Great Blue Heron
A cold, bright, and sunny morning followed yesterday's strong northwest winds. Eight species of migrating raptors were reported yesterday up at the Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch (thanks to all the RGHW counters whose 2011 total of migrating raptors crossed the 33,000 mark yesterday), and I was eager to see if the winds had pushed any new species to the trail.
I arrived at 8:15 a.m., and by 9:15 had my target of 20 avian species, and added another 4 more species in the next half hour. I headed upstream first, and then went downstream and around Reids Creek on the Glenthorne Loop before heading back on the downstream trail. I started the morning watching a Great Blue Heron warming itself in the early morning sun, and ended the hike with a Great Blue Heron doing a fly-by on the downstream trail.
Great Blue Heron
Red-shouldered Hawk
Black Vulture
Eastern Meadowlark
Red-tailed Hawk
Great Blue Heron
This morning's list (24 species):
Blue Jay Northern Mockingbird American Goldfinch Red-tailed Hawk Red-shouldered Hawk White-throated Sparrow Song Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco Great Blue Heron Northern Cardinal Red-bellied Woodpecker Flicker Carolina Wren Carolina Chickadee Tufted Titmouse | Eastern Meadowlark Yellow-rumped warbler Rock pigeon Black Vulture Turkey Vulture |