Old Trail; Crozet, VA 3/10/19

All photos are © Marshall Faintich

Ah, Daylight Savings Time (DST) - my favorite time of the year for birding. The birds are still on EBT (Eastern Bird Time), and I can get up and out at my usual time of the morning, and enjoy an extra hour of increased avian activity. It was quite cool, damp, and overcast here in Old Trail, but I wanted to take advantage of the clock change. I hiked sections of the Lindy Bain Loop Trail here in Old Trail between 9 and 11 this morning, and ended up with 33 avian species, and I missed a few of the regulars. I started off behind the lodge, and along Western Park, and had a dozen avian species in a short time period. There were lots of sparrows out, and more White-crowned than I have seen for quite a while.

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White-crowned Sparrow

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Red-shouldered Hawk

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Red-winged Blackbird

My next stop was at the pond along Old Trail Drive where I saw 15 to 20 Lesser Scaups and some Canada Geese. It was difficult to get a good count of the Scaups, as many of them were diving.

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Female and male Lesser Scaups

I went over to the golf course pond and added a few more species. I saw a Great Blue Heron high up in a tree there. It's common to see one fishing by the pond, but I don't see one in trees there very often. This one was alternating between resting with its eyes closed, preening, and sometimes looking around.

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Great Blue Heron

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Eastern Bluebird

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Red-bellied Woodpecker

My last stop was on the trail near my house along Slabtown Branch Creek. I added a few more avian species to my day list.

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Brown Creeper

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Ruby-crowned Kinglet

This morning's list:

Canada Goose
Mallard
Lesser Scaup
Great Blue Heron
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Red-shouldered Hawk
Killdeer
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Fish Crow
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Brown Creeper
Carolina Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Chipping Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
White-crowned Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow


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