2017 Club Activities

Fall 2016 – Spring and Summer 2017

The past year has proved an interesting and productive one for the Buchanan County Bird Club. Thanks to member Ed Talbott III the club now has a new website. It can be found at this address https://sites.google.com/site/buchananbirds/home Thanks also to Daryl Owens for setting up the Buchanan/Russell Co. Bird Club Facebook page.

On October 22, 2016 David and Susan Raines hosted their annual Sparrow Day at their home in the Breaks. Different species of sparrows migrate through the area during the month of October, and the Raines’ place with its open fields and fence rows is an excellent spot to find them. Sixteen birders and friends came to enjoy the day. The early morning chill was made enjoyable with the nice fire David had going in their fire pit, and Susan providing warm snacks and drinks for everyone. Later in the day a lunch of hot soup was served to the hungry group.

Fifty-six bird species were found during the day under blue, fall skies with 8 of them being the sought after sparrows. Four different hawk species were found : Cooper’s, Sharp-shinned, Red-shouldered and Red-tailed. As always Sparrow Day was an enjoyable experience.

Bald Eagles are being found in the area more frequently now. A few years ago the people of Buchanan and surrounding counties would have been really surprised to see one. Sighting one now is almost a common occurrence.

In December of 2016 club member David Raines found two Bald Eagles at the marina at John Flannagan Reservoir. This pair may be nesting there, and may remain in their nesting area even during winter. Club member Michelle Talbott found an adult Bald Eagle circling over Southern Gap in February of this year, and she with husband Ed saw a juvenile Bald Eagle at the same location in September. Bird club member Daryl Owens found an adult Bald Eagle perched just across the river from the Rainbow Restaurant at Vansant on Sept. 16. Club members JN Howard and wife Ella saw an adult Bald Eagle perched on a snag in downtown Grundy on October 8 of this year. Bald Eagles are known to be nesting in Burkes Garden of Tazewell County and on Fishtrap Lake in Pike County KY. They are making a comeback from the ravages of chemical pesticides used during the 1940’s and 50’s.

Golden Eagles do not nest in the area, but they come down from the north each winter to hunt in the high open fields of Burkes Garden in Tazewell County and can often be seen along the roads in Russell County.

In December of 2016 and early January of 2017 the Buchanan County Bird Club participated as it usually does in three Christmas Bird Counts – The Breaks Park CBC, the Buchanan County CBC and the Russell County CBC. These bird counts, sponsored by the National Audubon Society to see if the bird populations are staying healthy, have been taking place since 1909.

On February 18 Buchanan County Bird Club members joined members of the Russell County Bird Club and the Bibbee Nature Club of Bluefield for the annual trip to Burkes Garden to see both Bald and Golden Eagles and Rough-legged Hawks that winter there. Twenty birders enjoyed the day and got to see 3 Bald Eagles and 4 Golden Eagles. The group counted forty-five bird species including 5 different ducks and 3 hawk species. The group had lunch at the home of the Amish Schlabach family and the food was delicious. They have since opened a store/restaurant there where they serve hot food and sell delicious loaves of Amish bread.

Club member Clancey Deel has been doing research on the birds of Burkes Garden since 2013, and recently with the help of his friend David they have added 30 new species for that area.

In 2016 the Virginia Society of Ornithology started the five year project of the second Virginia Breeding Bird Atlas for the state. The purpose of the project is to gather as much information about the birds breeding and raising young in the state as possible. In April Dr. Ashley Peele, the coordinator of the project spoke to members of the Buchanan and Russell County Bird Clubs to encourage them to participate and to explain how to record their digital information on Virginia’s digital system e-bird. Several local club members are now participating.

The Great Blue Heron nesting Rookery (colony) that was found on a ridge near the Dismal River in 2016 by Daryl Owens was active again this year. Great Blue Herons are the tall bluish-gray birds seen wading along the rivers and streams of the area. When found the colony had 8 or 10 large nests, but one nest has been destroyed by wind since then. This is the first rookery found anywhere along the Levisa or Dismal Rivers in the area. At one time these large wading birds were common here, but they were eventually killed out or left due to stream pollution. Fortunately, they are now becoming common again, which is a step toward having a healthier eco-system along our waterways.

In May the club took another trip to the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge in northern Ohio to watch the spring migration progress. The refuge is located on the shore of Lake Erie, and is a haven for the colorful birds migrating to the northern U.S. and Canada. They stop at the refuge to feed and build up their energy to make the flight across Lake Erie. On the boardwalk , that extends for a couple of miles into Magee Marsh, the birds are so numerous and so busy feeding they are often at arm’s length from observers. It is excellent for nature observers and photographers.

On September 16th birders attended the annual Warbler Day event held at the home of Roger and Lynda Mayhorn on Compton Mountain. The Mayhorns’ yard, fields and woods are on the migration path of hundreds of birds as they make their way south toward their wintering grounds in Central and South America. Just after sunrise the birds begin to drop down to feed after flying at night to avoid hawks and other flying predators. They drink and bathe in the stream and pond the Mayhorns have built in their yard. Birders can stand in one spot and see small, beautifully colored warblers and other birds as they feed in the trees and bushes around the yard. This year twenty-seven birders from Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee came to see and enjoy the migration spectacle. They were not disappointed. Sixty-five different species of birds were recorded during the day’s event. A free lunch was served followed by desserts, some brought by visiting birders. It was an excellent way to spend a fall day with beautiful weather and other people who share a common interest.

Also in September three bird club members, Roger and Lynda Mayhorn and David Raines, spent two days in the Breaks Park working with the Big Sandy Soil and Water Conservation Organization. There they taught all of the 4th Grade classes of Buchanan County about birds and their importance to humans and to our food supply.

On October 15 club members Don Carrier, Roger Mayhorn and Daryl Owens were birding the Southern Gap area when they came upon a sparrow in a bush not far from the baseball field. Daryl was the first to be surprised when he realized by its bold facial markings that it was a Lark Sparrow, a bird not from this area, but a bird of the Central and Western United States. The bird started feeding among some rocks and sparse weeds allowing the birders to take several photos from only a few feet away. This is the first record of that species ever recorded in the county.

Roger Mayhorn