Gone to the Hills

View from Babcock State Forest picnic area.

I'm headed for the hills of West Virginia. Not the ones that we can see from our birding tower—some larger ones in the southern part of The Mountain State. It's time once again for The New River Birding Festival—a favorite among the annual events that I attend as a trip leader and speaker.

We'll be seeing lots of territorial male warblers, such as this blue-winged. Golden-winged, cerulean, and Swainson's warblers are among the most sought after species.

Up high in the mountains the dandelions and redbud are still blooming. They've gone past down here in the SE Ohio lowlands.


And then there's the life-bird wiggle—mandatory for all who have added a new species to their life list on one of my field trips. Either you dance, or you walk home! Birding is a contact sport, buckaroo.