June 22 - Almost Heaven West Virginia

I left Front Royal with the intent to find Cerulean Warbler, which is becoming somewhat of a “Nemesis Bird” for me.  I listen to recordings of its vocalizations, but when I get out in the woods, the chorus of less-than-familiar-to-me bird song overwhelms me.  And, I have yet to get my binoculars on one of these relatively-common warblers.

Photo From US Fish and Wildlife Service

As an aside, as I write this on the 29^th of July, I’ve just lost about 75 song recordings.  I had to replace my cell phone, where I use Smart Recorder as my app to record bird songs and calls.  My back-up of the program did not save a bunch of recordings that I’d made from West Virginia to Idaho . . . you'd think I should know better.  Solution:  Back-up and save, Early and Often!

My first stop today (June 22) was at the West Virginia DNR’s Nathaniel Mountain Wildlife Management Area, where I arrived a little late in the morning - around 11:30 - and walked along the logging access road on a pleasant, partly cloudy day.

There were a few locals in the woods with their hounds, but otherwise the place was pretty quiet.  A few birds came out of the brush to check me out.

Female Indigo Bunting

After seeing nothing but Carolina Chickadees for weeks, it was nice to see a Black-capped

I finished birding on the mountain, and was driving north toward Pennsylvania, as I had it in my mind that I wanted to visit Gettysburg.  I’d read a fair amount of history about the battle, and I was “in the neighborhood”, so headed north, stopping at the Paw Paw crossing of the Potomac River.

The National Park Service manages the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, and I stopped at the parking lot for the Paw Paw Tunnel.

The tunnel is 3,118 feet long . . . I didn't go through

This was a major undertaking to eliminate travel along miles of horseshoe bends on the river, when commerce was conducted along canals with towboats pulled along by mules and oxen on the towpaths.

There were quite a few visitors on the main towpath trail.

But, when I got up on the “detour” section (the Park Service is doing repairs and maintenance on the tunnel itself), I had the place to myself, and enjoyed a bit of birding in Maryland.

A Worm-eating Warbler with a worm . . .

Leaving the Potomac, I drove north toward Bedford, Pennsylvania, and saw a sign for Chaneysville.

My wife’s father’s family were Chaneys, so I swung through the village to get a few photos before heading toward I-76.

Forest HQ for the Buchanan State Forest

Volunteer Fire Department

As we age, we all need our own family Senior Center . . .

I stopped for the night at Bedford’s Town House Motel, which was a low-end place.

Nathaniel Mountain WMA eBird Checklist is Here

C&O Canal NHP Paw Paw eBird Checklist is Here

Chaneysville eBird Checklist is Here