On Tuesday 9/26/06 the William & Mary ornithology class field trip to
Craney found 2 stunning buff-breasted sandpipers (juvenile) being very
tame at the Southwest corner of the middle impoundment. They were with
a few peeps and a sanderling on the thin, foam covered "beach" at the
corner, viewable from close range from just east of the water control
structure. Many photos were taken at close range of these unusually
cooperative (but very nervous) birds. Two juvenile eared grebes were
with shovelers at the northwest corner of the middle impoundment.
These were also photographed, but not well. They are approachable to
within 100 meters but then swim towards the center of the impoundment.
There are still 3-6 red-necked phalaropes present, also in the central
impoundment. Other shorebirds were diverse but not too numerous 7
white-rumped, ~100 semipalmated, 20 least, 2 stilt sandpipers, 2
black-bellied and 20 semipalmated plovers, 21 avocet, 2 short-billed
and two unidentified dowitchers, 1 greater and 8 lesser yellowlegs, 20
sanderling, 6 killdeer, 2 spotted. A peregrine caught something and
ate it on the cross-road between southern and middle impoundments. One
male ruddy duck was present at the southwest corner. No herons, rails
or marsh sparrows to speak of. No white pelican, suggesting that the
one sen last week at Kiptopeke may have been the Craney bird gone for a
road trip. In all it was another spectacular class trip with lots of
great looks at shorebirds from very close range.
Daniel A. Cristol, Associate Professor
Department of Biology
College of William & Mary
PO Box 8795, Williamsburg, VA
(757) 221-2405/6483 (tel/fax)
dacris@xxxxxx
http://dacris.people.wm.edu/
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