Blue Ridge Parkway, VA 9/3/2019

All photos are © Marshall Faintich

I'm still waiting for the big influx of mixed warbler species on the Blue Ridge Parkway. I headed up there this morning, and stopped on Route 610 when I heard birds. The was a Hooded Warbler singing, and a mix of woodland species.

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Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

I got back onto the parkway and stopped at the upper, south end of the cirque (mm. 7.5). There was a flurry of avian activity, and I picked up three warbler species there, as well as some other species.

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Black and White Warbler

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Chestnut-sided Warbler

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Worm-eating Warbler

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Scarlet Tanager

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Red-eyed Vireo

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Eastern Wood-Pewee

I stopped again at Hickory Springs Overlook (mm. 12) where I have been seeing a Hooded Warbler just to the north of the overlook, and it was still there, along with a Canada Warbler. I could tell that it is September - the orbweavers have starting making huge webs.

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Hooded Warbler

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Hooded Warbler

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Canada Warbler

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Orbweaver

I needed to make a stop in Nellysford at the eastern base of the Blue Ridge Mountains, so I hiked a bit on the Rockfish Valley Trail, and it was quiet as I had expected. But I did see a few first year Indigo Buntings starting to get their adult plumage.

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Indigo Bunting

I ended my outing with a short hike where we used to live in Stoney Creek. There was a Pine Warbler in the small pine forest at the end of the street.

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Pine Warbler

I ended up with 27 avian species this morning, including 7 warbler species (counting Ovenbird that I heard at both stops on the parkway).


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