There are still available copies of the new (third) edition of Birds of Augusta County, edited by YuLee Larner. Copies of the book will be on sale at the regular meetings of the Augusta Bird Club, or you may contact either YuLee Larner or Mary Vermeulen to purchase a copy. Please make your check for $15.75 (tax included) payable to "Augusta Bird Club Book Account."
MEETING DATES:
(This month and next)
Sept. 8
(For information on place and time, see the Meetings page.)
RECENT BIRD ALERT(S):
A Spotted Sandpiper has been sighted at Leonard's Pond, a rarity for this time of year. Also, a leucistic ("albino") Catbird has been seen regularly on Bell's Lane.
Last update: 02 Jul 2008
(For further information, or to report any unusual sightings, please contact the rare bird alert coordinator, Allen Larner.)
On Saturday June 7, twelve members of the Augusta Bird Club and the Bath-Highland Bird Club embarked on an field trip through northern Highland County, led by John Spahr. Beginning in Monterey, the group headed west on Route 250 into West Virginia, and then returned into Virginia on back roads in the high-elevation mountain forests, where the Mourning Warbler (one of the target species) was spotted. After lunch at the O'Bryans' home near Blue Grass, where the Golden-winged Warblers (another target species) were seen, the group stopped at the Spahrs' house, where a Yellow-throated Vireo was sitting in a nest, the first record of nesting by that species in the county. Altogether, 99 species were seen or heard. Some of the most notable sightings included:
Observing the Alder Flycatcher at Straight Fork, a few miles west of Blue Grass.
Observing the Yellow-throated Vireo in the nest, in the town of New Hampden. Photo courtesy of Beth Lumadue.
Montage of songbirds from Highland County. Clockwise, from top left: Canada Warbler, Bobolink, Mourning Warbler, Baltimore Oriole, Black-throated blue Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Winter Wren, and in the center, Blackburnian Warbler. Most of these images are freeze-frames from digital video clips. YouTube video pending...
Last news update: 11 Jun 2008
Download the latest Newsletter,
edited by Paul Callo.
Last update:
29 Apr 2008
(Sample image on the right is the February 2008 issue.)
(Portable Document Format / PDF, requires Adobe Acrobat Reader software.)
Membership in the Augusta Bird Club is open to all.
Meetings are held the second Monday of the month, September through April, with occasional exceptions. The usual meeting place is the Lifetime Building/Blue Ridge Community College Education Center, at the Augusta Medical Center in Fishersville. For more information, see the Meetings page.
To participate in the Shenandoah Valley Birds listserv and keep up-to-date on local sightings, go to the following web page and follow directions: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/shenvalbirds/. Or, e-mail John Spahr at jspahr_AT_augustamed.com. *
Our Rare Bird Alert provides telephone or email alerts when unusual birds are sighted in Augusta County and vicinity. For more information, contact Allen Larner at larnersky_AT_mindspring.com. *
NOTE: Replace the "_AT_" with "@"; this is a measure intended to prevent spam.
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Augusta Bird Club © 2008