FreeLists / va-bird / [va-bird] Cape Charles 2002 CBC full report

[Henry Armistead <74077.3176@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

2002 Annotated list:  Cape Charles-Kiptopeke, VA, 38th Christmas Bird
Count, preliminary results.  37o 12'N, 75o 56'W.  Center 1.5 miles
southeast of Capeville PO just south of Dunton Cove to include the south
end of Ship Shoal and all of Myrtle, Fisherman, Mockhorn, and Smith
islands, Kiptopeke, Oyster, and Cape Charles to 3 miles west into
Chesapeake Bay.  Elevation 0-65 feet.  5:30 A.M.-6 P.M.  December 27, 2002.
 

Clear.  28-40 degrees F.  Wind NW 15-5 m.p.h. or less.  c. 10% of
protected, still and/or fresh water frozen.  Wild food crop good.  Tide
sequence:  low to high in early afternoon to falling at end of daylight
period.  43 observers in 9 sectors (9-20 parties).  Total party hours 144: 
114 by foot, 27 by car, 3 by boat plus 2 owling;  total party miles 346: 
80 by foot, 256 by car, 10 by boat plus 8 owling.   

Thanks to all who participated on a beautiful, cool but sunny day with
moderate winds weakening during the course of the afternoon.  Please pay
special attention to the annotations, especially those showing the 32 year
averages (see next paragraph).  Detecting trends is what the counts are all
about.  This year most dabbling ducks, coots, Brant, and Brown-headed
Nuthatches were a disaster.  Fish-eating birds, esp. loons, pelicans,
gannets, cormorants, are mostly doing very well. 13 species of sparrows is
good (not counting towhee and junco), but 7 heron types, 27 waterfowl, 11
raptors, 17 shorebirds, 6 gulls, 4 owls and 6 woodpeckers are merely
average for here.  I've cut numbers of some easily double-counted species,
such as vultures, gannets, some blackbirds, eagles, Tree Swallows, etc.,
most by one third.

17/38 = seen on 17 of 38 counts, etc.    + = new high count.  - = new low
count.  M = average no. seen ea. yr. on the 1st 32 counts, 1965-1996.  T =
tie.

red-throated loon 1135+ (previous high 505 in 1984; M68).  common loon 208.
 pied-billed grebe 27.  horned grebe 178 (most since 241 in 1988). 
northern gannet 4648 (2nd highest; 14,100 in 2001).  brown pelican 234+
(previous high 25 in 1984; 14/38; 1st seen in 1984; 9 straight years
1991-1999).  great cormorant 70 (3rd highest).  double-crested cormorant
178.  American bittern 0 (1st miss; M5; 16 in 1972).  great blue heron 74. 
great egret 3.  snowy egret 2 (M13).  little blue heron 7.  tricolored
heron 6 (M13).  black-crowned night heron 1-T (M32).  white ibis 82 (2nd
highest; 9/38).  black vulture 88 (missed 6X 1965-1975, high of 10 in that
period).  turkey vulture 474+ (M165). 

tundra swan 54.  snow goose 486.  blue goose 3.  brant 678 (M3247).  Canada
goose 2326 + Canada (Richardson's) goose 1 (4/36).  wood duck 9. 
green-winged teal 39 (M127).  American black duck 400 (M1302).  mallard 220
(M789).  mallard X American black duck hybrid 1.  northern pintail 2-
(M86).  northern shoveler 52.  gadwall 560 (M181).  American wigeon 428. 
redhead 1.  ring-necked duck 42.  greater scaup 5.  lesser scaup 23.  scaup
sp. 2.  harlequin duck 1 (7/38; GR,RS).  long-tailed duck 146.  black
scoter 1241 (M592).  surf scoter 3510 (M2768).  white-winged scoter 36. 
scoter sp. 486.  common goldeneye 15 (M142).  bufflehead 820 (M1822). 
hooded merganser 321 (M148).  common merganser 4.  red-breasted merganser
6648 (2nd highest; 11,465 in 1991).  ruddy duck 14.  

bald eagle 35+ (52 reported; previous high 20; missed 1st 7 yrs. of count;
M2).  northern harrier 52.  sharp-shinned hawk 36 (3rd highest; 56 in
1970).  Cooper's hawk 20+ (previous high 13 in 1995; 9 seen 5X). 
red-shouldered hawk 13+ (11 seen 2X; M5).  red-tailed hawk 57 (M76). 
American kestrel 45.  merlin 4 (M2).  peregrine falcon 4 (M3).  wild turkey
17 (5/38, all since 1994).  northern bobwhite 37 (M114).  clapper rail 53
(M60).  Virginia rail 9.  sora 1.  American coot 9 (M128).  

black-bellied plover 655 (M566).  semipalmated plover 49 (3rd highest; 5
sectors).  piping plover 1 (color-banded; Smith Island; seen 10 of 12
counts 1965-1976; only 4X since 1979).  killdeer 75.  American
oystercatcher 193 (M333).  greater yellowlegs 107 (M107).  lesser
yellowlegs 6.  willet 217 (4 sectors; M75).  whimbrel 0 (30/38; M4). 
marbled godwit 28 (31/38; M39).  ruddy turnstone 115.  sanderling 785. 
western sandpiper 81 (M209).  least sandpiper 14.  peep sp. 70.  dunlin
8084 (M8353).  short-billed dowitcher 92 (M33).  Wilson's snipe 3 (M18). 
American woodcock 37 (M81).  laughing gull 2 (scarce here; all-time high is
6, 2X).  Bonaparte's gull 363.  ring-billed gull 3456.  herring gull 2418. 
lesser black-backed gull 2 (9/38).  great black-backed gull 1039. 
Forster's tern 2 (often scarce here; M14).

rock dove 424.  mourning dove 641 (M515).  eastern screech-owl 17 (M21). 
great horned owl 19 (M15).  long-eared owl 1 (9/38; CT,GT,JT).  short-eared
owl 1 (Smith Island; numbers have been down for years; M5).  rufous
hummingbird 1 (new for the count; banded by Mary Gustafson & Bruce
Peterjohn on Dec. 13; an immature female at Ned Brinkley's feeder in Cape
Charles; DS,DW,TS).  belted kingfisher 35.  red-bellied woodpecker 79
(M44).  yellow-bellied sapsucker 24 (M7; 2nd highest; high is 27).  downy
woodpecker 60.  hairy woodpecker 8.  northern flicker 91 (M214; has been
way down for years).  

pileated woodpecker 8 (5 parties; often missed in early yrs. of count). 
eastern phoebe 20 (ties 2nd highest; 60 in 1998).  Blue-headed Vireo 2+T
(PL,EM,BF,JB; 14/38).  horned lark 100 (M123).  tree swallow 457+ (previous
high 254; 27/38; M12).  blue jay 133.  American crow 573.  fish crow 6
(M78; strangely scarce on many regional coastal counts; highest was 627). 
crow sp. 6.  Carolina chickadee 170.  tufted titmouse 65.  brown-headed
nuthatch 1-T (low; in serious decline in MD & VA; 117 in 1974, 109 in 1971;
low counts set in in 1976).  

brown creeper 11.  Carolina wren 322 (M262).  house wren 12 (M18).  winter
wren 21 (M25).  sedge wren 5 (M16).  marsh wren 3 (M18).  golden-crowned
kinglet 54.  ruby-crowned kinglet 55.  eastern bluebird 264 (4th highest;
M56; highest count from 1965-1988 was 79).  hermit thrush 122 (T 3rd
highest; M47).  American robin 934.  gray catbird 38 (29 on Fisherman's
Island!).  northern mockingbird 116.  brown thrasher 26 (2nd highest; M12).
 American pipit 164 (M521).  cedar waxwing 135.  European starling 2389. 
orange-crowned warbler 3 (M2).  yellow-rumped (myrtle) warbler 3690.   pine
warbler 24 (3rd highest; M11).  palm warbler 47.  common yellowthroat 1.  

northern cardinal 396 (M347).  eastern towhee 107.  American tree sparrow 1
(PL).  chipping sparrow 89.  field sparrow 265.  vesper sparrow 1 (M23). 
Savannah (Ipswich) sparrow 10 (M8).  Savannah sparrow 201.  saltmarsh
sharp-tailed sparrow 1.  Nelson's sharp-tailed sparrow 3.  sharp-tailed
sparrow sp. 6 (M59 sharp-tailed sparrow complex).  seaside sparrow 12.  fox
sparrow 258 (2nd highest, 317 in 1970; M69; declining regionally but as
many as 236 in 1993; for some reason this is a good area for them).  song
sparrow 501.  swamp sparrow 181.  white-throated sparrow 808 (M1859). 
white-crowned sparrow 2 (2 sectors).  dark-eyed (slate-colored) junco 265
(M169).   

red-winged blackbird 13,160.  eastern meadowlark 105 (M366).  rusty
blackbird 15 (3 sectors).  Brewer's blackbird 2+T (RLAk,SH,TD;  relocated
12/29 by TD,SH; 5/38).  common grackle 9611.  boat-tailed grackle 243
(M1115).  brown-headed cowbird 545.  Baltimore oriole 1 (DW,DS,TS; 7/38; an
adult male present for some time at a feeder in Cape Charles).  purple
finch 0;  house finch 143 (M111).  American goldfinch 386 (M366).  house
sparrow 60 (M211).

totals:  156 species (M163), 83,011 individuals (M80,796).  
 
Dramatis personae (with no. of years of participation):  Bob Ake (10;
RLAk), Bob Anderson (26), George Armistead (18), Henry Armistead (38;
compiler:  523 E. Durham St., Philadelphia, PA 19119-1225;  215-248-4120; 
harryarmistead@xxxxxxxxxxx), Mel Baughman (2), James Beard (3), Ruth
Boettcher (2), Ned Brinkley (16), Mitchell Byrd (31), Jack Carroll (1), Bob
& Linda Cole (1 ea.), Allan Cristol (1), Dan Cristol (15), Doug Davis (24),
Todd Day (1), Andrew Feinberg (1), Bettye Fields (9), Susan Heath (2),
Karen Heatwole (2), Nathaniel Kahn (2), Teta Kain (17), Yann Kolbeinsson
(1), Bev Leeuwenburg (4), Paul Lehman (1), Eileen Mathers (1), Gina
Reppucci (1), Ben & Betsy Saunders (1 ea.), Tom Saunders (3), Don Schwab
(13), Matt Sharp (16), Ray Shield (1), Jared Sparks (9), Paul Sykes (37),
Thuy Tran (9), Craig & Glenn Turner (3 ea.), John Turner (1), David
Whitehurst (3), Bill Williams (27), Townley Wolfe (27), Joy Yoder (1). 

Seen at Kiptopeke State Park Dec. 29:  a 1st winter California Gull (TD,SH)
for the count period.

For access to restricted areas, lodging, great meals, and other services
grateful appreciation is extended to Susan Rice and the staff of Eastern
Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge, the staff of the Virginia Coast
Reserve of the Nature Conservancy, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel
District, Sting-Ray's Restaurant staff, the Peacock Motor Inn, and David
Summers and Cameron Barnas of Kiptopeke State Park.

You're invited to take part in the 71st and 72nd Dorchester County, MD,
spring bird counts on May 3 & 10, 2003.  These comprise the Blackwater
N.W.R. area as well as Elliott and Hooper's Islands.  If you do this you
are most welcome to stay at our family farm near Oxford, MD.  Do the
all-nighter marsh vigil, join me in progress, or cover an area on your own.
 Best wishes to you for a fine year in 2003.  I hope to see you next
December if not before.-H. T. A. 
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