Venture
to Stecoah Gap
(#2)
Graham County, NC
Sunday, April 29, 2007
A beautiful day for a bird walk and lots of singing warblers made for a wonderful Ventures trip to Stecoah Gap on Sunday, April 29th. The birds were very cooperative and we had great views of almost all of the species we heard, including the elusive Ovenbird and the often skyscraping Cerulean Warbler. Cerulean and Chestnut-sided Warblers entertained us near the parking lot before we even started down the trail. Blackburnian Warblers and Ovenbirds were our constant companions, and Black-throated Blue, Black-throated Green, and Black-and-white Warblers flitted in front of us and alongside the trail as we walked. A crowd-pleasing Scarlet Tanager posed on a branch overhanging the road for several minutes. Several members of the group also spotted a Blue-winged Warbler. We returned for a picnic lunch at the gap and while we were eating a Cerulean Warbler sang constantly right over our heads with another one responding from across the road. After lunch we stopped at a creek in Robbinsville and had some great looks at several Yellow Warblers and added several other species to our trip list.
Marilyn Westphal
| Birds | |
| Turkey Vulture | Northern Parula |
| Broad-winged Hawk | Yellow Warbler |
| Mourning Dove | Chestnut-sided Warbler |
| Ruby-throated Hummingbird | Black-throated Blue Warbler |
| Downy Woodpecker | Yellow-rumped Warbler |
| Pileated Woodpecker | Black-throated Green Warbler |
| N. Rough-winged Swallow | Blackburnian Warbler |
| Barn Swallow | Cerulean Warbler |
| Tree Swallow | Black-and-white Warbler |
| Blue Jay | American Redstart |
| American Crow | Worm-eating Warbler |
| Carolina Chickadee | Ovenbird |
| Tufted Titmouse | Hooded Warbler |
| White-breasted Nuthatch | Scarlet Tanager |
| Carolina Wren | Northern Cardinal |
| Blue-gray Gnatcatcher | Rose-breasted Grosbeak |
| Eastern Bluebird | Indigo Bunting |
| American Robin | Eastern Towhee |
| Gray Catbird | Song Sparrow |
| European Starling | Dark-eyed Junco |
| Blue-headed Vireo | Common Grackle |
| Yellow-throated Vireo | Brown-headed Cowbird |
| Red-eyed Vireo | American Goldfinch |
| Blue-winged Warbler | House Sparrow |