Just returned from a whirlwind 24 hr round trip to the Eastern Shore
where my primary goal was to get out to Saxis marshes for some late
night birding. I also stopped on the CBBT islands going north and
south and birded this morning around Chincoteague and ESVNWR.
In failing light and a rather ominous looking impending thunderstorm,
I was surprised to see a SOOTY SHEARWATER heading northward on the
ocean side of island #2 at around 7:45 PM on 6/2. I next stopped on
Island #4, still feeling pretty pumped up about the shearwater, where
I had 6 WILSON'S STORM PETREL "riding" the bow wake of a freighter
crossing through the channel. The petrels were last seen heading into
the bay at around 8:15 PM. Not bad considering the predominately
south-southwesterly winds we've been experiencing. The winds however
on the islands late yesterday afternoon had shifted slightly north-northeast
as the intense thunderstorm gained strength and moved out over the bay.
Having survived the torrents of rain, thunder and lightening off and on all
the way to Chincoteague I grabbed a motel room at the Blue Heron and
headed for Saxis around 11:30 PM. I arrived at Saxis shortly before
midnight and stopped to listen for Black Rails. I was in luck, the first
bird I heard was a BLACK RAIL fairly close to the road. Over the next hour
or so, I heard no less than 4 Black, 20 Virginia, and 10 Clapper Rails.
I also had several dozen each of MARSH WREN and SEASIDE SPARROW
as well as a handful of SALTMARSH SHARP-TAILED SPARROW.
All of the Black Rails were heard on the south side of the road about halfway
between the point where you emerge from the woods and the village of Saxis
(same place where Bob Ake et al had a bird calling last week). The other birds
were scattered between this area and the marshes along Rt. 778 where I also
had two LEAST BITTERNS calling from the phragmites just after this road
exits the woods. By the time I arrived at Saxis, the storm had cleared
and the marshes were all aglow from the bright full moon. This coupled
with a slight breeze, just enough to hold most of the bugs at bay, made
for a rather enjoyable time.
This morning (6/3) I birded a little around Chincoteague where the best
birds were a single PIPING PLOVER feeding on the wet beach just south of
the first roped off breeding areas south of the ORV entrance. Better still
was a WILSON'S PLOVER in the dunes just north of the Lifeguard station.
Otherwise the spring shorebird spectacle has pretty much come to an end
...can't wait for things to pick up again in 5 or 6 weeks. I also relocated the
WHITE-FACED IBIS first seen by me, Mike Iwanik, and the Darnells on
May 22. The ibis was seen today in the same general area as it was on May
22 however, today the bird was in the northwest corner of Swan Cove along
the Wildlife Loop.
On the causeway along Rt. 175 heading west, I had 5 BLACK-NECKED
STILT (3 male, 2 apparent female). All 5 of the stilts were on the north side
of the causeway between the billboards for Tom's Cove Campground
and Best Value Inn.
Next stop was along Rt. 600 south of Townsend where I had 2 EURASIAN
COLLARED DOVES perched atop the first telephone pole south of the Rt. 600/
Rt. 645 intersection (the "usual place").
At the scenic overlook just south of the north toll plaza, I picked up a
single SANDWICH TERN resting atop the poles along with several dozen ROYAL
and CASPIAN TERNS.
Good Birding,
Mike Boatwright
Amherst, VA
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