Blue Grass, VA 6/15/2021

All photos are © Marshall Faintich

I was up to 34 warbler species photographed in 2021, but needed to get some tougher species found in Highland and Bath counties. So I asked Tink Moyer and Huck Hutchens if they wanted to go with me. Our plan was to go first to the O'Brien's place on Wimer Mountain Road in Blue Grass for a Golden-winged Warbler, and then head down to Paddy Knob for a Mourning Warbler. Blue-winged Warblers had also been reported in Blue Grass, so I had a chance to add three warblers species for this year.

Soon after arriving on Wimer Mountain Road, a Chestnut-sided Warbler and a Golden-winged Warbler flew into where we were standing.

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Golden-winged Warbler

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Golden-winged Warbler

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Golden-winged Warbler

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Golden-winged Warbler

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Golden-winged Warbler

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Golden-winged Warbler

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Golden-winged Warbler

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Golden-winged Warbler

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Golden-winged Warbler

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Golden-winged Warbler

We didn't stay there very long, as we wanted to get to Paddy Knob. We returned to Monterey, headed 10 miles south to Route 84, and then 15 miles west on 84 to the West Virginia border to get to the fire road heading up to Paddy Knob. About a mile or two before the fire road, we encountered road crews. Route 84 was closed. There had been heavy rains the night before, the under road structure has been washed away, and the road surface was collapsing. They said that it was worse on the West Virginia side, that the entire stretch of Route 84 might have to be re-built, and they had no idea what condition the fire road was in. There was no way to get up to Paddy Knob. Coming up the fire road from the other side meant driving all the way south to Route 39, and then many miles on the fire road with no idea as to its condition. The latest info I could find is that Route 84 will be closed until July 14, but I suspect it will take longer than that.

So we decided to try for the Mourning and Blue-winged Warblers seen up on Reddish Knob. We drove the 25 miles back to Monterey, and then to the West Virginia side of Reddish Knob. When we got up to the section of FR 85 where these warblers had been seen, we ran into William Leigh, and the four of us looked for the warblers. We head Ovenbirds and a Blackburnian Warbler, and saw American Redstarts and Chestnut-sided Warblers, but not our target warblers.

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Chestnut-sided Warbler

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American Redstart

Photographing a Mourning Warbler this year might prove to be a challenge.


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