Birding for Life

My friend David will begin participating in Cycle Adirondacks’s Ultimate Cycling Vacation in a few days.  When he signed up nearly a year ago, he asked if I’d like to come along to give him a little extra support in case it’s needed.  He suggested that I might also see a few birds.  So, of course, I said “yes.”  And then a couple of weeks ago the birding part of the plan really came together when my birding buddy, Derek, said that he would like to go for a few days, too.

House Wren

I left home yesterday morning, Saturday, August 10, and drove to Derek’s place just north of Baltimore.  It was mainly a travel day, but I did make a few stops to look for birds in new counties.  First was the lovely Walrond Park in Roanoke, Virginia, that Derek suggested.  The beautiful park had wonderful habitat and looked as if it should have been teeming with birds, but it was rather quiet late on a hot August morning.  I didn’t see much other than Gray Catbirds and a little House Wren family.

I had somewhat better luck at McCormick’s Farms farther north in Virginia, finding three Green Herons in one little pond along with a Great Blue Heron and a Belted Kingfisher.

The old mill at McCormick’s Farms

My final stop yesterday was to look for a Pectoral Sandpiper behind a Chick-fil-A in West Virginia, but my search was unsuccessful.  However, I did enjoy these butterflies “puddling” in wet areas of the mostly dried-up pond.

One of several kaleidoscopes of butterflies that I saw in Ranson, West Virginia. This group contains Orange Sulphurs and probably a few Clouded Sulphurs as well.

Today was another travel day as Derek and I drove north.  But there were a couple of significant differences.  First, the weather was just perfect today, a very welcome relief from the hot temps at home.  Second, I got birds in THREE new states! I added New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts to the list of states that I have birded.

In Connecticut we walked a converted railroad path over a wetland and through some woods where we saw many Gray Catbirds, Cedar Waxwings, oodles of American Goldfinches, and a young Great Blue Heron on top of an electrical post.

Gray Catbird

Our first stop in Massachusetts was the delightful Bartholomew’s Cobble, nationally recognized for one of the greatest diversities of ferns in North America.  We saw no ferns, and while we saw some nice birds, the highlight was gorgeous Giant Swallowtail Butterflies.

The Bartholomew’s Cobble Visitor Center

Giant Swallowtail Butterfly

Tonight we are on the north side of Albany, New York.  Tomorrow we keep heading north.  Will we find more butterflies?  More birds?  Other critters?  Follow us and share our adventure.

A Cottontail seen in Connecticut today