Countdown to the Mount Rogers Naturalist Rally 50th Anniversary!
It’s almost time for a very SPECIAL Mount Rogers Spring Naturalist Rally!
We are looking forward to our Mount Rogers Naturalist Rally here at the Blue Ridge Discovery Center, but this year is particularly special. It is the 50th Anniversary of the Spring Naturalist Rally; a weekend that has enriched the highlands of Southwest Virginia for decades, long before it has thrived and grown since its convergence with the Blue Ridge Discovery Center.
Great White Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum)
Today marks the one-month countdown until our exciting weekend of exploring, discovering, and sharing the wonders of our wild and comforting corner of the Blue Ridge. Be sure to PRE-ORDER our limited edition MRNR t-shirts. Each shirt features some of the mountain-dwelling species that draw nature enthusiasts to the region year after year, including the Magnolia Warbler, Great White Trillium, and the Blue Ridge Dusky Salamander. The last day to ensure you’ll have a shirt is this Friday, April 12th.
THE RALLY will have a variety of field trips including classics like birding, wildflowers, geology, and the iconic Mount Rogers Hike, as well as some newer favorite topics including a tour of the American Chestnut Foundation’s farm, a caving expedition, wildlife rehabilitation, and a weather balloon launch! Check out the registration page for a full list of our programs. Join us Friday night for dinner, music and evening programs. Saturday brings various hikes and kids programs throughout the day with breakfast, lunch and dinner by reservation only. Then our featured speaker, Kevin Hamed, will be discussing native salamanders, what makes them special, and some of their unique conservation stories. Stick around for more nighttime activities as well as Sunday morning hikes. It’s a full weekend of fun for the whole family!
Golden-winged Warbler
The golden-winged warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera) is a challenged species on at least two levels. Its preferred habitat of wet, brushy, early successional open areas with available perching trees is disappearing, which has contributed to the decline of this species, placing it in the ‘species of concern’ category by the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
The golden-winged warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera) is a challenged species on at least two levels. Its preferred habitat of wet, brushy, early successional open areas with available perching trees is disappearing, which has contributed to the decline of this species, placing it in the ‘species of concern’ category by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The other contributing factor is the expansion of the Blue-winged warbler (Vermivora pinus) into the golden’s range, where hybridization between these cousins happens with relative frequency, resulting in two hybrid and back-cross types known as “Lawrence’s” and “Brewster’s”.
Credit: Louis Agassiz Fuertes, Pre-1923
The golden-winged mostly breeds in the Great Lakes region, with some remarkable fidelity to the Blue Ridge Eco-region. Here in our Blue Ridge Mountains, with some careful observation and exploration, breeding goldens can be found. Not that many years ago, one dependable such spot was at the Alleghany Access to the New River State Park…just across the NC/VA state line near Mouth of Wilson, VA. Speculation as to why they no longer breed here focuses on the changing composition of the rapidly aging successional fields within that park.
Goldens are easy to identify by their buzzy song. Described as a high-pitched zeebeebeebee . Once familiar with their song, which is delivered by the male on an exposed perch, finding the bird becomes a matter of stealth, good eyes, and patience. But a word of caution: given the rarity of this species especially, disturbing a nesting pair or their habitat is to be avoided. Use binoculars and spotting scopes to get those close-up views.
This small and highly active insectivore, wears a yellow cap above a brightly patterned black and white face and black throat. The body is mostly gray, but with a strong yellow wing patch, thus its name. Males are brighter than females.The nest is built on the ground, hidden by surrounding shrubs and/or grasses. Generally, their arrival dates are May 1st through the 10th. As one of the ‘neo-tropical migrants’, in the fall they head back south for the winter.
Black-and-White Warbler, Wildwood Park
For the past four Sunday mornings (including early yesterday), I have walked through Wildwood Park in Radford. I have been conducting an informal census of birds just to see how several woodland species are faring there.
Yesterday I enjoyed hearing a Black-and-White Warbler singing near the creek. It is one of the few warblers I have heard in Wildwood since the end of spring migration. The others are one Louisiana Waterthrush offering a few chip notes near the south bridge, and a Common Yellowthroat singing. The yellowthroat may have been a migrant.
I hope the Black-and-White Warbler has a family in the woods.
Other birds in the park yesterday: Acadian Flycatchers (two holding territories along the creek), four phoebes (at least three nests, one of the phoebes took a moth to a nest under the north bridge), two Great Crested Flycatchers, several Red-eyed Vireos, two Wood Thrushes, two Indigo Buntings, some towhees.
I watched for several minutes to see if any birds would feast on the ripe serviceberries on several trees in the park. I saw none eating the berries. So I gathered a few berries that were super sweet and delicious.