Blue Ridge Parkway, Swainson's warbler
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Tom Davis
May 20, 2013, 12:59:51 PM5/20/13
to nrvb...@googlegroups.com
I was out along the Blue Ridge Parkway near milepost 174.5 (about 1.5 miles north of Mabry Mill) this morning meeting with one of the Parkway's maintenance supervisors. During the meeting I heard the distinct "whee whee whip-or-will" song of a Swainson's warbler. After the meeting I stuck around for 15-20 minutes to make sure of what I had heard. A single Swainson's warbler was singing from somewhere deep in the surrounding rhododendron. A Louisiana waterthrush was also singing from along Laurel Fork on the opposite side of the Parkway and made for a good comparison between the two species.
While I was still out listening to the Swaison's warbler song I compared the song with audio recordings from iBird on my phone and there was no doubt in my mind that in addition to the Louisana waterthrush, I was also hearing a Swainson's warbler.
Swainson's warbler has been reported from this area of the Parkway before (large extensive rhododendron stand along Laurel Fork) by a contract biologist doing breeding bird surveys along the Parkway about 6-7 years ago. Over the years, I have tried to locate the Swainson's warblers he reported here, without any success-- until today!
Other notable species included eastern peewee, ovenbird, black-and-white warbler, American redstart and a pair of black-throated blue warblers.
Tom Davis
Blue Ridge Parkway
While I was still out listening to the Swaison's warbler song I compared the song with audio recordings from iBird on my phone and there was no doubt in my mind that in addition to the Louisana waterthrush, I was also hearing a Swainson's warbler.
Swainson's warbler has been reported from this area of the Parkway before (large extensive rhododendron stand along Laurel Fork) by a contract biologist doing breeding bird surveys along the Parkway about 6-7 years ago. Over the years, I have tried to locate the Swainson's warblers he reported here, without any success-- until today!
Other notable species included eastern peewee, ovenbird, black-and-white warbler, American redstart and a pair of black-throated blue warblers.
Tom Davis
Blue Ridge Parkway
Donald Mackler
May 21, 2013, 3:10:26 PM5/21/13
to NRVBirds
Wow! Congrats on finding that!
I'm back at it working on a bird study through WVU. Last year we were in WV coal country. This year we;re in Kentucky coal country, so maybe I'll get a Swainson's or two here.
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