Just time for a quick report after battling bad traffic as I returned this
evening. It's late!
Started in Upper King William County at Riverwood (my property near
Beulahville) where i had great views of a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, a little
on the early side. Cicadas there were very loud and it was hard to hear any
birds (or frogs). Stops at the sod farms in King William didn't turn up much. I
ended the day way down at Bethel Beach in Mathews County, a place I have been
eager to get to because of all the great reports others have made from there. I
have only been once before (in winter) because of the distance it is from
Oakton. I was not disappointed. I had 6 tern species: 3 caspian, 3 sandwich, 2
common, 12 least (chicks are now flying), 35-40 royal, and 35-40 forsters.
Also quite a few shorebirds including 1 white-rumped sandpiper, 1 ruddy
turnstone, 5 willets, 3 black-bellied plover, 2 greater yellowlegs, 55
semipalmated plover, over 50 semipalmated sandpiper, 5 least, 1 dunlin, 18
sanderling, and over 30 short-billed dowitchers (all of
which were immatures in rich crisp plumage). As I walked the road through the
marsh I heard 22 clapper rails and saw 17 seaside sparrows(carefully looking at
each one to check for salt marsh sparrows).
To bed. First faculty meetings of the year tomorrow.
Yikes.
I hope you all have a great fall migration!
Frederick D. Atwood fredatwood@xxxxxxxxx
Flint Hill School, 10409 Academic Dr, Oakton, VA 22124
703-242-1675
http://www.agpix.com/fredatwood
http://www.flinthill.org
http://tea.armadaproject.org/tea_atwoodfrontpage.html
