A line of strong thunderstorms moved through the area late afternoon, and we were out of power for 3-1/2 hours. A huge Tulip-tree Silkmoth took refuge on our front porch.
Tulip-tree Silkmoth
I met up with Tink Moyer at the old tower on Route 610 a little before 10:00 a.m. Tink was moving a large tree branch that was completely blocking the road, and must have come down in yesterday's storm. We birded along Route 610 and the parkway between mm. 4 and mm. 13-1/2. I turned around and birded the same route going north, and ended up with 25+ avian species. With a pair of Chestnut-sided Warblers remaining at Hickory Springs Overlook (mm. 11.8), 8 breeding warbler species can be found Between Rockfish Gap and Reids Gap: American Redstart, Black and White Warbler, Cerulean Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Ovenbird, Pine Warbler, and Worm-eating Warbler.
I saw and photographed 6 of them, heard Pine Warblers along their usual location in the pine trees near mm. 3, and am fairly confident that I heard the chip call of a Black and White Warbler. I hadn't realized that Black and White Warblers make this chip call until seeing a female Black and White Warbler foraging and making this call a couple of times during the past month. Sibley's app doesn't list this call, but the iBird Ultimate app does. I also heard a warbler song near mm. 8 that I know that I have heard before, but could not remember what warbler it was, nor did I see the warbler. It must have been an alternate song for one of the warbler species.
American Redstarts, Cerulean Warblers, and Ovenbirds were heard/seen at many locations and Hooded Warblers and four or five locations. Dense leaf foliage made seeing and photographing warblers a challenge.
Cerulean Warbler
Cerulean Warbler
Cerulean Warbler
Cerulean Warbler
Cerulean Warbler
Cerulean Warbler
Hooded Warbler
Hooded Warbler
Hooded Warbler
First summer male American Redstart
I saw an adult male American Redstart with some leucistic (white) wing and tale feathers. Even on an immature bird, these feathers would be yellow before molting into orange.
Adult male American Redstart
Adult male American Redstart
Adult male American Redstart
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Worm-eating Warbler
Worm-eating Warbler
Ovenbird
Ovenbird
Ovenbird
Ovenbird
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-throated Vireo
Scarlet Tanager
Scarlet Tanager
Just before heading for home, I ran into Huck Hutchens who had been birding most of the same route, and had seen many of the same birds. He confirmed seeing a Black and White Warbler. Huck also reported turning right on Route 610 where it rejoins the parkway near mm. 4, and finding a Kentucky Warbler down that section of Route 610. This may have been the same Kentucky Warbler that I saw on Route 610 near Old Elk Mountain Road on May 15. However, going down Route 610 to the west can be tricky because of road conditions.