Blue Grosbeak.
Photo by Pat Whittle

Eleven birders, led by Mary Ann Good and Scott Harris, enjoyed beautiful sunny skies, cool to warm temps, and a bounty of birds on a morning walk at the Goodstone Inn and estate north of Middleburg on May 11. Early arrivers got to see a beautiful Hooded Warbler endlessly repeating his emphatic song near the parking lot, along with a couple Red-headed Woodpeckers. We craned our necks to see singing Yellow-breasted and Red-eyed Vireos in the woods, then skirted the edge where we had wide views over the fields and into the scrubby edges, finding wonderful grassland species including a hovering/diving American Kestrel, multiple Grasshopper Sparrows and a single Savannah, a pair of Blue Grosbeaks, and at least a dozen Bobolinks emerging from the tall grass to sing their bubbly songs. Raptors enjoying soaring in the huge cloudless sky included a pair of Red-tailed Hawks, a Red-shouldered Hawk, and a near-adult Bald Eagle. See the complete list of 59 species on eBird: https://ebird.org/checklist/S109667369

Photo by Chuck Moore