A few days late, but took a friend visiting from South Dakota on a 4 day
birding tour of Virginia.
It began last Thursday, May 4 with a day on Warbler Road and birding the Blue
Ridge Parkway back to Charlottesville. The following day was spent at Warren
Ferry, Piney Grove Preserve, and the Great Dismal Swamp NWR. We then moved to
Back Bay NWR, Little Island Park, CBBT Island #1, and up to Eastern Shore NWR
and nearby nature areas. Sunday was spent at Eastern Shore NWR, CBBT Island #1,
and Pleasure House Point Natural Area before returning to Charlottesville. Some
of the many highlights at each location included:
Warbler Road and Blue Ridge Parkway: Canada Warbler, Black-throated Blue
Warbler, Cerulean Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Hooded Warbler,
Black-and-white Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler, Northern Parula, Black-throated
Green Warbler, Pine Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, and Veery.
Warren Ferry and James River Rd: Prothonotary Warbler, Bobolink, Grasshopper
Sparrow, and Least Sandpiper.
Piney Grove Preserve: Prairie Warbler, Yellow-throated Warbler, Pine Warbler,
Brown-headed Nuthatch, Yellow-breasted Chat, Blue Grosbeak, and Summer Tanager.
Great Dismal Swamp NWR: Swainson’s Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Prothonotary
Warbler, Northern Parula, King Rail, Snowy Egret, and Yellow-billed Cuckoo.
Back Bay NWR/Little Island Park: White Ibis, Glossy Ibis, Virginia Rail, King
Rail, Boat-tailed Grackle, Yellow Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Northern Parula,
Prairie Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat, Sanderling, Semipalmated Plover, Caspian
Tern, and Gull-billed Tern.
CBBT Island #1: Common Tern, Forster’s Tern, Surf Scoter, Black Scoter, Ruddy
Turnstone, Sanderling, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Purple Sandpiper, and American
Oystercatcher.
Eastern Shore NWR: Blue Grosbeak, Black Skimmer, Black-crowned Night-Heron,
Tricolored Heron, White Ibis, Northern Bobwhite, Chuck-will’s-widow (Kiptopeke
SP), Greater Yellowlegs, Willet, and numerous Osprey.
Pleasure House Point Natural Area: Green Heron, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron,
Common Loon, Red-breasted Merganser, Sandwich Tern, Royal Tern, and Least Tern.
Photos can be seen on my flickr page:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/111697331@N02/
A recording of the Chuck-will’s-widow at Kiptopeke State Park can be found on
Xeno Canto: http://www.xeno-canto.org/368677
Joe Coppock
Charlottesville, VA
