Stromboli's Rolling Log

Trip Day 28 ,Friday May 21,2021 At Walnut Hills Campground Stuart’s Draft VA

First full day at the campsite and all is well. This morning I went out at 7:00 to find a few birds before breakfast and we did find them with in 100 yards of the camper, I Spotted 14 birds including the great PILEATED WOODPECKER in a spar tree a few feet and up, from the trailer.
(***See surprise in photos)

Those birds included some usuals but during the day we added to that list which I will include some below. BROWN THRASHERS are particularly plentiful as are EASTERN BLUEBIRDS.

The day was sunny again and with an overnight low of 54 the day wound its way up to the 80 degree mark once again.

If you look closely you will see three Pileated Woodpeckers

We stayed in the park in the AM and slowly made our way around this huge and spacious campground. A I mentioned yesterday there are really 3 parks plus the cabins and tent sites, so it has much space between the camping sites.

We did take a ride around the roads of the campground and stopped when we saw some possible sites for birds Those places are varied. Here, where there is both open and closed areas, the environment varies greatly, some forests on the road edge, some lone trees on the other side of the forest from the road, some by a stream, ,sidehills, a grove of pine trees, and where the woods are on both sides of the road. Behind the trailer there are ; low shrubs along the creek, tall, old trees for high perches, newly planted trees that birds use on their “way through”,and so on.

The Cheese Shop in Stuart's Draft, VA

There are many Bluebirds

The park has a

There is a large pond in the middle, with five aeration devices to aerate the water. The creek flows through and out the far end of the park. I estimate the park to be about 1/2 miles square. + or-. It was originally a Walnut plantation back in the day, but has been run as a camping park for 17 years (2 generations).

After lunch we tried to find two things in the little community of “Stuart Draft” about 3 miles away. We did find 1) the Bakery (Millie’s Bakery) and it was worth the visit. (Aren’t most bakeries?) We just came to “look” but ended up with enough goods “for a Regiment” as the saying goes. Then to the…( 2) Cheese factory which was an Amish run store as they are in Indiana that we have seen. Many packaged soups, seed, spices, and goods of all kinds homemade, and of course the cheese which surpassed any deli I have seen. They have 4 year old cheese and 6 year old cheese which I have not seen since we visited the Netherlands. I asked the clerk “Dutch”? and she smiled and nodded her head. We bought enough for toasted cheese sandwiches.

After some more bird watching and finishing my log, (I have a daily “diary of sorts” which keeps all sorts of data and the basic log for the day.

Tonight I added the GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHERto the list here in thePark. I think we have seen 25 bird species here . That checks with Ruth’s total. Also the AMERICAN GOLDFINCH, NORTHERN CATBIRD, HAIRY WOODPECKER, NORTHERN FLICKER, and the CHIMNEY SWIFT.

So this should be a good birding stop and it already has been. Tomorrow maybe Staunton and their birding spots. (It is pronounced “Stay-ton”here evidently.