VA Birders:
24 birders enjoyed a foggy walk along the Trillium Trail in Fauquier county
this morning. The NVBC walk was led by David Ledwith and me.
Our day was both frustrating and exhilarating. For most of the morning we were
birding in thick, misting fog -- the overcast clouds were right at the level of
the parking lot. If you decide to visit the Trillium Trail and have the option
to pick the day to visit, try a day that is bright and sunny -- avoid a day
that is overcast. Species diversity was really low -- we managed to find 36
species, but the quality turned out to be excellent. The highlight of our walk
was a remarkably cooperative singing KENTUCKY WARBLER. This bird was on the
Appalachian Trail a couple of hundred yards west of the main gravel road and up
the steep, rocky, wooded ravine along the AT trail. The bird was so busy
singing on a branch, we even got scope views of the bird. And of course, the
CERULEAN WARBLERS were singing everywhere around us but were very difficult to
locate in the fog-shrouded trees. We managed a few good looks at these birds.
Other highlights of birds seen fairly well were of a WORM-EATING WARBLER,
Hooded Warbler, Ovenbird, Scarlet Tanager, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Wood Thrush,
Acadian Flycatcher and of course the ubiquitous American Redstarts.
Yellow-throated Vireos were also present, but only a few of us managed any kind
of look at these birds. I suspect we missed a few migrant warblers because of
the foggy conditions.
After lunch, I visited the Rectortown Road Bridge to see the small colony of
Cliff Swallows -- about a dozen birds at this location. I also heard the usual
Warbling Vireos and Yellow Warbler. I lucked upon two distantly flying
MISSISSIPPI KITES. I was looking to the east from the bridge as they were
flying northbound.
A long, slow drive back to Monticello Park turned out to be fairly productive
in the late afternoon. I didn't find any warblers but the thrushes were
excellent. Up on the steep hillside in the northeast corner of the park (on
your left as you enter at the bottom of the park), I found two GRAY-CHEECKED
THRUSHes, two Swainson's Thrushes and one Hermit Thrush.
The complete eBird list is below for the Trillium Trail.
Elton MorelArlington, VA
Thompson WMA--Trillium Trail, Fauquier, US-VA
May 9, 2015 7:00 AM - 11:35 AM
Protocol: Traveling
2.5 mile(s)
Comments: NVBC walk led by David Ledwith and Elton Morel.
36 species
Turkey Vulture 2
Mourning Dove 4
Red-bellied Woodpecker 6
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 1 Heard only
Pileated Woodpecker 1 Heard only
Eastern Wood-Pewee 4
Acadian Flycatcher 3
Great Crested Flycatcher 4
Yellow-throated Vireo 4
Blue-headed Vireo 1 Heard only
Red-eyed Vireo 20
Blue Jay 8
Common Raven 2
Carolina Chickadee 2
Tufted Titmouse 15
White-breasted Nuthatch 6
Wood Thrush 10
American Robin 6
Gray Catbird 12
Ovenbird 8
Worm-eating Warbler 3
Black-and-white Warbler 1 Heard only
Kentucky Warbler 1
Hooded Warbler 3
American Redstart 30
Cerulean Warbler 10
Chestnut-sided Warbler 1
Eastern Towhee 20
Chipping Sparrow 1 Heard only
Scarlet Tanager 8
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 4
Indigo Bunting 5
Brown-headed Cowbird 12
House Finch 1
American Goldfinch 20
View this checklist online at
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S23325291
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)
