10/30/04
Visited Craney Island again for a few hours around noon today -- just cannot
get my fill of that place. I tried covering the area fairly well and looked
over sparrows and gulls. The numbers of Savannah Sparrows seem to have
increased over the last few visits. Probably over 30 after adding the few
seen at each stop. Song, Swamp, and White-throated Sparrow were the other
species found in a few sparrow flocks. Today there were more Ring-billed
Gulls (>40) and Royal Terns (>25) than my last visit, but no Caspian Terns.
There were very few Laughing Gulls. I saw 4 flying over the water toward
Newport News and Hampton, to the north of Craney Island.
The new bird for today was a Lapland Longspur (plumage between the winter
male and adult female in Sibley's guide). I stumbled upon this bird while
walking up the hill to look into the west side of the north impoundment.
This was near the short tower (a water control tower, perhaps?) at the edge
of the impoundment. I spotted the bird when it flushed. It landed nearby
and allowed itself to be seen well.
The 4 A. Avocets are still present at the same area of the pool on the west
side of the south impoundment. There appeared to be more shorebirds (mostly
Dunlin) on the east side of this pool. The viewing conditions were a little
poor, so I wasn't able to ID the peep confidently. At another small pool in
the north impoundment, I found 8 Least Sandpipers with 32 Dunlin.
I checked a pool I hadn't checked before. It is located on the east side of
a "dry" impoundment, near a ~10 vertical pole, which stands along the east
side north-south outer perimeter road. There were >200 Dunlin and >30
Sanderling here, but maybe other species will show up. Nearby this area, a
male Northern Harrier was hunting. I usually see more females/immature
birds than males. A immature Peregrine Falcon was perched on one of the
power poles that support the high power lines which are along the south side
of Craney.
Dunlin was the commonest shorebird. 6 Lesser Yellowlegs (very few
yellowlegs, I think) were present at the southwest corner of the south
impoundment. The only egret/heron I have seen during my last few visits is
a Great Blue Heron that stands out in the fields on the north side of
Craney.
There is some work being done at the northeast corner of Craney. The outer
perimeter road may eventually be blocked at this point in the future. I
will try to ask at the office next week to see what their plans are for that
area.
Elisa Enders
Portsmouth, VA
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