My wife and I recently spent three weeks in Virginia, Florida and Georgia
sightseeing, visiting relatives and birding when possible. I thought some
might be interested in places we birded. We started with a week at a
time-share condo in Williamsburg where we visited many historic sites and I
kept track of birds seen. I used two articles from "Birding" magazine to
find birding sites along the freeways. "Birding I-64 from Richmond to
Chesapeake Bay", June 2002, and "Birding I-95 Through Central South
Carolina", August 1999. It took a time to zero in on the new bird calls. It
didn't help with the loud calls of the Northern Cardinal and Carolina Wren
and the Northern Mockingbird imitating both of them and many other birds.
The entire area was celebrating the 400th anniversary of the founding of
Jamestown, we were there before the Queen arrived. Following are
highlights of the 124 birds seen and the areas visited:

Fairview Condos in Williamsburg - an wooded area near the had Tufted
Titmouse, Black-and-white Warbler, Yellow-throated Warbler and
White-throated Sparrows.

Yorktown many Osprey, Tree and Northern Rough-winged Swallows, Chipping
Sparrows, Forster's Terns, Black & Turkey Vultures were numerous. 24
species for day.

Jamestown Common Mergansers, Royal Tern, Bald Eagle, Fish Crows calling
"uh-uh", Boat-tailed and Common Grackles were also common during the trip.
On the way back we visited the Back Bay NWR and saw a fox scurry into the
brush. We saw our first Brown Pelicans and Great Black-backed Gulls. 41
species for day.

Colonial Williamsburg Cedar Waxwings, Yellow-rumped Warblers. Only 12
species.

James R. Plantations Red-bellied Woodpeckers (their "churr" call heard
everywhere on the trip), Willow Flycatcher and an Eastern Phoebe on nest,
Pine Warbler. A stop at York River SP got our first Eastern Bluebird. 25
species.

Monticello Blue-headed Vireos, Great-crested Flycatchers. 10 species.

Santee NWR in South Carolina We had stayed in Santee for the night and
got to the NWR early. At the viewing deck from the Indian Mound I was
looking at a Gray Catbird I had heard when my wife spotted a beautiful
blue, green and red bird that turned out to be a PAINTED BUNTING soaking up
some sun. Also saw a WOOD THRUSH. As we were leaving a ranger stopped by us
and asked what we had seen. He said the PABU was the first sighting this
spring.

Yemasse area a little further south there was a very good wetlands by the
road that had Tricolored heron, Little Blue Heron, Purple Gallinule,
NORTHERN PARULA in trees nearby and Red-winged Blackbirds. 9 species.

Florida's Fort De Sota Park south of St. Petersburg, good birding
Laughing Gull, Great, Snowy & Cattle Egret, White Ibis, Black Skimmer,
Common Yellowthroat, Dunlin, Short-billed Dowitcher, Red-breasted
Merganser, ROSEATE SPOONBILL. 27 species.

Bonita Beach Ruddy Turnstone, Least Tern and MAGNIFICENT FRIGATEBIRD.

Bonita Springs while staying with a brother, a snow-bird from Minnesota
Limpkin, Pileated Woodpecker, CHUCK-WILLS-WIDOW heard regularly at night,
Eurasian Collared-Dove, Brown Thrasher. 25 species.

Sanibel Island's Ding Darling NWR Reddish Egret, Palm Warbler,
Black-bellied Plover, NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH, WILSON'S PLOVER, Black-necked
Stilt, Pied-billed Grebe. Sanderling, another Magnificent Frigatebird,
AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER. 42 species.

6 Mile Cypress Slough in Fort Myers (a good alternative to Corkscrew Swamp)
Snapping Turtles, Alligator, RED=SHOULDERED HAWK, ANHINGA, SOLITARY
SANDPIPER, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Black & White Warbler, Glossy Ibis.
28 species.

Myakka River SP near Sarasota a lot of good birds, only one new, Common
Moorhen.

Homosassa/Crystal R. area north of Tampa Florida has a birding trails
brochure listing good areas for birds. The locations are marked with road
signs. We spent two days birding a few of the areas. Fort Island Beach Park
many good birds - BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER, more Black Skimmers,
Western Sandpiper and Semipalmated Sandpiper. Fort Island Trail Park,
Preserve Watch and Dixie Shores Blvd were all good. Ate dinner at the Sea
Grass Inn and watched our only Green Heron of the trip fly in and land on a
dock. The Crystal R. Preserve SP Eco Trail is a two mile trail with good
habitat and birds that added a YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO to the list. The
Preserve Watch mudflats had both Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs. 44 species.

Jonesboro area about 20 miles south of Atlanta has a number of good birding
areas.
Reynold's Nature Preserve 20 species and our first Eastern Towhee, Wood
Duck
Panola Mt. SP heard Red-eyed Vireos.
Piedmont NWR near Macon another good birding area Song Sparrow, Eastern
Phoebe, Belted Kingfisher and another Yellow-billed Cuckoo. 20 species.
Newman Wetlands, affiliated with Atlanta Audubon is one of the best places
we visited in the area. Lots of good birds including White-eyed and
Blue-headed Vireos, another Solitary Sandpiper. 22 species a very
strikingly colored Common Whitetail dragonflies.

It was a very good trip and we did get a lot of opportunities for birding.

Hugh Jennings
Bellevue, WA
hughbirder AT earthlink.ne