VA Birders,
I too spent some time on the Eastern Shore and the CBBT this past
weekend. I went the long way around (via the Chesapeake Bay Bridge) and
reached
lower Northampton Co. about mid-afternoon. After checking in at the Sunset
Beach
Motel, I went across the road to the Photo Blind at the Eastern Shore of VA
NWR, where I saw 2 Am. Woodcock fly into the marsh just before dusk.
On Saturday morning, I went to Ned Brinkley's in Cape Charles, where I
watched the immature male Black-chinned Hummingbird off and on for over an
hour.
He came in several times to feed at the Salvia and to the feeders a couple
of times as well. Much of the time when he was not feeding he sat in bare
branches at the top of a tree in front of Ned's house (from the porch the tree
is
just left of the telephone pole, between the street and the sidewalk). Except
that he looked greener in good light, this bird looks a lot like the photo of
the immature male Black-chinned Hummer in Sheri Williamson's "Hummingbirds of
North America" in the Peterson Field Guides.
From Cape Charles, I went to Kiptopeke State Park, where I saw a
Peregrine Falcon chasing pigeons on the remains of the old ferry pier out in
the bay.
Then I went over to Latimer Siding Road, where I missed the Cave Swallows
which had been there earlier, but I saw lots of Eastern Meadowlarks flying
around
in the field.
On the CBBT, I met a couple from PA who spotted the pair of Harlequin
Ducks sitting on a rock (on the bay side, just south of the slab/platform where
Great Cormorants often perch in winter) on Island # 4. The 3 of us enjoyed
great views of these stunning birds thru my scope; the light was excellent. We
were really lucky to find them because so many fishing boats were out there. I
saw several Northern Gannets fly by, but I didn't see any Great Cormorants
this trip. The only other birds of note on the islands were 8 Am.
Oystercatchers and at least 10 Purple Sandpipers sunning themselves on bayside
rocks with
some Ruddy Turnstones on Island # 1.
Val Kitchens
Arlington, VA
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