Blue-winged Warbler.
Photo by Pat Whittle

With over 30 people showing up for the monthly bird walk at the Blue Ridge Center  on May 28, we broke into two groups after driving to the trailheads at the end of Sawmill Road. One group, led by Joe Coleman, Scott Harris and Mer Mietzelfeld, walked back to the center on the north side. The other group, led by Michael Myers and Anne Ellis, did a loop in the vicinity of Butterfly Alley and the upper Sweet Run Loop. While we observed many of the same species, each group had a few the other did not, resulting in 56 species.  The highlights of the walk were a Blue-winged Warbler, a Kentucky Warbler, well-seen Scarlet Tanagers, Yellow-breasted Chat, several American Redstarts and many, many Indigo Buntings and Field Sparrows.

Photo by Michael Myers

Species List
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Great Blue Heron
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-headed Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Acadian Flycatcher
Traill’s Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
White-eyed Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Fish Crow
Common Raven
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
White-breasted Nuthatch
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Carolina Wren
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher
Northern Mockingbird
Eastern Bluebird
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Cedar Waxwing
House Finch
American Goldfinch
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Eastern Towhee
Yellow-breasted Chat
Brown-headed Cowbird
Ovenbird
Louisiana Waterthrush
Blue-winged Warbler
Kentucky Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
Scarlet Tanager
Northern Cardinal
Blue Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting