Northampton County is right on schedule with bird movements this fall, and
last night's cold front appears to have brought some new birds down the coast.
Slowly, more American Kestrels, Eastern Kingbirds, Bobolinks and other early
migrants have put in appearances; though kestrels (2 pairs in the county this
year) and kingbirds nest locally, migrants are obvious when they begin to show
up in coastal spots such as Oyster (where there were 15 kingbirds at dusk
today) or at the Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge. Bobolinks
numbered only about 450 at Oyster this evening, but in a week or two, their
numbers will begin to approach those of Common Grackles (low flights of about
15,000 this evening), European Starlings (3000), Brown-headed Cowbirds (500+),
and
other "blackbirds" here, peaking in the 20,000 to 30,000 range some time in
the first week of September, hopefully. Eastern Kingbirds' numbers should also
max out in that period, with hundreds likely here in the evening, as all
these birds go to roost in the trees and marshes around Oyster.
Farm fields today and yesterday in southern Northampton County have held a
nice variety of waders and terns. Three Gull-billed Terns today pursued an
adult Bald Eagle over Arlington Road (west turn just north of Sting-Ray's),
over a
field that had an adult Caspian Tern, 34 Black-bellied and 20 Semipalmated
Plovers, an Upland Sandpiper (scarce here anymore), and 23 Pectoral Sandpipers.
The most productive stretch of fields was between Custis Tomb Road and
Capeville Road, where potato fields have been plowed recently. To the north,
at
Eastville (just south of Willow Oak Road), wet farm fields held 73
Black-bellied
and 13 Semipalmated Plovers, 1 Killdeer, 10 Short-billed Dowitchers, 2 Glossy
Ibis (there had been 100s here earlier), and numerous peep, including
Semipalmated and Least Sandpipers. Oyster yesterday at falling tide had
distant
Marbled Godwit, close Whimbrel, and many of the typical saltmarsh shorebirds
(Willet, Ruddy Turnstone, Black-bellied and Semipalmated Plovers). Juvenile
Forster's Terns (3) continue to beg from adults at the harbor mouth, and a
Caspian
Tern and a Sandwich Tern were present yesterday.
At Eastern Shore of Virginia NWR, 4 immature White Ibis, 2 immature
Yellow-crowned Night-Herons, and singles of Great Egret, Great Blue Heron,
Green Heron,
and Snowy Egret were in the Ramp Road pond in the evening, along with the
first Blue-winged Teal of the season there. At Cedar Grove, one Eurasian
Collared-Dove was out on the wires in the late afternoon (this is due east of
Kiptopeke State Park).
Ned Brinkley
Cape Charles, VA
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