It was a beautiful day to be out birding, so I headed over to the Swoope area to see what might be there. As I drove down Hewitt Road, I saw Starlings, Crows, House Finches, Bluebirds, a few sparrows, and an Eastern Meadowlark.
Eastern Bluebird
Wilson's Snipes
Wilson's Snipes
Wilson's Snipe
Wilson's Snipe
Wilson's Snipe
Wilson's Snipe
Killdeer taking a bath
There were four ducks on the lake. Three of them were female Hooded Mergansers. The other duck was a Goldeneye. I have only see a few Goldeneyes, and they all have been Common Goldeneyes (uncommon here). This one, however, looked different, and based on the white neck, almost all yellow bill, more limited white patches on the upper wing, and a sleek head shape in flight, this one looks more like the Barrow's Goldeneye in my reference books. A Barrow's Goldeneye would be exceptionally rare here, but with the record low pressure in Canada, and massive cold and snowfall in the upper U.S., perhaps one these western or northeastern ducks was here. Any comments would be appreciated.
Goldeneye
Goldeneye
Goldeneye
Hooded Merganser
Goldeneye and Hooded Mergansers
Goldeneye and Hooded Mergansers
There were a few other species around the lake, including some boldly colored Savannah Sparrows.
Savannah Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
From Swoope, I headed over to the Augusta Springs Wetlands, but only saw a few common species there and one of the reddest dragonflies I have ever seen.
American Robin
Carolina Wren
Dragonfly
I stopped at the Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch on the way home, but except for a very distant Bald Eagle, all I saw there were lots of Crows and Turkey Vultures.
American Crow
Turkey Vulture
Turkey Vulture