Central Virginia 9/5/2019

All photos are © Marshall Faintich

It turned out to be an interesting birding day, but not how I expected it to be. We had a cool front move into the area, dropping temperatures 10 to 15 degrees and changing winds to northwesterly. With Hurricane Dorian to our east, I expected the winds to shift to northeasterly, as well as backing up migrating birds and perhaps forcing some of the coastal species here. The high resolution weather radars showed fairly heavy bird migration onto central and western Virginia overnight. I went up to the Blue Ridge Parkway, and expected to see mixed flocks of migrating warblers at multiple locations. It was shortly after 9:00 when I arrived this morning, and there was moderate cloud cover. I exited the parkway and got onto parallel Route 610 at my usual mm. 2 exit, and drove slowly to mm. 4 before re-entering the parkway. The entire route along 610 was quiet except for a few Cardinals and Towhees. I drove to the first of my favorite warbler spots on the first 12 miles of the parkway - the large cirque near mm. 7-1/2. All I saw there was a Hooded Warbler, two American Goldfinches, and heard a Pewee. The Hooded Warbler gave me a good, but quick look at it before hiding in the vegetation.

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Hooded Warbler

I then drove to Hickory Springs Overlook (mm. 12) where I have been seeing my "buddy," a Hooded Warbler just to the north of the overlook, and it was still there and posing for photos, as it has been for the past two weeks.

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Hooded Warbler

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Hooded Warbler

But otherwise, it was quiet. I turned around and headed north, saw three Common Ravens, stopped again at the cirque which was quiet, and then stopped at the Humpback Rocks Visitor Center (mm. 5). Two bears were putting on a show for all the tourists.

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Black Bear

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Black Bear

I was really disappointed that there were so few birds along the first 12 miles of the parkway, and decided to try nearby Ridgeview Park in Waynesboro, but also tried my luck again on Route 610 between mm.4 and mm. 2. Shortly after getting back onto 610, I heard my third Hooded Warbler of the morning. I had seen one in that area several times during the past few weeks, but it had been rather shy. Today, it decided that it wanted to be photographed!

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Hooded Warbler

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Hooded Warbler

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Hooded Warbler

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Hooded Warbler

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Hooded Warbler

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Hooded Warbler

Well, that was fun! I continued north on 610 when I heard more birds. There was a mixed flock of woodland and warbler species, but getting good photos was a challenge.

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Chestnut-sided Warbler

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Canada Warbler

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Magnolia Warbler

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Magnolia Warbler

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Juvenile Chipping Sparrow

I was really happy to see the Magnolia Warbler, as it was my first one seen and photographed in 2019, making it 37 New World warbler species photographed this calendar year (30 in Virginia and 7 elsewhere). This ties my previous personal high of 37 New World warbler species photographed in a single calendar year, and I have a chance for 4 more here in Virginia this autumn, as well as 2 others photographed outisde of Virginia this year. My personal high for Virgnia is 33 warbler species in a single calendar year, so I have a chance of surpassing that as well. New World warblers are my favorite avian species to photograph, and I now have 48, and have a personal goal of 50+, but would have to travel far from Virginia to add to this total.

I continued north on 610, and stopped at the old tower when I heard more birds.

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Chestnut-sided Warbler

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Male (inset) and female Black-throated Blue Warblers

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Black and White Warbler

I hiked a bit at Ridgeview Park. Most of the avian species there were woodland, but I saw another Chestnut-sided Warbler, and added my 7th warbler of the day.

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Chestnut-sided Warbler

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Black-throated Green Warbler

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Black-throated Green Warbler

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Pileated Woodpecker


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