All,
I spent yesterday (Saturday) with a friend from Florida birding the
eastern shore. It was a slow day to say the least but at least it
wasn't raining. We started at the bridge tunnel islands around 8:30.
Searches of islands 2,3, & 4 yielded only two Seaside Sparrows and one
House Wren. There were no Great Cormorants lounging about either. We
did see two first year Northern Gannets, one a fly by and the other
hanging out with a group of Brown Pelicans. We moved onto to the
eastern shore proper from there, checked a few spots at Eastern Shore of
VA NWR and then started driving back roads looking for wire birds.
Plenty of kestrels but nothing else interesting. We were searching
through a large flock of mixed starlings, red-winged blackbirds, and
cowbirds when Bob Anderson came by and reported a Swainson's Hawk had
just flown by the Kiptopeke Hawk Watch. He was hoping to find it
hanging around the plowed fields but had no luck. We did not find the
bird either nor did we find the hoped for Yellow-headed Blackbird.
After lunch at Sting Ray's we headed north to Chincoteague. There was a
huge flock of cowbirds on the grass at one of the chicken processing
plants so we stopped to look through it for a while. Mostly
brown-headed cowbirds with a few starlings. Nothing else of interest.
The water levels at Chincoteague are very much higher than they were a
week ago when I was last there. The log book had mention of two Lark
Sparrows (one adult and one juvenile) along the Swan Cove Trail on
October 10. We first stopped to search through the Willet flock looking
for a Hudsonian Godwit. The flock was on the far side of Swan Cove
which was not condusive to a thorough search but we gave it a go
anyway. There two Marbled Godwits but no Hudsonian. Closer to the road
there was a large flock of Dunlin with mixed smaller peep in it. We
walked the Swan Cover trail but did not find any Lark Sparrows. While
we were walking, the Willet flock picked up and landed quite close to
the trail which enabled us to give it a thorough search. No Hudsonian
Godwit and no Red Knots. Next we drove the Snow Goose loop. The rain
has turned it back into a pool (no longer a meadow) but the large flock
of Snow Geese was tucked back in Swan Cove making a search for Ross's
Goose next to impossible. We did find 5 avocets feeding in front of the
Snow Goose flock which was nice. The cold front tomorrow will likely
bring more birds into Chincoteague but alas, I will be here in Northern
Virginia tending to matters on the home front.
Sue
--
Susan Heath
Fairfax County
Centreville, VA
sheath@xxxxxxxxx
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