Blue Ridge Parkway, VA 7/18/18

All photos are © Marshall Faintich

I had been up on the parkway/Route 610 a week ago, and the only warbler I saw then was a Hooded Warbler. Dense foliage made it really difficult to see any birds. A front moved through the area overnight, ushering in cooler and much drier air, so I decided to try the same route again along the first 12 miles of Route 610/Blue Ridge Parkway. This morning, the foliage was just as dense, but it was a lot more comfortable. Soon after getting onto Route 610 at about mm 2. of the parkway, I stopped at the entrance to the old tower and birded along the road. I saw 11 avian species there, including 4 warbler species: American Redstart, Cerulean, Black and White, and Kentucky. The Kentucky Warbler was a real surprise. This small mixed warbler cluster was indicitive of a migrating flock, although it might be too early in the season for warbler migration. However, I had seen Ceruleans and Redstarts there earlier this spring and summer, but not the Black and White or the Kentucky.

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Cerulean Warbler

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Cerulean Warbler

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Cerulean Warbler

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Female American Redstart

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Black and White Warbler

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Kentucky Warbler

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Kentucky Warbler

A bit farther south on Route 610, I heard a Hooded Warbler where I had seen one a week ago, but this time, could not locate it in the foliage. I continued on, re-entered the parkway around mm. 4, and had already logged 17 avian species.

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Downy Woodpecker

I made a couple of stops before ending at Hickory Springs Overlook (mm. 12). Hooded Warblers have been nesting nearby, and I got a few quick looks at a female Hooded Warbler.

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Female Hooded Warbler

I returned along the same route, and by the time I finished the return, had added three more avian species for the trip. Photographing butterflies was a lot easier this morning.

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Pipevine Swallowtail

Today's trip list:

Black-and-white Warbler
Cerulean Warbler
American Redstart
Kentucky Warbler
Hooded Warbler
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Carolina Chickadee
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Wood Thrush
Northern Cardinal
Indigo Bunting
Eastern Towhee
American Goldfinch
Tufted Titmouse
Chipping Sparrow
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Scarlet Tanager


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