Summer still has a firm grasp on Virginia. I had a morning appointment in Charlottesville, and then did some afternoon birding close to my home. When I left my house, our outdoor weather station, located in the shade, read 101 degrees with 42 percent relative humidity, yielding a heat index of 113 degrees. I kept my bird hike to a mostly shaded trail, but it still was very hot and muggy. Most of the birds were hunkered down to keep cool, and I only saw a dozen species. One of the first birds that I saw was an immature Indigo Bunting. I wasn't sure if it was that species or possibly an immature Blue Grosbeak because its bill looked a bit large, but when I saw mama and papa nearby, I guees that this youngster hadn't grown into its bill yet.
Immature Indigo Bunting
Immature Indigo Bunting
Male Indigo Bunting
Female Indigo Bunting
Molting Northern Cardinal
Carolina Wren
Pileated Woodpecker
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
It was supposed to be even hotter today. I went up on the Blue Ridge Parkway this morning to look for migrating warblers. I had only been on the parkway for about 1/2 mile, when I stopped about 200 feet away from a black bear crossing the parkway. I didn't want to get out of my car and scare it away, so I leaned out of my car window to take some photos. When the bear saw me, it stopped, took a good hard and long at me, and then posed for some photos - last one looks like it was saying "Cheese!"
Black Bear
Black Bear
Black Bear
Black Bear
Black Bear
Black Bear
Black Bear
Black Bear
Black Bear
Black Bear
I only saw 15 avian speices on the parkway, and not a single warbler.
Juvenile Red-bellied Woodpecker
Ruby-throated Hummingbird