2013 Club Activities

2013 was an interesting year for the BCBC (Buchanan County Bird Club). Species of birds normally found in other parts of the U.S. were found locally or in neighboring areas. In February BCBC members went to see the really unusual Harlequin Duck on the South Holston River in Kingsport, Tennessee. This small, colorful duck is so rare it is usually found in winter only on the northern coasts of the U.S. farther north to Alaska, Greenland, Iceland and Western Russia. This small visitor stayed around for weeks feeding in the rushing waters of the river.

Also in February club members participated in the annual Audubon Great Backyard Bird Count where participants find as many species in their area as possible within a four day period. The information is then posted to Cornell University where the data are used to see how well winter species are doing. With this information over time patterns of population fluctuations can be observed. Bird Club members compiled bird lists from Buchanan, Dickenson and Russell Counties in Virginia, and part of Northeast Tennessee. Eighty-two species were found which is quite a good number since many species have gone south for the winter.

On February 24 eighteen birders, representing the Buchanan County Bird Club, the Russell County Bird Club and the Bibbee Nature Club of Bluefield, came together to make the annual drive to Burkes Garden in Tazewell County to see the unusual winter species there. Some of the great birds found were Bald Eagles, Golden Eagles and Rough-legged Hawks that come down from the north to spend the winter there. In one area American Kestrels, the smallest falcon in North America, were dive bombing a Red-tailed Hawk. The beautifully marked kestrels showed no fear, even though they were a fraction of the size of the much larger Red-tail. This area is also well known for its population of Red-headed Woodpeckers. BCBC members were lucky to get to see several in one location. Burkes Garden is known to other birders as a hotspot for birds in winter. While there members of the BCBC ran into a birding group from Boone, North Carolina.

In late March a small, striped finch with a red spot on its forehead known as a Common Redpoll came to the bird feeder of Roger & Lynda Mayhorn on Compton Mt. Club member Daryl Owens was there and spotted the bird. These birds usually stay up north during winter, but on occasion they do venture farther south. Roger Mayhorn said he had been waiting for years for one to show up at his place. The bird stayed around for several days, which gave other club members a chance to come and see it. For many it was the first sighting they had had of that particular species.

Members of the Buchanan County Bird Club often work with officials of the Breaks Interstate Park to promote birding in the area. In April five members participated in the National Migratory Bird Day and Earth Day hosted by the park. Club member David Raines led a bird walk to different parts of the park. Fifty-one species were counted for the day with eleven of those being wood warblers, small, hyperactive, brightly colored birds that were either passing through on their way farther north or were getting ready to nest in the park.

On May 11, while birding in the head of Slate Creek, Roger Mayhorn and Daryl Owens found a rare Lawrence's Backcross Warbler nesting there. According to Mayhorn a Lawrence's Backcross Warbler is a result of multiple cross breedings over generations between the strikingly beautiful Golden-winged Warbler and the equally striking Blue-winged Warbler. Unfortunately, when Blue-winged Warblers move into an area and start breeding with Golden-winged Warblers, their offspring breed mostly with Blue-winged Warblers, and over many generations there are no more Golden-winged Warblers in that area. Golden-winged Warblers are becoming more and more scarce.

Several BCBC members made their annual May trip to the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge located in northern Ottawa County Ohio on the shores of lake Erie. The trip's purpose is to watch the northern migration of thousands of birds that stop there to feed in the Magee Marsh as they wait for favorable winds from the south to help them make the flight across the lake into Canada. The birders were not disappointed as they walked the boardwalk out into the marsh and found 137 species with 26 of them being the wood warblers. Among the species found were a Great Horned Owl, an Eastern Whip-poor-will and a Woodcock. According to the birders the most amazing thing about this area is that the birds are so intent on feeding they are often at arm's length. They seem to completely ignore the humans so close to them.

On May 23 Roger Mayhorn photographed a life or death mini-drama unfolding in his yard on Compton Mt. A large black Rat Snake had crawled up into the driveway, and just happened to be within a couple of yards of a nesting Brown Thrasher. The thrasher is a rather large, brown, long tailed bird with a speckled breast that nests in thick shrubs very close to the ground. When the thrasher with young birds in its nest spotted the snake, it went into action as, Mayhorn put it, "like a Ninja warrior". It repeatedly attacked the snake, pecking it on the back and tail. The snake turned and struck at the bird several times, sometimes missing barely missing it. The attack was so strong that the snake had soon had enough and just wanted to leave, but each time it tried to crawl away the thrasher attacked again. This drama went on for about 10 minutes before the snake hurriedly slithered away across the yard and the thrasher went back to tending its young. Mayhorn's photos of the fight can be seen on his website at http://www.pbase.com/mayhorn/snake_thrasher

Turkey Vultures, also known as buzzards, are common and can often be seen throughout the area circling overhead or perched along a roadside. Sometimes these large black birds with their red featherless heads can be seen close-up when they are down on the roadway feeding on some dead animal. However, their relative, the Black Vulture, which has a dark gray head, is not as common in the county. They are common in surrounding counties that have lots of open pasture land, but to see one in Buchanan it is usually necessary to go near the Breaks area. However, on May 25th a Black Vulture was observed circling over the property of Roger and Lynda Mayhorn on Compton Mt on the eastern side of the county. Mayhorn said, "This is my first sighting of this species on the mountain in the 41 years we have lived here." A couple of weeks later bird club members found two more Black Vultures flying over the mountain. Are the Black Vultures expanding their range? Time will tell.

Peregrine Falcons, the fastest creature on earth that can dive on prey at 200 miles per hour have been nesting in the Breaks Park for the past couple of years. BCBC members have been working with the Virginia Department of Game to monitor the birds in the park. In June two adult Peregrines were seen there with a juvenile. A few minutes after the three disappeared a Bald Eagle was seen flying down the canyon with the two adult Peregrines in hot pursuit. They chased and dived on the eagle for until the eagle was out of sight. Bald Eagle numbers are also increasing in the area. Both Bald Eagles and Peregrine Falcons are finally recovering from the effects of the DDT pesticide that wiped them out in the Eastern U.S. back in the 1950's and 60's. Efforts have been ongoing to reintroduce them in the Eastern U.S. since DDT was banned by the government.

On August 6 David Raines of the Breaks found a Great Egret, a large white wading bird, along Grassy Creek near Willowbrook Country Club. These birds are only rarely found in the county.

Great Blue Herons, the large bluish-gray wading birds that are often seen standing along the river or creeks, have greatly increased in numbers in the county within the last 15 years. On August 8 one became a regular visitor at the yard pond of Roger and Lynda Mayhorn. The pond was filled with goldfish, and the bird tried to catch them but the water was too deep for the bird to wade. It was a juvenile bird and had no luck catching fish. After a few days it left.

On September 15 Roger and Lynda Mayhorn hosted their annual Warbler Day at their house on Compton Mt. The Mayhorns invite birders to come and see the phenomenal fall migration of birds that takes place each September on their property. Seventeen birders came to enjoy the birds. They found fifty-nine species throughout the day. Photos of the birds and birders can be found at http://www.pbase.com/mayhorn/warbler_day_2013

Each fall hawk watchers go to the highest mountains to watch the thousands of hawks migrate southward to South America where they spend the winter. Tom Hunter, a member of the Buchanan County Bird Club and the Russell County Bird Club, has manned the hawk watch on Clinch Mountain at the Mendota fire tower for the past few years. Other birders come by to help him count as the hawks fly down the ridge. Several hawk species are seen as well as Bald and Golden Eagles. The most numerous hawk seen is a crow-sized hawk called a Broad-winged Hawk. In 2013 at Mendota 4,256 Broad-winged Hawks were counted as they passed over during September.

On October 26 David and Susan Raines of the Breaks community hosted their annual Sparrow Day where birders are invited to watch the many species of sparrows and other migrants passing through on their way south. October is known among birders as sparrow month because that is when most sparrows pass through. Thirteen birders were on hand to enjoy the beautiful fall weather and the birds. Many species were found, but the highlight of the day was the sighting of an unusual hawk late in the evening. After watching it circle overhead a few times the group realized that they were looking at a Swainson's Hawk, a species commonly found in the Western U.S. but only rarely found in the East. The hawk finally perched in a tree high up on the hillside and settled in for the night. Many photos were taken that evening and early the next morning when the hawk took to the air just after sunrise. This was the first time this species had been found in the county and only the third record of this species in this end of the state. Later the photos and information were submitted to the Virginia Avian Records Committee, and the sighting was accepted as a valid sighting of a Swainson's Hawk.

BCBC member Ed Talbott II of Big Rock Virginia found a Bald Eagle flying along the Levisa River near the Virginia-Kentucky line on October 31. As time passes Bald Eagles may become common sights in the area.

An adult Golden Eagle was found circling overhead in the Breaks Park by David Raines on November 14. This is only the second sighting of that species within the park. The first was also found by David a year before.

Buchanan County Bird Club members again took part in the annual Christmas Bird Count sponsored by the Audubon Ornithological Society. The Audubon Christmas Bird Count was first started in 1909 to see which bird species were in a specific area and to see how birds fared from year to year in different areas. The Buchanan County Christmas Bird Count, established five years ago by the bird club took place on December 22. Eight-hundred fifty birds were found including 43 species. Bird club members also helped out with the Russell County Christmas Bird Count and the Breaks Park Christmas Count.

The Buchanan County Bird Club meets the second Monday of each month at the Buchanan County Public Library. Walk-ins are welcome to the meetings and to the club's birding outings. The club's web site is https://sites.google.com/site/buchananbirds/

Roger Mayhorn