Common Yellowthroat
Warren Ferry is a former ferry landing over the James River in Albemarle County. It is about 100 yards or less from railroad tracks to the river, and for the most part, all of the birding is along the old road and small bridge to the river. This location has been a reliable site for Yellow-throated Warblers, which I have seen there in previous years, as well as other warblers. I have heard Prothonotary Warblers there before, but have never seen one there. With reports of both of the warblers having been sighted there this week, I went there this morning to look for these two species.
I arrived around 10:20 a.m., and by the time I left about 2 hours later, I had seen 25 avian species, including 5 warbler species, 3 vireo species, and six First-of-Season (FOS) species for me. As soon as I got out of my car, I heard multiple White-eyed Vireos, saw an Indigo Bunting, and a Common Yellowthroat warbler. But for the next hour or so, I didn't see any other warbler or vireo species - just a lot of common woodland birds. And then it got exciting. I heard a Prothonotary Warbler singing, located it, and it decided that it wanted to have its picture taken, as it was not bothered at all by my being there. At least two Yellow-throated Warblers showed up in the same area, along with adult and immature Yellow-rumped Warblers. Near the end of my stay there, I added a Black & White Warbler, and Red-eyed and Blue-headed Vireos.
Common Yellowthroat
Indigo Bunting
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Barn Swallow
White-eyed Vireo
Prothonotary Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Yellow-throated Warblers
Yellow-throated Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black & White Warbler
Blue-headed Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
I saw one bird there that looked like it might have been a Starling, but it looks too blue in the photo, and the bill looks a bit strange to me for a Starling, but I don't have any other ideas as to what it might be. Opinions are appreciated.
Starling(?)
This morning's list:
Double-crested Cormorant
Eastern Phoebe
Red-eyed Vireo (FOS)
White-eyed Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
Carolina Chickadee
Carolina Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler (FOS)
Prothonotary Warbler (FOS)
Common Yellowthroat
Black-and-white Warbler (FOS)
Northern Cardinal
Indigo Bunting (FOS)
White-throated Sparrow
Brown-headed Cowbird
American Crow
Turkey Vulture
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Barn Swallow (FOS)
Tree Swallow
Starling(?)