On September 30, Ezra Staengl led a field trip to the Shenandoah Valley in search of rare shorebirds that had been continuing in Rockingham and Augusta counties. The trip started at Wayne Avenue in Stuarts Draft, where we successfully spotted 8 White-rumped Sandpipers. The next stop was Quillen's Pond, but the water was too high for shorebirds. The last spot in Augusta county was the Old Fishersville Quarry. We scanned for terns, but didn't find any. We moved onto Rockingham county. We saw 2 Solitary Sandpipers at Leonard's Pond. We also checked Artillery Road Ponds, a very underbirded spot that may have potential for birding in winter. At Lake Shenandoah we found a Great Egret, 2 more Solitary Sandpipers, and a Lesser Yellowlegs. We were surprised by two Double-crested Cormorants that flew over the lake. In Elkton, we found a continuing American Golden-Plover at a sod farm. We also saw a Northern Shoveler and a Blue-winged Teal. We checked a couple more spots in Rockingham, before heading back to the Afton Inn. There we found Common Yellowthroat, Black-throated Green Warbler, Prairie Warbler and Rose-breasted Grosbeak.
By Ira Lianez
By Ira Lianez
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