Common Grackle
Hot and muggy weather has returned to Virginia, but warblers and other migrating birds have started to come through the area.
Ridgeview Park was a great place to see migrating warblers during fall migration last year, but it must have been a bit early this year. I only logged 10 avian species in the park this morning, and not a single warbler.
Common Grackle
Downy Woodpecker
The parkway was fairly quiet up to my first stop at the cirque between mm.7 and mm.8. But there was a bit more activity there. Some of the usual summer birds were joined by at least one Blackburnian Warbler and two Tennessee Warblers.
Blackburnian Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Common Raven
I made another stop at Hickory Springs Overlook (mm.12), where I got quick looks at another Tennessee Warbler and a Chestnut-sided Warbler.
American Goldfinches
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Eastern Phoebe
Juvenile Eastern Towhees
White-breasted Nuthatch
I stopped at the trail late morning on my way home. It wasn't very "birdy," and many of the birds I saw were juveniles.
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Juvenile Chipping Sparrow
Juvenile Field Sparrow
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
I decided to reverse the loop I took yesterday, and skip Ridgeview Park. It was already hot and uncomfortable when I got to the trail at 9:00 a.m. The trail was only slightly more "birdy" than it was yesterday late morning.
Juvenile Eastern Meadowlark
Juvenile Eastern Meadowlark
Common Wood Nymph
Both of my favorite stops on the parkway were fairly quiet, except for a few common species and a pair of Black-throated Blue Warblers at the cirque. Scarlet Tanagers were at both stops. At least it was cooler at the higer elevations than down in the valley.
Black-throated Blue Warblers
Scarlet Tanager