North Carolina county #43 Blue Ridge Parkway
We continued our trip on the Blue Ridge Parkway back and forth between Alleghany and Wilkes Counties. The other family had great kids and everyone got along very well, and later in the evening at the meeting our kids and theirs sat together and cemented friendships.
We made our first stop in Wilkes County looking for Bobolinks at a field, but we struck out. My daughter did find a rather tame Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly that sat on her and entertained the kids. We managed to spot a Common Yellowthroat which was my first of the year.
We made a few more stops, picking up several warblers including Yellow-throated. But my favorite stop of the day was near a small overpass over a stream, where we heard an Acadian Flycatcher calling. I thought this was a life bird for me, but forgot I had seen one last June on a trip where the flycatcher was overshadowed by my first Swainson’s Warbler. But this was to be a much better and longer view of the bird. We had to hunt him down for some time, following his call which I don’t think I will forget now. I am very glad the now-current President of the club encouraged me to get better looks after my first fleeting glance. She helped me get a clear view of him through a lot of trees and I even managed to snap a photo of him.
This was a great day and a lot of fun. The family had an excellent time, and once again I was reminded that actually seeing the birds is only half the fun. Just being out in nature was enjoyable and I think the kids really get an appreciation of it from these outings. Having another family around was icing on the cake.
The day was topped off by my kids winning 3 out of 4 of the raffles at the evening meeting, and I was very proud of my son when he turned down his second win in order to let someone else get a prize.
ebird checklist 1 ebird checklist 2 ebird checklist 3