Green Heron
It was hot and humid today, and the only comfortable places to go birding were at higher mountainous areas, but being a long holiday weekend, all of the popular sites would be loaded with tourists. So Walt Childs and I headed west over the Blue Ridge, first to Swoope before it got too hot, and then up Hite Hollow Road in the Allegheny Mountains. It was already hot by the time we got to Swoope, and the vegetation along Smith Lake had not been cut, so we did a little birding from the road at the end of the lake, and then drove around the Swoope area and stopped for a few birds. I saw a Common Yellowthroat flying low in the vegetation, but not long enough in one spot for a photo.
Green Heron
Cedar Waxwing
Belted Kingfisher
It remained hot and humid all the way up Hite Hollow Road, and when we reached the summit, it was 79 degrees there. Most of the birds were hunkered down in shaded vegetation, and when they did come out, it was only for a brief time. We saw a few Worm-eating Warblers, but again, not long enough for photos. This road is a good place for Scarlet Tanagers, and we saw a male and a female in different locations.
Male Scarlet Tanager
Female Scarlet Tanager
Female Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Pine Warbler
Ovenbird
Red-eyed Vireo
Immature male Indigo Bunting
We ended the trip with 40+ avian species, including 4 warbler species, but after last week's day trip to Reddish Knob that yielded 60 species, including 12 warbler species, today's trip was fun, but just okay in comparison.