41st CAPE CHARLES, VIRGINIA, CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT, December 30, 2005,
Friday. Glad to mail a paper copy to anyone.
AREA COVERED: 37o 12'N, 75o 56'W. Center 1.5 miles southeast of Capeville
PO just south of Dunton Cove to include the south end of Ship Shoal and all
of Myrtle, Fisherman, Mockhorn, and Smith islands, Kiptopeke, Oyster, and
Cape Charles to 3 miles west into Chesapeake Bay. Elevation 0-65 feet.
SYMBOLISM: 17/41 = seen on 17 of 41 counts. + = new high count. - = new
low count. M39 = average number (M = mean) per year on first 32 counts,
1965-1996, was 39, etc. T = ties highest.
WEATHER & EFFORT: Clear. 38-52 degrees F. West winds 20 subsiding to 5
or near calm. Tide sequence: high - low. Wild food crop good. 36
observers in 10-16 parties. Hours: 139 - foot 98, car 36, boat 5. Miles:
256 - foot 68, car 168, boat 20. Owling: 4 hours, 12 miles. 5:30 A.M. -
5:30 P.M.
THE BIRDS: snow goose 3,117 (M579). blue goose 31. brant 1040 (has been
in decline; M3247). Canada goose 2302 (M3055). tundra swan 308
(widespread today; M140). wood duck 4. gadwall 631 (M181). Eurasian
wigeon 1 (present since October; 10/41). American wigeon 379. American
black duck 638 (M1302). mallard 595 (M789). mallard X American black duck
hybird 3. northern shoveler 48 (M40). northern pintail 11 (low; M86).
green-winged teal 284 (M127).
redhead 5 (32/41). ring-necked duck 117. greater scaup 80; lesser scaup
16 (M73). unidentified scaup 5; surf scoter 659 (low; M2768).
white-winged scoter 1 (M119). black scoter 372 (M592). scoter, sp. 150.
long-tailed duck 53 (M174). bufflehead 1072. common goldeneye 13 (scarce
on many coastal Delmarva counts). hooded merganser 129 (M148).
red-breasted merganser 883 (M908). ruddy duck 321 (M43).
wild turkey 4 (8/41). northern bobwhite 4 (low & declining; in early years
of the count often > 150; M114). red-throated loon 6582 (mostly seen from
Smith I. by DC & RH; 2nd highest; not that infrequently < 10 have been
seen; M68). common loon 164. unidentified loon 2. pied-billed grebe 38.
horned grebe 107 (M137). red-necked grebe 3.
northern gannet 88 (M331). brown pelican 8 (16/41; 1st seen 1984; highest
234 in 2002). double-crested cormorant 97 (M81). great cormorant 40
(25/41; 1st seen 1984). American bittern 1 (M5). great blue heron 83
(M106). great egret 21 (good count by recent standards; 7 parties; M14).
snowy egret 6. little blue heron 3. tricolored heron 2 (low; 7 times > 50
have been seen; 40/41; M13). black-crowned night heron 17 (declining;
M32). white ibis 83 (1st seen 1990; 13/41).
black vulture 200+ (missed 5 of 1st 7 years; M28). turkey vulture 489
(high; M165). OSPREY 1T (CR,FP; 9/41). bald eagle 28 (7 parties; 35
reported; missed years 1-7 & 8-14; M2). northern harrier 51 (M57).
sharp-shinned hawk 20. Cooper's hawk 9. red-shouldered hawk 4 (M5).
red-tailed hawk 43 (M76). American kestrel 28 (low; often used to get >
100; M76). merlin 2 (M2). peregrine falcon 5 (M3; 6 reported by 5
parties). clapper rail 66 (M60). Virginia rail 2 (M11). common moorhen
11+ (25/41). American coot 77 (M128).
black-bellied plover 603 (M566). semipalmated plover 24 (35/41; M8).
killdeer 52 (M97). American oystercatcher 202 (declining; used to
sometimes find 700 or 800; M333). greater yellowlegs 102 (M107). lesser
yellowlegs 54. yellowlegs, sp. 1. willet 86 (5 parties; M75). marbled
godwit 24 (33/41; M39; this & Whimbrel no doubt present every year; a
matter of getting to where they are). ruddy turnstone 87 (M91).
sanderling 347 (M448). western sandpiper 4 (low; M209). least sandpiper 2
(32/41). unidentifield peep 5. purple sandpiper 6 (23/41). dunlin 4796
(M8353). short-billed dowitcher 27 (M33). Wilson's snipe 0 (first miss;
snipe are commoner west of the Bay; M18). American woodcock 51 (in most
years this count gets the national high; M81).
laughing gull 3 (uncommon on this count). Bonaparte's gull 5724+.
ring-billed gull 4943. herring gull 2991. lesser black-backed gull 2T ad.
(11/41). GLAUCOUS GULL 1 imm. (seen on both Smith & Fisherman islands;
DC,RH,FL,RLAn et al.; 5/41); great black-backed gull 728. Forster's tern
54 (usually scarce here; M14).
rock pigeon 563. Eurasian collared-dove 3+ (from 1-3 present for several
years in the Cedar Grove to Townsend area along Route 600 including a
breeding record; 3/41; they are permanent residents; 3rd straight year).
mourning dove 559 (M515). eastern screech-owl 6 (M21). great horned owl
17 (M15). ALLEN'S HUMMINGBIRD 1+ (imm. male; 1/41; at Feeder at Ned
Brinkley & Steve Hairfield's B & B in Cape Charles; NB,BL; present since
Oct. 26; banded earlier in the year by Mary Gustafson). belted kingfisher
26 (M30).
red-headed woodpecker 2. red-bellied woodpecker 29 (M44). yellow-bellied
sapsucker 7 (M7). downy woodpecker 28. hairy woodpecker 8. northern
flicker 95 (in decline; M214; formerly this count would get the national
high with some regularity). pileated woodpecker 9 (in years 1-12 singles
found 5 times but has now been seen 16 years straight; M3). eastern phoebe
12 (M6). blue jay 35 (low; M116). American crow 315 (M324). fish crow 4
(low; M78; has been declining for some time on coastal Delmarva counts).
horned lark 40 (M123).
tree swallow 4 (M12). Carolina chickadee 133 (M276). tufted titmouse 29
(never abundant here; numbers jump around a lot, as they do at the
Kiptopeke banding station; in some years only 19, 22, etc.). red-breasted
nuthatch 4. white-breasted nuthatch 0 (does not breed locally; M3).
brown-headed nuthatch 10 (3 parties but declining alarmingly, cf. 117 in
1977 and > 50 seven times; M30). brown creeper 22 (M16). Carolina wren
158 (M262). house wren 19 (4 parties; M18). winter wren 32 (M25). sedge
wren 16 (M16). marsh wren 23 (M18). golden-crowned kinglet 42 (M97).
ruby-crowned kinglet 28.
eastern bluebird 84 (197 in 1989 was 1st time with > 100; often < 10 in the
early years; M56). hermit thrush 36 (M47). American robin 115. gray
catbird 24 (M24). northern mockingbird 43 (M103). brown thrasher 9 (M12).
European starling 1101. American pipit 88 (M521; often have > 100; as
with Palm Warbler fields west of Route 13 are their traditional
stronghold). cedar waxwing 81. orange-crowned warbler 4 (M2; 3 parties).
yellow-rumped (myrtle) warbler 1920 (still down; M4824). pine warbler 7
(M11). palm warbler 34 (M125; often have > 100). common yellowthroat 4.
eastern towhee 28 (M85). chipping sparrow 156 (good count; M45; 5
parties). field sparrow 73. vesper sparrow 1 (low; declining here; M23;
on some former counts there were more vespers than juncos; 19 in 1996 the
most on any count since 1993). Savannah sparrow 86. Ipswich sparrow 7
(seen on 3 islands; M8). Nelson's sharp-tailed sparrow 6. Saltmarsh
sharp-tailed sparrow 53 (by the time you get done keyboarding the name you
have carpal tunnel syndrome & it's Yellow-crowned Night Heron and Northern
Rough-winged Swallow all over again; why not just call it Saltmarsh Sparrow
or Spartina Sparrow?). unidentified sharp-tailed sparrow 5 (M59). seaside
sparrow 32 (M30). fox sparrow 8 (low; M69). song sparrow 393. swamp
sparrow 66. white-throated sparrow 364 (M1859). white-crowned sparrow 3
(37/41). dark-eyed (slate-colored) junco 109 (M169). lapland longspur 1
(NB; 14/41). northern cardinal 116 (M347).
red-winged blackbird 1430 (935,605 reported last year). eastern meadowlark
150 (declining; M366). rusty blackbird 0 (declining). common grackle 136
(1,656,502 reported last year). boat-tailed grackle 516 (declining here;
M1115). brown-headed cowbird 7 (4341 last year); purple finch 3 (M17).
house finch 34 (declining here; 1st seen 1968; M111). pine siskin 2.
American goldfinch 199 (M366). house sparrow 23 (has declined here; M211).
TOTALS: 157 species, c. 52,453 individuals.
PARTICIPANTS: Mark Adams, Bob Ake, Bob Anderson, Harry Armistead
(non-participating compiler), Jim Beard, Jaye Beavers, Ned Brinkley
(co-compiler), Mitchell Byrd, Ann & Gary Carpenter, Jack Carroll, Dan
Cristol, Doug Davis, Dot Field, Bettye Fields, Betsy & Chris Foster, John
Fox, Renee Hudgins, Bill Keith, Bev Leeuwenburg, Fred Lobdell, David
Matson, Abby, Andrew & Margaret Odell, Fred Pinch, Christopher Reiger, Tom
Saunders, Fletcher Smith, Jared Sparks (co-compiler), the Right Honourable
Viscount Sir Dudley Fauntleroy Radclyfffe Studly-Ramsbottom O.B.E. - 7th
Margrave of Machipongo (the Discount Viscount), Paul Sykes, Craig & Glenn
Turner, Bill Williams, Townley Wolfe and Marguerite Wonsey. (sponsoring
organization: Coastal Virginia Wildlife Observatory).
GENERAL: It was a clear day with moderate temperatures and wind (and
moderate participation). Observers commented on how few of many of the
common birds there were. Few rarities were found but the immature male
Allen's Hummingbird was new to the cumulative list.
FAMILY GROUPS: Two owl species was poor but we got "all" 7 woodpeckers.
Eight heron-ibis types was good. Twenty-six waterfowl (missed Blue-winged
Teal, Common Merganser, the 2 small geese & any of the 3 "jetty ducks"), 5
wrens, 12 sparrows (not counting towhee & junco), 12 raptors (counting
vultures), and 16 shorebirds were nice but about average. Seven gulls was
above average.
MISSED: (birds probably present) included snipe, Rusty blackbird, knot,
Whimbrel, White-breasted Nuthatch, and Short-eared Owl.
NEXT YEAR: the compilation will be held at the Kiptopeke Inn.
THANK YOU, thank you, thank you: Many thanks to Ned Brinkley & Jared
Sparks for pinch-hitting for me in my absence. My grateful thanks to Sue
Rice for permission to access Fisherman Island and Eastern Shore of
Virginia National Wildlife refuges. Thanks to Steve Parker of The Nature
Conservancy - Virginia Coast Reserve for granting access to Smith and
Myrtle islands and also for accompanying Paul Sykes onto new TNC
aquisitions of the Bull property (which is off-limits to the public).
Biggest thanks go to those who participated.
Best to all.-Henry T. (Harry) Armistead, 523 E. Durham St., Philadelphia,
PA 19119-1225. 215-248-4120. harryarmistead at hotmail dot com
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