Blue Ridge Parkway, VA 5/31/2020

All photos are © Marshall Faintich

It was a beautiful morning to be out birding. The skies were sunny and the air was crisp, and the temperature up on the parkway was 58. I got there at 9:20 and knew that it would soon be crowded, so I went directly to my first of two favorite warbler sites: the lower (north) end and upper (south) end of the large cirque near mm. 7.5. It was fairly quiet, but the first bird I saw there was a Worm-eating Warbler. I also picked up a Cerulean Warbler and an American Redstart. I would heard and see more of these two warbler species at various locations along the parkway and Route 610.

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Worm-eating Warbler

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Cerulean Warbler

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Cerulean Warbler

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Cerulean Warbler

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American Redstart

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American Redstart

I heard multiple Ovenbirds, and saw two of them this morning, but not long enough to get any photos. I continued on to Hickory Springs Overlook (mm. 12), and got some photos of a Hooded Warbler. There were more Redstarts and Ceruleans as well.

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Hooded Warbler

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Hooded Warbler

I continued on the 3 Ridges Overlook, saw some woodland species, and heard another Hooded Warbler. I turned around and headed north, by-passing Hickory Springs Overlook, and stopped again at the south end of the cirque. I heard a Black and White Warbler, but did not see it. However, I got my seventh warbler species of the day there. For the first seven years that I looked for warblers on the parkway (2010-16), Canada Warblers were always at the curved road sign at that end of the cirque, but only for the first couple of weeks in May, and then they moved on. But in June 2017, I saw Canada Warblers at that same site in late June, and wondered if Canada Warblers are the eight warbler I have found to be breeding along the first 12 miles of the parkway. I hadn't seen one up there so far this year, but then again, the parkway was closed until May 23rd. Today, I saw a Canada Warbler just a few feet away from the road sign!

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Canada Warbler

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Canada Warbler

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Canada Warbler

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Canada Warbler

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Canada Warbler

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Canada Warbler

It was close to 11:00 by now, and traffic was getting heavy on the parkway, so I exited on Rout 610 at mm. 4. I immediately got my eighth warbler species of the day - Pine Warbler.

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Pine Warbler

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Pine Warbler

As I headed north on Route 610, I saw more Ceruleans, Ovenbirds, and Redstarts, and heard two more Hooded Warblers. I also got some poor photos of a female Black and White Warbler.

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Black and White Warbler

I ended up with 31 avian species on the first 13 miles of the parkway and Route 610.

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Brown Thrasher

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Eastern Wood-Pewee

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Red-eyed Vireo

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Red-eyed Vireo

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Red-eyed Vireo

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Eastern Towhee

By far, the most cooperative and photogenic bird of the day was a Scarlet Tanager at 3 Ridges Overlook. It landed near me on a branch at eye level, and stayed there for a couple of minutes.

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Scarlet Tanager

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Scarlet Tanager

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Scarlet Tanager

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Scarlet Tanager

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Scarlet Tanager

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Scarlet Tanager

Today's list:

Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Red-tailed Hawk
Pileated Woodpecker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Eastern Phoebe
Red-eyed Vireo
American Crow
Barn Swallow
Carolina Chickadee
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
Wood Thrush
Brown Thrasher
Northern Mockingbird
Mourning Dove
Common Raven
Ovenbird
Worm-eating Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
Hooded Warbler
American Redstart
Cerulean Warbler
Pine Warbler
Canada Warbler
Dark-eyed Junco
Eastern Towhee
Northern Cardinal
Indigo Bunting
Scarlet Tanager
American Goldfinch


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