All – I spent several, lovely hours up on the Blue Ridge Parkway yesterday
morning. There were lots of warblers in the woods, although not all of the
birds are here. Of note, I found the following: Hooded Warbler, Worm-eating
Warbler, American Redstart, Blackburnian Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler,
Black-throated Blue Warbler, Pine Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Ovenbird,
Chestnut-sided Warbler, Scarlet Tanager, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Blue-headed
Vireo, Veery, and Indigo Buntings. Other notable sightings were several Ravens
flying along the Parkway and two Barred Owls discussing the morning news (I
didn’t see them but they were very vocal). There were 3 misses for the
morning: Canada Warbler (usually there is a pair at Yankee Horse Ridge pull
off), Cerulean Warbler (I didn’t try very hard to find them), and Red-eyed
Vireos (none heard or seen).
Around Rockbridge County, Bobolinks were reported on Sunday, Pine Siskins were
seen on Saturday and Sunday, both orioles are present, a Yellow-billed Cuckoo
was seen on Saturday along with a Yellow-throated Vireo. The pair of
Red-headed Woodpeckers that overwintered at a site in the southern part of the
county are being very active, so we hope they nest again at the site.
I’ve up-loaded some photos from yesterday, if you are interested.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/vmibiology/
Dick Rowe
VMI Biology Dept.
