Central Virginia 8/21-22/2019

All photos are © Marshall Faintich

Reddish Knob, August 21

Walt Childs and I headed up to Reddish Knob in the Allegheny Mountains along the Virginia/West Virginia border to look for warblers and crossbills. This is usually a great place to see birds, but they were tough to find this day. We saw a few Goldfinches and Chipping Sparrows on the way up to the four road intersection where we often see Red Crossbills, but the ride up Briery Branch Road was really quiet. We saw three avian species up at the intersection, but no crossbills.

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Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, American Goldfinch, Ruby-throated Hummingbird

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Ruby-throated Hummingbird

We headed up FR85 away from the summit, but there were very few birds, so we turned around, and took FR85 to the summit. All we saw were a few Black-capped Chickadees. Disappointed, we headed back down, and stopped a short distance before the four road intersection when we heard some avian activity. This was the first, and only good stop of the day. There were two Red-eyed Vireos and one Blue-headed Vireo. There were at least three Black-throated Blue Warblers - one male, one adult female, and one juvenile female getting her first fall plumage. A male Black-throated Green Warbler was in the group, as well as one or two Blackburnian Warblers. I got good looks at a female, and think that I had a quick view of a male. All of the birds were under dark tree canopy with strong backlighting.

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Blue-headed Vireo

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Red-eyed Vireos

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Female Black-throated Blue Warbler

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Immature Female Black-throated Blue Warbler

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Immature Female Black-throated Blue Warbler

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Black-throated Green Warbler

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Black-throated Green Warbler

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Female Blackburnian Warbler

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Female Blackburnian Warbler

A minute later, we saw a juvenile Chipping Sparrow.

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Chipping Sparrow

The four road intersection was quiet except for a few swallowtail butterflies, and we picked up another male Black-throated Blue Warbler a short distance down the road from there.

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Swallowtails

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Male Black-throated Blue Warbler

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Male Black-throated Blue Warbler

We ended up with 19 avian species at Reddish Knob, and added 8 other species on our way there and back.

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Hairy Woodpecker

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Downy Woodpecker

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Female Lesser Scaup

Blue Ridge Parkway, August 22

I was hoping that some migrating warblers might have made their way to the parkway, but it wasn't to be so. The only warbler species I had this morning was Hooded, with one singing just north of Hickory Springs Overlook (mm. 12), and two of them along Route 610 across from mm. 3.5 of the parkway.

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Hooded Warbler

In the same area of Route 610, I got some good looks at a Yellow-throated Vireo.

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Yellow-throated Vireo

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Yellow-throated Vireo

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Yellow-throated Vireo

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Yellow-throated Vireo

Although I logged 21 avian species this morning, birds were few and far between.

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Indigo Bunting

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Groundhog


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