Wintergreen Area 9/20/13

All photos are © Marshall Faintich

It was warmer and more humid this morning, and the mild southerly winds created fog and heavy cloud cover that did not lift until afternoon. The weather also kept many of the migrating birds to the north of us. I was on the Rockfish Valley Trail from 9:00 to 10:30, and only saw 20 species.


Magnolia Warbler


Magnolia Warbler


Magnolia Warbler


Black-throated Green Warbler

There were only a few birds on the Blue Ridge Parkway. I exited the parkway at route 610, and just after exiting, I stopped the car when I heard Carolina Chickadees, 1 of 10 species that I saw there, including male and female American Redstarts, a Magnolia Warbler, and a probable Chestnut-sided Warbler.


American Redstart


Blue-headed Vireo


Blue-headed Vireo


Blue-headed Vireo

I stopped at the Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch, and was told that about 1200 Broad-winged Hawks had lifted off earlier in the morning. I stayed there for a couple of hours, and saw a Bald Eagle, two Sharp-shinned Hawks, a Northern Harrier, a Red-tailed Hawk, and some Broad-winged Hawks. A couple of the BW Hawks did fairly close flyovers.


Broad-winged Hawk

Another rainy cold front is supposed to move through the area tomorrow, followed by sunny skies, cooler temperatures, and northerly winds, and hopefully, so more migrating birds.



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