KIPTOPEKE STATE PARK (KSP) and environs, eastern shore of Virginia, September
25-October 14, 2008: selected highlights.
Part 1, September 25-30.
[Unrelatedly, I compile 2 eastern shore of VA Christmas Bird Counts. All are
welcome to participate. Cape Charles, Dec. 30, Tuesday. Nassawadox, Dec. 21,
Sunday.]
Much additional information is to be had at websites such as: www.cvwo.org,
www.hawkcount.org, and on the listserve VA-BIRD. Observations are from the KSP
hawkwatch platform unless otherwise noted. The hawk count, landbird banding,
hawk trapping, and Monarch butterfly work are all done under the auspices of
the Coastal Virginia Wildlife Observatory (www.cvwo.org)
UN-EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (slightly enhanced and with some corrections since the
earlier version I sent you):
Early in the morning of the aftermath of the tropical storm (was it Hanna?)
Sept. 26 I saw no fancy tropical seabirds from the C.B.B.T. but there was a
distant jaeger I could not ID. In one 3 day stretch there were 134, 134, and
199 Peregrine Falcons. I found a dark phase, immature Swainson’s Hawk at
Bull’s Landing that was seen by Bill Williams the next day at Fisherman’s
Island. Refuge Manager Sue Rice was with me and saw the Swainson’s, too. The
juvenile female Northern Goshawk I saw on a different day at Bull’s was not
relocated. On October 13 Sharna Tolfree spotted a Rough-legged Hawk, rare
here, at K.S.P., that she radioed in to all the crew at the songbird banding
station, who ran out to see it.
In my sojourn there were 4 days with over 1,000 raptors, another with close to
1,000. Up to 175 White Ibis were at Bull’s Landing. At least 26 peregrines
were captured as of October 13, a new record. One day we saw 1,8082 raptors.
On another 70 Northern Harriers. Very poor year for Ospreys, American
Kestrels, Merlins, flickers (except for 1,512 one day; otherwise, miserable
counts), Blue Jays, and Monarchs. Not a flight year but a few Red-breasted
Nuthatches anyway. Bob Ake saw a Western Kingbird in early October. Other
nice birds seen by either Bob Anderson, Bob Ake, or myself at Bull’s Landing
were a Sora, Cliff Swallow, a Virginia Rail, American Bittern, Pied-billed
Grebe, Glossy Ibis, many Clapper Rails (seen), snipe, a Gull-billed Tern, and
good looks at Seaside and Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed sparrows.
The Big Sit on Oct. 12 was not successful with only 60 species, a poor flight
day. I was only able to do 2 hawk counts at Bull’s due to the visual
disability of the official hawk counter, who seems to have sustained severe eye
strain, a sunburned retina, or something like that. Jethro Runco has banded
several Bicknell’s Thrushes, a Philly Vireo, a CT Warbler, a screech-owl,
Chuck-will’s-widow, and Lincoln’s Sparrow. Up to 4 Gulf Fritillaries have been
at the refuge butterfly garden and a few Long-tailed Skippers here and
elsewhere. Many good times, good people, and good foods, although I missed
seeing the Gargoyles (the Maryland and Waggoner’s Gap crowd), some of whom
opted for Vera Cruz.
This is the first time I have done 18 straight days of intense scanning for
hawks. I felt good the whole time and my eyes are fine, and that’s w/o using
shades. My arms feel good from raising the binoculars 1000s of times, have
actually beefed up a little. In the evenings I finished Brideshead revisited
and started a book Bob Ake gave me, Lost worlds, by Bruce Beehler about his
life as a naturalist in rain forests around the world. I also often listened
to “Annie get your gun,” a CD that belonged to Liz’s late cousin, John
Guillemont.
Annie (1946) brought back memories from the dim recesses of my childhood, great
songs such as ‘They say that falling in love is wonderful’. Each night Great
Horned Owls called, easily heard from my bed in the campground, and
screech-owls called several times. Spectacular sunsets seen from the
Chesapeake Bay bluff and a full moon so bright Tuesday morning at 1 A.M. one
could not look at it long without eye discomfort. Most evenings I turned in my
8:30. In the middle of the night the firmament was often brilliant – easy to
see all of the stars on Orion’s friendly dagger.
GAZETTEER: Bull’s = Bull’s Landing, (OFF LIMITS; REQUIRES SPECIAL PERMISSION
FOR ACCESS) site of the so-called seaside hawk watch and part of ESVNWR. CBBT,
Chesapeake Bay & Bridge Tunnel. ESVNWR = Eastern Shore of Virginia National
Wildlife Refuge. KSP = Kiptopeke State Park. Willis Wharf = watermen’s
village on the seaside c.25 mi. N. of KSP.
MOCKINGBIRD MAGNET. Some time in September Bob Anderson had 18 mockers in
sight simultaneously at KSP. On Labor Day Weekend I had 12 i.s.s. at Sunset
Beach Resort. When I was a bander I remember there being a definite movement
of mockers in late August and early September.
CAVEAT READOR Raptor totals below are unofficial but no doubt “close to.” My
own notes as well as the totals on hawkcount.org are sometimes contradictory.
Sept. 25, Thu. In the driving rain and strong winds 17 Wild Turkeys are on the
west road shoulder south of Princess Anne, MD. Arrive at KSP at 4 P.M. No one
on the platform due to the severe weather but just as I get here the rain stops
so I conduct a hawk count 4-5 DST in 35-40 m.p.h. winds under overcast skies =
11 peregrines, 6 Merlins, 5 Ospreys, 2 sharpies, 1 Coop & 2 kestrels. Also: 3
Short-billed Dowitchers. Thunder at 8:30 P.M. Eat by myself at Sting-Ray’s.
Takes 10 trips to unload at my ”campsite” in KSP.
Sept. 26, Fri. Spend 6:45-8:45 on the 1st island of CBBT hoping for seabirds
from Hurricane Hannah but see only 1 distant, unID’d jaeger. Winds NE 20
diminishing to 10 m.p.h. Other stuff: a surprising 77 Rock Pigeons plus 1
Merlin, 1 peregrine, 14 turnstones, 2 Ospreys, 3 Sanderlings, 475 Laughing
Gulls, 34 Common, 16 Royal, 9 Sandwich & 8 Caspian terns, and 8 Brown Pelicans.
19 species. Some Spartina alterniflora wrack I suspect has been blown over
all the way from the Eastern Shore.
At KSP 42 peregrine pass, 7 of them banded by Neil and Sharna. 3 Lesser
Yellowlegs, a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. 2 Great Horned Owls call at 6 A.M. Spend
6 hours on the KSP platform. 143 raptors at KSP incl. 21 Merlins. Treated to
dinner at the campsite of Buck and Cindy Keller.
On Sept. 27-30 and Oct. 2 I conducted the hawk count at K.S.P. when the
official hawk counter was sidelined with eye problems.
Sept. 27, Sat.. A miserable total of 53 hawks due to rain the 1st 4 hrs. but
at least we saw 22 peregrines, a Summer Tanager, and 2 nighthawks. 4 of the
peregrines were captured.
Sept. 28, Sun.. Slightly better with Bob Anderson and me seeing 152 raptors
but only 5 peregrines. 2 nighthawks again.
Sept. 29, Mon. More like it with: osprey 27 . bald eagle 7. northern
harrier 11. sharp-shinned hawk 160. Cooper’s hawk 33. broad-winged hawk
27. red-tailed hawk 1. American kestrel 202. merlin 10. peregrine falcon
18. unID’d raptor 13. TOTAL 509. Monarch total 5. Other goodies: an
Eastern Kingbird, 1 Great Egret, 4 phoebes, 50 flickers, 6 Black-throated Blue
Warblers, 1 Yellow-billed Cuckoo, a Red-breasted Nuthatch, and 5 unID’d
Catharus thrushes.
Sept. 30, Tue. Jethro bands 136 Gray Catbirds (a record?). Pretty good
hawking: osprey 63. bald eagle 1. northern harrier 10. sharp-shinned
hawk 125. Cooper’s hawk 12 broad-winged hawk 6. red-tailed hawk 1.
American kestrel 163. merlin 9. peregrine falcon 42. TOTAL 432. Monarch
total ? unrecorded, but few. Other birds: 1 Red-headed Woodpecker, 170 Cedar
Waxwings (one of only 3 days when I saw them), 3 sapsuckers, 1 Great Egret, 3
Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, 3 Baltimore Orioles, 2 Scarlet Tanagers, 30 Bobolinks,
and 1,512 NORTHERN FLICKERS (there are only 2 higher counts in Virginia as
detailed in the 2007 “Gold Book”). Used the clicker = an almost exact count.
TORRENTIAL rain 4-4:30 P.M., 2 inches, accompanied by strong winds. At Bull’s
Bob Ake finds 18+ Clapper Rails, 175 White Ibis, and a Gull-billed Tern.
Best to all. – Harry Armistead, Philadelphia.
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When your life is on the go—take your life with you.
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