Rockfish Valley 8/13/14

All photos are © Marshall Faintich

Rockfish Valley Trail

Walt Childs and I went for an early afternoon walk on the trail. It wasn't very "birdy," but we did log 16 avian species in about an hour. There were several Cedar Waxwings filling up on pokebush berries.


Cedar Waxwing


Cedar Waxwing


Downy Woodpecker

We saw one bird perched on a fence and trouble identifying it in the field. Its bill looked too big for an Indigo Bunting, too small for a Blue Grosbeak, and its head and bill shape reminded me of a Dickcissel, but after processing the photos, I think that it was a juvenile Blue Grosbeak.


Juvenile Blue Grosbeak

My favorite photos from the hike were of a juvenile(?) Eastern Phoebe catching bugs from the ground.


Eastern Phoebe


Eastern Phoebe


Eastern Phoebe

Stoney Creek (Wintergreen)

I wasn't planning on taking any more photos today, but when I got home I saw two Carolina Wrens acting very peculiar. They were "bathing" in the mulch of a flower pot. I have never seen such behavior before, and I assume that they were trying to get some bugs or other material off of their wings. By the time I got my camera, one of them had left. I got a short, five second video of the activity.


Carolina Wren

Click here to see video.

I saw a Ruby-throated Hummingbird flying around, so I walked out onto the deck to take some more photos. The hummingbird was gone, but I saw Japanese Beetles feeding on crape mertyle bushes, and also saw a very tiny, about 1/4 inch long, bug that turned out to be a syrphid fly.


Japanese Beetles


Japanese Beetle


Syrphid Fly



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