I spent an enjoyable?hour or so?at Carvins Cove with Bill & Katie James on
Monday evening. In the short time we were there we were treated to a nice
assortment of birds, many apparently having moved into the area during or after
the storm cleared. A list follows.
Bald Eagle - 4, 3 adults - three of the birds appeared to be just passing
through heading north while the fourth bird hung around and kept the gulls
spooked.
Osprey - 3
Great Blue Heron -1,? flying high overhead
Common Loon - 57, all in breeding plumage except one
Double-crested Cormorant - 13
Ring-billed Gull - 90+, most, if not all were imms.
Bonaparte's Gull - 12, 75% with full black hoods
Red-breasted Merganser - 1, a female
Also seen were both vultures, a raven was heard calling from Tinker Mt., a
purple martin?was heard chirping overhead, pileated woodpeckers could be heard
calling from various directions, killdeer were in the parking lot,?with a few
canada geese nearby. One spotted sandpiper was also seen as it called and
headed out over the lake.?Several mallards were seen flying up and down the
lake along with a few distant swallows. Not bad considering that some days at
the cove you're lucky?if you?see a couple of crows.....oh yeah, we had one of
those too!
Mike Purdy
Roanoke, Va.
