Black and White Warbler
After our highly successful birding trip to Magee Marsh, Ohio, and other locations on Michigan, I think that Walt Childs and I are suffering from PTBS - Post Terrific Birding Syndrome :-).
We started out this morning at Reids Gap (mile marker 14) on the Blue Ridge Parkway and headed north. We saw a few Indigo Buntings, Eastern Towhees, and American Redstarts. When we got to the first of my two favorite birding locations on the parkway, Hickory Springs overlook at m.m. 12, we saw two vans and a group of birders there. It was John Rowlett, leading his Field Guides Virginia's Warblers tour. Walt has known John for a few years, and I met him last month while I was looking for the Red-necked Phalarope in Crozet.
We saw a Pileated Woodpecker and more American Redstarts there, althought the Redstart nest that I saw there two weeks ago was gone. In addition, we saw the following warbler species: Cerulean, Black and White, and Chestnut-sided. Farther north on the parkway we saw more Redstarts, Cerulean Warblers, a couple of Pine Warblers, and a female Scarlet Tanager. There were Robins, Chipping Sparrows, and Turkey Vultures as well. We headed up Skyline Drive to Sawmill Ridge overlook, where we saw a couple more Pine Warblers. But the temperature was getting hot, it was a long drive between warbler sightings, and PTBS had set in, so we called it a day and headed for home.
Black and White Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Cerulean Warbler
American Redstart
Pine Warbler
Pine Warbler