KIPTOPEKE STATE PARK (KSP) and environs, eastern shore of Virginia, September
25-October 14, 2008: selected highlights.
Part 2, October 1-14, 2008..
Oct. 1, Wed. Am at Bull’s 7:30-5 (KSP totals are in parentheses). = osprey
43 (38). bald eagle 1 (4). northern harrier 5 (4). sharp-shinned hawk 47
(116). Cooper’s hawk 17 (8). NORTHERN GOSHAWK 1 imm. female (0).
broad-winged hawk 7 (1). red-tailed hawk 1 (0). American kestrel 5 (55).
merlin 1 (7). peregrine falcon 29 (6). TOTAL 157 (239). Monarch total 5
(?).
Other birds: 6 Tricolored Herons, 175 White Ibis, 1 American Bittern, 12
Clapper Rails, 1 Sora, 9 Black-bellied Plovers, 3 Willets, 12 Caspian Terns, 1
screech-owl, 2 phoebes, 1,100 Tree & 5 Barn swallows, 1 Marsh Wren, 40 Western
Palm Warblers, and 4 Savannah, 2 Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed, 2 Seaside & 6 unID’d
marsh sparrows. A total of 48 species.
The higher than normal tide c. 11:15 A.M. facilitated finding marsh birds, esp.
rails and sparrows, on the half-mile walk from the landing to the mainland
woods. Nice variety of vegetation on the dike, incl. a flowering Yucca,
Fennel, Goldenrod, much Iva and Baccharis, Asparagus, Asters, and Opuntia.
Gray Squirrels and 3 deer in the campground at day’s end plus a screech-owl
calling. Bob Ake sees a Western Kingbird at KSP.
Oct. 2, Thu. An unremarkable, but, hypocritically, I’ll remark anyway 248
raptors with 90 kestrels, 78 sharpies, 5 Bald Eagles, and 8 peregrines. Only
129 flickers today plus an Indigo Bunting, 2 hummingbirds, and 5 Brown
Thrashers.
Oct. 3, Fri. 389 raptors at KSP incl. 52 Ospreys, 117 sharpies, 41 Coops, and
46 peregrines. Bob Anderson, Marty Daniels, Carol & John McGonigle, and I do a
2-hour count at Bull’s Landing from noon-2: 12 sharpies, 9 Coops, 24 Ospreys,
8 peregrines, 1 red-tail, 2 kestrels, 3 harriers, 6 Bald Eagles, 169
Broad-winged Hawks, and 6 unID’d raptors = 240 TOTAL.
Oct. 4, Sat. 43 peregrines counted both from 4-5 and 5-6 P.M. DST. We see 16
majestic Great Blue Herons flying off into the western sky at sunset from
Sting-Ray’s. 46 flickers. 1 imm. Red-headed Woodcpker. A captured imm. male
peregrine is displayed in a demo at the platform. 1 Pileated Woodpecker.
osprey 106. bald eagle 2. northern harrier 9. sharp-shinned hawk 257.
Cooper’s hawk 138. red-shouldered hawk 3. broad-winged hawk 113.
red-tailed hawk 3. American kestrel 24. merlin 33. peregrine falcon 134.
TOTAL 822. Monarch total ??. Black-throated Green Warbler near the
platform.
Oct. 5, Sun. Liz and I see 70 Broad-winged Hawks at ESVNR plus 3 Gulf
Fritillaries. KSP totals: osprey 117. bald eagle 5. northern harrier 10.
sharp-shinned hawk 357. Cooper’s hawk 112. broad-winged hawk 49.
red-tailed hawk 2. American kestrel 84. merlin 65. peregrine falcon 134.
TOTAL 935. Monarch total 51. 2 Lesser Yellowlegs. A perfect sunset into the
Bay with Gray Squirrel and fine wine from the top of the bluff.
Oct. 6, Mon. What will probably be the highest hawk count of the year, to wit:
osprey 377. bald eagle 38 (seems too high). northern harrier 33.
sharp-shinned hawk 485. Cooper’s hawk 371. broad-winged hawk 83.
red-tailed hawk 8. American kestrel 181. merlin 107. peregrine falcon
199. TOTAL 1,882. Monarch total 100+. Today is a nice NE wind following NW
the previous day, ideal. Often the best hawk counts here are on such days and
when a wind “pulses,” varies gently in speed, off and on. See Chimney Swifts 8
times today, their strongest presence for me this sojourn. 3 Great Horned Owls
heard from my bed before dawn. Bob Ake conducts the Bull’s Landing hawk count,
sees a Virginia Rail there.
Oct. 7, Tue. At Bull’s 7-4 with (KSP totals in parentheses): osprey 29 (27).
bald eagle 3 (5). northern harrier 4 (5). sharp-shinned hawk 80 (74).
Cooper’s hawk 22 (56). broad-winged hawk 4 (14). SWAINSON’S HAWK, 1 imm.
dark phase (0). red-tailed hawk 1(3). American kestrel 2 (17). merlin 1
(8). peregrine falcon 3 (2). unID’d raptor 8 (2). TOTAL 148 (213).
Monarch total 15 (?). 47 degrees F. this morning fide Tina Gibson.
Also at Bull’s: 6 Snow Geese (3 ad., 3 imm.), 2 bucks, a fat, almost, spherical
rat (apparently a Marsh Rice Rat, Oryzomys palustris; seen at close range
crossing the “launching ramp” from one patch of Spartina alterniflora to the
other), 1 snipe, 16 Seaside & 1 Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow, a Spotted
Sandpiper, 17 Great Blue eHrons (in migration), 1 Diamondback Terrapin, 1 imm.
Glossy & 45 White ibis (43 of them immatures), 1 Little Blue Heron, 17
pintails, 97 Canada Geese, 17 Boat-tailed Grackles, 4 meadowlarks, 3
Black-bellied Plovers, a Magnolia Warbler, and 15 Monarchs. The crushed clam
shells on this portion of Bull’s Drive form an attractive, mosaic-like pattern
underfoot.
Oct. 8, Wed. osprey 15. bald eagle 3. northern harrier 7. sharp-shinned
hawk 258. Cooper’s hawk 60. broad-winged hawk 1. red-tailed hawk 4.
American kestrel 31. merlin 33. peregrine falcon 16. TOTAL 428. Monarch
total 79.
Oct. 9, Thu. Overcast, warm, with little wind, adverse conditions. For 1st
time since arriving did various chores from noon-2:30. Osprey 0 (????) . bald
eagle 1. northern harrier 5. sharp-shinned hawk 149. Cooper’s hawk 42.
red-tailed hawk 4. American kestrel 16. merlin 8. peregrine falcon 11.
unID’d raptor 1. TOTAL . Monarch total 74. Neal does a demo with imm.
female and imm. male sharpies. Jethro bands a Lincoln’s Sparrow.
Oct. 10, Fri. Fenton Day & Mike Purdy find 17 Eurasian Collared-Doves along
Route 600. They also see 350 Willets & 25 Marbled Godwits at Willis
(“Willets”) Wharf. Excellent hawk day at KSP: Osprey 30 . bald eagle 5.
northern harrier 70. sharp-shinned hawk 789. Cooper’s hawk 208.
broad-winged hawk 1. red-tailed hawk 2. American kestrel 226. merlin 59.
peregrine falcon 72. TOTAL 1,462. Monarch total 55. Some best hourly
counts: harrier 14, Cooper’s 54, sharpie 201, peregrine 24.
Bob Anderson spent 8-3 at Bull’s Landing but the strong E winds blew all the
birds over to K.S.P. and he only saw 2 harriers, 55 sharpies, 5 Coops, 1
Merlin, and 1 peregrine plus a Monarch and a Common Loon.
Oct. 11, Sat. Dinner at the Odells’ campsites 99-101, with all the CVWO field
biologists: baked potatoes, sweet corn on the cob, steak, crabs, and shrimp,
during which a Pileated Woodpecker calls. Khup Gaurh Tuang and Raphael Pau
Llal, from Burma, visit in company with Phyllis Simonetta Roth. osprey 23.
bald eagle 7. northern harrier 19. sharp-shinned hawk 560. Cooper’s hawk
162. broad-winged hawk 3. red-tailed hawk 4. American kestrel 110.
merlin 35. peregrine falcon 5. TOTAL 929. Monarch total 17.
Oct. 12, Sunday. Big Sit gets only 60 species. Hardly any passrine flight. I
see 2 ea. of Surf and Black scoters. Eat at Eastville Inn as guest of Bob
Anderson & Thuy Tran. osprey 32. bald eagle 4. northern harrier 17.
sharp-shinned hawk 747. Cooper’s hawk 101. broad-winged hawk 5.
red-tailed hawk 11. American kestrel 113. merlin 35. peregrine falcon
23. TOTAL 1,089. Monarch total 18. 176 sharpies from 11-12.
Oct. 14, Tuesday. I leave for Philadelphia at 8:33 A.M. 92 raptors seen at
the hawk watch. Stop at Willis Wharf but the full moon high tide almost covers
the marsh grass, not to mention the mudflats. Make 11 stops on the way home to
make reservations, get money, and other tasks.
FAVORITE SIGN: “Fresh poop [sic] corn.” Soon afterwards a bumper sticker:
“We’re rural not dumb on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.” Q.E.D.? Draw your
own conclusions. My paternal ancestors are from Virginia.
In the same breath … PREJUDICE AGAINST PRESUMED LOCALS. I think the prejudice
against Red-tailed Hawks and Bald Eagles as “local birds” is overdone. I can
remember a September here when over 20 red-tails were banded. Many people
would have said, seeing such as free-flying birds, that they were “probably
local birds.” On this narrow peninsular tip there is no way there are going to
be 20 local red-tails.
VULTURES NEED NOT APPLY. But do to their confusing habit of milling around,
passing over only to return, their back and forthing, it was decided not to
count Black and Turkey vultures.
VISITORS to the platform (an incomplete list; does not include CVWO staff):
Bob Ake, Bob Anderson, Richard Ayers, Hugh Beard, Duane Brown, Gregory Burch,
Harold Burks, Lois & Mitchell Byrd, Gary Casey Bob Chapman, Kim Cook, Robert &
Ruth Cook, Marty Daniels, Cindy Day, Fenton Day, Peter Dorosh (and the Bronx
Bird Club), Carl & Carolyn Drasher, Marty & Sandra Edmonds, Shannon Ehlers,
Barney Fedele Dot Field, Betsy & Chris Foster, Kurt Gabler, Baron & Tina
Gibson, Mike Gray, Bobby Howe, Renee Hudgins, Buck & Cindy Keller, Lash & Sue
LaRue, Bob, Betty (“the bone crusher”) Lemley, Kathy & Virginia Loomis, Colin &
Stephanie McAllister, Jack & Mark McCaig, John & Carol McGonigle, Bill & Linda
Miller, Paul Nasca, Joyce Neff, Abby, Andrew, Margaret & other Odells, Gerhard
& Tracy Patsch, John Porter, Mike Purdy, Sue Rice, George Sanzenbacher, Sheila
Scoville, Bernie & Janie Shaaf, Paul Spitzer, Brian Taber, Stephen Thornhill,
Mike Tolker, Thuy Tran, Dan & Jeannie Ward, Bill Williams, John Young,
Best to all. – Harry Armistead, Philadelphia.
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