18 DAYS ON THE LOWER EASTERN SHORE, September 25-October 12, mostly in Virginia
(at Kiptopeke), part 1, September 25 锟�C October 1, 2011.
UN-EXECUTIVE SUMMARY. Forster锟斤拷s Terns were almost non-existent in the
Virginia locales I visited. There was no truly BIG flight of Merlins,
peregrines, or Ospreys, the highest totals during my sojourn 94, 72, and 166
respectively. Except for one memorable day flickers were not in big numbers.
Blue Jays 锟斤拷 very few. Monarchs finally began to come in numbers during the
last few days. Most birds were in low numbers out in the marshes and nearby
areas of the barrier islands.
Not a single Red-breasted Nuthatch I was aware of. Earlier in the season,
around Labor Day, Eastern Kingbirds were in low numbers. No Western Kingbird
report. A lot of this disparaging commentary may be due to weather conditions
and not the actual numbers of birds this fall. Cattle Egrets, formerly present
in the hundreds, were almost absent; this IS a true decrease. A good fall for
Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Cape May & Black-throated Green warblers. I heard no
reports of Long-tailed Skippers or Gulf Fritillaries. Most rain was at night
and daytime rain was light.
[Maryland birders, MD observations are found only under September 25 & 26,
October 1, 2, 11 & 12.]
GAZETTEER and ABBREVIATIONS. BCNH - Black-crowned Night Heron. Blackwater
National Wildlife Refuge, Dorchester County, MD. Deal Island W.M.A., Somerset
County, MD. Egypt Road, Dorchester County, MD. Elliott Island Road,
Dorchester County, MD. ESVNWR, Eastern Shore of Virginia N.W.R. KSP,
Kiptopeke State Park, Northampton County, VA, the center for fall birding
activity in the Cape Charles area. Machipongo, Northampton County, VA. Oyster
Landfill, Northampton County, VA, near Kiptopeke. the platform, the hawkwatch
platform at KSP. Ramp Lane, at the S end of ESVNWR. Rigby锟斤拷s Folly,
Armistead property, Talbot County, MD. Sunset Beach Resort, Northampton
County, VA, just N of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge & Tunnel toll plaza. Taylor
Pond at KSP, acquired through the generosity of singer James Taylor. Willis
Wharf, Northampton County, VA, E of Exmore, c. 25 mi. N of KSP.
DRAMATIS PERSONAE (some others are mentioned elsewhere in these field notes;
what follows is not intended to be a complete list). Bob Ake & Joyce Neff.
Bob Anderson & Thuy Tran. Liz Armistead. Dennis Baker. John Bazuin. Joe
Beatty. Charlene Brennan. Larry Brindza. Ned Brinkley. Allen Bryan. Bob &
Ruth Cook. Cameron Cox. Greg Cridlin. Fenton Day. Jeannie DeDominick. Carl
& Carolyn Drasher. Peter Dutnell. Jen Elmer. Steve Emslie. Elisa Enders.
Nick Flanders. Geoffrey Giles. Tom Gwynn. Bobby & Gerri Howe. Mike
Iwanik. Robert Klages. Clyde & Nan LaRue. Scott LaRue. Bev Leeuwenburg.
Judy & Bob Lynn. Colin, Stephanie & little, weeks-old Eliza McAllister.
Grazina & Michael McClure. Ann McDowell. Carol & John McGonigle. Laura
McKay. John Miller. Mary & Brent Myers. Paul Nasca & Heidi. Susan Powell.
The Right Honourable Sir Studly Radclyffe Ramsbottom DSC OBE 7th Earl of
Nassawadox & Peggy Sue Ramsbottom. Bob Reilly. Sue Rice. Steve Robley. Marv
Rubin. Deborah & Kurt Schroeder. Don Schwab. Jeff Stockham. Brian Taber.
John Toner. Buddy Vaughan. Don Webster. David Whitehurst. Bill Williams.
The GARGOYLES: Lynn Davidson & Hal Wierenga, Deb & Keith Gingrich, Sue
Ricciardi, Bob Rineer.
SEPTEMBER 25, SUNDAY. Drive down to Rigby锟斤拷s Folly from Philadelphia. See
daughter, Anne, and her fianc锟斤拷, Derek Ayres, there briefly before they head
N. Quite a bit of debris in the waters, presumably from Hurricanes Irene and
Lee. A nice cluster of Goldenrod is full of bees plus a Buckeye, a Monarch, a
Pearl Crescent, and a Yellow Garden Spider. A Fowler锟斤拷s Toad on the front
porch. Two Diamondback Terrapin in the cove.
A few birds: Best of all, a 锟斤拷 Peregrine Falcon. 2 adult Bald Eagles in a
tree at Edwards Point. 2 Ospreys. 1 hummingbird. 11 Fish Crows. A 锟斤拷
American Kestrel. A screech-owl calls, unsolicited. A Snowy & a Great egret,
which leave the cove at 6:35 P.M. for points W, probably Poplar Island. One
Sharp-shinned Hawk. One Forster锟斤拷s Tern. Overcast, calm 锟�C NW5 锟�C calm,
76-74锟斤拷F., tide high but falling.
SEPTEMBER 26, MONDAY. Leave Rigby锟斤拷s Folly by 10:15 A.M. Three Bald Eagles,
a Red-shouldered Hawk, a Snowy Egret, 1 Red-tailed Hawk, a Gray Squirrel, and 3
Monarchs. Then off to the swamps.
Egypt Road. 8 Horned Larks (often hard to find this time of year because the
vegetation clutters the fields they haunt), 8 Chipping Sparrows, 6 kestrels on
the wires, 45 Tree Swallows, 2 bluebirds, a Red-tailed hawk, and a Black
Ratsnake.
Blackwater N.W.R. around noon. 29 Painted Turtles, one each of Fox & Gray
squirrels, 1 very mangy Red Fox, 1 Snapping Turtle, 19 Bald Eagles, the
American White Pelican (still hanging out c. 0.5 mi. W of the Observation
Site), 42 Forster锟斤拷s Terns, 16 cormorants, a kingfisher, 7 Caspian Terns, a
harrier, a d.o.r. Raccoon, and 2 Black Vultures. Butterflies: 1 Common Wood
Nymph, 2 Monarchs, 6 Buckeyes, and 4 unID锟斤拷d sulphurs. Some hibiscus still
blooming. No shorebirds.
Maple Dam Road. 12 Chipping Sparrows and, strangely, NO kestrels.
Route 50, Dorchester County, an adult Red-tailed Hawk on the wire with its back
to traffic and the sun, wings spread, sunning.
Salisbury. An ad. Bald Eagle over town.
Deal Island W.M.A., 2:30-4:30. Earlier today I pass a trailer on Route 50
towing a helicopter. Hours later here it is at the end of Dumpster Road
spraying Rodeo on Phragmites. I锟斤拷ve never stood under a landing helicopter
before. This one lands right on top of a truck to take on 70 gals. of Rodeo at
a time. Don Webster of MD DNR is overseeing this; it is good to catch up with
things with him. Don has seen Yellow Rails several times in MD. His reports
need to get into the archival record. He knows his waterbirds well. All water
levels are high.
73 Great & 7 not-so-great egrets, 3 black ducks, a Tricolored Heron, 29
Savannah Sparrows, 2 Palm Warblers, 1 锟斤拷 harrier, 3 Bald Eagles, 7 cormorants,
3 Pied-billed Grebes (outside of the impoundment and just S of Riley Roberts
Road in a natural saltmarsh pond), 1 锟斤拷 Boat-tailed Grackle, 33 Turkey & 2
Black vultures, a phoebe, 7 Western Sandpipers, 30 Forster锟斤拷s Terns, 3 Green
Herons, and a Greater Yellowlegs, plus a Snapping Turtle, a Monarch, and 5
Buckeyes.
There锟斤拷s a U. of MD Eastern Shore cross country team running along Riley
Roberts Road. They are standoffish and self-absorbed, my waves not returned.
Pocomoke City, the river of the same name mentioned in a Chuck Berry song. A
Bald Eagle soaring over this town.
Willis Wharf, VA, 6 P.M. 129 Willets, 2 Great Egrets, 1 Green Heron, 20 robins
(the only ones seen today), 415 starlings.
COASTAL VIRGINIA WILDLIFE OBSERVATORY STAFF: Calvin Brennan, songbird bander.
Jackie Cantina, raptor trapping intern. Bob Chapman, raptor trapper. Annalisa
Diaz, Monarch butterfly tagger. Tim Roberts, songbird banding intern. Kyle
Wright, hawkcounter.
K.S.P. raptor totals below are those of official hawkcounter Kyle Wright,
except for 2 days when Kyle was out-of-state for a wedding. See
www.hawkcount.org for grand totals and complete hour-by-hour details as well as
Kyle锟斤拷s excellent commentary. Other stuff in my report is almost all my own
totals.
SEPTEMBER 27, TUESDAY. A good start with 870 raptors including 455
Sharp-shinned Hawks, 230 kestrels, 40 Merlins, and 24 peregrines. I锟斤拷m on the
platform 7-7:45 and 10:15-5. One Red-headed Woodpecker, 32 Bobolinks. Best of
all a Golden Eagle passes by to the E quite low and quite close at 11:11 A.M.
An early Golden but Bob Anderson, myself, and others once saw one on a
September 3rd. Bob Chapman captures an imm. 锟斤拷 Peregrine Falcon that is shown
to those on the platform. From my bed in the park I hear a screech-owl at 9:15
P.M.
Red-cockaded Woodpecker habitat down near Wakefield, VA, gets a big boost with
the acquisition of 4,400 acres directly adjacent to 3,200 acres owned by The
Nature Conservancy. Nice to read this over scrapple and eggs at Sting-Ray锟斤拷s:
Virginian-Pilot, Sept. 27, Tue., p. 3, Hampton Roads section, with photograph
and map.
SEPTEMBER 28, WEDNESDAY. May turn out to be the best raptor count of the fall,
an early and odd date for such: 1459 incl. 110 Ospreys, 809 sharpies, 95
Cooper锟斤拷s Hawks, 247 kestrels, 69 Merlins, and 72 peregrines. The hawk
trappers catch 74 hawks, an excellent total. I锟斤拷m on the platform 945:-5.
Outside of Sting-Ray锟斤拷s a flock of 215 cowbirds forages in earnest through the
grass.
SEPTEMBER 29, THURSDAY. 3:25 A.M., brilliant starlight with Orion showing
beautifully, incl. the stars on his dagger. A respectable raptor flight with
921, incl. 473 sharpies, 41 Coops, 238 kestrels, 84 Merlins, and 44 peregrines.
Hundreds of Green Darners in flight in front of the platform these first days,
Merlin and kestrel food on the wing. A crop duster is in action, perhaps the
reason a Great Horned Owl flushes, headed S across the gap in front of the
raptor trapping station. Am on the platform 9:30-1:30 & 2:30-6.
SEPTEMBER 30, FRIDAY. 1333 raptors with 107 Ospreys, 592 sharpies, 91 Coops,
79 Broad-winged Hawks, 285 kestrels, 94 Merlins, and 62 peregrines. Kyle
points out a Philadelphia Vireo in a Black Cherry near the platform at 8:19
A.M., W side. An imm. 锟斤拷 Merlin and a Cooper锟斤拷s Hawk, captures, are
displayed to the platform crowd. Also seen are a Common Nighthawk, Pileated
and Hairy woodpeckers, flybys -Northern Parula & Black-and-white Warbler, 2 锟斤拷
Cape May Warblers (in the same tree cluster as the Philly Vireo), and a
peregrine flyover at 5:35 P.M. marked with picric acid on its breast feathers,
a sure sign it was captured recently on Assateague Island. 16 Snowy Egrets at
the Ramp Lane pond at 2:45. Am on the platform 9:30-2:15 & 3:15-6.
OCTOBER 1, SATURDAY. The 锟斤拷BEST锟斤拷 day of my sojourn by most any standard.
Go AWOL from the platform to catch the morning flight, 6:45-8, at SBR with Ned
Brinkley, Allen Bryan, and Deborah & Kurt Schroeder et al. Not a great flight
but I click 143 flyover warblers, incl. Palm, Black-throated Green,
Black-throated Blue, Black-and-white, Cape May, Nashville, Magnolia, and
redstart (most of these ID锟斤拷d by Ned).
The crescent moon is setting over a Bay that is gray, blustery, and a seething
mass of whitecaps, winds NW at 20+ m.p.h. Also at SBR: 10 Bald Eagles, 25
Ospreys, 3 Cooper锟斤拷s, 1 Red-tailed & 12 Sharp-shinned hawks, 2 Merlins, 3
kestrels, and a peregrine plus 40 catbirds, 3 thrashers, 3 phoebes, and a
pewee. Not bad for an hour and a quarter, many of the non-warbler landbirds
tallied by Allen.
I锟斤拷m sitting on the throne of the musty KSP restroom, indisposed and w/o a
shred of dignity or self-respect, when the cell phone rings and Bob Anderson
says there锟斤拷s a FORK-TAILED FLYCATCHER Lynn Davidson has spotted, and seen
very well (repeat VERY WELL), at the entrance to the park. I get up there in
time to see a flycatcher with one HELL-of-a long tail fly off over the pines.
Others who see it, the 2nd record for the Southern Tip, are Bob, Allen Bryan,
Kyle Wright, Hal Wierenga, Ned Brinkley, and Thuy Tran. It is seen briefly at
other local locales by some of these folks. The 1st record was October 26,
1999. A redstart and 12 catbirds also enliven the scene of the original
sighting.
In 1958 Dick Kleen and I and 4 ladies from Talbot County, MD, disembarked from
a small freighter on the coast of Venezuela and saw 100s of FTFLs. Haven锟斤拷t
seen one since, until today. Ones that reach North America are apparently not
these but those from farther S in South America that leapfrog over the resident
Venezuela ones.
Across from the much-maligned Kiptopeake Inn is an earthy field where we锟斤拷ve
been hearing about the presence of fancy shorebirds. Thuy, Bob, and I check it
out and have very good views of 2 golden plovers, 2 lovely Buff-breasted
Sandpipers, 30 Semipalmated Plovers (but no totipalmate ones), 7 Horned Larks,
12 Killdeer, 3 ea. of Western & Least sandpipers, and 175 starlings, most of
these nos., except for the 1st 2 species, probably lower than what is actually
there.
At the platform 914 raptors are counted, with 94 Ospreys, 11 Bald Eagles, 36
harriers, 308 sharpies, 85 Coops, 268 kestrels, 52 Merlins, and 17 peregrines.
We see a hummingbird harass a Sharp-shinned Hawk. I锟斤拷m on the platform
9:15-1:15 then again from 4-6. Calvin bands a Hooded Warbler and an Eastern
Kingbird comes in, both species somewhat, but not especially, late.
From 2 until c. 5 P.M. I instruct - I guess that锟斤拷s the right term - a class
of 11 Master Naturalists, mostly at Ramp Lane, on bird ID, including Wes &
Susan Brown, Sharon & Frank Renshaw, George Budd, Cary Gibson, Curtis, Lynn &
Tom Badger, and Fred & Janice Reinhardt. I give them a 4,300+ word handout
(available on request). Nice group.
