It spite of a rainy forecast, six people showed up on a cold and damp morning for the monthly bird walk at the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship. Because of heavy rain right before the walk, trip leads Michael Sciortino and Joe Coleman considered cancelling. However, as the participants said after the walk, we were glad we didn’t. Although the temperature ranged from 34 to 37 degrees, and the mountains were covered in fog, we saw 33 species, and all of us enjoyed the walk. The highlights were a Brown Thrasher, a male Northern Harrier transitioning from its juvenile plumage into adult plumage, Wild Turkeys, two Red-tails sitting side by side on one of the wooden pylons on Butterfly Alley, two very vocal Common Ravens, and a Ruby-crowned Kinglet in full song. For a complete list of the birds observed on February 27, see below or view on eBird at https://ebird.org/checklist/S82423319.

Species List:

Photo by Joe Coleman

Canada Goose 4
Wild Turkey 4
Mourning Dove 2
Black Vulture 18
Turkey Vulture 5
Northern Harrier 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 2
Belted Kingfisher 1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker 3
Downy Woodpecker 3
Pileated Woodpecker 2
Northern Flicker 2
Blue Jay 5
American Crow 6
Common Raven 2
Carolina Chickadee 1
Tufted Titmouse 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1
White-breasted Nuthatch 3
Carolina Wren 1
European Starling 1
Brown Thrasher 1
Northern Mockingbird 1
Eastern Bluebird 20
American Goldfinch 6
Dark-eyed Junco 2
White-throated Sparrow 8
Song Sparrow 6
Eastern Towhee 1
Red-winged Blackbird 16
Northern Cardinal 6

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