FreeLists / va-bird / [va-bird] Eastern Shore notes, 4-5 September

[BlkVulture@xxxxxxx]

Greetings...

Just a quick note to fill in some of the species seen the past couple days on 
the Eastern Shore.  

Ned already posted the Lark Sparrow from CBBT number 4, however the bird was 
no longer there when I checked on 5 September.  

At Oyster on the evening of 4 September, Ned and I had an estimated 7500 
Bobolinks coming into roost.  There were a similar number of Brown-headed 
Cowbirds, and far more starlings.  Red-winged Blackbirds and Common Grackles 
were also present in lesser numbers.  

At five-thirty AM on Wednesday, 5 September, I went to Sunset Beach.  From my 
arrival until daylight, I counted 184 chipnotes.  Granted, a few of these 
were probably birds making multiple notes.  The bulk of them, probably half, 
were Bobolinks.  There were a few thrushes, and the rest were warbler types.  
As the sky started to brighten, I did see a Yellow-crowned and a 
Black-crowned Night-Heron go overhead.  A Chuck-Wills-Widow flew in pretty 
close to my position.  

Once the birds started to be seen, the number of Redstarts was impressive.  
All told I estimated about 200 or so of them.  There were also about 250-300 
Eastern Kingbirds.  Far fewer than the numbers from a few days prior, but 
spectacular nonetheless.  Other warblers included several Magnolias, four 
Cape Mays, one Blackburnian, six or so Black-throated Blues, 8-10 
Black-and-Whites, one Nashville, one Yellow, and one Blue-winged.  There were 
scores of birds that flew overhead that I couldn't ID.  Other species present 
were five Red-eyed Vireos, two Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, four or so Traill's 
Flycatchers, six Summer Tanagers, 100 or so Bobolinks, one Black-billed 
Cuckoo, and one Selasphorus hummingbird coming to Trumpet vine just south of 
the Pelican Pub.  

I spent the next couple hours at the banding and hawkwatching station.  It 
was a great morning banding, as Ned has previously mentioned.  The hawk 
flight was starting out well, with a couple dozen kestrels and maybe a 
half-dozen harriers when I left.  

I finished my stay with quick stops on the CBBT.  Not much happening there.  
Island 4 had 9 Common Yellowthroats, two Seaside Sparrows, and one 
Black-throated Blue.  Island three had 13 Seasides, and nine Common 
Yellowthroats.  There were scores of Cloudless Sulphurs on both of the 
islands and over the bay.  

Cheers...

Todd

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Todd Day
Jeffersonton, VA
Culpeper County
Blkvulture@xxxxxxx
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