Female Scarlet Tanager
We visited friends who live on a large lot of mostly wooded acreage in Fulks Run (north of Harrisonburg and west of Broadway). We had time for a short hike, so only a few birds were seen, but a pair of Scarlet Tanagers stole the show.
Female Scarlet Tanager
Female Scarlet Tanager
Female Scarlet Tanager
Female Scarlet Tanager
Male Scarlet Tanager
Male Scarlet Tanager
Male Scarlet Tanager
These days were either smoky from the Canadian wildfires or very windy with strong gusts, so I didn't do much birding here this week.
Chipping Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Juvenile Common Grackle
Although I've taken lots of good photos of Canada Warblers, and got a quick look at one flying at Reddish Knob on May 25th, I've yet to take a photo of this warbler species in 2023. I've had fairly good luck finding them at Pocosin Cabin about 5 miles north of the Route 33 entrance to Skyline Drive, and there have been recent reports of Canada Warblers there and at several other Skyline Drive locations north of Pocosin Cabin. I had two choices on how to get there from Rockfish Gap. I could drive a short distance to Route 340 and then north to 33 and east to Skyline Drive (45 minutes) , or take Skyline Drive all the way (1 hour to the the Route 33 entrance).
I arrived at Rockfish Gap at 10:00 a.m., and decided to take Skyline Drive. I didn't mind the extra 15 minutes, as I would have plenty of time to look for a Canada Warbler at Pocosin Cabin and farther north, if needed, and I might see some other warblers along the way. That turned out to be a terrible decision.
At Beagle Gap, I heard a couple of Common Yellowthroats, and a heard a Pine Warbler at Sawmill Ridge Overlook. I didn't spend more than a minute at each stop to try to see and photograph either of these warbler species. I did stop for a minute to get a photo of a Wild Turkey.
Wild Turkey
And then I had to stop for about five minutes at what turned out to be the first of three one-lane road stretches from about half way to Route 33 up to the Route 33 entrance. That wasn't too bad, but soon after that, I had to stop for about 15 minutes and wait for a pilot vehicle to slowly take the line of cars I was in through the second one-lane stretch. A bit farther north, I had to stop again for about 20 minutes for another pilot vehicle to lead a long line of cars through the third and final one-lane section of road. The Skyline Drive road was stripped down to the meshed base from the second stop all the way to Route 33. The entire road is being re-surfaced, and I suspect they will move either north or south from there when this section is done.
I don't think that there was any warning sign at the Rockfish Gap entrance to Skyline Drive, and after returning home, I couldn't find any notice on the National Park Sevice Skyline Drive web site.
While I was stopped each time, I had my car windows down, and heard Ovenbirds, American Redstarts, and a Cerulean Warbler, so I was already up to five warbler species before arriving at Pocosin Cabin. I finally arrived at Pocosin Cabin at 11:50, almost two hours after leaving Rockfish Gap. I heard a Hooded Warbler, and heard and saw an Ovenbird, but the only cooperative warblers there were American Redstarts.
Female American Redstart
Female American Redstart
Male American Redstart
Male American Redstart
Red-eyed Vireo
There were quite a few birds flitting about in the dense vegetation and tree leaves. I tried to get photos whenever I saw movement, and when I got home, I found that I had photographed a Louisiana Waterthrush, my 7th warbler species of the day.
Louisiana Waterthrush
After about an hour searching for a Canada Warbler at Pocosin Cabin without success, I decided to head north on Skyline Drive. The first stop wasn't good, but I got lucky at Tanners Ridge. Just next to where I parked my car, look what popped up from the dense ground vegetation.
Female Canada Warbler
Female Canada Warbler
Female Canada Warbler
Female Canada Warbler
Female Canada Warbler
First summer male American Redstart
Eastern Towhee
American Robin
At this point, there was no need to go farther north, nor to stop again at Pocosin Cabin, and I certainly did not want to return along Skyline Drive south of Route 33. I remembered that a White-rumped Sandpiper in breeding plumage had been reported at Leonard's Pond, and I had only seen this species once before, at a great distance and in non-breeding plumage. So I got off of Skyline Drive at Route 33, drove west to Cross Keys Road, and south to Leonard's Pond. Cows were in the pond close to the road, so all the birds were at the back half of the pond (I wonder if birds can get infected with E. Coli?). There were some Canada Geese, two Mallards, a few Killdeers, a Tree Swallow, a Song Sparrow, and it looked like three White-rumped Sandpipers. My first edition of Sibley's field guide mentions streaks extending back along the flanks in breeding plumage, but Sibley's second edition app adds that this species has a small reddish area on the base of the lower mandible, and it is diagnostic if visible.
Mallards, Killdeer, and three White-rumped Sandpipers
White-rumped Sandpiper
White-rumped Sandpiper
White-rumped Sandpiper
White-rumped Sandpiper
White-rumped Sandpiper
White-rumped Sandpiper
White-rumped Sandpipers
After the cows moved out of the pond, one of the Killdeers ventured closer to the road.
Killdeer