Gene Burreson and I camped at Big Meadows in Shenandoah National Park on
Friday night and birded near Milam Gap on Saturday morning. We hiked a loop
from the Milam Gap parking lot along Mill Prong Trail to Camp Hoover
(Rapidan Camp), then along Laurel Prong Trail to the Appalachian Trail, and
along the AT over Hazeltop and back to Milam Gap (7.4 miles; Gmaps route is
here: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1055269). The first 3.5 hours were
dedicated to two Cerulean Warbler IBA survey routes along Mill Prong Trail
and Laurel Prong Trail.
The weather was nice and we saw a lot of birds, but no Cerulean Warblers.
The only target species we found was CANADA WARBLER, and there were LOTS of
them (19) along Mill Prong and Laurel Prong. Many sightings were of
breeding pairs, and we saw one pair mate. They were close to the trail,
vocal, and very active.
Other highlights were pairs of CEDAR WAXWINGS and ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAKS,
a small group of LEAST FLYCATCHERS near The Laurels (Laurel Prong Trail),
two BLACKBURNIAN WARBLERS, and numerous VEERY, CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLERS, and
AMERICAN REDSTARTS.
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eBird Report
Turkey Vulture 1
Red-tailed Hawk 1 -- along Hazeltop ridge
Mourning Dove 2
Chimney Swift 1
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 2 -- Laurel Prong Trail
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Downy Woodpecker 2 -- Laurel Prong Trail
Eastern Wood-Pewee 3 -- Laurel Prong Trail
Acadian Flycatcher 5 -- Laurel Prong Trail
Least Flycatcher 3 -- near The Laurels along the Laurel Prong Trail in an
open conifer-dominated area
Eastern Phoebe 2
Yellow-throated Vireo 1
Blue-headed Vireo 1 -- near The Laurels
Blue Jay 1
American Crow 6
Barn Swallow 2
White-breasted Nuthatch 2
Carolina Wren 1
House Wren 2
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1
Eastern Bluebird 1
Veery 9 -- along Mill Prong and Laurel Prong
Wood Thrush 1
American Robin 2
Gray Catbird 4
Northern Mockingbird 1
Brown Thrasher 1
Cedar Waxwing 2 -- Laurel Prong Trail, near Rapidan Camp
Northern Parula 2
Chestnut-sided Warbler 10 -- numerous along Hazeltop ridge
Magnolia Warbler 1 -- along Mill Prong
Black-throated Blue Warbler 1 -- Laurel Prong Trail
Blackburnian Warbler 2 -- not a pair, 2 different areas along Laurel Prong
Trail
Black-and-white Warbler 2
American Redstart 15 -- everywhere
Ovenbird 5
Hooded Warbler 2
Canada Warbler 19 -- along Mill Prong and Laurel Prong
Scarlet Tanager 3 -- along Hazeltop ridge
Eastern Towhee 7
Chipping Sparrow 2
Dark-eyed Junco 3
Northern Cardinal 2
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 2 -- pair; along Hazeltop ridge
Indigo Bunting 1
Brown-headed Cowbird 2
American Goldfinch 2
Dave Hewitt
Gloucester, VA
