It's been very hot here. With temperatures in the upper 80s and low 90s, the birds have been smarter than I have been. They are hunkered down in the vegetation, or foraging under dense leaf cover, while I have been getting hot in the sun! I did a quick drive up on the Blue Ridge parkway yesterday afternoon, but very few birds were out in the heat.
Red-eyed Vireo
Chipmunk
With weekend temperatures forecasted to be near 100, I wanted to get some more birding in this week while I could, so I went over to the nearby Rockfish Valley Trail this morning. Many of the birds were already deep in the cooler vegetation, but I did manage to see at least 22 avian species. Some of the birds were juveniles starting to get their adult plumage.
Scarlet Tanager
Scarlet Tanager
Indigo Bunting
Field Sparrow
Eastern Meadowlark
Eastern Meadowlarks: male, female, and juvenile?
Eastern Bluebirds were taking food to nest boxes, so I assume there's more little ones in the nests.
Eastern Bluebird
Male and female Eastern Bluebirds
Several of the common summer species were out and about.
American Redstart
Eastern Kingbird
Great Blue Heron
Black Vulture
As I approached my car to leave for home, I noticed a distant Red-tailed Hawk. It was boldly colored, and may have been a northern race variety. But the most interesting observation was that a Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher kept landing on the hawk's head, and the hawk didn't seem to pay much attention to it.
Red-tailed Hawk and Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher
Red-tailed Hawk and Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher
Red-tailed Hawk and Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher
Red-tailed Hawk and Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher
This morning's RV Trail list:
American Crow
American Goldfinch
American Redstart
Barn Swallow
Black Vulture
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Carolina Chickadee
Common Yellowthroat
Eastern Bluebird
Eastern Kingbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Eastern Phoebe
Field Sparrow
Great Blue Heron
Indigo Bunting
Northern Cardinal
Northern Mockingbird
Red-tailed Hawk
Rock Pigeon
Scarlet Tanager
Turkey Vulture
White-eyed Vireo