[va-bird] NVBC Chincoteague-CBBT Weekend

VA Birders,

    The 20 members of the Northern Virginia Bird Club (NVBC) who took part in 
our Winter Chincoteague Weekend found a total of at least 101 species of 
birds.  On the causeway on our way into Chincoteague, a Clapper Rail walked 
across the road in front of us at the pulloff by the oyster beds where the 
old shack used to be.  On Friday afternoon, we had to stop for a covey of 
Northern Bobwhite, which crossed the road in front of our cars just after we 
entered the refuge.  Other highlights on the refuge included Common Loon, 
Tricolored Heron, and Black-crowned Night-Herons.  

    On Saturday morning, we took a walk on a road behind the Driftwood Motel 
where we stayed, and we found several Fox Sparrows in a yard as well as the 
first of several Brown-headed Nuthatches.  That afternoon, we drove across 
the causeway, turned around, and came back and stopped at the first pullout 
on our right, where a Peregrine Falcon flew across in front of us.  We also 
saw our only Bald Eagle of the trip and several Northern Harriers there.  
Then co-leader Erika Wilson spotted Short-eared Owls (we had at least 2 and 
possibly 3) flying over the marsh across the road.  We saw them about 
2:45-3:00 pm.  Erika had not found any the previous evening, when it was very 
cold.  We are wondering if perhaps they are coming out to hunt in daylight 
hours when it is sunny and warmer than at night.

    Sunday morning, we headed south to the CBBT.  We stopped at Willis Wharf, 
where we found some Willets, and at Oyster, but we did not find Marbled 
Godwits at either place.  Has anyone seen any godwits at either location 
recently?  We also decided to check for Eurasian Collared-Doves, and we found 
4 of them on the wires on Rt. 645, on the east side of Rt 13 (a left turn 
going south) and at the intersection of Rt. 645 with Rt. 600.

    The ducks at the CBBT on Sunday morning were fantastic, but strangely, 
other than one Bonaparte's Gull which I saw, we only had the 3 usual gulls 
(Ring-billed, Herring, and Great Black-backed).  Most of the action was at 
Island #4, where we found 4 Harlequin ducks (2 of each sex), 3 female Common 
Eiders, all 3 scoters (only a few White-winged, but great, close-up looks at 
both Black and Surf Scoters), 2 female Common Goldeneye, 2 Redheads, and 2 
Long-tailed Ducks (formerly Oldsquaws).  We also saw lots of Great Cormorants 
and Purple Sandpipers on the islands, and several Northern Gannets flew by.  
In all, we counted 26 species of waterfowl during our weekend on the Eastern 
Shore.  The weather was cold, Chincoteague Channel and most of Swan Cove was 
frozen, but we were fortunate in having very little wind and almost no 
precipitation on Saturday or Sunday.  All in all, we had a great weekend.

Val Kitchens
Arlington, VA
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