Common Yellowthroat
I've been trying for more than 10 years to get a really good photo of a Philadelphia Vireo. All of the ones I have taken in the past were either backlit or distant. Last night, I read on the Virginia birding list server that several Philadelphia Vireos had been reported in northern Virginia yesterday, and I got some distant photos of this species on Route 610 yesterday. Early this morning, I checked the bird migration radar data on the internet, and saw that a lot of birds had moved through Virginia overnight. The only problem was that there was light rain and drizzle until 9 a.m., and fog on the Blue Ridge Parkway/610. So I hiked here in Old Trail (Crozet) for an hour under cloudy skies, and logged 15 avian species that included only one warbler - a Common Yellowthroat.
Common Yellowthroat
By 10:00, it was getting really hot and sticky here in Old Trail, and my glasses were continuously fogging from the high humidity. But it looked like the fog might be lifting from the mountains, so I decided to try the parkway and Route 610. Well, the fog up there ranged from a little to very dense. It seemed like the only times I heard birds was when I was driving through dense fog. But when I got to Hickory Springs Overlook (mm. 12), the fog was very light, and I added a Magnolia Warbler and a Hooded Warbler to my day's list.
Magnolia Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Hooded Warbler
I continued on to 3 Ridges Overlook (mm. 13). It was quiet, but as I was getting ready to head for home, I heard a chip. It was a male Common Yellowthroat. I got a good look at it, but not long enough for a photo, and then saw a female as well as another Magnolia Warbler.
Common Yellowthroat
Magnolia Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
I also saw a few other avian species there, including one that I could not identify (Phoebe?).
Unidentified species
The fog started to roll in at this overlook, so I headed for home, and decided to try Route 610 once again between mm. 4 and mm. 2 of the parkway. Perhaps the fog had cleared enough for birding. As soon as I got onto Route 610 at mm. 4, I saw a warbler with a bright yellow breast in the vegetation near the road. So I pulled over and got out. It was a Prairie Warbler.
Prairie Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Prairie Warbler
And then I saw a few more warblers, and tried my best to get photos. One of them was a Wilson's Warbler (my 34th warbler species in Virginia for 2019) and the other one was a Northen Parula. There were a few more warblers, but I was having trouble locating them.
Wilson's Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
Northen Parula
Northen Parula
Northen Parula
Well, that was fun. As I headed back to my car, I saw a few birds in the trees right at the parkway/610 intersection. And then birds were everywhere. There were at least 100 or more warblers in a mixed flock! So many that it was hard to decide which ones to try and photograph. I tried to get as many as I could, and they flitted around in the trees for a good 10 minutes or longer.
American Redstart
Bay-breasted Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Chesnut-sided Warbler
Chesnut-sided Warbler
Chesnut-sided Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Black and White Warbler
There were a few other avian species there as well.
Scarlet Tanager
And I couldn't believe my eyes. I got my good close-up photo of a Philadelphia Vireo!
Philadelphia Vireo
Philadelphia Vireo
Philadelphia Vireo
Philadelphia Vireo
Philadelphia Vireo
Philadelphia Vireo
I also photographed another warbler that I could not identify (not that it mattered that much to me at this point).
Unidentified Warbler
It was a good day!