Walt Childs and I headed out this morning to look for migrating warblers in southern Albemarle and Nelson Counties. Our first stop was at Warren Ferry, and we immediately heard and saw a Yellow Warbler singing high up in one of the trees. We saw a few other birds there as well, and heard a second and unidentified warbler that we could not locate. Its song was different from that of the Yellow Warbler.
Yellow Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Our next stop was Hatton Ferry, but there wasn't much avian activity there to see, so we only stayed for a few minutes and then left for Totier Creek Park with its 66 acre reservoir. The habitat seemed as though it should have supported lots of avian species, but we only saw a few birds. We did see lots of turtles! I had a close encounter with a vireo that flew away soon after I took a few photos of it, and the warbler started singing deep in a nearby tree. The photos were strongly backlit, and I couldn't see much detail other than its olive color, but its song sounded like a Warbling Vireo. However, after processing the photos, I now believe that it was a Red-eyed Vireo.
Turtles
Broadhead(?) Skink
Red-eyed Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
After a quick lunch, we headed to the home of some friends in Shipman where we saw lots of birds at their feeders and in nearby wooded areas.
Pine Siskins
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Cooper's Hawk
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
We stopped at a few more locations in Shipman, the best of which was the Laurel Road bridge over the Rockfish River. I saw a Cliff Sparrow flying near the bridge, and there was a partial mud nest under the bridge, but I couldn't tell if it were a new or old nest. A pair of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers were foraging around their nest in a nearby tree, and I was lucky when a Common Yellowthroat landed on a tree stump just a few feet in front of me.
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Common Yellowthroat
Common Yellowthroat
Common Yellowthroat
Common Yellowthroat
Common Yellowthroat
Walt and I ended up with 40 avian species for the day, and I took a quick hike here in stoney Creek when I got home, and added three more species: Carolina Chickadee, Song Sparrow, and Brown Thrasher.
Walt's and my list from today:
Turkey Vulture Cooper's Hawk Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove RT Hummingbird Belted Kingfisher Red-bellied Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Pileated Woodpecker Red-eyed Vireo Blue Jay American Crow Tree Swallow Cliff Swallow Tufted Titmouse Carolina Wren Ruby-crowned Kinglet Blue-gray Gnatcatcher American Robin Northern Mockingbird European Starling Yellow Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Common Yellowthroat Eastern Towhee Chipping Sparrow Field Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Northern Cardinal Red-winged Blackbird Eastern Meadowlark Common Grackle Brown-headed Cowbird Purple Finch Pine Siskin American Goldfinch |