Eastern Kingbird
I have been wanting to the Dutch Gap Conservation Area south of Richmond for a few weeks now. I hadn't seen Prothonotary and Yellow-throated Warblers yet in 2018, and this is a good location to look for them, especially Prothonotary Warblers, one of my favorite avian species, and in my opinion, the most beautiful of all the North American Warblers. I asked Walt Childs if he wanted to go with me, and we have been planning this trip for more than a week. But heavy rains all week with thunderstorms forecasted for today put the trip in jeopardy. The forecast was for rain/thunderstorms at both of our homes most of the day, and in Richmond starting around 9 a.m. But at 7:30 this morning, the Richmond rain was pushed back to 1 p.m., and with an early start, we could be at Dutch Gap by 10:00 a.m., so we decided to go.
We arrived just a few minutes after 10:00, hiked about three miles there, and ended up with 36 avian species by the time we left at 1:00 p.m., and the forecasted rain was again delayed, this time to 4:00 p.m. It was still very hot and humid, but we had a successful outing.
Eastern Kingbird
Grasshopper Sparrow
Grasshopper Sparrow
Eastern Meadowlark
Osprey
Female Red-winged Blackbird
Female Red-winged Blackbird
Our trip list included four warbler species. We head an Ovenbird and a Common Yellowthroat, and saw a couple of Pine Warblers, and heard a few more of them.
Pine Warbler
Pine Warbler
Although we didn't see or hear any Yellow-throated Warblers, we saw three Prothonotary Warblers, and heard two more of them.
Prothonotary Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
About halfway home, it poured! But at least my car got a wash.
Today's trip list:
Great Blue Heron
Ducks in flight (Mallards?)
Turkey Vulture
Black Vulture
Red-tailed Hawk
Bald Eagle
Osprey
Mourning Dove
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Eastern Phoebe
Eastern Kingbird
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Tree Swallow
Carolina Chickadee
Carolina Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
Northern Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher
European Starling
Pine Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Ovenbird
Common Yellowthroat
Northern Cardinal
Grasshopper Sparrow
Eastern Meadowlark
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
House Sparrow