Crozet, VA 10/12/2020

All photos are © Marshall Faintich

Old Trail

The remnants of Hurricane Delta moved through central Virginia yesterday and ovenight, and there was light drizzle all morning long. At 1:00 p.m., I went out on our front porch, stuck out my hand, and didn't feel any rain. So I decided to some birding here in Old Trail even though it was very overcast. As soon as I drove my car out of our garage, I almost turned around, as my car windshield became wet with spitting raindrops. But I decided to continue anyway, and take my rain cover for my camera if it started to rain even more. That turned out to be a very good decision. I started off at the golf course pond, and as I got around the pond and headed up towards fairway #1, there were lots of small birds, and I saw three warbler species there, and got photos of them on my return.

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Palm Warbler

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Tennessee Warbler

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Yellow-rumped Warbler

When I got up to the fairway on the trail, a small yellow bird was in the brush. It was a female Wilson's Warbler.

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Wilson's Warbler

I continued up to the gravel intersection near golf green #1, and turned left to look in those trees. That area has been good this autumn for warblers and even a Philadelphis Vireo. At first I saw Field and Song Sparrows, Indigo Buntings, and a Northern Cardinal. And then, another bird caught my attention. It was a Connecticut Warbler! There are 36 warbler species that I might see each year here in central Virginia, and by far, Connecticut Warblers are the toughest to find. This one was only the fifth one I have seen in 12 years of birding, and only the fourth one I have photographed. I took as many photos of it as I could, and here are some of them.

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Connecticut Warbler