On July 23, the 14 people who showed up for the regular monthly bird walk at the Blue Ridge Center were happy to find 46 species on a very warm and humid morning. The group, led by Joe Coleman and Mer Mietzelfeld and assisted by Scott Harris, followed the Farmstead Loop after visiting the fields near the Barn. The highlights of the walk included a Yellow Warbler, seven noisy Yellow-billed Cuckoos, two very vocal Louisiana Warblers, three Green Herons (one of which was a juvenile), a White-eyed Vireo, at least 21 Red-eyed Vireos, 13 Acadian Flycatchers, several well-seen Indigo Buntings and vocal Common Yellowthroats. For a complete list of the birds observed, see the list below or view on eBird at: https://ebird.org/checklist/S115623402.
Just ahead of the Annual Butterfly Count on August 6, the group also got some practice finding and identifying butterflies, including several Monarchs.
Bird Species List
Canada Goose 18
Mourning Dove 6
Yellow-billed Cuckoo 7
Chimney Swift 2
Great Blue Heron 2
Green Heron 3 One juvenile
Turkey Vulture 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 4
Downy Woodpecker 8
Pileated Woodpecker 2
Eastern Wood-Pewee 8
Acadian Flycatcher 13
Eastern Phoebe 3 Juvenile
Great Crested Flycatcher 3
Eastern Kingbird 1
White-eyed Vireo 1
Yellow-throated Vireo 1
Red-eyed Vireo 21
Blue Jay 1
American Crow 7
Fish Crow 2
Carolina Chickadee 7
Tufted Titmouse 6
Tree Swallow 6
White-breasted Nuthatch 8
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 3
House Wren 2
Carolina Wren 5
European Starling 4
Gray Catbird 2
Brown Thrasher 1
Northern Mockingbird 1
Eastern Bluebird 12
Wood Thrush 1
American Robin 1
House Finch 3
American Goldfinch 9
Chipping Sparrow 2
Field Sparrow 6
Orchard Oriole 2
Louisiana Waterthrush 2
Common Yellowthroat 6
Yellow Warbler 1
Northern Cardinal 7
Indigo Bunting 10