August 2, 2026 [LINK / comment]
Birding in Virginia, June 2025
Here goes yet another valiant effort to get caught up with blogging about my birding activities last year! As usual, the text is based largely on Facebook posts I was making at the time...
June 4: I got another "primary color trifecta" while hiking and birding with Jacqueline along the Falls Hollow trail around the middle of the day. I finally got my first photo of a Black & White Warbler of the year, along with a Hooded Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler, and Ovenbird. Other highlights included Scarlet Tanager, Blue-headed Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Indigo Bunting, and Acadian Flycatcher. Beautiful! We also heard but didn't see a Wood Thrush or two. In addition, Jacqueline was delighted to see a Baltimore Oriole as we were passing through the village of Westview, but my eyes were on the road.
June 7: I joined an Augusta Bird Club field trip to Highland County led by Allen Larner, with only one other member (Scott Priebe) showing up. We met with four birders from Fredericksburg at Bramble Hill, as the property once owned by the late Margaret O'Bryan is known. While everyone else was occupied elsewhere I located a pair of Golden-winged Warblers, the first ones I have seen in a few years! I don't recall ever seeing a female before, and this one was gathering nest material. The other highlights were Black-throated Blue, Canada, Magnolia, and Chestnut-sided Warblers, among some more common ones. We saw a Bobolink at the Blue Grass cemetery, and a Least Flycatcher at the Straight Fork meadow, along with an Alder Flycatcher which I only glimpsed. A Bald Eagle was north of Blue Grass, a Scarlet Tanager (F) was near Laurel Fork, and a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was near the West Virginia border. We saw both a male and female of that species in fairly close proximity. Allen and Scott tabulated 71 species altogether.
A rare Golden-winged Warbler (F), carrying nesting material, along with other five other warbler species (all male). (Highland County, June 7.)
June 10: I was passing through the Shenandoah National Park on the way back from Dulles Airport (!), and wouldn't you know it, I scored another "primary color trifecta": Indigo Bunting, Scarlet Tanager, and Common Yellowthroat! These photos were taken at various overlooks in the central portion of the park, but mostly along the Pocosin Cabin trail. Cerulean and Chestnut-sided Warblers were every which way! Of note, I saw my first Rose-breasted Grosbeak of the year, a female.
Primary colors! (Shenandoah National Park, June 10.)
June 14: After the menacing clouds lifted early in the evening, I went for a walk along Bell's Lane. Right away I heard that Yellow-billed Cuckoo again, and this time I got a nice closeup view! Near Cujo Corner were a few Cedar Waxwings, and at the high point I heard the distinctive song of an Orchard Oriole. Soon I got a nice view of a first-year male, and he flew to another tree where an Eastern Kingbird happened to be perched. Nice combination shot!
June 21: I had another primary color "trifecta," at three different locations: by the construction site along Barterbrook Road (where the new bridge over I-81/64 recently opened), at the gate in front of Shenandoah Wetlands Bank (south of Stuarts Draft), and near the dam in front of Coles Run Reservoir in the Big Levels area. On the way, I stopped at the Cheese Shop to get some goodies and to see the Purple Martins for the first time this year. The Scarlet Tanagers were mating, so there may be some babies in the Coles Run area in a few weeks!
June 23: Bill Benish, Ann Cline, and I went on an "impromptu" sort of field trip today, hiking over four miles total along the Shenandoah Mountain trail south of the Confederate Breastworks. (We were thoroughly exhausted.) Nearly all of the target birds graciously made appearances; see the caption below. We also saw a Worm-eating Warbler, Red-eyed Vireo, a Veery, some Dark-eyed Juncos (at the high point of our hike, where we turned around), and a Pine Warbler. We also glimpsed one or two possible Ruffed Grouses and heard some Indigo Buntings, Eastern Towhees, and a Red-breasted Nuthatch. Missing in action: Hooded Warbler. All in all, nevertheless, a truly memorable day.
(CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT) Scarlet Tanager, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Ovenbird, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Canada Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, and (CENTER) Black-throated Green Warbler. (Shenandoah Mountain trail, June 23.)
June 28: I explored the Ramsey Draft are on the western edge of Augusta County, and achieved both of my objectives, in both cases with fledglings being fed by their respective parents. First, the Blackburnian Warbler, which are usually found high up in trees where it is difficult to see. This time they were right at eye level, thanks to the fledglings, who needed to be fed. It was the closest I had ever seen a Blackburnian Warbler, and I was thrilled to get such good photos. This was right next to the bridge over the stream immediately adjacent to the picnic area. Too bad the father (which has much brighter colors) wasn't there! Second, some Northern Parulas, which were my first ones of the year. Nearby were a Louisiana Waterthrush, Worm-eating Warbler*, and several Black & White Warblers. I also heard an Ovenbird and Wood Thrush in the vicinity. I then hiked up the Road Hollow trail, but hardly saw any warblers, just a Scarlet Tanager and an Eastern Wood Pewee. It was a truly memorable day!
Blackburnian Warbler (F), etc. (Ramseys Draft, June 28.)
NOTE: Three of my Blackburnian Warbler photos, including two with a fledgling that confirms that breeding has occurred in that location, are included on the Virginia Bird Atlas!
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. (NOTE: I incorrectly wrote "2024" in the note at the end of the July 24 blog post, but the link itself takes you to the correct set of photos.)