Birds Reported from West Virginia in April 2006

A nominal total of 181 species was reported by subscribers to the WV-Bird listserv in April 2006, compared to 125 species in March. As of April 30, the number of species reported in West Virginia in 2006 stood at 202. April witnessed the first observations in 2006 of 63 species (indicated by an asterisk in the following list), the vast majority of these being migrants or summer residents returning from southern wintering grounds. The largest one-day influx of new species (9) occurred on April 22 (a Saturday). Unless otherwise noted, species are presumed to have been present the entire month (parenthetical notes include first and last dates reported, singular observations, high counts, etc.):

Canada Goose
Wood Duck (high of 50+ at Green Bottom WMA on 16th)
Gadwall (last on 22nd)
Black Duck
Mallard
Blue-winged Teal (high of 16+ at Green Bottom on 16th)
Northern Shoveler (last on 16th)
Green-winged Teal (last on 1st)
Redhead (last on 19th)
Ring-necked Duck (last on 22nd)
Greater Scaup (high of 20 in Berkeley Co. on 1st)
Lesser Scaup (last on 10th)
Bufflehead (high of 7 in Raleigh Co. on 8th; last on 22nd)
Hooded Merganser (last on 22nd)
Common Merganser (last on 16th)
Red-breasted Merganser (high of 31 in Cabell-Mason co. on 1st; last on 11th)
Ruddy Duck (last on 17th)
Ruffed Grouse
Wild Turkey
Common Loon (5 reports; last on 26th)
Horned Grebe (last on 17th)
Pied-billed Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant (high of 75 at Bluestone Lake on 30th)
American Bittern* (first on 22nd)
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Green Heron* (first on 11th at Green Bottom)
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Broad-winged Hawk* (first on 7th at Pipestem SP)
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Merlin (first on 11th)
Virginia Rail (first on 22nd at Green Bottom)
Sora* (first on 16th, last on 23rd, both at Green Bottom)
American Coot (last on 23rd)
Killdeer (nest with eggs in Cabell-Mason cos. on 1st)
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs* (first on 12th near Lewisburg)
Solitary Sandpiper
Spotted Sandpiper* (first on 19th near Bluestone SP)
Upland Sandpiper* (first & only on 12th near Lewisburg)
Least Sandpiper* (first on 22nd at Gallipolis Ferry)
Pectoral Sandpiper* (first & only 12th near Lewisburg)
Wilson's Snipe (last on 23rd)
American Woodcock
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull (last on 22nd)
Caspian Tern* (first & only at Gallipolis Ferry on 22nd)
Forster's Tern* (first on 7th in Berkeley Co.)
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Yellow-billed Cuckoo* (first on 23rd in Cabell Co.)
Barn Owl* (Hardy Co.)
Great Horned Owl
Barred Owl
Northern Saw-whet Owl* (Canaan Valley)
Whip-poor-will* (first on 14th in Berkeley Co.)
Chimney Swift* (first on 15th in Wood Co.)
Ruby-throated Hummingbird* (first on 14th in Raleigh Co.)
Belted Kingfisher
Red-headed Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Olive-sided Flycatcher* (first on 30th at Muddlety)
Eastern Wood-Pewee* (first on 29th at McDonough Slough)
Acadian Flycatcher* (first on 30th at Huntington)
Least Flycatcher* (first on 25th at Seneca Rocks)
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher* (first on 23rd in Summers Co.)
Eastern Kingbird* (first on 19th)
Loggerhead Shrike
White-eyed Vireo* (first on 15th in Cabell Co.)
Yellow-throated Vireo* (first on 9th at Kanawha State Forest)
Blue-headed Vireo
Warbling Vireo* (first on 16th at Green Bottom WMA)
Red-eyed Vireo* (first on 19th in Fayette Co.)
Blue Jay
American Crow
Fish Crow
Common Raven
Horned Lark (Gallipolis Ferry on 23rd)
Purple Martin
Tree Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Barn Swallow
Cliff Swallow* (first on 17th in Wetzel Co.)
Carolina Chickadee
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Winter Wren
Marsh Wren* (first on 22nd at Green Bottom)
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Eastern Bluebird
Veery* (first on 29th at McDonough Slough)
Gray-cheeked Thrush* (first on 29th at McDonough Slough)
Swainson's Thrush* (first on 7th in Greenbrier Co.)
Hermit Thrush
Wood Thrush* (first on 13th)
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Blue-winged Warbler* (first on 15th in Wayne Co.)
Golden-winged Warbler* (first on 29th in Raleigh Co.)
Tennessee Warbler* (first on 30th at McDonough Slough)
Orange-crowned Warbler* (first on 15th in Wayne Co.)
Nashville Warbler* (first on 23rd in Wetzel Co.)
Northern Parula* (first on 13th at McDonough Slough)
Yellow Warbler* (first on 12th near Jane Lew)
Chestnut-sided Warbler* (first on 28th at Pipestem SP)
Magnolia Warbler* (first on 22nd in Tucker Co.)
Black-throated Blue Warbler* (first on 19th in Fayette Co.)
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler* (first on 29th at Cranberry Glades)
Yellow-throated Warbler* (first on 1st in Cabell-Mason cos.)
Pine Warbler
Prairie Warbler* (first on 15th in Wayne Co.)
Palm Warbler* (first on 21st in Wetzel Co.)
Cerulean Warbler* (first on 22nd in Kanawha SF)
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart* (first on 19th in Fayette Co.)
Prothonotary Warbler* (first on 23rd in Cabell-Mason cos.)
Worm-eating Warbler* (first on 19th in Fayette Co.)
Ovenbird* (first on 13th)
Louisiana Waterthrush
Kentucky Warbler* (first on 22nd in Kanawha SF)
Common Yellowthroat* (first on 3rd in Mingo Co.)
Hooded Warbler* (first on 19th in Summers & Wetzel cos.)
Yellow-breasted Chat* (first on 23rd in Cabell Co.)
Scarlet Tanager* (first on 15th in Wood Co.)
Eastern Towhee
American Tree Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Grasshopper Sparrow* (first on 20th in Berkeley Co.)
Henslow's Sparrow* (first on 22nd in Tucker Co.)
Fox Sparrow (last in mid-April)
Song Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow* (first on 26th in Tucker Co.)
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak* (first on 21st in Randolph Co.)
Indigo Bunting* (first on 22nd in Jefferson Co.)
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Rusty Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Orchard Oriole* (first on 21st in Randolph Co.)
Baltimore Oriole* (first on 23rd near Bluestone SP)
Purple Finch
House Finch
Pine Siskin (14th at Dry Fork, 23rd in Jefferson Co., & 29th in Preston Co.)
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

Sixteen species that had been reported in March were not reported in April, most of these being wintering visitors that have exited the State (exceptions are indicated with an asterisk): Greater White-fronted Goose, Snow Goose, Mute Swan, Tundra Swan, American Wigeon, Northern Pintail, Canvasback, Long-tailed Duck, Common Goldeneye, Rough-legged Hawk, Ring-necked Pheasant*, Sandhill Crane, Bonaparte’s Gull, Eastern Screech-Owl*, and Red Crossbill.

Edit of 06/01/2006: The number of species reported in West Virginia in March is changed from 124 to 125, and the number of species reported in West Virginia in 2006 is changed from 201 to 202. The addition of American Pipit to the list of species reported in March but not reported in April brings the number of such species to sixteen.