KIPTOPEKE STATE PARK & ENVIRONS, September 24-October 13, 2009.
Part 2, October 5-13.
October 5, Monday. Brian Finch and I go to Magotha Road before
breakfast and see 2 Eurasian Collared-Doves, a Marsh Wren, 6 Semipalmated
Plovers, a Spotted Sandpiper, a Bald Eagle, and 10 White Ibis. Go with Will &
Beth R. and Brian F. to Seaside and see Brown-headed Nuthatches, Blue
Grosbeaks, Indigo Buntings, 2 Surf Scoters, a Nelson’s photographed by Zach &
some Seaside sparrows, 20 Willets, a Whimbrel, the big White Ibis flock, and 7
phoebes together on a fence. The Cooks, Drashers, and Hal & Lynn leave. Hal
and Lynn give me a folding Coleman chair I’ve been admiring for several years,
now the Unendowed Armistead Chair of Ornithology.
osprey 55. bald eagle 13. northern harrier 13. sharp-shinned
hawk 259. Cooper’s hawk 146. broad-winged hawk 11. red-tailed hawk 11.
American kestrel 80. merlin 14. peregrine falcon 21, SWAINSON’S HAWK 1.
TOTAL 624 plus a season high of 527 flickers. Georgia tags c. 80 Monarchs. A
good day for passerines with Rose-breasted Grosbeak, 3 Red-headed Woodpeckers,
Baltimore Oriole, gnatcatcher, Pileated Woodpecker, parulas, and lots of
thrashers and catbirds plus Ann and Sarah band a Connecticut Warbler.
October 6, Tuesday. Flocks of 28 and 15 Great Blue Herons pass
southward high. Calvin spots an imm. Great Cormorant. Will et al. detect a
Bay-breasted Warbler, 4 pewees, a blackpoll. A captured Merlin is displayed.
Brian F. sees red (eyed), white (eyed), and blue (headed) vireos, seems to have
an affinity for passerines, perhaps because in Kenya he can see 30+ species of
raptors in one day compared to the usual 12 here. Rain for a while at 12:30.
We visit Ramp Lane but not much there: 25 White Ibis, 3 Clapper
Rails, and a nice cluster of Marsh Pinks (a gentian), late for them to be
blooming. Bill Williams tells me Brown Pelicans have not nested on Fisherman
Island for several years but there were c. 700 nesting at Sandy Island from
2005 (?). I am not certain where S.I. is, perhaps in between Parramore and Hog
islands?
osprey 43. bald eagle 9. northern harrier 6. sharp-shinned hawk
350. Cooper’s hawk 124. red-shouldered hawk 1. broad-winged hawk 54.
red-tailed hawk 9. American kestrel 69. merlin 40. peregrine falcon 43.
TOTAL 748. Brian F. sees a ‘possum, perhaps the one I’ll later see scrambling
to underneath the yurt.
October 7, Wednesday. Bob Ake joins Brian F. and me in the yurt
last night, apparently quite comfortable on the fouton, which I find difficult
to even sit on. Not much going down so Will, Beth, Brian Finch, and I head up
to Chincoteague via Route 600. Rain early then clearing with steewrong winds
25-35. At Oyster not a lot: 11 Willets, a Caspian Tern, ad. Bald Eagle. Visit
the Cobb I. Life Saving Station and hobnob with Elvin Hess, one of its managers
with the World Healing Institue. At Machipongo 25 western Willets and a Least
Sandpiper. At Red Bank a Greater Yellowlegs, Black Skimmer, and Red Admiral.
Willis Wharf is more productive: 225 Willets, 40 Marbled Godwits,
25 turnstones, 2 Merlins, 2 kestrels, 2 ad. Bald Eagles, 1 peregrine, 1 S.-b.
Dowitcher, and 175 Canada Geese. The big shorebirds are SWIMMING, in
anticipation of the soon-to-be-exposed mudflats inches below their bellies.
Spend several hours in the last of the daylight at Chincoteague
where there’s a really good sunset. 57 White Ibis (a lot for here), 6
peregrines, 45 Brown Pelicans, 14 Killdeer, 1 Stilt, 2 White-rumped and 3
Pectoral sandpipers, 65 skimmers, 106 Royal Terns, 1 Marbled Godwit, 1 Bank
Swallow, 1 Bald Eagle, and an avocet. Mammals: 1 Raccoon, 4 Sika Elk, and 5
White-tailed Deer, one an 8-point buck. Run into Dorie Stolley who is biking.
She’d been so helpful on the last 2 Christmas count seasons on the VA refuges.
We notice, looking north up the beach, a “stand” of sea oats, which I believe
are unnatural this far north, but welcome as far as I am concerned.
As we head back to the mainland a distant flock of 25 majestic
Great Blue Herons wings southward in the gloaming over the west end of the
causeway. Lunch in the Exmore Diner, din-dins in the Sage Diner, good meals
both times.
The hawkwatch does just fine w/o us so my early morning assessment
of a poor day is wrong: osprey 80. bald eagle 8. northern harrier 6.
sharp-shinned hawk 303. Cooper’s hawk 29. broad-winged hawk 3. red-tailed
hawk 1. American kestrel 74. merlin 62. peregrine falcon 85. TOTAL 551.
Only 44 flickers.
SEASIDE HAWKWATCH (off limits, a restricted area). Zach Poulton is
doing the lonely vigil here, occasionally visited by refuge staff, relieved
with days off by Bob Anderson, or by having offhand daytrippers such as myself
drop in for short periods with my “guests.” As of the end of the day Oct. 14
Seaside’s totals are (K.S.P.’s are in parentheses): 5447 (20,252) with 639
(637) Broad-winged Hawks, 178 (247) Bald Eagles, 1157 (3271) Ospreys, plus 249
Northern Harriers. K.S.P.’s totals include 1077 peregrines and 1593 Merlins.
Seaside’s raptor totals are impressive even if far less than at
K.S.P., where there are far more pairs of eyes and the birds are usually much
closer. Many of the raptors at Seaside are far away, coursing over the
mainland, and often partially backlit. Seaside also has the attraction of
being in the midst of broadwater bays and saltmarsh with the ensuing suites of
water and marsh birds those habitats attract.
Often there are more Broad-winged Hawks at Seaside. In previous
years Seaside has enjoyed only sporadic coverage by Bob Anderson, Bob Ake,
Brian Taber, Hal Wierenga & Lynn Davidson, Chris Foster, and myself. Thanks to
a grant secured by ESVNWR manager Sue Rice C.V.W.O. is able to provide a
full-time hawkcounter here for the first time.
October 8, Thursday. Today Calvin and Charlene have the day off …
so they go to Chincoteague and find 84 species, including a gannet offshore and
a Yellow-billed Cuckoo. Some sort of busman’s holiday? I man (sorry … it’s
less sexist to say “staff”) the hawkwatch platform as best I can with a strong
assist from Baron & Tina Gibson. The results below would be considered dandy
for many a hawkwatch but nevertheless are the lowest total for any of the 17
days I’m here this visit, even if they’re the result of a good, 11-hour effort,
to wit:
osprey 32. bald eagle 12. northern harrier 3. sharp-shinned hawk
91. Cooper’s hawk 37. red-shouldered hawk 1. broad-winged hawk 13.
red-tailed hawk 5. American kestrel 21. merlin 6. peregrine falcon 4.
unID’d raptor 2. TOTAL 227 plus 53 Monarchs.
Visitors: Not many birds so as an exercise I record all of today’s
“guests”: Mitchell Byrd, Will & Beth Russell, Brian Finch, Bob & Judy Lynn, Jim
Olmes, Duane Schilling, Steve & Marge Pitcher, Harold Burks, Rich & Barbara
Kantor, Melody & Tim Osborne, Kim Cook, Mike Gray, Mike & Edie Daharsh, Betrand
Hamel, and the Pitts family from Charlottesville: John, Jim, Cora, Jeff and
Grover. I believe Grover is the 91-year-old gentleman, former prof. of
physiology at the U. of VA medical school.
Non-human, avian taxa: both kinglets, 3 Wood Ducks, a Wilson’s
Snipe, 2 Red-headed Woodpeckers, a House Wren, a Red-breasted Nuthatch, 1
Common Loon, 1 Bank & 1 rough-winged swallow, 1 Chimney Swift. My memory is of
a blue, cloudless sky and high raptors - a rough row to hoe. I got wind that
Jethro Runco banded a Clay-colored Sparrow today, caught in the 15 nets he’s
deployed at ESVNWR for a William Mary study he and Shannon Ehlers are
conducting.
October 9, Friday. Beautiful, BRIGHT green katydid on the yurt
railing at night. Bob Anderson and Thuy Tran count 116 raptors at Seaside.
Steve Emslie and his UNC-Wilmington students are on hand. I take Mitchell Byrd
and Julie Kacmarcik to Seaside where, 10:15-12:30, we find 4 Brant, 110 White
Ibis, 2 Least Sandpipers, 1 Whimbrel, 12 oystercatchers, and 60 Willets. Bob
and Thuy have heard a Virginia Rail and a Marsh Wren. Mitchell is full of
interesting information as always, says there are 602 Bald Eagle nests in
Virginia this year, 43 of them on the VA Eastern Shore, where some 40 years ago
there was only one. He also remarked that Aberdeen Proving Ground in MD has 26
nests. Mitchell says there are now 42 Red-cockaded Woodpeckers in VA, also up,
from 9 at their lowest ebb.
An imm. White-crowned Sparrow forages near the hawkwatch platform.
osprey 46. bald eagle 9. northern harrier 5. sharp-shinned hawk 85.
Cooper’s hawk 23. broad-winged hawk 1. American kestrel 50. merlin 24.
peregrine falcon 53. TOTAL 296. Georgia tags c. 90 Monarchs. 16 American
Crows.
October 10, Saturday. A slow day. Get to the platform early and
shrug off an early Osprey and peregrine but they turn out to be the 18,000th
raptor and 1000th peregrine for the year respectively. Hans Gabler visits with
his well-behaved springer spaniel. Five peregrines captured today by Bob
Chapman, 20 so far this fall. Two are shown on the platform, one a 2Y female,
along with a 2Y female Sharp-shinned Hawk. Glenn & Audrey Turner are also here
accompanied by Brian & Melody Inburg. Great Blue Herons pass over: 9, 3, 1,
and 1. Winds all over the ball park, variously SW, NE, and NW with some
sprinkles. One Barn Swallow.
osprey 77. bald eagle 4. northern harrier 4. sharp-shinned hawk
106. Cooper’s hawk 44. broad-winged hawk 3. red-tailed hawk 2. American
kestrel 22. merlin 39. peregrine falcon 30. TOTAL 331.
October 11, Sunday. Morning low of 48, the coldest morning of my
17-day visit. Today is the annual Big Sit with Calvin Brennan, Brian Taber,
and myself as the principal sitters. We detect 81 species, close to the
record, with a Dickcissel, 13 Wood Ducks, 11 Great Egrets, 13 raptor species, 2
Great Horned & 2 Eastern Screech-owls, a Horned Lark, 6 warbler species, 5
sparrows, and a Baltimore Oriole. Bluebird is missed. Great Blue Herons go
over in small configurations of 5, 1, 1, 2, 4, 1 and 2. After dinner Brian
returns to the platform in darkness and nets today’s last species, a BCNH,
minutes after I hear 2 over the yurt headed his way. A big imm. female
Red-tailed Hawk capture is shown around the platform. The 1st Blue Jay flight
of the season here but with no more than 100 or so birds.
osprey 44. bald eagle 21. northern harrier 26. sharp-shinned
hawk 194. Cooper’s hawk 106. red-shouldered hawk 1. broad-winged hawk 15.
red-tailed hawk 11. American kestrel 72. merlin 24. peregrine falcon 29.
TOTAL 543.
Big fish feeding frenzy out past the concrete ships and to a lesser
extent on the landward side of the ships goes on for nearly an hour. Bluefish?
About 65 Killdeer pass in 3 flocks. Deniz Aygen and Steve Emslie with his
class from UNC-Wilmington revisit. Clear, cool, 48-74, NE5. Baron & Tina
Gibson leave. Brian Taber overnights in the yurt again.
October 12, Monday, Columbus Day. Brian Taber leaves the yurt
early. I hear a YCNH go over plus a Great Horned Owl. Bob Anderson and Thuy
Tran get wind of my departure and show up to help bring down all my gear to the
car. As I load up they pull a fast one, sweep out the yurt before I know it.
Can’t escape birds even with this busyness and we see a harrier and 2
Sharp-shinned Hawks while loading. Left out on the picnic table for a couple
of minutes is the garbage bag. An extremely furry Gray Squirrel with a fine,
bushy tail is apprehended in flagrante delicto, has chewed a hole in the bottom
of the bag. This is the end of the annual highpoint of my year and the usual
mild melancholia affects me as I drive out the park entrance.
Oyster, VA. 9:45 A.M. Cool, overcast, strong NE wind, gloomy and
a too low tide but there are 54 oystercatchers, 8 Marbled Godwits, 12 Willets,
45 Black-bellied Plovers, a Caspian Tern, 20 Dunlin, and 2 ad. Bald Eagles, the
latter flying low over the harbor.
A minor recreation is spotting the nice Virginia Birding and
Wildlife Trail signs as I go up Rt. 600. Many of them have gaping holes, like
the wounds in ‘Terminator’, that look as if a 12-gauge rifled slug may have
been involved.
Willis Wharf. 11:15-11:45. Real low tide but the shorebirds are
here anyway: 57 Marbled Godwits, 60 Willets, 2 Short-billed Dowitchers, and 2
Killdeer plus 30 Forster’s Terns. On the flats just west of the bridge are 45
Canada Geese, a Pied-billed Grebe in the gut, 6 American Black Ducks, 20
Mallards, and a splendid ad. GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, the latter resting
then walking around in the mud at 100 yards. I am able to easily see with the
32X scope that it is unbanded. It lunges at a black duck. I run into Bob &
Judy Lynn and tell them about the GWFG, which I hope they get to see. The
unmistakable bouquet of burning pot envelops the area around the post office.
Pocomoke City, MD. A flock of 600 cowbirds foraging on the road
shoulders.
Egypt Road, MD. A female Sharp-shinned Hawk is perched on the
phone pole wire right out in the middle of the big field.
Blackwater N.W.R., MD. A quick drive through just to make sure the
refuge is still there. It is. 1 Caspian & 40 Forster’s terns, the American
White Pelican is still at Sewards on the Little Blackwater River, 4 Greater
Yellowlegs, 1 Great Egret, 4 Bald Eagles, 7 Ruddy Ducks (out on Blackwater
River), and 5 cormorants.
Rigby’s Folly, Ferry Neck, MD. 6:10 P.M. until dark only. 3
White-throated Sparrows, my first of this fall, 65 Fish Crows, 4 Monarchs. In
Field 4 are a 4-point, a 6-point, and a 7-point buck. Overcast becoming fair,
NE 10, 57 degrees F., cool.
Today’s drive of 170+ miles from Kiptopeke to Rigby’s Folly is
characterized by large groups of starlings, often hundreds at a time, perched
on phone wires, 11 groups in total.
October 13, Tuesday. Rigby’s Folly. Clear then with broken cloud
cover, cool, 57, SW 10. Monarchs are everywhere, widespread. 3 ad. Bald
Eagles fly low and close over the cove, headed NE. 1 Snowy Egret, 3 Common
Loons, 1 phoebe, 2 catbirds, 2 sharpies, 1 Cooper’s, 215 Canada Geese, 13
Turkey Vultures, 1 Forster’s & 2 Royal terns, and 2 towhees. A dead Raccoon on
the driveway, probably the same disabled one seen alive by Mary and Anne the
weekend of Oct. 3-4. Earlier they’d seen yet another Raccoon that was
disabled. A doe with 2 large fawns. Leave at 11 A.M. At Royal Oak: a hen
Wild turkey with 6 capable-of-flight poults. Best regards to all. –
Harry Armistead, Philadelphia.
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