Yellow-rumped Warblers

Yellow-rumped Warblers are impressive in the sheer numbers with which they flood the continent each fall. Shrubs and trees fill with the streaky brown-and-yellow birds.
The Yellow-rumped Warbler is the only warbler able to digest the waxes found in bayberries and wax myrtles. They are perhaps the most versatile foragers of all warblers. They're the warbler you're most likely to see fluttering out from a tree to catch a flying insect, and they're also quick to switch over to eating berries in fall. There are two separate races, "Audubon's" (western) and "Myrtle" (eastern).
"A large flock was encountered eating wax myrtle berries in Burkes Garden on October 17, 2015. The registered count was 24, but many were flying away that could not officially be counted."

  

Ruffed Grouse

The dappled, grayish or reddish Ruffed Grouse is hard to see, but its “drumming on air” display is a fixture of many spring forests. It can come as a surprise to learn this distant sound, like an engine trying to start, comes from a bird at all.
Ruffed Grouse can digest bitter, often toxic plants that many birds can’t handle. The toes of Ruffed Grouse grow projections off their sides in winter, making them look like combs. The projections are believed to act as snowshoes to help the grouse walk across snow.

"After three years of effort, I was able to photograph this Grouse in Burkes Garden on October 9, 2015. This is the first recorded Ruffed Grouse in Burkes Garden."

Loggerhead Shrike

The Loggerhead Shrike is a songbird with a raptor’s habits. A denizen of grasslands and other open habitats throughout much of North America, this masked black, white, and gray predator hunts from utility poles, fence posts and other conspicuous perches, preying on insects, birds, lizards, and small mammals. Lacking a raptor’s talons, Loggerhead Shrikes skewer their kills on thorns or barbed wire or wedge them into tight places for easy eating. Their numbers have dropped sharply in the last half-century.

"Burkes Garden and surrounding areas still have Loggerhead Shrikes. This one was seen in Burkes Garden on October 7, 2015"

Northern Pintail

Slim and long-necked, the Northern Pintail has a distinctive silhouette. The male is easy to identify by his striking markings and long tail, but even the female can be recognized by her graceful, long-necked shape.
Northern Pintail populations have declined throughout most of their range at a rate of 2.6 percent per year between 1966 and 2010, resulting in a cumulative decline of 69 percent, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey.

"This pair of Pintails was seen in Burkes Garden on October 3, 2015. A very early occurrence for this location."

Forster's Tern

One of several medium-sized terns that are similar in appearance, the Forster's Tern breeds primarily in marshes and winters along the coasts. The comma-shaped black ear patch in winter plumage is distinctive, but some other plumages are very confusing. Forster's Tern is the only tern restricted almost entirely to North America throughout the year.

"Three Forster's visited Burkes Garden on September 25, 2015 when a high pressure in New England and a low pressure on South Carolina's Atlantic Coast produced eastward prevailing winds with 40 MPH gusts that was aimed directly at southwest Virginia. The terns were able to ride the winds to Burkes Garden. A rare occurrence".

American Golden-Plover

A large shorebird of pastures, open ground, and mudflats, the American Golden-Plover makes one of the longest migratory journeys of any shorebird. It breeds on the high Arctic tundra of Alaska and Canada and winters in the grasslands of central and southern South America. The bird's migratory routes includes of over 25,000 miles. Of this, 2,400 miles are over open ocean where it cannot stop to feed or drink.
"This Golden-Plover was seen in Burkes Garden on September 21, 2015. A very rare occurrence."

Owls

"My pursuit of finding and photographing owls in Tazewell County has been slow. With help and permissions from land owners, I have a couple photos to share"

The Eastern Screech-Owl is a small, short, stocky bird, with a large head and almost no neck. Its wings are rounded; its tail is short and square. Pointed ear tufts are often raised, lending its head a distinctive silhouette.

Barred Owls are large, stocky owls with rounded heads, no ear tufts, and medium length, rounded tails.

Barred Owls are mottled brown and white overall, with dark brown, almost black, eyes. The underparts are mostly marked with vertical brown bars on a white background, while the upper breast is crossed with horizontal brown bars. The wings and tail are barred brown and white.

Great Horned Owls are mottled gray-brown, with reddish brown faces and a neat white patch on the throat. Their overall color tone varies regionally from sooty to pale.
These are large, thick-bodied owls with two prominent feathered tufts on the head. The wings are broad and rounded. In flight, the rounded head and short bill combine to create a blunt-headed silhouette.