Warblerville

For the past week I've been leading birding trips in south-central West Virginia for the New River Birding Festival. This event is a lock on my travel calendar every year because it's like going to bird watching camp--most of us stay in cabins where the wood thrushes sing us to sleep at night and wake us in the morning.

The first field trip I led went to Redneck Corner. Coincidence? I don't think so.

The 100 or so attendees come for multiple days, so we see each other repeatedly--on field trips, at the morning rallying point, at the evening meal and banquet--and get to know each other better. And many folks, like us, come to the New River Birding Festival every year. It could be the birds, but I think it's more likely the laid-back atmosphere for birding and getting to see fellow bird-watching pals that's the real attraction.

Lots of states represented here. This birders were from Alabama.

The field-birding focus is on warblers and this part of the world is like Warblerville, USA. I led two golden-winged warbler trips in the past two days. The first day we got 17 warblers (but no GWWA). The next day (yesterday) we found about12 golden-wingeds, plus 19 other warblers. I'm pretty sure they might have just come in overnight.

Our quest bird: the male golden-winged warbler. They nest in old clear cuts here in WV.

On yesterday's successful GWWA trip the warblers we had were: golden-winged, n. parula, yellow, chestnut-sided, black-throated blue, black-throated green, yellow-rumped, Blackburnian, prairie, black-and-white, American redstart, worm-eating, ovenbird, Louisiana waterthrush, Kentucky, mourning (heard only), common yellowthroat, hooded warbler, Canada, and yellow-breasted chat.

Male American redstart.

Male hooded warbler.

My favorite warbler, the black-throated blue--this is a male.

The event is not without its trials and tribulations: On Friday's trip one of the vehicles had a flat tire which I changed. On Saturday's trip, the borrowed SUV I was driving (with four other passengers) got locked somehow with everything, including the keys, inside. Many cell phone calls and two hours later, the vehicle's owner (the kind, lovely, and patient Lynn Pollard) came with a spare set of keys. The "send-the-unlock-signal-over-a-cellphone" did not work.

Painted trillium along Glade Creek Road.

I hate to ponder what might have happened this morning if I'd been leading a trip....untimely lightning strike?

Fogged in on Bobolink Hill. Still saw the bobos, though.

If you love watching warblers, consider coming to the New River Birding Festival in 2008. It usually starts on the last Sunday of April and runs for a week. After all, there aren't THAT many places where you can get 20+ species of warblers in one day while seeing breathtaking mountain scenery like we've enjoyed here on the edge of the New River gorge.

We enjoyed this view at Babcock State Forest while waiting for the "locksmith" to set us free.

Cranberry Glades

Our trip today was up to the high country in Greenbrier County. Cranberry Glades Wilderness Area is a giant bog set in a bowl on top of a mountain deep inside the Monongahela National Forest. Many unusual plants grow here and many interesting birds can be found here above 3,800 feet.

We heard a lot of birds and saw many of them. Among the favorites were the displaying golden-crowned kinglets, red crossbills, black-throated blue warbler (my favorite warbler), and Canada warbler. I took the world's worst photograph of a Canada warbler today.

Canada warbler male, along the bog boardwalk in Cranberry Glades.

Otherwise, it was a day focused on finding birds for the folks on our field trip and getting them safely out to the bog and back. I think everyone was happy judging from the number of participants who got life birds.

Male red crossbill near the Cranberry Mountain Wilderness Center.

I snapped a few photos along the way, but none of them were good bird photos. I now know why several serious photographer friends of mine have always maintained that your can go birding OR you can do bird photography. You can't do both. Today was for birding.

A dandelion field at the wilderness center.

Wide-eyed Vireo

I led a trip here in WV today to Sugar Creek Mountain, looking for cerulean warblers. We found about 10 and saw about five pretty well. It was a lifer for many. Had about 15 warbler species total and 70 species for the half-day trip. Not too bad.

Since I was leading, it was tough (impossible, really) to take many bird pix. So I'm reaching back into the BOTB bird photo archives all the way to last Sunday morning (two days ago) for these decent shots of a wide-eyed white-eyed vireo.

I hope you like them.