Rockfish Valley Trail, VA, 5/13/15

All photos are © Marshall Faintich

It was a delightful day - bright sunshine, low humidity, and slightly windy, but I was busy in the morning and couldn't get out to do some birding until mid-afternoon. I went over to the Rockfish Valley Trail to see if any Yellow-breasted Chats had made it back this year. This species usually breeds in or near the bog area every summer.

I ended up with about 20 avian species, including Great Blue Heron, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Indigo Bunting, Orchard Oriole, and Common Yellowthroat, and got my FOS Yellow-breasted Chat, first in Yellow Bird Thicket, and then as it flew back and forth between the thicket and the bog area. This YBChat was a bit secretive, unlike YBChats that have been there all summer long. I only got a few photos of it when it was hiding, but my best-ever YBChat in-flight photo.


Yellow-breasted Chat


Yellow-breasted Chat


Yellow-breasted Chat


Yellow-breasted Chat



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