Pied-billed Grebe
With the cooler morning temperatures, I decided to try some birding at lower elevations today. I went over to the Lickinghole Creek and Reservoir to look for migrating warblers and vireos. The hike to the reservoir produced only a few birds, and when I got a view of the resevoir, I couldn't find the pair of Green Herons that has been there for the past couple of months. However, I did see a few species, including a Pied-billed Grebe and a Wilson's Snipe.
Pied-billed Grebe
Wilson's Snipe
Great Blue Heron
Belted Kingfisher
Cedar Waxwing
The resident Bald Eagles were perched by their nest.
Bald Eagles
I hiked back to my car, and at this point had logged 19 avian species, but not a single warbler or vireo. I continued on to the adjacent Crozet Connector Trail, and hiked as far as the Foothills Crossing path, but still hadn't seen any new species, or for that matter, very few birds on this trail. I decided to turn back and call it a day, at least for birding. About 2/3 of the way back on this trail, I stopped when I saw and heard some avian activity. Dense tree cover made it dark and difficult to spot the birds, but I was able to identify 7 warbler species and a Ruby-crowned Kinglet.
American Redstart
Black-throated Green Warbler
Black and White Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Northern Parula
Northern Parula
Tennessee Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
I added an Eastern Towhee and a Northern Mockingbird at the end for a trip toal of 29 avian species.