Blue Ridge Parkway, VA 8/23/2021

All photos are © Marshall Faintich

It was really quiet up on the parkway and Route 610 this morning. I really had to work to log 20 avian species, including only 1 warbler species.

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Black and White Warbler

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Red-eyed Vireo

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American Goldfinch

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Eastern Wood-Pewee

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Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

I saw a juvenile Dark-eyed Junco up on the parkway that was either injured or did not know how to fly very well. I walked up to about a foot away from it when it hopped a bit, and I took a few photos. A minute later, it hopped from the edge of the parkway to just past the center line when I saw a car coming. The car drove right over the Junco, and its tires only missed the bird by an inch. I walked over to the bird and got it to hop over to the other side grassy road shoulder.

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Dark-eyed Junco

The most interesting part of the morning was watching an Eastern Cicada Killer (aka Ground Hornet) live up to its name.

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Eastern Cicada Killer

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Eastern Cicada Killer

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Eastern Cicada Killer


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