Folks,
*Highlights*
Back Bay NWR (West Dike Trail) - 10:25 AM to 12:05 PM - FOY Black-throated
Green Warbler (my first in VA, photoraph is posted @
https://www.facebook.com/rbnature), Spotted Sandpipers, Short-billed
Dowitcher, Indigo Buntings, Blue Grosbeak, Snowy Egrets, Prothonotary
Warblers, Prairie Warblers, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Red-headed Woodpecker
False Cape State Park - 12:05 to 12:50 PM - Indigo Buntings, Glossy Ibis,
Pine Warbler, FOY Dunlin
Back Bay NWR (Beachfront) - 12:50 to 2:30 PM - FOY Semipalmated Plover, 1
Piping Plover, Black-bellied Plovers, Ruddy Turnstones, Sanderlings,
Semipalmated Sandpipers, Spotted Sandpipers, Sandwich Terns, many Royal
Terns, possible Eastern Wood-Pewee
*Outing Photographs (Not yet posted)*
*http://www.rbnature.com/galleries/we-20150517/
<http://www.rbnature.com/galleries/we-20150517/>*
*Full Species List(s)*
*http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S23476288
<http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S23476288>*
*http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S23476360
<http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S23476360>*
*http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S23476472
<http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S23476472>*
*Full Details*
Friday night I had a rather quiet walk at First Landing State Park, but
today's walk at Back Bay & False Cape was thankfully quite eventful.
Arriving at the park about 10:25 AM to a very full parking lot, I started
out along the Bayside Trail, where I very quickly saw a *Spotted Sandpiper*
walking along the water's edge. Passing by the small pond and crossing the
boardwalk to the Bay Trail was next up. Two days ago some friends, Karen &
Tom Beatty, spotted a Magnolia & a Black-throated Blue Warbler along this
trail, so I thought I'd spend a little extra time in the area today. While
watching an *Indigo Bunting* that was sitting atop one of the 9 young-ish
Cypress Trees at the base of the trail (east end), a small warbler came
jumping out of the thick foliage and into view. I couldn't believe my eyes
when I noticed its strong black neck with beautiful yellow face and white
belly. This warbler, a *Black-throated Green Warbler* was my very first
outside of Minnesota, a fantastic way to start a long hike. I watched the
bird intently for about 15 minutes, opportunistically snapping photographs
as it moved from branch to branch in the cypress trees, and fortunately a
few did come out fairly well. After this excitement, I headed out onto the
Loop Road southward, meeting up with Tim & Kay Fearington, who were also
out photographing birds. Tim pointed out a beautiful *Blue Grosbeak* nearby
that posed for a single shot before taking off. Along the west edge of the
Loop Road, I encountered many *Red-winged Blackbirds*, a few *Gray Catbirds*,
a single *Snowy Egret*, a *Common Yellowthroat*, and a pair of *Mallards*
that were crossing the gravel roadway and didn't seem to care that I was
very close to them. Walking along the West Dike, I intently watched the
treelines on either side, but the birds were quiet along this stretch for
the most part, at least the songbirds. A Spotted Sandpiper, *Greater
Yellowlegs*, and *Short-billed Dowitcher* were all seen on the
impoundments, but the West Dike was mainly dominated by Red-winged
Blackbirds. While walking through the maritime forest portion of the trail
an Indigo Bunting, *Red-headed Woodpecker *and pair of *Prothonotary
Warblers* were encountered. The Prothonotaries seem to enjoy the forest
since it stays quite moist there, with standing water forming pools on both
side of the path in the woods. I've seen Wood Ducks along this stretch in
the past, but so far this year haven't observed any.
After exiting the forest, I arrived at the roadway that forms the border of
False Cape State Park, passing a large group of scouts on a camping
excursion. I did not observe the Canada Warbler that Ron Furnish had seen
yesterday unfortunately, and I believe this was the area it was sighted
since there is a sign here calling out the distance to the visitor center
at False Cape. Along the border road, on the Back Bay side there was a
collection of* Least & Semipalmated Sandpipers* feeding along a small
mudflat, and another Spotted Sandpiper was observed in fight along the
ditch. Entering False Cape at the eastern side of the border roadway, my
first bird was an Indigo Bunting that was singing high atop a tree near the
observation platform. From here to the visitor center, a pair of *Glossy
Ibis*, a Snowy Egret, many Red-winged Blackbirds, some *Mourning Doves *and
a *Brown-headed Cowbird *were seen, and several *Prairie Warblers *were
heard calling from the scrub country to the east of the road. Turning east
at the visitor center and heading out towards Barbour Hill, the only bird
to speak of was a *Pine Warbler* that was feeding along the trailside,
providing nice looks out in the open, atypical for these birds that are
usually jumping around in the long needles at the higher branches of our
local pine trees. On the beach, many people were out surfing and walking
around, with lots and lots of bikes parked along the trail going so far as
the sand would allow. In the short stretch between Barbour Hill and the
Back Bay border heading northward, I spotted my first *Dunlin* of the year,
showing full breeding colors and mixed in with a group of *Sanderlings*.
Crossing back into Back Bay NWR along the beach, the first birds noted were
a flock of Brown Pelicans soaring just above the breaking waves heading
northward also. *Great Black-backed*, *Lesser Black-backed* and *Ring-billed
Gulls* were seen in the first mile or so, and a few large collections of
shorebirds made for a fun time scanning the flocks trying to pick out
different species. *Semipalmated Plover *was seen for the first time on the
year, and about a mile south of the Back Bay beach access trails, a
single *Piping
Plover* was spotted. This is the second time in a row along the beach that
I've seen one (seeing 3 last weekend), so if you don't mind a bit of a
hike, they're hanging around it appears. In addition to these species,
*Black-bellied
Plovers, Ruddy Turnstones*, Semipalmated Sandpipers, and Sanderlings were
all seen before reaching the southern access trail and hiking back over the
dunes to the Loop Road. I took the Loop Road northward towards the parking
area, then did a quick out and back along the Bay Trail, spotting what I
believe to be an Eastern Wood-Pewee up in a tree near the rainwater puddle
at the west end (will get some other opinions on the photo before
confirming though). The Indigo Buntings that were seen here on Thursday
remained, and continued to stay always about 50 feet away as i walked the
trail. Coming back around the Bayside Trail's full length, I spotted a tern
over the water that may have been a Caspian, but my photos are just not
quite enough to convince me, still waiting to get my first positive shots
of one in Virginia Beach this year. The Spotted Sandpipers that were my
first sightings of the day were still around, and a *Great Blue Heron* was
situated along the shoreline as well, taking to flight and landing on the
trail that passes near the small pond next to the visitor center. One Brown
Watersnake was seen on the boardwalk, hiding in a crack, but that was the
only snake seen on the day. I guess with the hot, humid weather permeating
the entire region, the snakes don't need to be laying out in the open to
absorb the available heat!
Rob Bielawski
Virginia Beach, VA
