Birds ===== One of the VMN programs is Adopt-a-trail, in which birds (and frogs and insects ...) on the paths in VDGIF areas are monitored. I can make bird counts and report them (Cornell has an App for this), and report the time I spend doing this. You didn't know I was an expert birder, did you? Well, I'm emphatically not. There is a wonderful treatise on the birds of Albemarle County (with no other than our own Dave Hogg as second author), which gives the historical list of bird species there as 499! Impossible with my knowledge. However, the annual number of birds commonly seen is closer to 100. It also turns out that if you can recognize around 30-40 species (more my capability), then in any given area you can identify most birds most of the time, and make a very acceptable report. I should mention that we have had feeders at home for several years. This has allowed me to become familiar with those species that regularly visit, and with a few less frequent visitors. So when I report to the annual Great Backyard Bird Count in February, I usually can report about 20 species over the four days. Although we put out suet, we do not get many species that are insect eaters, and, according to one source, these comprise 92% of birds in North America. We stop stocking the feeders in April, just enough to allow some additional nutrition during breeding season when all natural food has been cleared by the winter populations. Furthermore, this year a flock of Brown-headed Cowbirds have adopted us and are eating us out of supplies! It's then time for Claire to set up her Hummingbird feeders. Based on published figures for feeding requirements, we think that we supply 150-200 hummers from the neighboring woods, sometimes 20 at one time, during the summer; a lot of sugar! We have also put up customized nesting boxes for two historically threatened species: Eastern Bluebirds and Purple Martins. The purple martin nests were only installed last year, and we had no success; unfortunately, this season does not promise to be better. Martins are social and would probably use all four "gourds," but they are being guarded by a pair of tree swallows, who, like bluebirds, are "solitary," with breeding pairs not tolerating intruders. Claire put up the bluebird boxes a few years ago, and they have been a similar failure. Bluebirds, however, have been a success for us elsewhere. A couple bought an abandoned soapstone quarry in Schuyler, and have restored it as a private nature park (https://quarrygardensatschuyler.org). About four years ago, we volunteered to monitor the blue bird boxes. The boxes are installed with snake guards, and are monitored weekly for mites, ants, etc. Last year, we supervised five boxes for a total of nearly 30 nestlings in multiple clutches from April through August; plus one clutch of tree swallows. Fortunately, this park is closed except on weekends, so we can continue the effort this year even with the travel and separation restrictions. Gareth Hunt, 04 April 2020 ========== Update 19 April. A visit to the Quarry Gardens today showed 16 eggs plus 7 hatchlings in 5 bluebird nests. Update 26 April. A visit to the Quarry Gardens today showed 6 eggs plus 17 hatchlings in 5 bluebird nests. Update 27 April. The first pair (M+F) of hummingbirds arrived! Claire filled a feeder. These are presumably the first migrants who are going on farther north. Perhaps they were our last visitors last year on their way south?