My husband Lee and I birded Gloucester Point beach area (on the York River,
across from Yorktown, beneath the Coleman Bridge) today between 1 and 2pm.
As soon as we arrived, an adult Peregrine Falcon flew low overhead and
landed in a spot directly below the bridge span. We walked over and could
not find the bird but did see the bottom of a large nest near the area
where it flew in.
We continued birding around the parking lot and observed 26 Rock Pigeons
sitting in their usual spot on power lines. Shortly after that, the pigeons
scattered and we saw two adult Peregrines in pursuit. They put on quite a
show though neither came up with a meal while we were there.
The Hampton Roads Bird Club reported a pair of Peregrine Falcons in the
same spot on its November 14 field trip, so we assume this is the same
pair. We can only speculate if they nested there this past summer. We'll
visit the spot more often so we can monitor their activity more closely.
The other highlights today were Northern Gannets and Brown Pelicans flying
over the river. Complete list of 13 species below.
Meredith
Bell
Hayes, VA
13 species - Gloucester Point beach
Bufflehead 15
Horned Grebe 1
Northern Gannet 6
Double-crested Cormorant 28
Brown Pelican 3
Black Vulture 3
Turkey Vulture 13
Bald Eagle (adult) 1
Ring-billed Gull 37
Herring Gull 8
Great Black-backed Gull 4
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 26
Peregrine Falcon 2
