I visited Back Bay NWR, during the early daylight hours, this morning. It was a
sunny and windy day out there. My goal was to find Least Bitterns, based on a
recommendation I received, but the area I was trying to reach (part of the west
dike trail) is closed to access now. I did not find any bitterns.
Also, the boardwalk at the north end of the Back Bay Visitor Contact Station is
closed for replacement. This boardwalk does need repairs, but it is a
bittersweet situation for the lookout at the end of the boardwalk was a spot
from which I have once seen a Common Moorhen. The paving of the parking lot is
complete and a new fee station is present at the refuge entrance. There are a
lot of differences since I was last here, earlier this year.
There was a good variety of waders (herons, egrets, etc.) including: 3 Glossy
Ibis, 2 White Ibis, 3 Great Blue Herons, 6 Great Egrets, 1 Tricolored Heron, 3
Snowy Egrets, 7 Little Blue Herons, 2 Cattle Egrets (on the path between pool C
Storage and pool B), and a Green Heron. Not huge numbers, but I am not use to
seeing this many species of waders on one day here.
However there were few shorebirds. I saw two Least Sandpipers, a Killdeer, a
single yellowlegs species (in distance), and 4 unidentified shorebirds fly by.
The common singing passerines were Indigo Buntings, Eastern Towhees, Field
Sparrows, Northern Mockingbirds, and Yellow-breasted Chats.
I saw one adult Lesser Black-backed Gull, on the beach near the contact
station, among a flock of Brown Pelicans, Royal Terns, Sandwich Terns, and
Laughing Gulls. A few Great Black-backed Gulls were also seen.
I saw only one Cottonmouth. It was swimming away from me in one of the ditches.
Also, I had good views of a River Otter.
I saw either a large Muskrat or a small Nutria. I didn't have a close view of
the animal, but I am hoping it was a Muskrat. Does anyone know if Nutria are
present in Back Bay?
Elisa Enders
Portsmouth, VA
