September 13, 2010 [LINK / comment]
For bird watchers, this is the second-biggest peak of the season, as the neotropical migrants that passed through in May on their way to the north make their return trip toward warmer climes. On Sunday morning, I managed to spend an hour on the trail behind the Staunton-Augusta Rescue Squad, which I discovered has become heavily overgrown with tall grass and poison ivy. It was slow going for a while, bird-wise, but I finally came across a busy "hot spot" toward the end. Highlights:
On Saturday, I joined the Augusta Bird Club field trip to the Rockfish Valley Trail, in Nellysford. Here are the birds I saw; some members saw additional species.
* Some people think it was a Nashville Warbler or a Yellow Warbler, but I got a good close look at the under side of the tail and am pretty sure about the ID. Further discussion pending. I also managed to get some closeup photos of butterflies:
Monarch butterfly, on the Rockfish Valley Trail. Roll mouse over the image to see a Buckeye butterfly.
A week ago, on Labor Day, I went for a solo three-mile loop hike on the Appalachian Trail just north of Humpback Rocks. Highlights: