That’s phenomenal ! Such an incredible day. Ones we can only dream about. I’m
cleaning up from the hurricane and was thrilled to see just an American
Redstart!
Sent from my iPhone
On Sep 23, 2018, at 9:31 PM, Michelle <mappalachian@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I spent almost the entire day in the field, today, on the right fork of
Guesses Fork and saw 16 species of warbler, including a Wilson's Warbler,
which is a first for me on GF. I also had a Red-headed Woodpecker,
Philadelphia Vireo, Hermit Thrush, and a Black-billed Cuckoo. I counted a
total of 61 species for the day.
Warblers: Blackburnian, Bay-breasted, Magnolia, Hooded, Chestnut-sided, Pine,
Blackpoll, Black-and-white, Redstart, Black-throated Green, Common
Yellowthroat, Black-throated Blue, Palm, Worm-eating, Tennessee, and Wilson's.
It was a real thrill to see a Wilson's Warbler on Guesses Fork. I had two
Black-throated Blues, both female. One of the Blackburnians still had full
color and was a knockout, of course. I saw one Palm Warbler, last Sunday, but
today, I conservatively estimated 150. There were blankets of them on the top
of the mountain. The other most numerous warbler was Magnolia. Last Sunday's
Tennessees were this Sunday's Magnolias--they were everywhere. I saw
Magnolias in every terrain and at every elevation I covered.
For warbler enthusiasts who appreciate the Baypoll conundrum, I saw a gang of
8-10 Bay-breasteds, most of which had a good deal of bay left along their
sides and flanks. I saw one bird I was confident to call a Blackpoll; it had
clear dashes down its sides, along with a streaked head. I saw one "Baypoll"
with field marks so vague I refused to call it.
The Black-billed Cuckoo was in a swampy area bordered by a stand of willow
trees. I'm guessing it is a resident, because I've heard a Black-billed call
near this area a couple of times this year. Today, I got fantastic looks,
which was a treat.
In a marked episode of deja vu, the Red-headed Woodpecker I saw today landed
in an oak tree at the top of the ridge near my cousin's cabin, while I was
sitting on the porch. Everything was the same as it was the last time I saw a
Red-headed on GF: the bird landed on the same branch in the same tree while I
was sitting in the same rocking chair. Today, three Robins flew immediately
to the tree and were shortly joined by two Flickers. It seemed like all of
them were trying to crowd the Red-headed, but it would not be intimidated. It
just sat there, eating something and preening, for about 15 minutes, while
the other birds flew back and forth, landing near it. Finally, the Red-headed
began flying between its tree of choice and another oak. In addition to those
two woodpeckers, I also saw Downy, Hairy, Pileated, and Red-bellied.
Other than one Philadelphia Vireo, I saw several Red-eyed, Blue-headed,
White-eyed, and Yellow-throated vireos.
The Hermit Thrush appeared late in the afternoon, after I had already seen a
Wood Thrush and three Swainson's thrushes.
I saw only two hawks, a Red-shouldered and a Sharp-shinned. The
Red-shouldered was a juvenile and kept flying about 50 yards in front of me
at a time, landing and trying to dry its wings. A Blue Jay came along behind
it, mimicking its cry. I wonder if the Jay got something useful from this
behavior or if it just enjoyed being a brat.
All in all, today was one the most spectacular birding days I've ever had in
Buchanan County.
Hats off to fall migration,
Michelle
