Yellow-breasted Chat
I spent a few hours this afternoon searching locally for migrating and summer resident warblers.
The Rockfish Valley Trail was fairly quiet. The best birds were a pair of White-eyed Vireos - one in Yellow Bird Thicket and one in the bog area calling to each other. I did see a Yellow-breasted Chat in Yellow Bird Thicket. This warbler species normally spends the summer months on the trail. I saw a first summer male Orchard Oriole that was starting to get its adult plumage.
Yellow-breasted Chat
White-eyed Vireo
White-eyed Vireo
White-eyed Vireo
Tree Swallow
Red-eyed Vireo
Eastern Kingbird
Orchard Oriole
I made stops on the Blue Ridge Parkway at Hickory Springs, the mm.7.5 cirque, and at the Humpback Rocks visitor center. American Redstarts and Cerulean Warblers were at all three locations, and Scarlet Tanagers were at the last two stops. I also saw a Canada Warbler and a Black & White Warbler at the cirque, but all in all, it was a fairly quiet afternoon for birding.
American Redstart
American Redstart
American Redstart
American Redstart
Scarlet Tanager
Scarlet Tanager
Scarlet Tanager
Scarlet Tanager
Canada Warbler
Canada Warbler
Canada Warbler
Black & White Warbler
Black & White Warbler
Cerulean Warbler