July 26, 2016 [LINK / comment]

Colorful birds in the mountains

After searching in vain for the Sandhill Cranes that have been reported north of Fishersville this afternoon, I kept going east through Waynesboro and then decided to pay a brief visit to the nearby Shenandoah National Park. (Gotta get my money's worth for that annual pass!) It was very cloudy, not well-suited for photography, and started to rain as I was leaving. Within a mile of the entry station I saw a Black Bear in the bushes along the road, my first one of the year! At Jarman's Gap I saw an American Redstart or two, plus some Chickadees, a Titmouse, and a White-breasted Nuthatch. I also heard a Cuckoo -- sounding like a Black-billed, but probably a Yellow-billed. I got as far north as the Moorman's River Overlook and caught a glimpse of a hawk (probably Broad-winged) before turning back. I saw families of Red-eyed Vireos and Indigo Buntings at nearby Wildcat Ridge, and another family of Indigo Buntings at McCormick's Gap Overlook. I also saw a Baltimore Oriole there, either female or juvenile. On my way out I saw a bear crossing the road, but it got away before I could take a photo. It appeared to be a yearling, probably the same one as before.

Goldfinch, Indigo Bunting

Goldfinch (foreground), Indigo Bunting (background), at Moorman's River Overlook, SNP. Roll your mouse over this image to see one bird in focus, roll away to see the other one in focus, and click on it to see both in focus again -- thanks to some digital trickery!

You can see more of today's photos on the Wild Birds yearly photo gallery page.