Common Yellowthroat
What a glorious morning to be out birding. Except for the occasional wind gust and large puffy clouds that played havoc with my camera settings, the 60 degree temperatures and blue skies were a treat, not only for me, but also for the birds. I got to the trail at 8:45 a.m., and by 11:00 I had logged 36 species plus two unidentified species. There were large flocks of Cedar Waxwings, and I saw my FOS Blue Grosbeak and FOS Red-eyed Vireo. The first unidentified bird was about the size of a Green Heron, and I saw it flying away from me down the Rockfish River with snappy wing beats. It was too small and too quick for a Great Blue Heron, but may have been a duck. The other unidentifed bird was near the south end of the Glenthorne Loop trail - sounded like a Black-billed Cuckoo, and when I looked up I only got a glimpse of a cuckoo-sized bird with a white underside and a long dark tail as it flew away - not sure what it was. Here this morning's list:
Field Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Chipping Sparrow Northern Mockingbird Blue Jay Blue-gray Gnatcatcher American Crow Carolina Chickadee Eastern Bluebird American Goldfinch Northern Cardinal Rock Pigeon Carolina Wren Red-eyed Vireo Blue Grosbeak Turkey Vulture Eastern Meadowlark Cowbird Tree Swallow Barn Swallow Northern Rough-winged Swallow Orchard Oriole Red-bellied Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Tufted Titmouse Starling Indigo Bunting Common Yellowthroat Cedar Waxwing Great Blue Heron Kingbird Eastern Phoebe House Finch |
Common Yellowthroat
Cedar Waxwings
Cedar Waxwing
Blue Grosbeak
Northern Cardinal
First summer male Orchard Oriole
Red-eyed Vireo
Female Red-winged Blackbird
Red-bellied Woodpeckers