I awoke to a day, Sunday November 29th, that appeared to be less than promising.  In viewing the weather radar, rain was  appearing in and around Richmond.  It, however, did appear that Hopewell was not in the mix so I decided to make the trip down.  Mist followed me all the way down to the Route 10 corridor and then it abated.  At daybreak, I started walking around various areas in Hopewell.  One of the first call notes to catch my attention was that of Winter Wren followed shortly thereafter by what was to be an impressive eight (8) Orange-crowned Warblers within Hopewell for the day.  While meandering around I encountered the regular lot of expected species but then heard a not to expected chip and in following up found both a Prairie Warbler and a Nashville Warbler loosely associating with one another.  The Prairie Warbler put on a show but the Nashville proved quite elusive to photograph.

Total species for the morning was 45 in a little over 2 hours. (I did not attempt to count total number of gulls or gull species on the water today.)

Species	Count
Canada Goose	14
Double-crested Cormorant	12
Black Vulture	9
Turkey Vulture	1
Bald Eagle	2
Red-shouldered Hawk	1
Laughing Gull	2200
Ring-billed Gull	1250
Herring Gull	450
Lesser Black-backed Gull	3
Great Black-backed Gull	2
Mourning Dove	6
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	1
Northern Flicker	8
Blue Jay	6
Fish Crow	2
Carolina Chickadee	6
Tufted Titmouse	5
Brown Creeper	1
Winter Wren	2
Carolina Wren	9
Golden-crowned Kinglet	4
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	8
Hermit Thrush	1
American Robin	225
Brown Thrasher	1
Northern Mockingbird	5
European Starling	275
Cedar Waxwing	6
Orange-crowned Warbler	8
Nashville Warbler	1
Yellow-rumped Warbler	10
Prairie Warbler	1
Field Sparrow	3
Fox Sparrow	2
Dark-eyed Junco	22
White-throated Sparrow	45
Song Sparrow	20
Swamp Sparrow	6
Eastern Towhee	3
Northern Cardinal	12
Common Grackle	25
House Finch	4
American Goldfinch	2
House Sparrow	10

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I started the Saturday, November 28th at a fresh water marsh in eastern Henrico County, Virginia.  This site has historically been dependable for King Rail.  As I got out of the car the pre-dawn moments held mostly clear skies with some low lying fog in some areas.  A Barred Owl gave out its call and within a couple a minutes a “kick” call was coming forth from the marsh.  Canada Geese were stirring and making quite a stir which further stimulated the King Rails to burst forth with a series of calls.  A total of four (4) different birds called from a couple areas of the marsh which is my peak count at this site.==============================================================================

I then turned my attention to Charles City County and visited the Harrison Fish Hatchery and one of the local plantations.  The highlights were Pine Siskins, good numbers of sparrows but no out of the ordinary species were observed.

In the afternoon I took a walk in the West Creek area of Goochland County.  The calls of both Spring Peepers and Upland Chorus Frogs were heard at several locations.  Nine (9) Autumn Meadowhawks and one (1) American Lady were observed flying.  With a temperature of 70 degrees, it felt more like a early spring day than that of late November.

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During the afternoon of November 27th, we had a leucistic gray squirrel “white squirrel” return to our home in western Henrico County, Virginia.  This is obviously one of the progeny of a “white squirrel” that has been roaming our neighborhood off and on for the last couple of years.  This “white squirrel” was a little more intensely white and not quite as large as the predecessor.   Images of the squirrel are as follows:

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I visited the City of Hopewell on Friday morning, November 27th.  Bird activity was good with the gull roost breaking up and departing to landfills, fields and other bodies of water in the surrounding area.  A low fog was present in some areas of the community and the river itself.  I heard a first of fall (for Virginia) chip note and quickly found an Orange-crowned Warbler in the first morning sun.  Other birds heard and seen at daybreak were both kinglets, Winter and Carolina Wrens, American Robins, Brown Thrasher and a Cooper’s Hawk.  All in all Hopewell was active but nothing of note out of the ordinary.  I next traveled to Charles City County (CCC) and again found a Orange-crowned Warbler.  Sparrows were numerous, many geese were flying and a Merlin had posted itself high on a perch in the middle of a wooded pond.  The immature male Common Yellowthroat continues in CCC and it will be interesting to see how long he will continue his presence.

Most species of dabbling ducks and some divers were at Dutch Gap in Chesterfield County.

Lastly, as I pulled into home in western Henrico County I heard again the distinctive chip of a Orange-crowned Warbler and found it foraging in my neighbors yard.  Three for the day and in three different upper coastal plain and piedmont counties.  Obviously a movement had occurred for them over the last several days.

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On Sunday, November 22nd I visited Prince George County before sunrise.  Conditions were mostly overcast, 49 degrees and winds relatively calm.  I tried in many locations for Saw-whet Owl and Long-eared Owl to no avail.  I did hear 4 Barred Owls, 3 Great Horned Owls, 1 Screech Owl and 7+ Timber Doodles (American Woodcock).  I continue to raise concern over what I am observing as a decrease in the number of Eastern Screech Owls.  I continue to be pressed to “work hard” to hear a species that I use to get with ease, even getting them to respond several times during daytime hours.
I did have more success with warblers today with a total of four (4) species observed.  Palm (2) and Pine (3) were observed in Prince George County, Common Yellowthroat (2) was observed in Charles City County and of course Yellow-rumped Warblers were present at all locations.  Some photographs are as follows:

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I visited Hopewell on the morning of November 21st.  Conditions were mostly sunny, little to no wind and the temperature was about 37 at daybreak.  Robins were in good numbers breaking from overnight roost with easily 300+ heading toward the skies.  The gull roost on the James River appears to be increasing in numbers with mostly immature Ring-bill, Herring, a few Lesser Black-blacked and Great Black-backed joining the still substantial Laughing Gull flock.  Warblers were disappointing this a.m. with only the expected Yellow-rumped observed.  Fox Sparrows have increased in number with several more observed and/or heard.  About 1 hour after sunrise a high flying flock of Tundra Swans flew over numbering 32.

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The weekend of November 14th and 15th proved to be exciting from the standpoint of the usually rare to casual Franklin’s Gull being seen up and down the east coast.  With the massive Laughing Gull roost located on the James and Appomattox Rivers near the City of Hopewell, Virginia it proved to be the magnet necessary to attract several of these birds as can be seen below.

 

Franklin’s Gulls were observed over the weekend of November 14th and 15th in the City of Hopewell, Chesterfield County and Prince George County as they divested from the gull roost on the James and Appomattox Rivers.  Their presence was probably due to a massive low pressure system that had swept through the middle of the country on Wednesday and Thursday, November 11th and 12th.  It is hard to quantify how many of these gulls were present but at times I had as many as five in the various flocks I was observing at several sites.

The Blackpoll Warbler above was also present on Sunday the 15th in the City of Hopewell.  Other birds of interest were Rusty Blackbird in Hopewell, Purple Finch in Prince George County and a Mute Swan flying into a pond in eastern Henrico County where I had not observed one before.

The Nashville Warbler above was observed in the City of Hopewell on November 8th.  It follows on the heels of one observed two weeks earlier also in Hopewell.  (Could have been the same bird?)

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On October 23rd I visited the Virginia Eastern Shore for the morning.  Migration was mediocre for the day but the casual Lark Sparrow is always a treat.