Blue Ridge Parkway/Route 610, VA 8/9/18

All photos are © Marshall Faintich

It was a delightful morning to be birding up on the parkway. There were sunny skies, and yesterday's thunderstorms cleared out the air and dropped the temperatures a bit, although it was still a bit windy. I got to the parkway a little before 10:00 a.m., and took my usual route along the first 12 miles of Route 610/Blue Ridge Parkway. However, there weren't a lot of birds to see. I think that we are in the few week period when many of the visiting summer species have already left, and migrating birds haven't arrived yet.

My first stop was the the Rockfish Gap Overlook (mm. 2), where I saw a Bunting fly onto the vines on the west side of the parkway. Most likely a juvenile Indigo Bunting, it didn't look quite right to me. It's head and back looked too gray, and its breast and vent too white. It also had a whitish wing bar. A minute later, a male Indigo Bunting flew in and the two birds foraged together. I'm wondering if it might be an Indigo x Lazuli hybrid? Comments would be appreciated.

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Indigo(?) Bunting

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Indigo(?) Bunting

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Indigo(?) Bunting

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Indigo(?) Bunting

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Indigo(?) Bunting

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Indigo(?) Bunting

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Indigo(?) Buntings

Soon after getting onto Route 610 at about mm 2. of the parkway, I stopped at the entrance to the old tower and birded along the road. I got a very quick view of a Worm-eating Warbler in the dense brush, but none of the other warblers I have seen there recently were present. My next stop was at the large cirque near mm. 7.5, and it was quiet there as well. I did see a lone male American Redstart.

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Male American Redstart

I got back into my car and had just started driving south when I stopped just north of mm. 8 to look at a large dark object in the road less than 100 yards in front of me. My first reaction that it was a bear was almost correct. It was two bears, a mama with her cub. I got off a few photos, and wanted to get closer, but a car approached from the other direction and scared the bears into the woods.

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Mama bear

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Mama bear

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Bear cub

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Mama and cub bears

I continued on to Hickory Springs Overlook (mm, 12) where I have been seeing Hooded Warblers for the past couple of weeks. This time of year they aren't singing their usual song, but are making chink calls. I heard chink calls in the woods from both sides of the parkway just north of the overlook, waited for a while, and then one of the Hooded Warblers appeared in the dark vegetation long enough for a few shots.

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Male Hooded Warbler

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Male Hooded Warbler

At that same stop, I also saw an Eastern Wood-Pewee, a Gray Catbird, and several American Goldfinches.

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Eastern Wood-Pewee

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Gray Catbird

I turned around and headed back on the same route. Just as I turned onto Route 610 from the parkway near mm. 4, I stopped when I heard the Hooded Warbler chink call in the triangular area between the parkway and where Route 610 turns and goes down to the west. I looked for several minutes, but could not see this Hooded Warbler. I did see a pair of Red-eyed Vireos nearby.

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Red-eyed Vireos

I stopped again at the entrance to the old tower and birded along the road. This time, I heard Hooded Warbler chink calls in the woods from both sides of Route 610, and did see them after a few minutes.

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Male Hooded Warbler

I only saw 14 avian species this morning, but seeing bears [from a distance :-)] is always a treat for me.


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