I visited Craney Island this afternoon. Checked as much of the area as I
could, but there never seems to be enough time. Other than a Killdeer and a
Willet, I did not find any shorebirds. There are some mudflats on the north
side of the north impoundment and on the west side of the south impoundment.
Lots of Barn Swallows were about, as well as a few Blue Grosbeaks. I have
not seen any Least Terns during my last few visits, including this one, but
Royal and Gull-billed Terns were present. A flock of 16 Glossy Ibis flew by
over the water off the west side of Craney, heading southwest. That seemed
a little unusual. I have never seen that many in the Hampton Roads area.
As I was leaving, I noticed a white egret/heron that appeared to be an
immature Snowy Egret. For a few minutes, it looked like a Little Blue
Heron. Its bill coloration looked like a Little Blue's at first while its
leg coloration was closer to a Snowy's. Took a few minutes to enjoy the
more common species.
I am looking forward to the return of the shorebirds!
Elisa Enders
Portsmouth, VA
_________________________________________________________________
FREE pop-up blocking with the new MSN Toolbar get it now!
http://toolbar.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200415ave/direct/01/
You are subscribed to VA-BIRD. To post to this mailing list, simply send email
to va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx. To unsubscribe, send email to
va-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field.
