-rumped Warbler--2

-- 
Terry Bronson
Morgantown, WV
Subject: test message
From: Ginnie <cronen AT ZOOMINTERNET.NET>
Date: Sat, 28 Jan 2012 13:28:59 -0500
This is a test message to check access to the dist list.
Ginnie Cronenberger,
Ritchie County
Subject: Pipits, waterfowl, and raptors in Hardy County
From: "David E. Carr" <dec5z AT CMS.MAIL.VIRGINIA.EDU>
Date: Sat, 28 Jan 2012 12:47:49 -0500
This morning I had a flock of about 60 American Pipits in the fields at the 
top of Big Ridge Rd. in Hardy County, WV.  Kimsey Run Lake hosted single 
Ring-necked and Ruddy Duck hens.  Surprisingly there were no eagles at the 
lake, but I did see a female American Kestrel and a fly-over male Northern 
Harrier.  Parker Hollow Lake hosted a single immature Bald Eagle, and I saw 
an adult Bald Eagle in a tree at the edge of the Lost River north of Baker.

David Carr
Arkansaw, WV
Hardy County
Subject: eagles near Winfield
From: "Cynthia D. Ellis" <cdellis AT WILDBLUE.NET>
Date: Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:23:36 -0500
A pair of adult Bald Eagles was noted today, 3 pm,  at the Hometown
backwater, on the north side of the Kanawha River in the Winfield area.
                                                             ~Cindy Ellis,
Putnam County

-- 
Cynthia D. Ellis
RR 1  Box 163
Red House, WV 25168
304 586-4135
304 206-0083
cdellis AT wildblue.net

Start every day off with a smile and get it over with.
   ~W.C. Fields