Spring Venture
to Blue Ridge Parkway
Saturday, April 14, 2010
It was a warm morning when we met at the Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway. A few Blue Jays were moving north and a group of crows was making a huge noise in the nearby woodlands. We heard a Red-shouldered Hawk calling, but could never find the crows “victim”. Our first stop produced our first of several Black-and-White Warblers, as well as a very obliging Ovenbird that sat in full view allowing us great looks. 2 Hooded Warblers were back at Craven Gap; a bright flash of yellow in the barely greening woodlands. A real surprise was a singing Cerulean along with both Blackburnian and Parula at one of our regular birding spots. It was difficult to decide where to look first but the Cerulean won out! As we climbed higher into the Blue Ridge, the woods took on a decidedly wintry look and the bird activity declined as well. It seemed as if every overlook and visitor center was being paved making for some difficulty finding a place to eat lunch. We finished the day with a pretty good list of warblers- a great spring day in the mountains.
Birds
Turkey Vulture
Broad-winged Hawk (6)
Red-shouldered Hawk (Heard)
Red-tailed Hawk (2)
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Common Raven (2)
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (2)
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (3)
American Robin
Blue-headed Vireo
Yellow-throated Vireo (Heard)
Yellow-rumped Warbler (5+)
Black-throated Green Warbler (1)
Blackburnian Warbler (2)
Pine Warbler (1)
Cerulean Warbler (1)
Black-and-white Warbler (6)
American Redstart (1)
Worm-eating Warbler (1)
Ovenbird (1)
Hooded Warbler (1)
Northern Cardinal
Eastern Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow (Heard)
Dark-eyed Junco
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Red Crossbill (1)
American Goldfinch
Butterflies
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Pipevine Swallowtail
Spring Azure
Cabbage White
Anglewing sp