Watauga County, NC - 17 Jun 2010

We were in Boone, NC for a few days of painting (Robin) and birding (me). Two very nice publications helped me decide where to bird: Birding North Carolina and The North Carolina Birding Trail, Mountain Trail Guide. I decided to go to nearby Elk Knob Natural Area.

Last night's rains brought heavy clouds, fog, and high winds to the mountain area I visited. I was hoping to pick up a Golden-winged Warbler near the entrance to the natural area, but found only a pair of Eastern Bluebirds, Eastern WoodPewee, Warbling Vireo, and Eastern Phoebe. As I left the car and headed toward the summit trail I could hear several Ovenbirds singing their loud 'Teacher, Teacher, Teacher' song.

A series of switchbacks and a steep climb made for difficult walking, especially with scope, tripod and camera equipment. It was relatively quiet, with only the occasional Dark-eyed Junco 'trilling' or Blue-headed Vireo's lazy sing-song repetoire in the distance. Visibility was less than poor due to the dense fog blanketing the mountain top, but the little Nikon Coolpix P6000 produced much brighter exposures than expected.

My first real bird encounter came in the form of a Veery, which approached into view after I made a few "Viiir" calls in response to the lone individual. It was too dark to photograph, so I enjoyed a foggy view of the ghostly bird a few yards away.

Farther up the trail several Dark-eyed Juncos were trilling and one juvenile bird was perched on a limb a few feet away. Luckily I had a monopod, because exposures were only 1/30 sec. at ISO 800. Still, I managed a record shot of a young bird we do not see in SE Michigan at any time of the year. The heavily-streaked breast and still-dark bill would've made for difficult ID had it not been for the adult birds nearby for confirmation.

A Canada Warbler was singing nearby, but never came close enough for viewing. As I reached the summit I was greeted by several Rufous-sided Towhees and more Juncos, but little else. The fog prevented any view, so I headed back down the trail to the car. Wouldn't you know that by the time I reached the car the skies had cleared and skies were blue.

It was near 10:30 am so I then headed toward the Blue Ridge Parkway and Julian Price Memorial Park. Along the parkway were a series of turnouts. I stopped at a small pond, where I heard an Eastern Phoebe calling. A short walk through the woods brought wonderful views of still-blooming rhododendrons and the sounds of Black-throated Green Warblers, Black-throated Blue Warblers, and Canada Warblers. I was lucky enough to have a male BTBW come close enough for a photo, but was severely backlit by the sun. The clear waters of a trailside stream were a welcome relief from the dark brown waters of the Ohio River during our drive out.

Farther up the road I stopped along side the road to enjoy the open fields and the sounds of Carolina Chickadees, Song Sparrows, and Scarlet Tanagers. On the ground near the car a Great Spangled Fritillary was probing for moisture, and provided several minutes of photo-opps. The trick was to wait long enough for it to open its wings so I could get a nice photo of their spread. Nearby several Silver-spotted Skippers were fluttering between large flowers of wood mint.

Across the road another field yielded a few Eastern Tailed Blue Butterflies. Tiny guys, but very pretty, even with their wings closed!

I stopped near the campground registration and hiked along the streamside trail next to the picnic area. An Eastern Phoebe was feeding from overhanging branches, but I was unable to get into position for any digiscoping opportunities.

The highlight of this little hike was a pair of Ebony Jewelwing damselflies next to a small stream. This shiny male seemed to be defending his territory from me, since he kept fluttering to a new position, then facing me as if to say "Bring it on!". 

Common Yellowthroats, a Brown Thrasher, and Song Sparrow were the only birds heard. With the sun high overhead I decided to head back to the hotel and catch an afternoon nap.

Elk Knob SP, Watauga, North Carolina, US
Jun 17, 2010 8:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Protocol: Traveling
3.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Last night's rains brought heavy clouds, fog, and high winds to the mountain area I visited.
17 species

Eastern Wood-Pewee (Contopus virens)  1
Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe)  1
Blue-headed Vireo (Vireo solitarius)  1
Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus)  1
Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis)  1
Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum)  1
Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis)  2
Veery (Catharus fuscescens)  1
Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)  3     one juvenile
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)  1
Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus)  1
Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla)  2
Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas)  1
Black-throated Blue Warbler (Setophaga caerulescens)  1
Black-throated Green Warbler (Setophaga virens)  1
Canada Warbler (Cardellina canadensis)  1
Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea)  1

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S42349667

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)