Photo by Scott Harris

Under sunny skies, with temperatures hovering in the mid-30s, a hardy group of 20 birders turned out for the monthly walk at the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship  on Saturday, January 28. The walk’s four leaders split the crowd into two groups, allowing more space for viewing and additional time for discussion.

Birds were in somewhat short supply and many of the usual suspects, including Mourning Doves and Field Sparrows, were nowhere to be seen. The groups saw mostly similar species with some noteworthy exceptions. One group was treated to a secretive Winter Wren, initially identified by its song before the small, dark bird darted across the hiking path. The other group enjoyed views of several cooperative Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, including two arguing about rights to a particular tree branch. Other highlights included a Pileated Woodpecker pair gleaning insects from fallen logs and a Red-shouldered Hawk posing nicely on a wire fence. Both groups got good looks at Brown Creepers. When the walk ended at about 10:30, warming temperatures finally induced several turkey vultures to leave their roosts and ride the updrafts.

A combined total of 28 birds were identified. For a complete list of birds observed, view on eBird at: https://ebird.org/checklist/S127129694 and https://ebird.org/checklist/S127086300.

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