August 22, 2026 [LINK / comment]
Here we resume the never-ending endeavor to catch up with blogging about birding... (The last such "episode" was on August 7.)
September 1: Along Bells Lane I saw a Blackburnian Warbler (female or young), along with more Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, hawks, and flycatchers.
September 5: Jacqueline and I came upon a big cluster of various birds as soon as we started walking along Bell's Lane late this afternoon: Eastern Phoebes, Eastern Wood Pewees, a Northern Flicker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, and a Cape May Warbler doing amazing aerobatic stunts! A Cooper's Hawk (first year) soon showed up in search of a meal. Later on I came upon a Yellow Warbler (young or female), and was lucky to get a couple photos before it scurried away. Fall migration is/was in full swing!
Bell's Lane (September 5, 2025.)
September 8: I couldn't make it to the hawk watch, but I ended up getting some nice views of hawks when Jacqueline and I went for a walk around the trail at Mill Place in Verona: a Red-shouldered and a Sharp-shinned, which briefly engaged in an aerial tussle. On the way there (and back out again), we stopped at the big pond behind Hardee's, where I saw two Green Herons, a Belted Kingfisher, and a Solitary Sandpiper. But the big highlight of the day was spotting a pair (M & F) of Blue Grosbeaks hopping around the thick bushes near the parking lot. I heard some odd call notes, and thanks to the usually-reliable Merlin app (!), I was able to determine the species. It was quite a day!
Mill Place (September 8, 2025.)
September 12: I haven't had much luck along Bell's Lane lately, just a Cedar Waxwing on Wednesday and an American Redstart today, among the Eastern Phoebes, woodpeckers, sparrows, and other regulars. The hummingbirds out back provide lots of entertainment, but they seldom pose in good lighting conditions.
September 13: We had a nice variety of warblers and other neotropical migrants on our Augusta Bird Club field trip up in the Blue Ridge this morning. Many of them were either too fast or too well hidden to properly identify, but the ones here are fairly certain: Magnolia Warbler, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Yellow-throated Vireo, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Scarlet Tanager (male, in non-breeding plumage), Tennessee Warbler, Red-bellied Woodpecker, and Blackpoll Warbler. We also saw a probable Blackburnian Warbler, Nashville Warbler, and Least Flycatcher, as well as an Eastern Phoebe, a Cedar Waxwing, and several American Goldfinches and Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. It was just wonderful!
(Blue Ridge Parkway and Route 610, September 13, 2025.)
September 17: During Penny Warren's bird walk along Bell's Lane I saw an American Redstart, which has been the most common warbler species there since the spring, as well as a Northern Parula (underside view), a Red-bellied Woodpecker, some Eastern Phoebes, and a family of Cedar Waxwings rounding out the day's highlights. I never saw the Magnolia Warbler that Scott Priebe found.
September 18: A brief visit to Bell's Lane late in the afternoon paid off big time, as I saw multiple Palm Warblers -- the first ones of the season for me, and possibly of the year! Other highlights included Cedar Waxwings, a N. Flicker, E. Phoebe, and the first American Kestrel I have seen in months. (It was too far away for a good photo.)
September 19: Jacqueline and I walked all the way around Yulee's Trail in Montgomery Hall Park, but virtually all the birds we saw were at the top of the hill, where we started. The Red-breasted Nuthatch was a big surprise, and the Black-throated Green and Magnolia Warblers were also very nice finds.
September 20: Jacqueline and I hiked all the way up to the top of the Madison Run trail yesterday (five miles each way!), and we saw a few good birds along the way. Two of the species were maddeningly difficult to photograph (Swainson's Thrush and Black-throated Blue Warbler), but I eventually got good images of them. In both cases we saw multiple birds in two different locations. In contrast, the Pine Warbler, Black and White Warbler, and E. Wood Pewee seen here were more "cooperative," but one or two mystery warblers (such as the one or ones in the bottom right below) will remain in doubt. Overall, the birds were much scarcer than I would expect during the peak of migration season.
(Madison Run trail, September 20, 2025.)
September 22: I had my first real warbler "fallout" of the season along Bell's Lane in the morning! Magnolia Warblers (top right) and American Redstarts (top left) were present in multiple locations, while the Northern Parula and Black-and-white Warblers seen here at the lower right were in the same area of dense foliage and vines in the lowland stretch of the road not far from "Cujo Corner." Also in that area was a Swainson's Thrush and an Eastern Wood Pewee or two. Finally, in the thick bushes in front of the small pond was a Cape May Warbler -- the fifth warbler species of the day! Nearby I also saw Eastern Phoebes and Northern Rough-winged Swallows. Red-shouldered Hawks were screaming off and on, but I didn't see any of them today.
(Bells Lane, September 22, 2025.)
September 26: In the morning Jacqueline and I did a bit of birding along the brand-new Shenandoah Village Rd. that connects the Target shopping center to South Delphine Avenue on the south side of Waynesboro. There were many American Goldfinches and American Robins, as well as some very special birds: Yellow-billed Cuckoo (elusive as ever), Cape May Warbler (top left in the first composite image), and Blackpoll Warbler. In the afternoon we went to Bell's Lane, where I saw a Red-bellied Woodpecker, some Cedar Waxwings, an Eastern Phoebe, and an American Redstart.
September 29: Along Bell's Lane I found multiple Eastern Phoebes, Magnolia Warblers, and American Redstarts. There were 6-8 Eastern Bluebirds checking out the holes left by woodpeckers in a birch tree near the small pond.
Additional photos and montages, including individual photos of some of the birds in the above montages, can be seen on the Wild Birds chronological (2025) page.