the greater KIPTOPEKE STATE PARK, VIRGINIA, area, NOVEMBER 7-13, 2007.
Some of this I've reported previously to some of you on the days when it
happened. A few corrections and many additions appear below. The banding
totals are unofficial and preliminary, as are some of the hawk counts.
November 7, 2007, Wednesday. Chincoteague N.W.R., VA. Late afternoon.
Still very dry in spite of recent rains. Snow Goose Pool has some areas of
standing water, not much more than a skim really, and water in the ditches.
15 Great & 12 Snowy egrets. 1 Black-crowned Night Heron. 30 Dunlin. 12
Boat-tailed Grackles. 1 Royal & 15 Forster's terns. 2 gannets. 225 Snow
& 10 Blue geese. 2 Ruddy Ducks. 4 shovelers. 2 pintails. 2 kingfishers.
60 Green-winged Teal. 1 sharpie. Also: a great look at a Fox Squirrel on
the road. 3 Sika Elk. 7 ponies.
Groups from Kendlewood, a Quaker retirement community near Philadelphia,
and Virginia garden clubs are present today. One of the ladies from
Kendlewood rolls down her window, her only words, surveying Snow Goose
Pool, "Isn't this sad?" Run into David Whitehurst.
2 miles N of where Rt. 679 goes E from N of Accomac: a Bald Eagle, 4:30
P.M. Willis Wharf at sunset, the tide is wrong, see only 8 Willets and a
Greater Yellowlegs. 5:05 P.M.
Thursday, November 8. Kiptopeke State Park hawkwatch platform.
Jeff Birek is laid low by the bug, so, to my surprise, the conduct of
today's hawk count falls to me. From 8 A.M. - 4 P.M. I see 14 raptor
species, only 56 of them non-vultures, but one is a GOLDEN EAGLE early in
the day (c. 8:45 A.M.), another is an imm. NORTHERN GOSHAWK at 3:42 P.M.
The golden is seen earlier that morning at Sunset Beach Resort by David
Matson and his colleague, Carlos Espul, visiting from Mendoza, Argentina.
An imm. Red-shouldered Hawk is hanging around the adjacent fields and
pounces on a grasshopper one time. Jeff says it also feeds on mantises.
In an earlier post I'd misID'd this as a Red-tail. No northbound migration
today.
RAPTOR RECAP: 227 TOTAL = 32 Black & 139 Turkey vultures, 3 Ospreys, 12
Bald Eagles, 5 Northern Harriers, 11 Sharp-shinned, 5 Cooper's, 1
Red-shouldered & 23 Red-tailed hawks, 1 imm. Golden Eagle, 1 Northern
Goshawk, 1 American Kestrel, 1 Merlin, 1 Peregrine Falcon, and 1 unID'd
raptor. Many of the Bald Eagles and vultures are not counted today if they
do not seem to be migrating, are just lollygagging around instead. Robert
Klages mans the hawktrapping station so Joe Medley can take the GREs. A
Red-tailed Hawk is his only capture today.
Also at KSP: at least 4 CAVE SWALLOWS. a flight of 2,557 American Robins.
a flyby imm. Tundra Swan. 7 Royal Terns. 185 goldfinches. 4 Common
Loons. a Wilson's Snipe. 25 Surf Scoters. 9 Blue Geese go over, heading
due SSW across the Bay. 3 Great Blue Herons. Almost every time I do a
scan 1 or more Bald Eagles are in sight.
Visitors to the hawkwatch platform: Deniz Aygen and her little
16-month-old daughter, whose name escapes me, Jethro Runco, Robert Klages,
David & Carlos, and Harold Burks. Jethro and his assistant, Dee Viel, band
over 200 landbirds today.
As with the other 4 days I spend here now, the feeders swarm with
goldfinches, often 20 or more at a time, and good numbers of Red-breasted
Nuthatches and Pine Siskins. Gannets are in view almost continuously over
the Bay. The high count of siskins at the feeders reached 16 in sight
simultaneously.
39 Northern Saw-whet Owls were banded last night by Shannon Ehlers, 3 of
them foreign recoveries. Jethro catches 2 others in the landbird nets.
Friday, November 9. Spend 7:15-3:15 on the hawkwatch platform. Not as
many raptors but there is a Golden Eagle at 12:49 P.M. Robins are good
again with c. 2,310. Cormorant flight: c. 695. 80 Laughing Gulls. 11
Wood Ducks. 1 Cave Swallow spotted by Jeff. 5 Bald Eagles in sight
simultaneeosuly. 2 Rusty Blackbirds. 7 flickers, the "best" day for them
of these 5 days. 95 Fish Crows.
Last night 49 (!) saw-whet owls were banded. Abby Odell sends me over a
delicious breakfast of eggs, bacon & biscuits after providing a
soul-warming repast at the yurt for some of the others. There's a 6-point
buck near the platform.
Ramp Lane, 4-5:30 P.M. Talk with Adam Folk from Tom's River, and Hank
Jones. Hank runs a clamming business; he's the one who owns the very nice
marsh cabin near Thoms Creek. At Ramp Lane: 11 imm. White Ibis, 5 Clapper
Rails (one swimming across the Intracostal Waterway), 1 American Bittern, 9
black ducks, 3 Black-crowned Night, 5 Great Blue & 2 Tricolored herons, 2
Great & 1 Snowy egret, 12 Dunlin, 12 Wood Ducks, 1 Green-winged Teal, 3
Short-billed Dowitchers, 12 Brown Pelicans, 2 Greater Yellowlegs, 4 Bald
Eagles, 1 Northern Harrier & a sharpie.
TREE SWALLOW ROOST. Not huge as used to happen at Oyster but I watch c.
200 form the after-sunset, swirling helix rather high up, then descend to
within a few feet over the Spartina alterniflora marsh. The flock wends
back and forth at this low elevation, turning 44 times, before FINALLY
descending into the center of the saltmarsh across the ICW at 5:16 P.M.
EST, by which time it's almost dark. 4 boats come in from the bays. Their
operators pull them and trailer off. 3 unsuccessful hunters (muzzleloading
season is on) come out of the woods. A few minutes later I see 6 deer.
A quick Mexican dinner at Don Valerio's and then meet with others (Tad
Finnell, John Fox, Larry Lynch, Ned Brinkley [the coordinator], Sue Heath
et al.) at Kelly's Pub to plan, most informally, for tomorrow's "rarities
roundup weekend". Others on hand tomorrow will include Bill Williams,
Brian Taber, John Spahr, Dave Clark, and Paul Nasca.
Saturday, November 10. Rain and gloom early on then gradually clearing,
becoming windy and cold. Most of the much-needed rain falls in the
pre-dawn darkness. From the platform:
2 Red-throated Loons, 10 Pine Siskins, an ad. female peregrine, 1 Barn & 5
or more Cave swallows, 1 Merlin, 2 sapsuckers, 10 Common Loons, 65
migrating scoters & 30 gannets. My favorite: an American Golden Plover
that flies behind us but close that Brian heard before we saw it. Also,
one doe.
Others today see: Black-and-white Warbler, Baltimore Oriole, and
Dickcissel (Bill Williams and John Spahr). At Ramp Lane Dave Clark calls
in a WHITE-FACED IBIS to Todd Day over in the Washington area who in turn
reaches Bill Williams a few minutes after the Ibis' discovery in the middle
of the C.V.W.O. meeting. Sue Heath and Tad Finnell find a WESTERN KINGBIRD
up near Nassawadox.
In mid-afternoon the Odells provide food for the multitudes on the
platform: delicious upstate Pennsylvania meats, brownies, apples,
cornbread, and cider. I have 4 meals today. Attend the annual meeting of
the Coastal Virginia Wildlife Observatory at Sunset Beach Resort from 3-6.
Sunday, November 11. Veterans Day.
Ramp Lane, 7:15-8:30 A.M. Good, close views, some 75 feet or less, of the
White-faced Ibis by several of us, Brian Taber, Paul Nasca, Steve
Thornhill, John Fox et al. The eyes are bright red. The legs are a
reddish suffused with blackish hues, sort of the color of the stalks of
chokeberries. Extensively photographed. Other birds there, most of them
tame and unconcerned with our presence: 9 imm. White Ibis, 16 Greater
Yellowlegs, 13 Green-winged Teal, 5 Hooded Mergansers, 30 American Black
Ducks, 3 Short-billed Dowitchers (heard), 24 flyover Snow Geese, 2 Snowy
Egrets, an imm. Little Blue Heron, an Osprey, 55 Fish Crows, 3 Northern
Harriers, and 2 does. Others see a Sora here later in the day. Often the
ibis feeds in close proximity, within a foot or so, of the Little Blue and
a Snowy. Several times these 3 species are within a space of 3 feet or so.
In the evening, 4:30-5:30, Bob Anderson, Thuy Tran and I return along with
refuge volunteer Jan Larson and Dee Viel, have additional good views of the
ibis along with a late Cattle Egret. A huge distant and strung out skein
of cormorants numbers about 130 birds. The ibis lifts off at 4:40 and Bob
watches it through his Leica scope all the way to Fisherman's Island, where
it puts down into the shrubbery to roost. A Great Horned Owl calls in the
distance. Many of the birds present in the morning are still here. Two
woodcock against the glow of the western sky as we leave. 4 deer.
The rest of the day, 9-4:15, I'm at the K.S.P. hawkwatch, where the raptor
flight is a small one. But we see Cave Swallows again. Once I have 3 in
sight. Perhaps there are 7-8 here, hard to tell, plus a Barn Swallow
again. 57 Common Loons go over headed SW into the Bay including loose
aggregations of 19, 18, 11, and 6 with a couple of Red-throated Loons. Joe
Medley spots a hummingbird at the hummer feeder. The consensus is:
Ruby-throated. Well seen several times at close range. Once when,
unfortunately, no one else is there a flock of 30 Rusty Blackbirds flies
over.
Lots of visitation, unusual for November, including a New Jersey Audubon
Society group led by Scott Barnes. The Odells serve cake and ice cream to
celebrate the birthday of their twin girls. Eagle-eyed Zach Millen is also
down from the Lancaster area. Up at Arlington X Capeville roads Paul Nasca
and others find shorebirds west of Arlington in the big earth field:
perhaps 200 Dunlin, 25 Black-bellied Plovers, and 4 turnstones. Today's
very high tide probably the reason. 11 saw-whets were banded last night.
Dinner at the Eastville Inn with Bob and Thuy. Good food. A lot of
attractive overhead with prints of local scenes, game birds, and fish, guns
mounted on the walls. On the way in to the inn Bob points out Comet
Holmes, visible to the NE, a smudge of diffuse light c. 45 degrees up.
After 3 glasses of wine at the motel and a big martini at the inn I get
quite tipsy, but fortunately Bob is doing the driving.
Monday, November 12. Sam Stuart, hawkcounter a few years ago, visits. The
hummingbird is present again, comes right under the platform shelter. When
Jeff tells Sam the hummer almost perched on his shoulder (true), Sam
responds: "That would be O.K. if you're a miniature pirate." Forsooth. An
otherwise disappointing day; everwhere I went I saw less than expected. At
Kiptopeke State Park a flyover Red-throated Loon and good, close looks at
at least 8 Bald Eagles but little else. Later Jeff and Sam find a Lesser
Black-backed Gull at Chincoteague (Tom's Cove).
"LAKE MADDOX" just outside the park. Noon. A Ruddy Duck, a female Hooded
Merganser, 2 Pied-billed Grebes, and 3 American Coots on the pond along
with 60 Tree Swallows swoopin' over it. OYSTER, 1-2 P.M. 45 Brant, 75
American Oystercatchers, 8 Willets, 7 Greater Yellowlegs, 6 black ducks, 75
cormorants, 3 harriers, 1,025 Herring & 70 Great Black-backed gulls
(include gulls seen in the harbor and over the landfill), and a female
Bufflehead but no godwits or Black-bellied Plovers.
"CONSORTIUM HOUSE" just N of Oyster (now not in use?): 34 Turkey Vultures
right ON the house. OYSTER LANDFILL: 32 Black Vultures on the dump
towers, 135 Fish Crows near to them. MACHIPONGO (E end of Box Tree Road):
2 harriers and a Red-tailed Hawk, no shorebirds. S of MARIONVILLE a male
American Kestrel roadkill. Exquisite little falcon. What a waste. RED
BANK: Well ... really NOTHING worth noting. Flock of goldfinches. WILLIS
WHARF, 3:15 P.M., 13 Willets, 9 Hooded Mergansers, 3 Killdeer, 3 Greater
Yellowlegs, a Red-tailed Hawk, 2 kingfishers, and 165 Canada Geese spread
out over the flats. No godwits.
Pizza Hut at T's Corner. Geez. They don't even have spaghetti anymore.
Pickup truck there with tags: ICLAM4U. Nice dinner instead at Friendly's
in Pocomoke City.
Tuesday, November 13. George Reiger calls. He saw (and heard) a SANDHILL
CRANE flying with a small flock of Canada Geese on his place south of
Accomac today. Earlier this year he'd seen one there, the same bird, I
bet, I think it was in August.
BANDINGS & TAGGINGS. Some of Jethro Runco's late bandings here include an
Oct. 22 Worm-eating Warbler, a Nov. 8 Gray-cheeked Thrush, and a Nov. 7
Yellow-billed Cuckoo. He's also caught 5 Lincoln's Sparrows and 16
Red-breasted Nuthatches. Joe Medley has banded 25 Peregrine Falcons and
141 Merlins, 638 raptors overall, as of Nov. 10. Shannon Ehlers has banded
250 saw-whet owls. This fall the C.V.W.O. Monarch researcher, SharnaTollfree, with an assist or two from a few others, tagged 806 Monarchs.
