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Ridge Junction/Big Day!



Dwayne and I started this Sunday as usual---at Ridge Junction Overlook
(milepost 355.8 on the Blue Ridge Parkway), but it quickly became apparent
that things were going to be different.  We had our best day this year as
far as species AND total individuals on our migration count (58
species---648 individuals).  By 11:00am we had already seen 19 warbler
species, and decided that once things dropped off a bit we would head down
to the hawk watch at Mt. Pisgah south of Asheville, NC since we hadn't seen
any type of raptors.  There weren't any hawks flying when we got there
though so we took off through the woods and found two more warbler species.
This was the most we'd ever had in one day and we were encouraged to press
on and find more!!  And we did!  We ended the day with 95 total species
including 25 Warbler Species, all the eastern thrushes, and 4 Vireo
species!!  Below is our list for the day, with Ridge Junction Results first
and others thereafter.

 1    Yellow-billed Cuckoo  1 (our first record for RJO)
 2    Ruby-throated Hummingbird  19
 3    Red-headed Woodpecker  1  (our first this season)
 4    Downy Woodpecker  1
 5    Hairy Woodpecker  2
 6    Eastern Wood-Pewee  1
 7    Empidonax species  1
 8    Tree Swallow    1 (kind of late!)
 9    American Crow  3
10    Common Raven  3
11    Red-breasted Nuthatch  8
12    Winter Wren  1
13    Golden-crowned Kinglet  5
14    Ruby-crowned Kinglet  1  (our first this season)
15    Blue-gray Gnatcatcher  17
16    Veery  21
17    Gray-cheeked Thrush  5
18    Bicknell's Thrush  2 (identified by call---our first ever at RJO)
19    Swainson's Thrush  2
20    Hermit Thrush  2  (kind of early and first ever at RJO)
21    Wood Thrush    3
---     Thrush Species  53 (too many to count---or HEAR!!!)
22    American Robin    1
23    Gray Catbird    1
24    Cedar Waxwing    40
25    Blue-headed Vireo    3
26    Yellow-throated Vireo    1
27    Philadelphia Vireo    1 (first of the season)
28    Red-eyed Vireo    7
29    Golden-winged Warbler    1 (first of the season)
30    Tennessee Warbler  103 (WOW!)
31    Nashville Warbler    1 (first ever at RJO)
32    Northern Parula  2
33    Chestnut-sided Warbler  8
34    Magnolia Warbler    13
35    Cape May Warbler    5
36    Black-throated Blue Warbler  26
37    Black-throated Green Warbler  33
38    Blackburnian Warbler    10
39    Yellow-throated Warbler    1
40    Palm Warbler    6 (first of the season)
41    Bay-breasted Warbler    10
42    Black-and-white Warbler    10
43    Worm-eating Warbler    1
44    Ovenbird    1
45    Common Yellowthroat    1
46    Hooded Warbler    2
47    Canada Warbler    1
48    Summer Tanager    1
49    Scarlet Tanager    43 (WOW!)
50    Rose-breasted Grosbeak   137 (SUPER WOW!)
51    Indigo Bunting    2
52    Eastern Towhee    6
53    Song Sparrow  1
54    Dark-eyed Junco  6
55    Baltimore Oriole    2
56    Red Crossbill  4
57    Pine Siskin  3
58    American Goldfinch  4
-------------------------------------------
59    Pied-billed Grebe--Lake Hickory
60    Great Blue Heron--I-40 in Asheville
61    Great Egret--Lake Hickory
62    Mallard--Lake Hickory
63    Blue-winged Teal--Riverbend Park
64    Turkey Vulture--Blue Ridge Parkway
65    Red-tailed Hawk--Oxford Access of L. Hickory
66    American Kestrel--hwy 70 in Conover
67    Killdeer--Lake Hickory
68    Rock Dove--here's an odd one---sitting on the Blue Ridge Parkway
69    Mourning Dove--everywhere
70    Belted Kingfisher--Oxford Dam
71    Northern Flicker--Claremont Park
72    Pileated Woodpecker--Blue Ridge Parkway
73    Eastern Phoebe--Oxford Access of L. Hickory
74    Blue Jay--Blue Ridge Parkway
75    Carolina Chickadee--Riverbend Park
76    Tufted Titmouse--Blue Ridge Parkway
77    White-breasted Nuthatch--Blue Ridge Parkway
78    Brown-headed Nuthatch--Wittenburg Access of L. Hickory
79    Carolina Wren--Riverbend Park
80    Eastern Bluebird--Wittenburg Access of L. Hickory
81    Brown Thrasher--Wittenburg Access of L. Hickory
82    European Starling--everywhere
83    Blue-winged Warbler--Lyle Creek
84    Yellow Warbler--Lyle Creek
85    Pine Warbler--Wittenburg Access of L. Hickory
86    Prairie Warbler--Wittenburg Access of L. Hickory
87    Blackpoll Warbler--Blue Ridge Parkway
88    American Redstart--Blue Ridge Parkway
89    Field Sparrow--field in Conover
90    Common Grackle--Claremont Park
91    House Finch--wire in Conover
92    House Sparrow--hard to find in Conover
93    Northern Cardinal--our feeder
94    Chimney Swift--field in Conover
95    Northern Mockingbird--Oxford Access of L. Hickory

We could easily have gotten more species if we hadn't run out of
daylight---and had decided to do a Big Day earlier than 2:30pm!  We will not
be conducting our count next weekend because we are going to be attending
the Carolina Bird Club meeting in Charleston----but if you are not going and
are in that area, please let us know what you see!

*************************
Dwayne & Lori Martin
Foothills Bird Club
Claremont, NC
dlmartin@twave.net