VA-Birders,
It was another great weekend on the shore. Hurricane Noel got me and my family
there with the idea of getting storm birds blown ashore, but that never
materialized with the wind direction being all wrong. It was quite birdy
despite the disappointment, as I registered 128 species between 1 PM Saturday
and 1 PM Sunday staying largely on Chincoteague Island, the Refuge, and various
side roads south of the refuge off Atlantic Avenue. I learned a lot about
birding the area on this trip in particular, despite visiting numerous times
before. The complete composite list is below with notation next to the notable
species.
I'm happy to provide additional info on most species below, or provide specific
location data with numbers to anyone who wants it.
Jay Keller,
Arlington
Greater White-fronted Goose - juvenile among large flock of Snow Geese on Refuge
Snow Goose - thousands flying btw Snow Goose Pool and the wildlife drive on
Refuge
Ross's Goose - 8 of them, including a juv blue morph with Snows
Brant - 15 at Queen Sound Landing on the causeway
Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Gadwall
American Wigeon
American Black Duck
Mallard
Blue-winged Teal
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Greater Scaup - 2 offshore, 2 in Snow Goose Pool
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter - 1 amid large flock of Surfs offshore 11/3
Black Scoter
Bufflehead
Hooded Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Northern Bobwhite
Red-throated Loon
Common Loon
Pied-billed Grebe
Horned Grebe
Northern Gannet - just 1 young bird offshore today
Brown Pelican
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Cormorant - 3 with large flock of DC's over beach on 11/3
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Little Blue Heron - 1 in on Refuge tree near trad. pony area
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Osprey - 1 overhead at Chincoteague beach on 11/4
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Rough-legged Hawk - 1 light phase juv bird flying and hovering over causeway
11/3
American Kestrel
Merlin
Peregrine Falcon - flew over Refuge Woodland Trail 11/4
Clapper Rail
Virginia Rail
Black-bellied Plover
Killdeer
American Oystercatcher - At Queen Sound and in Tom's Cove 11/3,4
Greater Yellowlegs
Willet
Lesser Yellowlegs
Sanderling
Least Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper - 2 near beach on Snow Goose Pool
Dunlin
American Woodcock - 1 scared off roadside in headlights along Taylor Farm Rd
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 2 resting on beach 11/3, not 11/4
Great Black-backed Gull
Forster's Tern
Royal Tern
Black Skimmer - 3 flying south offshore 11/4
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Great Horned Owl
Long-eared Owl - 1 calling along one of the roads south of Rte 175
Belted Kingfisher
Red-headed Woodpecker - 1 chattering in trees along Nock's Landing Rd, I believe
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Phoebe
Western Kingbird - With flock of Robins in pines of Hallie Smith Drive, Chinco
Island
American Crow
Fish Crow
Tree Swallow
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch - Woodland Trail on Refuge 11/4
Brown-headed Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Winter Wren
Sedge Wren - Hallie Smith Dr, Chincoteague Island
Marsh Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Eastern Bluebird
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher
European Starling
American Pipit
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Pine Warbler
Palm Warbler
American Redstart - Adult male seen by my wife across from Tom's Cove VC at
Refuge
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Snow Bunting - 5 resting in dunes of Refuge beach, 1 in near full breeding
plumage
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Rusty Blackbird
Common Grackle
Boat-tailed Grackle
Purple Finch - Flying over Hallie Smith Dr
House Finch
Pine Siskin - Flock of 5 flying over beach dunes on Refuge, 11/3
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow