The weather was iffy this morning. I left my house at 8:30 a.m. under light drizzle, and stopped at Lake Monocan on my way to pick up Walt Childs. The Loon and most of the other birds were gone from last evening, but the Osprey sat perched in a nearby tree. There was a single Canada Goose egg on the dock. I assume that nature called before mama could get to her nest.
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By the time Walt and I arrived at the trail, the sun had started to come out. There weren't a lot of birds on the trail by our standards, but we did see some interesting species. There were lots of Common Yellowthroats, and some of them didn't mind our walking close to them. There were multiple male and female American Redstarts, a pair of Prairie Warblers, and a stunning Yellow-breasted Chat. Indigo Buntings were singing, and we saw a few of one of my favorite species: White-eyed Vireo.
Common Yellowthroat
Common Yellowthroat
Common Yellowthroat
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
American Redstart
American Redstart
Prairie Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat
White-eyed Vireo
White-eyed Vireo
White-eyed Vireo
White-eyed Vireo
Indigo Bunting
Hairy Woodpecker
Flicker
Gray Catbird
Distant juvenile Bald Eagle
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
I dropped Walt off at his home around noon, and he saw three more warblers near his house: Blackpoll, Yellow-rumped, and Chestnut-sided. I headed over to the King Family Vineyards in Crozet, as there was another sighting this morning of a Red-necked Phalarope. Even though the vineyard owners prohibit birders from closely approaching the wetland ponds, I added a teleconverter to my 400mm lens and was able to photograph a new life bird.
Red-necked Phalarope
Red-necked Phalarope
Red-necked Phalarope
Red-necked Phalarope
