Pocahontas State Park

In contrast to the cold overcast that joined me at Wetlands and Pony Pasture, a recent visit to Pocahontas State Park was nothing but sunny with strong hints of spring. Pocahontas State Park is mature forest, with bits of logged forest, a pinch of marsh, and even a drop or two of lake. There are several trails accessed from the heart of the park (all three miles or less - PDF map here). Or, if you are looking for a longer visit, a network of fire roads crisscross the park.

Here are a few of the noteworthy observations from my February visit to Pocahontas. For starters, this White-throated Sparrow flushed up into a nearby tree, and then sat, warily watching me from its perch.

As Tammy and I walked one of the trails, I was delighted to find a Winter Wren in a pile of brush next to the trail. We stood on a short bit of boardwalk (which was very low to the ground) while the wren worked up its confidence to the point of taking cover under the very boardwalk on which we stood.

This White-breasted Nuthatch was cruising the trees next to one of the lakes, showing off its talent for walking down trees beak first.

At one point, Tammy and I stood watching several distant Red-headed Woodpeckers. While watching, however, I heard rustling in the leaves right at our feet. Without moving, I did a bit of searching and discovered this critter (I think it is a Meadow Vole) hanging out in the leaf cover.

This Hermit Thrush flushed into the relative safety of some variety of Holly, and then sat...very...still...while I snapped a few photos.

While the land was not managed as a state park until 1946 (donated to the state of Virginia by the National Park Service), it was originally developed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. My last photo is of an old grave site located within the confines of the park, a testament to one of the families that lived on this land before it was converted into the park it is today. In this case, it is the Gill family, with the front marker dated 1872.

Hermit Thrush

When I am in the field there are certain things that I use to help me find birds. First, I rely heavily on bird song. This is very true in the spring when everything is singing away. I am much more likely to detect a singing bird than a silent bird. Sometimes I hear a bird, identify it from its song, but never manage to see it. Learning bird songs has been a huge help in these situations.

Without bird song I rely on movement. If a bird moves, and I see that movement, then I can try to follow it and maybe identify it. Sometimes I see movement in my peripheral vision and then I have to stop, scan and attempt to relocate the bird. Such was the case with this Hermit Thrush.

As I walked the River Trail at DGCA I noticed movement to my right, but when I looked in that direction I did not see what caused it. Apparently I had flushed this Hermit Thrush. He found a new roost and then just sat still. After I noticed the original movement, I stopped and scanned and got lucky. Finding a bird that is just sitting there and watching you without making a sound is just plain lucky. That is the feeling I get when I suddenly notice an owl in a nearby tree who has been watching me for several minutes. And that is the feeling I got with this thrush. Even after I spotted him, he just sat and watched me. I snapped a bunch of photos hoping that some of them would be reasonable. He, on the other hand, eventually got bored of me and decided that a nearby caterpillar was much more interesting. Yummy!