Virginia Birders,
The Rarity Roundup held in Virginia Beach on this Saturday was a big
success! 14 birders in five different teams covered most of Virginia
Beach and tallied a total of 131 species.
Highlights included:
Franklin's Gull (Rudee Inlet)
Spotted Sandpiper (Rudee Inlet)
Parasitic Jaeger (Rudee Inlet)
4 Black Skimmer (Rudee Inlet)
Eurasian Wigeon (Back Bay NWR)
White-winged Dove (Back Bay NWR)
Long-billed Dowitcher (Back Bay NWR)
leucistic Myrtle Warbler (Back Bay NWR)
Prarie Warbler (Back Bay NWR)
Orange-crowned Warbler (Back Bay NWR)
240 Pine Siskins (Back Bay NWR)
Blue-headed Vireo (Princess Anne WMA)
4 Nelson's Sparrows (Pleasure House Point)
If anyone would like to see a complete list of the birds we saw just
email me and I can send you a copy.
Many of us rushed down to the CBBT on Friday afternoon to try to see
the reported Cave Swallows and Franklin's Gulls that had been seen
there in the morning, part of a large movement of both species along
the east coast. Unfortunately most of us arrived too late and waited
until sunset without success. The one Franklin's Gull Jason
Strickland, Lisa Rose and I found at Rudee Inlet in the early morning
would be all of either species that anyone in the roundup saw although
another birder photographed an adult Franklin's further north up the
beach later in the day. The White-winged Dove found by Matt Anthony
and Nick Newberry was the other big highlight of the day, but was not
chaseable since it was a flyover. Photos of many of these birds have
been posted on the VA notable bird sightings & discussion group as
well as on the eBird checklists.
On Sunday several of us birded the CBBT and the Eastern Shore in the
hopes of turning up more Franklin's Gulls and Cave Swallows. While we
failed to turn up any more Franklin's Gulls, we were able to finish
off the day with several Cave Swallows at Taylor Pond in Kiptopeke
State Park thanks to a tip from Eli Gross. We also saw three Great
Cormorants from the scenic overlook at the north end of the CBBT.
Overall it was a very enjoyable weekend and I look forward to doing it
again next year!
James Fox
Front Royal, VA
