FreeLists / va-bird / [va-bird] Kiptopeke Labor Day Weekend

[Henry Armistead <74077.3176@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Labor Day Weekend, greater Kiptopeke State Park (K.S.P.) & Eastern Shore of
Virginia National Wildlife  (ESVNWR) area.

August 31, 2002, Sat.  Best Western-Sunset Beach Inn [hereafter designated
as S.B.I.], 6:25 - 8:15 A.M.  Overcast, NE 5-10, sprinkles and light rain,
65-70F.  A surprisingly good count considering the weather.  518 Eastern
Kingbirds, a Whimbrel, 413 unid. warblers, 95 Bobolinks & 37 Baltimore
Orioles.  In the bluff overlooking the Chesapeake these migrating birds fly
across the narrow gap in the trees here early in the morning in reverse
migration, going north, somewhat analogous to the flights at Higbee Beach,
Cape May.  

For all but 1 (year 2001) of the last c. 21 years I have done the morning
count here on Labor Day Weekend with personal one day highs of 2,300
kingbirds, 1,000+ warblers, 230 Baltimore Orioles, 1,000+ Purple Martins,
etc., over that stretch.  In the past few years my counts of Cattle Egrets,
Fish Crows, pelicans, and cormorants have greatly declined.  In 2001 I
spent Labor Day Weekend in my boat in the Watts Island area, the highlight
being an ad. male Golden-winged Warbler there.

An Selasphorus hummingbird has been frequenting a feeder in the greater
Cape Charles area.  Because this is in a sensitive area I am not going to
reveal where.  Bob Anderson and many others saw well the juvenile
Heermann's Gull that has been at Craney Island for several days.  It has
been thoroughly photographed.  Today Bob showed me his video footage, which
even includes a faint recording of this bird's call.  At the entrance to
K.S.P. a juv. Peregrine Falcon was being harassed by 2 crows.  A
Buff-breasted Sandpiper or so have been seen in the park.  

The late afternoon we spent at George and Barbara Reiger's at Locustville. 
Their 2nd fl. balcony looks down Finney Creek to Parramore and Cedar
islands in the distance.  Here we found 3 Caspian Terns, 275 Canada Geese,
2 Black Skimmers, 3 Great and 30 Snowy Egrets, 3 Clapper Rails, a Great
Horned Owl and a strange, minor flight of 5 Blue Grosbeaks at dusk moving
from one treetop to the next to the west.    

Sept. 1, Sun.  S.B.I., 6:15 - 8:10 A.M., overcast, NE 10-15, light rain
with several periods of heavy rain, 70-75F.:  110 distant unid. shorebirds,
423 kingbirds, 20 unid. warblers.  Jethro Runco saw a juvenile Mississippi
Kite today at ESVNWR.  At Ramp Lane, s. end of ESVNWR (mostly seen in the
little pond there):  4 Western, 1 Least, 5 Semipalmated, 1 Solitary, 3
Spotted & 2 Stilt Sandpipers, 1 Greater and 65 Lesser Yellowlegs, 10 imm.
White Ibises, 3 Marsh Wrens, 4 Clapper Rails & 6 Killdeer.  There were also
5 or so unid. peep swimming and paddling in the center of the pond.  These
shorebirds were all actively feeding and finding a lot to eat.  Saw an ad.
Red-headed Woodpecker from the K.S.P. hawk watch platform.

Sept. 2, Mon.  S.B.I., 6:15 - 8:15 A.M., overcast, NNE 15-20, 65F.  Least
successful of the 3 morning counts here:  8 great blues in migration, a
Sandwich Tern, 113 Eastern Kingbirds, a nighthawk, 165 Fish Crows, a
Pileated Woodpecker, 34 warbler sp. and 5 Baltimore Orioles.  Several
dowitcher sp. at Ramp Lane pond plus 16 immature White Ibises.

Completely off-list and unrelated:  in the last week or so son, George A.,
& Paul Lehman have had one of the best fall-outs of Siberian vagrants ever
seen at Gambell, St. Lawrence Island, Alaska, unfortunately, mostly after
the end of their WINGS tour there, including: Willow Warbler (1st N.
American record), Siberian Accentor, Reed Bunting, Yellow-browed Warbler
(2nd N. American record), Mongolian Plover, and Dusky Warbler plus numbers
of the more expected Red-throated Pipit, Yellow Wagtail, and Arctic
Warbler.   

Best to all.-Harry Armistead, 523 E. Durham St., Philadelphia, PA
19119-1225.  215-248-4120.  Please, any off-list replies to: 
harryarmistead@xxxxxxxxxxx
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