Adam D'Onofrio refound the White-faced Ibis at Ramp Road pond this morning
around 8:00 a.m., according to Sue Heath. David Clark found this bird here
the
previous morning. A female Northern Pintail is also here, among American
Black Ducks and Green-winged Teal; pintails can be very scarce in southern
Northampton County. Also present between Kiptopeke and the Eastern Shore of
Virginia NWR over the past four days have been Cave Swallows; a count of 6
yesterday was the highest for the season so far. A Northern Rough-winged
Swallow was
at Cape Charles yesterday, and Magotha Road had 5 Vesper Sparrows. The
juvenile American Golden-Plover along Seaview Road, about 1/2 mile west of its
intersection with Seaside Road, was last seen being harassed by a large female
Peregrine Falcon yesterday afternoon; many other shorebirds are along this road
(including Dunlin, dowitchers, turnstones, Black-bellied Plovers, and
Killdeer), and most of the same species are along Arlington Road at Wheat Lane.
Two
Wilson's Snipe were in Cape Charles's Central Park this morning. Red-breasted
Nuthatches have been abundant, and Pine Siskins relatively common, although
feeders have had mostly goldfinches. I don't know of any hummingbirds in the
county yet. The winter finches and other goodies to our north portend a very,
very interesting winter for Virginia. Northern Saw-whet Owl captures in
southern Northampton County have been extremely high (up to 45/night, I have
heard).
Ned Brinkley
Cape Charles, VA
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