Northern Harrier
It was sunny and cold today, and the temperatures barely made it out of the 20s. There was snow on the western slopes of the Allegheny Mountains, and Walt Childs and I headed west over the Blue Ridge and then south in the Shenandoah Valley to see if any raptors had moved into greener pastures for hunting. We started birding on Guthrie Road in Stuart's Draft, and saw our only Northern Harrier of the day.
Northern Harrier
In Raphine, we drove by McCormick's Mill pond where we saw a few Gadwalls, and then stopped at Willow Lake where we saw Canada Geese, Mallards, and a few Hooded Mergansers. Most of the area water bodies were partially or completely frozen over. We continued west and south, and saw only a few smaller birds. I assume that they were waiting for the temperatures to rise before getting out and about.
White-crowned Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Belted Kingfisher
During the day's outing, we saw eight American Kestrels.
American Kestrel
American Kestrel
American Kestrel
Before going north into Augusta County, we saw two Red-shouldered Hawks separated by several miles. Both of them were boldly colored. I was able to get some photos of only one of them.
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
We saw eight Red-tailed Hawks today. One of them, along Summerdean Road in southern Augusta County, looks to be a northern race Red-tailed Hawk. Although not as dark and boldly colored as other northern race Red-tailed Hawks that I have seen in previous winters, this one was by far, much darker than the other seven Red-tailed Hawks that we saw today.
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
We continued north to Swoope, and soon saw one of the two resident Bald Eagles.
Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle
As we were leaving Swoope, we saw a Bald Eagle carrying nesting materials in the direction of their nest. We don't know if this was the same eagle we saw earler, or its mate.
Bald Eagle
Our last stop in Swoope was to watch a few woodpeckers, and we saw a high-flying Coooper's Hawk.
Male Hairy Woodpecker - note how it is using its tail for support
Female Hairy Woodpecker (top) and male (bottom)