I was unable to find any of the less-common shorebird species on Arlington
Road, Northampton County this morning. The fields are very dry now, and the
cold front may have prompted some species to depart. I saw four Least
Sandpipers, 22 Semipalmated Sandpipers, three Ruddy Turnstones, nine
Black-bellied Plovers this morning. Arun Bose found a young Lark Sparrow at
Sunset Beach that I was lucky to see before a golf cart flushed it from the
road, though it could still be in the area. Very little "sky traffic" at
Sunset Beach this morning, and I have yet to see my first Philadelphia Vireo
of the year! A young Black-billed Cuckoo was perched in the trees in the
new development on the east side of Arlington Road, just north of Kiptopeke
State Park, the first of the season for me.
Ned Brinkley
Cape Charles, Va.
