Rockfish Valley Trail and Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch 9/17/10


Wow! What a day. I started off this morning at the Rockfish Valley Trail to see if any migratory birds were there. I was looking for warblers and raptors, and really wasn't keeping track of all the species I saw, but I can list 33 - probably saw more than that - including 4 warbler species. All of the warblers were in the edge of the bog area just past Yellow Bird Thicket, and I later saw another Magnolia Warbler in the trees near the downstream picnic table.

American Crow
Eastern Bluebird
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Cedar Waxwing
Great Blue Heron
Green Heron
Indigo Bunting
Eastern Phoebe

Catbird
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Turkey Vulture
Black Vulture
Pileated Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Blue Jay
Northern Cardinal
Red-shouldered Hawk - pair
Red-eyed Vireo

Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Blue Grosbeak - I thought they had gone
American Goldfinch
Carolina Wren
Common Yellowthroat
Magnolia Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Blue-winged Warbler
Starling
Brown Thrasher

Tufted Titmouse
Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher
Rock Pigeon


Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher


juvenile Rose-breasted Grosbeak


female Blue Grosbeak


Red-eyed Vireo


Common Yellowthroat


Magnolia Warbler


Nashville Warbler


Nashville Warbler


Blue-winged Warbler


Blue-winged Warbler


Blue-winged Warbler


Blue-winged Warbler


Blue-winged Warbler


Red-shouldered Hawk


Red-shouldered Hawk

I saw a few hummingbirds that are probably Ruby-throated, but they sure have a lot of rufous coloring. If anyone thinks that they are Rufous Hummingbirds, please let me know. Also photographed an unknown bird - any ideas on what it is? The unknown bird was in the vegetation where I saw all of the warblers.


hummingbird


hummingbird


hummingbird


Unknown

I then headed up to the Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch, where I saw a couple of hundred hawks, and a very bedraggled juvenile Bald Eagle. We were also amused by a Crow trying to catch a Katydid.


juvenile Cooper's Hawk


juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawk


juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawk and butterfly


juvenile Bald Eagle


American Crow and Katydid



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