Greetings Virginia Birders,
I spent several hours at Hog Island today. Despite the weather forecast, no
rain and a welcome breeze most of the time. Overcast skies provided some
relief. I parked at the DGIF office at the end of the road and walked to the
entrance and back with two short detours down paths into the center to look for
additional woodland birds.
I doused myself with bug spray and was not bothered by flies or mosquitoes
until near the end of 3+ hours when the perspiration had washed off the bug
spray. Still, not many of those pesky insects flying around.
Observed 42 species -- highlight was hearing 2 Northern Bobwhite and seeing
Yellow-throated Warblers and Brown-headed Nuthatches.
The list from eBird is below. Lots of Osprey, Great Egrets, Great Blue Herons.
Unfortunately, not very many close for photos.
Water in impoundments is deep so no shorebirds to speak of. Even the wading
birds -- herons and egrets -- were in trees or at edges of impoundments.
Ran into a birder from Seattle who had observed from eBird that Hog Island
seemed to be a birdy spot. I was able to show him an immature Blue Grosbeak --
a bird he does not see in the Northwest.
Per a sign posted at the entrance re hours of operation:
September: Closed Wednesday's until 2 pm for managed hunts. Open Saturday -
Tuesday and Thursday, Friday. Sunrise to sunset.
October 1 - January 31: Open Sundays only, 8 am - sunset
February 1 - August 31: Open seven days a week, sunrise to sunset.
Shirley Devan
Williamsburg Bird Club
http://williamsburgbirdclub.org/
Ph: 757.813.1322
I'm now on facebook ...
Begin forwarded message:
From: do-not-reply@xxxxxxxxx
Subject: eBird Report - Hog Island WMA - CSW04, Aug 7, 2012
Date: August 7, 2012 5:13:20 PM EDT
To: sedevan52@xxxxxxx
Hog Island WMA - CSW04, Surry, US-VA
Aug 7, 2012 11:15 AM - 2:45 PM
Protocol: Traveling
3.0 mile(s)
Comments: Parked at end of main road and walked round trip back to
entrance gate
42 species
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 31
Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) 2
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 4
Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) 2 heard
Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) 2
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) 16
Great Egret (Ardea alba) 12
Green Heron (Butorides virescens) 1
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) 1
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) 12
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) 1
Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) 1
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) 1
American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) 1
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) 3
Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius) 2
Laughing Gull (Leucophaeus atricilla) 6
Least Tern (Sternula antillarum) 5
Royal Tern (Thalasseus maximus) 4
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) 2
Eastern Wood-Pewee (Contopus virens) 6
Great Crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus) 2
Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) 18
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) 2
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) 24
Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) 1
Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) 1
White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) 1
Brown-headed Nuthatch (Sitta pusilla) 1
Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) 1
Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) 1
Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) 1
Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) 2
Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum) 2
Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia) 1
Yellow-throated Warbler (Setophaga dominica) 3
Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus) 1
Summer Tanager (Piranga rubra) 2
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) 4
Blue Grosbeak (Passerina caerulea) 1
Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea) 2
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) 12
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org/VA)
