[bcbirdclub] Great Day on the River
- From: "David and Susan Raines" <rainbrk@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "Sawyers Hannah" <hrsawyers@xxxxxxxxx>, "Haley Young" <haleyryoung@xxxxxxxxxxx>, <bcbirdclub@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 13 Apr 2014 08:40:59 -0400
My son Holden and I went to the river yesterday morning to fish and enjoy
nature. We hiked the Camp Branch trail to the river, and continued right until
we came to an open area near the Towers formation. We were in the heart of the
gorge for most of the day. It was a beautiful day; we actually ended up with
more bird sightings than fish. We saw two Canada Geese on a beach and three
Common Mergansers in flight. Then the raptor show began. We saw two
Broad-winged Hawks, countless Turkey Vultures, Black Vultures, a pair of
Osprey, and an adult Bald Eagle. Holden and I spotted a couple of high-flying
raptors that we suspect were Peregrine Falcons. The Bald Eagle was especially
exciting for me because I have longed to see one in the Breaks gorge my whole
life. We had the opportunity to watch the Osprey call and hunt much of the day.
We initially mistook the Bald Eagle as another Osprey, but then the signature
white head and tail stood out along with the enormous size. The Osprey was
aggressive and dove at the eagle multiple times. The eagle left the scene
quickly, but we're still very thankful for the one close view. Our day was
complete when a Red-tailed Hawk made an appearance near the Towers and Chimney
formations. On our hike back, we were seranaded by Black-throated Green
Warblers and Louisiana Waterthrush. It was remarkable.
Dave R - Breaks VA
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