KIPTOPEKE STATE PARK and environs, eastern shore of Virginia, September
25-October 14, 2008: selected highlights.
I’ll do a full report later. 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 c. 136, 132, 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 3 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 c. 1,800 raptors.
On another 70 Northern Harriers. Very poor year for Ospreys, American
Kestrels, Merlins, flickers (except for 1,512 one day; otherwise, miserable
counts), 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 c. 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. 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. Best to all. – Harry Armistead, Philadelphia.
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