The first-winter (=first-year; hatch-year) King Eider found by Val Kitchens
is still at the first island (=public island; South Thimble Island) as of
yesterday afternoon at 3:45. The bird was feeding around the jetty at the
north
end of the island. There is some confusion about eider numbers and plumages
lately. As nearly as I can make out, there was a female Common Eider around
the
northern islands in early/mid-October. Subsequently, we've had three imm.
male Commons, three female Commons, and one essentially adult male King. Does
this sound correct? In past winters, we've seen a lot of turnover in eiders
(based on plumages), if not large single-day counts of eiders in the past few
winters. It's always good to mention the plumage of the eiders you see when
posting, so that others looking will know if they've found something
new/different.
At the house, the chat, Dickcissel, orioles, and Ruby-throated Hummingbird
continue as of this morning (17 December). A Brown Creeper, not seen around
the
house all year, came in for the suet cake within 10 minutes of my hanging it.
No one has seen the Short-eared Owl or either of the Harris's Sparrows at
the refuge this week, to my knowledge.
Ned Brinkley
Cape Charles, VA
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