Hi VA-birders,
Today I stopped at two locations I had not previously visited on the
Eastern Shore. Magothy Bay Natural Area Preserve is a VA DCR site just
north of the ESVA NWR. It threads the needle between private lands to the
north and the apparently permanently closed-to-the-public northern part of
the NWR. I'd estimate it is at least 1.5 mile walk to the end of the road
(which I did); long but it passes through meadow, pine forest, and salt
marsh habitats.
Highlights there were many Blue Grosbeaks, a large flock of White Ibis,
Tricolor Herons, a flyover Blue-winged Teal, Virginia Rails, and two Field
Sparrows. The tide was coming when I got to the end of the road in the
saltmarsh, and Semipalmated and Least Sandpipers started arriving to get at
the remaining mud, coming quite close (4 or 5 feet away).
Unlike Magothy Bay NAP, which I knew existed but I simply had not
previously figured out how to find, Seaview Farm I had never heard of
(though it is an eBird hotspot). I arrived there late in the day - 4pm -
and really the notable thing is that it is interesting habitat;
agricultural, wooded, saltmarsh, with probably a .5 mile walk to the water
from the parking area. I walked down to the water, it was absolute high
tide, and there was an abandoned dock I could see was detached from the
shore and had birds on it. I eventually got close enough to figure out that
it was a group of 8 Spotted Sandpipers, which is about 8 times as many as I
have previously seen at one time.
Regards,
Russ Taylor
