May 15, 2008 [LINK / comment]
Migration season: past the peak
I've finally had enough time in the past few days to catch up on birding before spring "prime time" comes to an end, but not quite enough time to report on it. On Monday I took some back roads that I had not driven on for some time, and eventually hit "pay dirt." I drove along the Blue Ridge Parkway in hopes of seeing some of the warblers, etc. that others have seen, but it was too cold, overcast, and windy. In short, miserable. I did catch a glimpse of my first Cerulean Warbler of the season near Humpback Rocks, however. As I continued southeast, descending into the Piedmont hill country, the weather improved, and my first visit to the Blue Ridge Railway Trail at the town of Piney River proved to be especially worth while, as I saw two (2) Yellow-breasted chats for the first time in six (6) years! And that wasn't all!!
Yesterday (Wednesday) I saw several warblers, etc. on the trail behind the Staunton-Augusta Rescue Squad, including a Wilson's Warbler, which I had not seen at all last year. I saw another first-of-season bird out back -- a female Blackpoll Warbler, which is typically the last species is to migrate northward. That means that in another week or two, this year's "show" will be pretty much over.
Here are the highlights of what I saw (not the complete list), in those three places:
Location: Humpback Rocks
Observation date: 5/12/08
Number of species: 8
- Red-eyed Vireo 1
- Cerulean Warbler 1 (FOS)
- Black-and-white Warbler 2
- American Redstart 1
- Scarlet Tanager 1
- Chipping Sparrow 2
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org/VA)
Location: Piney River, VA
Observation date: 5/12/08
Number of species: 14
- Pileated Woodpecker 1
- Eastern Phoebe 1
- Cedar Waxwing 2
- Prairie Warbler 1 (FOS)
- Yellow-breasted Chat 2 (FOS)
- Indigo Bunting 1
- White-eyed Vireo 1 (FOS)
- Chipping Sparrow 3
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org/VA)
Location: Staunton-Augusta Rescue Squad trail
Observation date: 5/14/08
Number of species: 21
- Red-eyed Vireo 2
- Northern Parula 1
- Black-throated Green Warbler 1
- Blackpoll Warbler 1 (FOS)
- American Redstart 3
- Wilson's Warbler 1 (FOS)
- Eastern Towhee 2
- Indigo Bunting 1
- Brown-headed Cowbird 2
- American Goldfinch 2
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org/VA)
I also heard a Rose-breasted Grosbeak in the distance, and possibly a Great Crested Flycatcher. This morning when I returned to the SARS trail, I saw at least three (male) Common Yellowthroats, but not much else. (NOTE: The "FOS" (first-of-season) labels were inserted manually in the above summary lists.)
I heard a Yellow Warbler singing in our back yard a couple days ago, and managed to get close enough for a photograph.
Saving Scarlet macaws
In Costa Rica, an organization called the ZooAve Center for the Rescue of Endangered Species has successfully reintroduced captive Scarlet macaws into the wild, and they have begun to reproduce. See CNN.com. That is wonderful news for this precious symbol of tropical biodiversity. Jacqueline and I were very fortunate to see a flock of a dozen or so Scarlet macaws 
in Costa Rica in 2005.