Hi VA Birders,
Below is my report for last week-end's trip. Watch for photos on the VSO
Facebook page later today.
Several people sent me some great shots of birds AND participants.
The weather was beautiful for the VSO field trip to Chincoteague on
September 15-17, and the 80 participants reported having a fabulous time!
We tallied 120 species, which included birds found on the Causeway,
Chincoteague Island and Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. Many
first-timers and new VSO members got several life birds and were assisted
by the more experienced attendees.
Many thanks to field trip leaders Jerry Via, Bill Akers, Bob Ake, Mike
Schultz, and Meredith Bell, who worked hard to ensure everyone had a great
experience. Friday evening we met to overview the weekend, and we enjoyed a
very informative presentation by Jerry on the effect of hurricanes on
birds.
Unfortunately, mosquitoes were at an all-time high on Assateague and the
wildlife loop had very few birds, so we made two adjustments to our
itinerary. We moved the Woodland Trail warbler walk to the Island Nature
Trail in Chincoteague, where mosquitoes were not a problem. We cancelled
the birding and biking trip (for the first time in more than 10 years), and
our group joined Bill Akers for the warbler walk. The S-SW winds did not
bring in the hoped-for warblers, yet we still had some nice birds on this
trail – a family of Red-headed Woodpeckers, an abundance of Brown-headed
Nuthatches, several American Redstarts and Northern Parula, and a
spectacular look at a Great-Horned Owl.
The boat trip was Saturday morning this year because it’s always scheduled
around low tide. Bob Ake and Mike Schultz did an outstanding job leading
the group. The 63 participants enjoyed close-up views of many species.
Highlights included a group of more than 1,000 White Ibis, a Peregrine
Falcon and a nice assortment of shorebirds and wading birds.
The two ever-popular bus trips to Wash Flats, led by Jerry Via, were sold
out with 25 passengers on each. Special sightings included Lark Sparrow,
Wild Turkey and a pair of Peregrine Falcons sitting side by side. At Tom’s
Cove and the beach, we found more than 50 Red Knots and a nice assortment
of Plovers, Terns and Gulls.
Now an annual tradition, several of us gathered at the beach just before
sunrise on Sunday to celebrate the lives of very special VSO members we
lost this past year: Clark White, Bob Abraham and Tom Armour. Those who
knew these individuals shared memories of their experiences. We began this
in 2015 to honor Ruth Beck and Peggy Opengari, who always loved to watch
the sunrise at the beach during this VSO field trip.
We’ve already locked in the 2018 dates, September 14-16. Mark your calendar
now and plan to join us for spectacular birding at a remarkable place!
Meredith Bell
VSO Field Trips Co-chair
Canada Goose
Gadwall
American Black Duck
Mallard
Blue-winged Teal
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Wild Turkey
Pied-billed Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Brown Pelican
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Little Blue Heron
Tricolored Heron
Cattle Egret
Green Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
White Ibis
Glossy Ibis
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Bald Eagle
Cooper’s Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Clapper Rail
Black-necked Stilt
American Oystercatcher
Black-bellied Plover
Semipalmated Plover
Piping Plover
Spotted Sandpiper
Greater Yellowlegs
Willet
Lesser Yellowlegs
Whimbrel
Marbled Godwit
Ruddy Turnstone
Red Knot
Sanderling
Dunlin
Least Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Short-billed Dowitcher
Bonaparte’s Gull
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Least Tern
Caspian Tern
Black Tern
Common Tern
Forster's Tern
Royal Tern
Sandwich Tern
Black Skimmer
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Great Horned Owl
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
Red-headed Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
American Kestrel
Merlin
Peregrine Falcon
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Fish Crow
Tree Swallow
Carolina Chickadee
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown-headed Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Black-and-white Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
Northern Parula
Magnolia Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Palm Warbler
Pine Warbler
Eastern Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Lark Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Grasshopper Sparrow
Summer Tanager
Northern Cardinal
Blue Grosbeak
Bobolink
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Boat-tailed Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Baltimore Oriole
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
