What a difference in the weather! Rain and a weak cold front ushered in cool, dry air, and it was a great morning to be birding on the trail under bright, sunny skies. Walt Childs led members of the Augusta County Bird Club on a guided bird walk that started early from the main kiosk on route 151. I arrived at the trail at 8:45 this morning, parked just off route 627, and did a quick hike along the east side of Reids Creek.
I had logged 17 avian species, and then crossed over to the west side of the creek on the first wooden bridge, walked south to the Rockfish River, and headed west along the downstream trail to meet up with the group. I had already seen a Magnolia Warbler and a Common Yellowthroat on the west side of Reids Creek, and as I approached the small elevation rise on the trail just to the east of the downstream picnic table, a Connecticut Warbler popped up from the ground and sat on a low branch for about 15 seconds while I got off a few photos. This is only the second time that I have seen this rare warbler species.
A few minutes later I met up with Walt and the Augusta County group, and we all birded for the next couple of hours. We saw two more warbler species: Palm, and a first-of-season Yellow-rumped. The combined list of the birds I saw and those seen by the Augusta County group prior to my meeting up with them totaled 44 species.
Common Yellowthroat
Common Yellowthroat
Common Yellowthroat
Magnolia Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Connecticut Warbler
Connecticut Warbler
Connecticut Warbler
Connecticut Warbler
Connecticut Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Palm Warbler
House Wren
Today's combined RV Trail list:
Black Vulture Turkey Vulture Red-shouldered Hawk Red-tailed Hawk American Kestrel Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove Yellow-billed Cuckoo Belted Kingfisher Red-bellied Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Northern Flicker Pileated Woodpecker Eastern Phoebe Blue Jay American Crow Common Raven Carolina Chickadee Tufted Titmouse White-breasted Nuthatch House Wren Eastern Bluebird American Robin Gray Catbird Northern Mockingbird Brown Thrasher European Starling Magnolia Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Palm Warbler Common Yellowthroat Eastern Towhee Field Sparrow Song Sparrow Northern Cardinal Rose-breasted Grosbeak Indigo Bunting Red-winged Blackbird Eastern Meadowlark American Goldfinch |