Osprey
Walt Childs and I went back to Warren Ferry where we saw Yellow-throated Warblers a week earlier. We were fairly confident that these warblers would still be there, but we also wanted to see what other warbler species may have joined them. As we were driving on Langhorne Road almost to James River Road and Warren Ferry, we stopped to view an Osprey having a meal.
Osprey
Sure enough, when we got to Warren Ferry, we could hear the Yellow-throated Warblers singing, but they were in sycamore trees along the river rather than in the large sycamore tree just past the bridge.
Yellow-throated Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
We heard a high pitched, buzzy warbler song, and were able to locate a pair of Northern Parulas.
Northern Parula
Northern Parula
Northern Parula
Northern Parula
Northern Parula
New leaf cover partially blocked the upstream Bald Eagle nest, but we could see that the eagle was still there.
Bald Eagle
We ended up with 24 avian species at or near Warren Ferry, including a very shy female Common Yellowthroat.
Common Yellowthroat
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
We drove from Warren Ferry to the James River State Park on the other side of the river to look for more warblers and other avian species. We were very disappointed when we got there to see that the large wetland marsh along the James River had been drained. This marsh had been a great place to see ducks, coots, kingfishers, and other marsh birds. We did however, hear and see a large number of male Common Yellowthroats, as well as Red-eyed and White-eyed Vireos.
Common Yellowthroat
Common Yellowthroat
Common Yellowthroat
Common Yellowthroat
Common Yellowthroat
White-eyed Vireo
White-eyed Vireo
White-eyed Vireo
White-eyed Vireo
We got a quick look at a Blue Grosbeak along the river, but unfortunately, I was only able to get a few poor photos of it, as it tried to hide in some dense brush. The latest Virginia Gold Book states the extreme early date for this species is April 21, so this one was a day earlier.
Blue Grosbeak
We saw a few more species there, as well as our second Osprey of the day on our way out of the park.
Tree Swallow
We made a very quick stop at Fortunes Cove on the way back to Nellysford, and ended the trip with 36 avian species.
White-throated Sparrow