Strange weather patterns here - when it hasn't been raining, the air has been hot, hazy, and humid, with very little wind, and then a strong thunderstorm could start at any minute. Rain is forecast for the next ten days, and I am hoping that the cold front that is moving through the next two days will push the migrating birds our way. A morning hike here only yielded a Great Blue Heron standing on the pond drainage valve and three Wood Ducks on Sawmill Creek pond #6.
Great Blue Heron
Wood Ducks
The hot, hazy, and humid air with little wind continued. There were few birds and no warblers to be seen on the northern eight miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway, and four hours at the hawk watch only yielded a few distant Broad-winged Hawks, two distant Ospreys, a couple of Ravens, and several Red-tailed Hawks. Two of the Red-tailed Hawks did close flyovers, and another one perched on the teepee across from us on the other side of I-64. There were lots of swallows and swifts flying about.
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Osprey
Common Raven