Black and White Warbler
Warbler Road isn't the actual name of the road, but a name given by Virginia birders to a series of fire roads leading down from the Blue Ridge Parkway. Warbler Road begins on route 812 at the Sunset Field Overlook at mm. 78.4 on the Blue Ridge Parkway, and continues on fireroads 768 and 59, and then route 614 to I-81. Warbler Road starts at an elevation of 3,472 feet and drops 2,700 feet to the James River. Some warblers are most commonly found at specific elevation ranges, and descending Warbler Road offers the potential of seeing a variety of warbler species.
Walt Childs and I decided to make the long drive there on I-81, so that we could get there earlier than via the Blue Ridge Parkway, and then worked our way up to the top. We saw quite a few species on Warbler Road, including 9 warbler species: Cerulean, Hooded, Black-throated Green, American Redstart, Ovenbird, Northern Parula, Black and White, Worm-eating, and Yellow-rumped.
Black and White Warbler
Black-throated Green
Black-throated Green
Worm-eating Warbler
Worm-eating Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
American Redstart
Ovenbird
Ovenbird
Cerulean Warbler
Northern Parula
Northern Parula
We had logged close to 40 species by the time we reached the parkway.
Scarlet Tanager
Red-eyed Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
Pileated Woodpecker
We made a few stops on the parkway on the way north. We stopped at the James River to watch Cliff Swallows under the bridge, and a male American Redstart wanted to get its picture taken at Yankee Horse Ridge.
Cliff Swallow
American Redstart
American Redstart