7 DAYS ON THE LOWER EASTERN SHORE, NOVEMBER 8-14 (in the order visited):
MARYLAND -Ferry Neck, Blackwater N.W.R., Deal Island; VIRGINIA - Willis Wharf,
Kiptopeke State Park, Eastern Shore of VA N.W.R., Machipongo & Chincoteague
N.W.R.
These field notes done in something of a hurry since we锟斤拷re leaving for
Californ-eye-ay, the Left Coast (bless it), early tomorrow. Apologies for any
outr锟斤拷 errors, or just plain old regular errors of any other kind. L锟斤拷envoi.
All locations Nov. 11-14 are in Virginia. Locations Nov. 8-9 in Maryland, and
on Nov. 10 all but Willis Wharf in MD.
Where my counts may differ from the official ones at K.S.P. (Kiptopeke State
Park, VA) go with the official ones by hawkcounter Kyle Wright. During this
visit the raptor totals there are dismal. It has been a poor visit also with
regards to Chipping Sparrows, American Goldfinches, and bluebirds.
NOVEMBER 8, TUESDAY. Rigby锟斤拷s Folly, Ferry Neck, 3-5:30 P.M. only. Clear,
calm, 63-56锟斤拷F. Quite a bit of ground water still in the fields and
elsewhere.
1980 Canada Geese: 680 in the cove, 860 on Irish Creek, 440 in front of
Tranquility. Lots of fowl out on the Choptank River mouth: 700 Buffleheads,
635 Surf Scoters, 2 Northern Pintails, 2 Mallards, 11 American Black Ducks, 2
Horned Grebes (flying), 17 Forster锟斤拷s Terns, and 22 Common Loons. 28 boats
are out fishing for Rockfish.
A nearly full moon looms over the head of the cove at 3:30 P.M. Later Jupiter
is brilliant, to the lower left of the Moon with 4 of its moons easy to see at
32X, 3 to its upper right, 1 to its lower left. The cove water is extremely
clear. 2 Mute Swans, 1 deer & 1 Red Fox.
NOVEMBER 9, WEDNESDAY. Rigby锟斤拷s Folly. Fog in the morning, visibility < 150
feet, 46-59锟斤拷F., calm mostly but sometimes < 5 m.p.h. from the E, becoming
clear with excellent visibility.
The composition of the Choptank River fowl has changed dramatically: 1260 Surf
Scoters, 115 Bufflehead, 13 Forster锟斤拷s Terns, 2 Horned Grebes, 3 Bald Eagles,
11 Common Loons (3 of them with Hogchokers), as yesterday - very few gulls, 2
Horned Grebes. Four Gray Squirrels. Later I put out a lot of deer corn for
them and the birds.
During the foggy segment the trees in the yard are alive with dozens of robins
and waxwings busy flighting around, apparently feeding but I can锟斤拷t see on
what. Also: 225 Cedar Waxwings (day锟斤拷s total), zero Tundra Swans, a
Red-tailed Hawk. In the yard at close range is a small mixed species foraging
guild: a chickadee, 2 Myrtle Warblers, and 6 Golden-crowned Kinglets, the
latter very actively hover gleaning. 1280 Canada Geese in the cove. 29 boats
are out fishing. A bat at dusk. As yesterday the sunset a beauty from my
chair out at Lucy Point.
I get off the property for a while in the morning to go see the stakeout
immature 锟斤拷 Calliope Hummingbird near Easton, present since October 23. It
disdains the hummingbird feeder but patronizes Salvia. Pugnacious little
fellow, and pudgy.
NOVEMBER 10, THURSDAY.
Leave Rigby锟斤拷s Folly at 8:15 A.M. with Red Fox and Gray Squirrel sightings.
As yesterday, more dense fog, NW 5, overcast, 51锟斤拷F.
Egypt Road. Still foggy. A kestrel, 6 bluebirds, a Great Blue Heron, and one
Savannah Sparrow.
Blackwater N.W.R. 9:30 A.M. - noon. Winds NW 10, high 50s, tidal water
lowish, impoundment water high. Fog begins to lift just as I get there, then
it is mostly clear, some sun, for a while, then overcast. Six Painted Turtles,
6 Red-bellied Cooters, 3 Gray Squirrels.
My first Tundra Swans, finally, 2 adults, 2 immatures 锟�C a family group 锟�C in
a field. 13 Forster锟斤拷s Terns, 95 Ring-billed Gulls, 8 cormorants, 8 Great
Blue Herons, 4 American Wigeon, 40 pintails, 23 Ruddy Ducks (out on the
Blackwater River), 9 Bald Eagles, 4 harriers, 3 Red-tailed Hawks, 8 Killdeer, 6
Dunlin, 2 Greater Yellowlegs, an immature White-crowned Sparrow at the
entrance, 55 Tree Swallows, an Osprey, a kingfisher, 1 Fish Crow, 13 juncos, a
meadowlark, and 900 Red-winged Blackbirds.
Maple Dam Road: 1 Bald Eagle, 1 Red-tailed Hawk.
East Appleby St. X Stone Boundary Road in Cambridge: 2 Gray Squirrels.
Deal Island Wildlife Management Area. Dumpster Road has lost its potholes but
gained a washboard surface, 5-10 m.p.h. is indicated. Riley Roberts Road is
better, 15 m.p.h. is O.K., plus the shoulders have finally been bush hogged.
Overcast, beginning to clear at the end. 1:30-2:45. NW 10-20+, windy. High
tide, above normal.
Complete list: 2 Tricolored & 4 Great Blue herons, 4 cormorants, 1 Snowy & 4
Great egrets, 1 Canada Goose, 7 Mute Swans, Larry, 11 American Black Ducks, 1
Green-winged Teal, 35 pintails, 3 Pied-billed Grebes, 6 Turkey Vultures, 11
Northern Harriers, 1 adult 锟斤拷Peregrine Falcon, 8 Greater Yellowlegs, 13
Dunlin, 1 Great Black-backed, 2 Ring-billed & 12 Herring gulls, 1 Forster锟斤拷s
Tern,5 kingfishers, crow unID锟斤拷d 78, Savannah Sparrow 3, Red-winged Blackbird
14, cardinal 1, Myrtle Warbler 3, and 6 White-throated Sparrows.
Still in MD: Milepost 10.25 Route 13: 1 Bald Eagle. Milepost 1.2 another Bald
Eagle.
Willis Wharf, VA. 4:45-5:15 P.M. Tide level seemingly ideal but only 17
Willets and 11 Dunlin. Also: 195 Canada Geese, 10 Buffleheads, a Great Blue
Heron, 315 starlings, 30 pigeons, 4 Hooded Mergansers, and 6 Mallards.
DRAMATIS PERSONAE. COASTAL VIRGINIA WILDLIFE OBSERVATORY STAFF: Calvin
Brennan, songbird bander. Jackie Cantina, raptor trapping intern. Bob
Chapman, raptor trapper. Anna Lisa Diaz, Monarch butterfly tagger. Tim
Roberts, songbird banding intern. Kyle Wright, hawkcounter.
These souls have done good work, as usual, this fall. As of Nov. 11 Anna Lisa
has tagged 925 Monarchs, Calvin, Tim, Gerri, Nan et al. banded 9693 birds of 97
species, and Bob & Jackie have banded c. 1250 raptors, incl. 78 in one day.
Kyle, who presides over the venue where I spend most of my time, when I锟斤拷m in
the area, has tallied over 22,000 raptors and deserves mention for his detailed
daily writeups, which have humor, self-deprecation, and display a knowledge of
molt I锟斤拷ll never acquire to as well as noting non-raptors more than anyone
else has in the past.
NOVEMBER 11, FRIDAY. K.S.P. At 3:52 A.M. the full moon is almost blinding
it锟斤拷s so bright. I hear flocks of Tundra Swans going over at 4:05 A.M., 4:06
A.M., 8:30 P.M., and 8:45 P.M. They锟斤拷re late in arriving this fall, esp. on
the Eastern Shore of Maryland.
K.S.P. 30 Brown Pelicans and 12 cormorants sheltering in lee areas on the
concrete ships and 30 Great Black-backed Gulls also there but sitting right out
in the strong winds. Clear, NW, 20-30, very cold, 40s and low 50s, the Bay a
mass of seething whitecaps.
I use today to spend 5.5 hours investigating back roads, most of them leading W
from Arlington Road, writing notes on habitat, distance, and surface condition
as well as making contact with a few property owners, all of whom are welcoming.
Taylor Pond: 9 Ring-necked & 3 Ruddy ducks, 34 American Coots, 3 Pied-billed
Grebes, 3 Rusty Blackbirds and 1 Eastern Phoebe. NOTE: The gravel road in to
Taylor Pond is off-limits and part of Kiptopeke State Park. The Park access to
the pond is by parking in the usual areas then walking in on trails accessed
after going through the Contact Station. Do not drive down the gravel road.
Pond Drain. 5 Pied-billed Grebes, 50 cormorants, 2 Red-bellied Sliders. There
always seem to be cormorants on this big pond, half a mile long, most of them
immatures, and they must not be leaving many sunfish or other small fish in the
aftermath of their depredations.
Jacobia Lane. A flock of 550 blackbirds, most all of them cowbirds.
Ramp Lane, ESVNWR: 4:30-5:45 P.M., with Hal Wierenga & Lynn Davidson. Clear,
NW 20, temperature in the 40s: 1 imm. White Ibis, 87 Tundra Swans, 1 Snowy & 7
Great egrets, 10 Clapper Rails, 5 Greater Yellowlegs, 40 Wood Ducks, 1 Northern
Pintail, 6 Green-winged Teal, and 38 AmericanBlack Ducks.
NOVEMBER 12, SATURDAY. K.S.P. Am on the platform 7:15-2:45. 980 American
Robins, 45 Tundra Swans, 45 Buffleheads, a 锟斤拷 Peregrine Falcon is seen 4 times
hunting pigeons on the concrete ships making spectacular dives, 2 Long-tailed
Ducks, Lynn Davidson spots a Golden Eagle off to the SE that is in view for
several minutes working its way to the NE, a Merlin, 475 Cedar Waxwings, Lynn
also hears a Red-breasted Nuthatch (scarce to non-existent this fall in most
places).
Butterflies: 2 Monarchs, 1 Orange Sulphur, 1 Buckeye. Lynn checks Taylor Pond
and finds 35 American Coots, 4 Pied-billed Grebes, 12 Ring-necked Ducks, 5
Buffleheads, and 3 Ruddy Ducks.
NOVEMBER 13, SUNDAY. Breakfast with John & Martha Dillard.
Arlington Road. Hal & Lynn see a group of c. 200 American Pipits.
K.S.P. Not much. SW 15-20, 50s to low 60s, fair. A big adult 锟斤拷 Peregrine
Falcon goes by low and over the station, 45 unID锟斤拷d scaup (but no doubt
Lessers), 7 Buffleheads, a small flock of Common Goldeneye, a sapsucker, 6
American Wigeon, a Pileated Woodpecker, 6 Surf Scoters, and Kyle locates 4
Purple Finches going over. 3 Monarchs and a Buckeye.
Ramp Lane, c. 3:45-4:30. With Timothy Thompson, Linda Schwartz, Thuy Tran &
Bob Anderson. 3 adult Bald Eagles, 5 Clapper Rails, 1 Greater Yellowlegs, 2
Great Egrets, 3 Dunlin, a kingfisher, 3 Hooded Mergansers, 14 American Black
Ducks, 55 cormorants, and 8 Brant.
Hit at deer on the way to Sting-Ray锟斤拷s c. 6:15 P.M. Fortunately I锟斤拷m going
only c. 35 m.p.h. This buck is thrown onto its left side on the road shoulder.
To my immense relief he gets up and runs off to the S. Little damage to the
car, more to my psyche.
NOVEMBER 14, MONDAY. Leave K.S.P. at 6:15 A.M.
Machipongo. Tide down just a little. Little here. 7 Willets, an adult Bald
Eagle, a Northern Harrier, 3 Hooded Mergansers, 7 very distant Tundra Swans out
near Cobb Island, a Belted Kingfisher, 19 crows 锟�C both species combined, and
3 imm. cormorants on the pilings. IF YOU GO do NOT go past the fence or out to
the dock. TNC has made this request. Please observe it.
Willis Wharf. 8:45-9 A.M. I finally strike it rich here: 360 Willets and 99
Marbled Godwits in one flock, shifting around as the rising tide covers their
feeding grounds on the mud flats, 56 Dunlin, 6 Semipalmated Plovers, 3
Killdeer, 56 Dunlin, 6 Greater Yellowlegs, 42 Ruddy Turnstones (foraging on the
great clam shell pile), a Hooded Merganser, an adult Bald Eagle, a Common Loon,
and 2 American Black Ducks. A little strange there are no Short-billed
Dowitchers. This is a good place for starlings and pigeons. Guaranteed.
Locustville. Visit with George & Barbara Reiger for over 2 hours. Lots to
talk about!
Tyson chicken plant: an adult Bald Eagle right over the place. What an odor
this plant puts out. P yew!
Chincoteague N.W.R. The refuge per se is a little bleak. 2 Marbled Godwits in
Swan Cove Pool. 2 Northern Harriers. A dark, mostly black, Fox Squirrel on
the way in. After a lapse of years I rejoined the Chincoteague Natural History
Association. This refuge needs all the support it can get in view of the abuse
it has been receiving recently from mostly local people who are incensed that
their beach access may be curtailed, or else made more difficult. Very little
on the causeway on the way across. I don锟斤拷t stay long enough to go around
Wildlife Drive, which opens at 3.
The SERENDIPITY of birding. As I am entering the refuge Linda and Timothy spot
me as they锟斤拷re leaving. When I dismount from my car at the Visitor Center
there are Anna Lisa, Tim, and Jackie. It is nice to see this congeniality and
collegiality among these 3 who have been working together all fall, then come
up to Chincoteague together on their afternoon off.
Chincoteague (the town). Mud flats just W of the new bridge: 850 Dunlin, 65
American Oystercatchers, 65 Black-bellied Plovers, and 70 Forster锟斤拷s Terns.
Tide down nice and low. 8 Boat-tailed Grackles.
Best wishes to all. 锟�C Harry Armistead, Philadelphia.
