Stoney Creek (Wintergreen) 11/18/15
We had more than two inches of rain overnight, and light rain all morning. The rain was supposed to end by noon, and I went to the Rockfish Valley Trail at 12:30 under cloudy skies. I had thought that the birds might be active and looking for something to eat after all the rain. On my way to the trail, it started to drizzle, but I decided to look for birds and hoped that the drizzle would end quickly.
American Crow
As I approached the end of the downstream trail, there was a lot of avian activity. I got a quick view, and a poor but ID-worthy photo, of my first-of-season Fox Sparrow before it flew away. I could hear it singing near the middle of the field.
Fox Sparrow
When I was about one mile from my car, it started to rain fairly hard, and I had to take cover. By the time the rain finally ended about 2:00 p.m., and the sun came out, most of the birds were taking their afternoon siesta. But I was able to see 6 more sparrow species on the short hike, and had a total of 15 avian species.
Field Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Eastern Towhee
Dark-eyed Junco
Song Sparrow
In addition to the species below, I also saw a Belted Kingfisher, Turkey Vultures, Eastern Bluebirds, and heard Carolina Chickadees.
American Goldfinch
Northern Cardinal
Yellow-rumped Warbler