[va-bird] American Avocets etc. at Cape Charles


A  check of Cape Charles=E2=80=99s new =E2=80=9Cflats=E2=80=9D on Washington=
 Avenue (see previous=20
posts) revealed about the same proportion of shorebirds in the morning of 17=
=20
August as seen the previous day.  New arrivals were a juv. Short-billed=20
Dowitcher (first youngster here), and about 7 more Pectoral Sandpipers (for=20
14 total!) than before.  The species list for the site stood then at 16, but=
=20
of course it=E2=80=99s easy to drive 10 minutes to Oyster to pick up Marbled=
 Godwits,=20
American Oystercatchers, Whimbrels, Red Knots, and Western Willets.  An=20
unusual peep found by Sue Heath and Todd Day that day appeared to be a secon=
d=20
juv. Baird=E2=80=99s, though it looked a bit less warmly colored than some.=20=
 I went=20
back to study it for several hours and was satisfied that it was a Baird=E2=
=80=99s.

A Viceroy was among Tawny Emperors, Question Marks, Cloudless Giant Sulphurs=
,=20
Red-spotted Purples, Common Buckeyes, and American Snouts at this site on=20
that and subsequent days.  More on town butterflies below. =20

Today (27 August) there were two ad. American Avocets in basic plumage on th=
e=20
flats, seen by myself, Steve Hairfield, Tom Saunders, and Libby Thomas, this=
=20
afternoon around 3:00 p.m.  This is the seventeenth shorebird species for th=
e=20
lakebed.  I have seen this species in the county at Fisherman Island, Easter=
n=20
Shore of Virginia NWR, and at the Northampton County Landfill, and in past=20
decades a small flock of "white curlews" (the local watermen's name for=20
avocet) could be found on the flats east of Mockhorn Island WMA.  But it's a=
=20
fairly scarce migrant through these parts, and even scarce at Chincoteague=20
most years.  The numbers of shorebirds continue to fluctuate at the lakebed.=
 =20
Now there are more juv. Western Sandpipers than in past weeks (the high coun=
t=20
today was 44), and those appear to have risen steadily over the past several=
=20
weeks, as well as increased as a proportion of the Western/Semi Sandpipers.=20=
=20
Pectoral Sandpipers declined and have not been present for several days, but=
=20
juv. Least Sandpipers and White-rumped Sandpipers have increased.  Birds suc=
h=20
as Black-bellied Plover, Short-billed Dowitcher, Lesser Yellowlegs, Killdeer=
,=20
and Spotted Sandpiper continue here, but in low numbers.  The flats are=20
mostly dominated by Semipalmated Sandpipers and Semipalmated Plovers, but on=
e=20
can observe them at such close range that the partial palmation is visible!=20=
=20
The real pleasure is being able to distinguish juv. peep such as Semipalmate=
d=20
and Western with ease through binoculars (though a scope is nice to have=20
here).  If one birds the area, be sure to stay away from the lake's north en=
d=20
*entirely* (this is an active construction site).  There is foot access at a=
=20
small pump house halfway up Washington Avenue from Fig Street, and it's OK t=
o=20
walk and park on/along Washington.

Jethro Runco has banded 185 birds since opening the nets at Kiptopeke 15=20
August, and he noted a Selasphorus hummingbird at the feeder most of=20
yesterday, 26 August.  Among those banded have been the regular early=20
migrants through the area (American Redstarts, Worm-eating Warblers, Common=20
Yellowthroats, Yellow-breasted Chats, Red-eyed Vireo, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher,=
=20
Eastern Kingbird, Blue Jay, Black-and-white Warblers, Prairie Warblers,=20
Northern Waterthrushes, "Traill's", Least, and Yellow-bellied Flycatchers,=20
Yellow-billed Cuckoo) as well as a few somewhat early birds (Veery) and bird=
s=20
that might have been local nesters (Hairy Woodpecker, the station's first in=
=20
seven years).  A Seaside Sparrow seemed an interesting catch to me here,=20
given the habitat, but it's no first for the station.  A few have been on th=
e=20
CBBT lately, along with the obligatory Common Yellowthroats.  A new raptor=20
counter, Zach Smith, begins in less than a week on the platform!  He comes a=
s=20
highly recommended as they come!  Farm fields, though very dry, have held a=20
lot of Semipalmated and Black-bellied Plovers and a few Killdeer in the past=
=20
week (especially those recently plowed), so that habitat is worth checking i=
f=20
one is birding the Shore, even though there are no moist fields (heavy rains=
=20
on a few days this week have not helped).=20

This has been a good month for butterflies here in the southern Delmarva; th=
e=20
drought conditions persist (crops have failed almost entirely here and are=20
being cut and plowed under), and low numbers of some species are still the=20
norm.  It might be that more butterflies are taking refuge in well-watered=20
gardens as a result of the dry weather. I have been watching several gardens=
=20
around the house here and have compiled the high count per day (highest=20
number of individuals seen in three gardens, added) for a small corner of=20
Cape Charles 5-27 August.  Diversity is particularly high this year; numbers=
=20
of many individual species are still below the norm (? or my impression of=20
the norm after 5 years).  This list of butterflies and skippers below only=20
includes individuals whose identities were certain to me.  I still see a=20
number of skippers whose identification is beyond my confidence/competence,=20
but I have left out the "half-hunches" here. =20

Pipevine Swallowtail 1 (fresh individual in neighbor's huge Zinnia garden;=20
several seen by D. L. Hughes and T. M. Gwynn in lower Northampton on 7=20
August; only two records from the garden here)     =20
   =20
Black Swallowtail   15 (one marvelous caterpillar on the parsley 7 August)
many emerged from the house garden here this year; I'll plant more parsley=20
next year

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail   11 (one dark individual)

Spicebush Swallowtail       14

Palamedes Swallowtail       1 (more east of Rte 600 on 7 August)

Cabbage White         50+

Cloudless Sulphur           27  (abundant along the highways, roads to     =20=
   =20
Delaware 25 August)

Clouded Sulphur         2

Orange Sulphur          2      =20

Gray Hairstreak         9

Eastern Tailed-Blue     3

(Summer) Spring Azure       6  =20

American Snout          22

Variegated Fritillary       5 (after being commoner than usual this year,=20
still a few around)

Pearl Crescent          3 (scarce so far this year in town)

Question Mark           2

American Lady           4

Tawny Emperor  6 (mostly on fallen pears in neighbors' yard; and at water=20
seep here)

Red Admiral             5

Common Buckeye          14

Red-spotted Purple      1 (around the Dogwood in the back yard)

Monarch             5 (female ovipositing on both Swamp Milkweed and tropica=
l=20
butterfly weed in garden 11 August and prior; 19 large Monarch caterpillars=20
on both on 9 August)

Silver-spotted Skipper      55+

Common Checkered-Skipper    1 (not common in town until later in year,=20
usually)           =20

Common Sootywing            1 (neighbors' yard)=20

Swarthy Skipper         1 (neighbor's yard; none in several weeks here in=20
garden; also at Kiptopeke State Park in butterfly garden 27 August)

Clouded Skipper         67+ (lots, many fresh)

Least Skipper           1   (nice year for these! another one at our other=20
house at 124 Peach St. on 15 July)

Fiery Skipper           50+ (abundant)

Sachem              45+ (mating observed today 11 August)

Zabulon Skipper         15+

Ocola Skipper 1 (10 August only; first of the year; never very many of these=
;=20
on Lantana)

Broad-winged Skipper        2 (11 & 14 August only; on "Indigo Spires" Salvi=
a)
   =20
Dun Skipper             1 (very fresh!)

Common Roadside-Skipper     1 (my first in the town of Cape Charles proper;=20
near a grassy area with some Lantana nearby)

Horace's Duskywing      1 (fresh female; 15 August)


A few misses

Painted Lady                0 (very common last spring and summer; few this=20
year)
Hackberry Emperor       0 (varies in number year to year; probably at Easter=
n=20
Shore NWR, near the bunkers)
Red-banded Hairstreak       0 (mostly spring and early summer here)
   =20
=20
Ned Brinkley=20
Cape Charles, VA
=20

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