Greetings form the Platform,
Sam Stuart, the Kiptopke Hawkwatch Coordinator, took a well deserved day of
rest yesterday. Saturday's blustery winds died down a bit Sunday, providing an
excellent day for counting and conversing. Featured platperformers included
Bob Anderson, Thuy Tran, Harry Armistead, Tom and Jeanne Armour, Mitchell Byrd,
Brian Taber, and Bryan Watts. Among the day's highlights were an HY female
Northern Goshawk ca 9:00 a.m., three Golden Eagles, up to 4 Cave Swallows, 2
Barn Swallows, 350-400 American Goldfinches, dozens of Pine Siskins at the bird
feeders and flying overhead with scattered Purple Finches to boot, a Nashville
Warbler seen near the Butterfly Garden by Bryan and Marian Watts, hundreds of
American Robins, several groups of Snow Geese, and a steady stream of
Red-winged Blackbirds and Common Loons. Out on the concrete ships a Peregrine
Falcon kept the Rock Pigeons in motion, as Northern Gannets darted into the
choppy Bay waters. Twelve raptor species made it to the day's tally sheet
including a Broad-winged Hawk, and a late-day female Merlin.
Along the Chesapeake Bay Brige Tunnel were literally thousands of
Ring-billed and Laughing Gulls. Great Black-backed Gulls were observed
carrying what appeared to be Needle-nosed Gar. From the Eastern Shore to
island number 2, the feeding gull assemblage was largely Ring-billed Gulls,
with a healthy mix of Laughing, Great Black-backeds, and Herrings. Laughing
Gulls made up better than 95% of the larid show from island 1 south to the
Virginia Beach shore.
Bill Williams
Center for Conservation Biology
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