Scarlet Tanager
Low fog hung over the valley, but it was supposed to clear and be sunny today. I headed up to the northern 14 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway, starting at mile marker zero. The parkway was above the fog, but skies were overcast for the first couple of hours. I arrived there at 8:45 and slowly made my way down the parkway, taking 3-1/2 hours. There were warblers all along the route. I soon met Vic L. on the parkway, and his keen ears and eyes were a big help to me. I saw 7 warbler species as part of a total of 29 identified avian species, plus one unknown species. I was not able to get any photos of one of the warblers, an Ovenbird, although I did see one flying in the trees and heard a few more. In addition to three FOY warblers, I also had four other FOY birds: Scarlet Tanager, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Blue-headed Vireo, and Indigo Bunting.
Scarlet Tanager
Scarlet Tanager
Indigo Bunting
Blue-headed Vireo
At my first stop on the parkway, I got a quick glimpse of a bird foraging in the brush, and it quickly flew into some trees. I remember seeing a solid dark olive back with no wing bars, and a lighter olive underside. It could have been a Red-eyed Vireo, but its size and shape made me think Tennessee Warbler. I did get one photo of a bird in the tree where it went, but there's not a lot of detail, and I am not sure if it is even the same bird.
This morning's list (29 species):
Black and White Warbler Cerulean Warbler Hooded Warbler Ovenbird Worm-eating Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Red-eyed Vireo Blue-headed Vireo Indigo Bunting Rose-breasted Grosbeak Red-bellied Woodpecker Pileated Woodpecker White-throated Sparrow Chipping Sparrow Eastern Towhee Ruby-crownd Kinglet Northern Cardinal Eastern Phoebe Cowbird American Crow Mourning Dove Black Vulture Turkey Vulture Blue Jay American Robin |