Central Virginia 5/15/2020

All photos are © Marshall Faintich

We've gone from March weather to July weather in just few days. I started out at Ridgeview Park in Waynesboro, and then headed up to higher and cooler elevations on Route 610 and the Blue Ridge Parkway. I logged 17 avian species at the park, but only one warbler species - a female American Redstart. The highlight at the park this morning was two, possibly three, White-eyed Vireos.

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White-eyed Vireo

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White-eyed Vireo

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White-eyed Vireo

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White-eyed Vireo

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White-eyed Vireo

I was disappointed to see that the Blue Ridge Parkway is still closed from Rockfish Gap to Reids Gap, even though North Carolina has opened all of the parkway there a week ago. While on Route 610 and two short hikes on the Blue Ridge Parkway, I added 18 more avian species to my day's list, including all 7 of the breeding warblers along Route 610 between mm. 2 and mm. 4 of the parkway. One of the male American Redstarts had white spectacles. I've seen many adult males of this species with a very thin white eye-ring, but never one like this, and assume that the white spectacles are some lingering immature feathers.

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American Redstart

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American Redstart

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Cerulean Warbler

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Hooded Warbler

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Ovenbird

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Ovenbird

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Pine Warbler

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First spring female Pine Warbler

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Worm-eating Warbler

I heard a few Black and White Warblers, but the only one I saw flew directly over my head as I was trying to photograph it, and all I got was a blurry shot of it coming right at me.

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Black and White Warbler

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Brown-headed Cowbird

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Chipping Sparrow gathering nesting materials

I suspect that except for some stragglers, most of the migrating warblers have already moved through the area, and I'll have to travel to more distant breeding grounds or wait until autumnal migration to see more warbler species this year, especially since there's rain in the forecast for the next seven days :-(.


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