Walt Childs and I took advantage of the mid-40s afternoon temperatures, and made the 80 mile drive each way to the Blue Grass Valley in the Allegheney Mountains of Highland County, Virginia. This valley is a usually reliable winter site for Golden Eagles, and in addition, a Rough-legged Hawk and a few American Tree Sparrows were reported there two weeks ago.
Blue Grass Valley
Although we didn't see any of the target species this day, we did see 18 avian species, including 8 Red-tailed Hawks and 8 American Kestrels.
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
American Kestrel
American Kestrel
American Kestrel
Downy Woodpecker
Belted Kingfisher