A quick observation on the possible current daily routine of the BTGO. This
is based on one data point, so YMMV.
I went to try and see this wonderous bird midday last Saturday. A number of
people had been looking for it that morning without success. With no target
bird to look at, we practiced finding eastern Willets and discussing
theories. We were watching Swan Cove, and known facts seemed to be that the
BTGO liked to associate with the Willets and that low tide that day had
been between 10 and 11:30 a.m. (depending on your reference location).
There were about 130 Willets in Swan Cove then (in 2 even-sized groups),
and the collective recollection was that people had been reporting about
200 Willets there typically.
So the theory was developed that about 1/3 of the Willets had gone
elsewhere to feed while the tide was out (or sleep, since as best I can
tell Willets are the idle house cats of the shorebird world) and the BTGO
had gone with them. Sure enough, Lee Adams was watching Swan Cove and
reported the BTGO returning about 40 minutes before high tide. I got to see
it then and it seemed to be pretty clearly doing some final feeding and
preening and then settling in for the night.
A long-winded way to say that near high tide, particularly late afternoon,
in Swan Cove might be a good time and place. Apologies if this has already
been discussed to death and I missed it.
Regards,
Russ Taylor
P.S. I second Jeff Blalock's and Elisa Enders' comments on the VSO Weekend
... great trip. Dry conditions made ducks and shorebirds tougher this year
than some previous years, but also made the mosquitoes almost negligible,
which for Chincoteague might be an acceptable trade.
