Eastern Meadowlark
It was another hot and humid day, and I went for a mid-morning hike on the Rockfish Valley Trail. The hike started out fairly quiet with only a few avian species, and an interesting spider web.
Eastern Meadowlark
Eastern Meadowlark
Spider Web
After hiking around the bog area on Glenthorne Loop, I spotted a large flycatcher at the very top of a dead tree branch. Sure enough, it was an Olive-sided Flycatcher. This species is rare here, but I have often seen them for a day or two on the Rockfish Valley Trail during spring and autumn migration.
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Olive-sided Flycatcher
I had about 15 avian species on the hike, and on my return hike to my car, I ran into John Holden and three other Master Naturalists who were on a butterfly hike. John asked me to photograph a couple of butterflies that they had just seen on the trail. I believe that the orange and brown one is a Northern Crescent, but am still trying to identify the other one.
Butterfly
Butterfly
Butterfly
Butterfly
Butterfly
Butterfly