Blue Ridge Parkway, VA 6/15/2020

All photos are © Marshall Faintich

It was supposed to be cool and cloudy, but when I got onto the parkway this morning, there was light drizzle. But I decided to proceed, hoping that the drizzle would stop, and perhaps there would be enough leaf cover in places to keep me dry. The temperature was 55 degrees, making it a relatively chilly day. I got off the parkway and onto parallel Route 610 at mm. 2, and my first stop was at the old tower. That proved to be a good start for my outing, as I watched a Cerulean Warbler foraging for breakfast.

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Cerulean Warbler

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Cerulean Warbler

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Cerulean Warbler

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Cerulean Warbler

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Cerulean Warbler

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Cerulean Warbler

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Cerulean Warbler

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Cerulean Warbler

While I was photographing the Cerulean, a Black and White Warbler flew right over my foot from one side of 610 to the other, and disappeared into the thick brush. A minute later, it did the same thing in the other direction. No photos of this one, but a little farther south on 610, I got some good looks at a pair of Black and White Warblers.

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Female Black and White Warbler

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Female Black and White Warbler

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Female Black and White Warbler

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Female Black and White Warbler

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Male Black and White Warbler

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Female Black and White Warbler

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Female Black and White Warbler

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Female Black and White Warbler

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American Redstart

I heard Hooded Warblers and Ovenbirds as I drove on 610, but at this point did not see any of them. I got back onto the parkway at mm. 4, and drove down to 3 Ridges Overlook (mm. 13.5) with a few stops along the way. I heard the same five warbler species, but did see them. It was drizzling even harder now. I had rain gear with me for my camera, but not for me, and I did not want to get soaked by 55 degree drizzle. Soon after turning around and heading back north, the dirzzle stopped. Near the Humpback Rocks picinc area, I got a few good shots of an Ovenbird.

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Ovenbird

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Ovenbird

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Ovenbird

When I got back to Route 610 at mm. 4, I stopped to look at a dead bird in the road. It was a Whip-poor-will. This was doubly sad for me. Growing up in the midwest, I heard hundreds of them at night time, but never saw one. I don't count heard only birds on my life list, and have never seen one until this morning. So I was sad that it had been killed, most likely struck by a car, and it was a shame that my first visual of this species was not a live bird.

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Whip-poor-will

As I continued north on 610, I got my 6th warbler species of the morning - Pine Warbler, and saw a Hooded Warbler.

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Pine Warbler

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Pine Warbler

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Pine Warbler

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Hooded Warbler

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Hooded Warbler

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Hooded Warbler

I ended the outing with 26 avian species - not bad for a cold, overcast, and drizzly morning.

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Red-eyed Vireo

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Blue-headed Vireo

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Red-tailed Hawk

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White-breasted Nuthatch

And now for an administrative note. The speed limit on the first 14 miles of the parkway had been 45 mph, except for a short stretch starting just before the visitor center and ending just past Humpback Rocks. There are new signs all along the first 14 miles showing 35 mph all the way now. This is better for birding, but the cars on the parkway didn't seem to notice the new speed limits.


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