FreeLists / va-bird / [va-bird] Clark's Grebe, Red-necked Grebe at Fort Story

["Clark.David" <David.Clark@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi folks,

Yesterday afternoon (Jan. 1) around 3:00, during a break in the rain, I went
to Fort Story in Virginia Beach to look for the Clark's Grebe.  When I
arrived at the Harbormaster Headquarters John Getgood was already on the
scene with his scope aimed out to sea.  He gave me the good news that the
grebe was still present, but was under water at that moment.  Within 5
minutes it resurfaced about a hundred yards offshore giving stunning views.
My thanks to Tom Gwynn and Don Schwab for finding and reporting the bird,
and to John for making it ridiculously easy to add this lifer to my list.  

I stayed around for about an hour before the rain returned.  There was a
large group of Bonapartes Gulls just offshore, right in front of the parking
area.  The group grew continuously while I was there, reaching something in
the neighborhood of 2500 birds.  Despite a thorough search at relatively
close range, I was unable to detect any unusual gulls in the flock.  I did,
however, have the good fortune to see a Red-necked Grebe fly in and land a
couple of hundred yards to the east. A dull and dingy creature compared to
the Clark's, but a really nice bird nevertheless.  What a great start to
2003!  

Happy new year everybody!

David Clark
Norfolk, VA





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