Albemarle & Nelson Counties 4/25/13

All photos are © Marshall Faintich

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:

Canada Goose
Turkey Vulture
Cooper's Hawk
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
RT Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Eastern Phoebe
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Tree Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Tufted Titmouse
Carolina Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Eastern Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Purple Finch
Pine Siskin
American Goldfinch


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