Ground hog thinking that it is hidden from me
Ho-hum. It's the dog days of summer, and birding is not that exciting. Although the temperatures have cooled a bit, and the humidity is lower and more comfortable, some of the summer residents have already headed south, and only a few of the early migrating species have made it here. There have been a few area reports of mixed flocks of migrating birds, but I haven't seen them. I've did a couple of hikes here in Old Trail, and the birds were few and far apart. I also made a trip up to the first 12 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway, and saw only one warbler - a Black and White. I didn't even hear any of the summer resident warblers, so I assume that many of them have departed already.
Ground hog thinking that it is hidden from me
Great Blue Heron
Black and White Warbler
I went over to the Lickinghole Creek and Resevoir this morning. The vegetation was so dense that I couldn't see the sand/gravel bar where shorebirds are often present, until I got to the far end of the resevoir near the dam. I did see a few avian species there, but the dragonflies and damselflies were easier targets. I saw a pair of Common Yellowthroats, but they wouldn't stay put, and were flitting about in dense vegetation, so I couldn't get any photos of them. The only other warbler I saw there was a female American Redstart.
Female American Redstart
Dragonfly
Dragonfly
Deer
The best birds there today were three Belted Kingfishers. Two of them were hunting in tandem over the reservoir.
Belted Kingfisher
Belted Kingfishers
Belted Kingfishers
I ended up with 26 avian species at Lickinghole this morning. There were lots of Barn Swallows flying to and from nests in the dam structure. I thought that one of them might have been a Cliff Swallow because of an apparent white mark on its forehead, but its tail was definitely that of a Barn Swallow.
Barn Swallow
Barn Swallows
Immature male Northern Cardinal
Recently fledged Northern Cardinal
Tufted Titmouse
Orchard Oriole and Indigo Bunting
Eastern Kingbird
Bee and wildflower
I made a quick stop at the Beaver Creek Reservoir, but didn't see any birds there, and then another quick stop at King Family Vineyards where I added 4 more avian trip species, bring this morning's list to 30. Not a lot of excitement, but fall migration is only a few weeks away!
Green Heron