Fall migration is still a bit unusual this year. The vegetation along the parkway is still lush and dense, and combined with the lower fall sun angles, a lot of the trees where warblers forage are still in shadows during the morning hours. Only a few leaves have fallen from the trees so far. My experience has been that warblers prefer to forage in sunlit trees and ground vegetation.
Blue Ridge Parkway, VA; 9/26/2022I met up with Tink Moyer at the cirque on the parkway. Most of the birds were far down the hill from the parkway where trees were in good sunlight.
Cape May Warblers
Black-throated Green(UR) and Tennessee(LL) Warblers
Tennessee Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Blue-headed Vireo
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
We drove down to Route 610, and saw only a few birds, including the same three warbler species.
Old Trail; Crozet, VA; 9/27/2022Rather than go back up to the parkway and Route 610, I decided to hike close to home. I ended up with 20+ avian species, even with the increased home/apartment buildings that puts more walker-talkers and dog walkers on the trails. I saw my first Pied-billed Grebe of the season, but it dove before I could get a photo of it.
Black-throated Green Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Common Yellowthroat
Carolina Wren
Northern Mockingbird
Eastern Phoebe
Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk
Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk
Swainson's Thrush
Swainson's Thrush
American Lady
With Hurricane Ian making landfall in Florida and then making its way up the eastern coast, I wondered if migrating birds might have decided to wait it out here in Virginia. The Birdcast radar showed fairly heavy migration overnight through Virginia, but only to a lesser extent into North Carolina. But when I got up onto the Blue Ridge Parkway, it was already quite windy, and with temperatures ranging from the high 40s to low 50s, it was also quite chilly. I didn't see any birds up at the cirque, and only heard a few there. So I turned around and got onto Route 610 at mm. 4 of the parkway.
|
Black-throated Green Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
With all the wind, I saw little point going back up onto the parkway, so I headed over to Ridgeview Park in nearby Waynesboro. It was a bit warmer there, and somewhat less wind, but although I logged a fair number of avian species there, not a single warbler was seen.
Blue Jay
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Carolina Chickadee
Immature Red-bellied Woodpecker
Eastern Bluebird
There was complete cloud cover this morning, with the remnants of Hurricane Ian expected to start around noon and to bring 4+ inches of rain over the next few days. Birds were very active. I saw two Black-throated Green Warblers, my first Yellow-rumped Warbler of the season, and a large flock of Cedar Waxwings.
Black-throated Green Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Scarlet Tanager
Part of the Cedar Waxwing flock
Red-shouldered Hawk
Great Blue Heron
One of the Cedar Waxwings had a bad morning. It became breakfast for a Merlin. Although Merlins are uncommon, we seem to have a family of them here in Old Trail that arrive every year around the first of October, and spend the winter from here west to King Family Vineyards.
Merlin
Merlin
Merlin
Merlin
Merlin
Merlin