[va-richmond-general] Re: they're on the move!
- From: "Bob Reilly" <rjreilly@xxxxxxx>
- To: <va-richmond-general@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 6 Sep 2005 22:18:06 -0400
Hi Diane,
Kiptopeke is a VA State Park near the south end of the Delmarva Pennisula.
About a 2.5 hour drive (without a traffic jam at the I64 tunnel). Take I64 esat
and then 13 North across the Bay-Bridge Tunnel. Once you get on the Eastern
Shore at the other side, go about 3 miles and watch for a left turn toward the
Park (marked by a modest white sign on the right). After paying the nominal
parking fee at the Park entrance take your first left off that road and park in
the gravel parking area. Walk down the broad path/dirt road through large
wooden gate for perhaps 1/8th mile and you will see the banding station on your
right. Just walk right up and you are likely to see some remarkable things,
i.e., some great birds up close and personal along with a wealth of interesting
information provided by the affable bander, jethro. CVWO stands for the
Coastal Virginia Wildlife Observatory. They are a private organization devoted
to conservation, public wildlife education, and research that, among other
things, has paid for the staff and running of the station since 1997. Like our
own Richmond Audubon Society, they depend on membership fees, donations and
fund-raising events plus some small grants to cover their programs. The
Observatory's administration is all volunteer, and they depend on the help of
many volunteers to assist with their programs, as does Jethro at the banding
station. They also pay for a hawk counter on the hawk platform (many tousands
of hawks fly over there each fall and are readily identified in flight and
counted by the highly skilled counter), a hawk bander (that operation is not
generally open to the public since the hawks are plenty wary of the slightest
detectable movement) and for a person who counts and tags migrating monarch
butterfiles. This is the 43rd year of operation of the Kiptopeke songbird
banding station. Last year Jethro banded about 7000 songirds of 107 species.
In all, the station has banded nerly 300,000 birds in its 42 years of
operation. I am pretty active with their banding programs and typically help
Jethro out with the banding several times each fall. By the way, in addition
to observing the songbird banding whenever and for as long as you wish (and
possibly helping out if you are so inclined) you are welcome at any time on the
hawkwatch platform which is probably one of the best places I can think of to
learn to identify hawks in flight. Hope you will venture over there and take
advantage of a wonderful opportunity for someone who loves birds.
Bob
----- Original Message -----
From: Diane Bumpass
To: va-richmond-general@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Tuesday, September 06, 2005 9:19 PM
Subject: [va-richmond-general] Re: they're on the move!
Where is Kiptopeke? What does CVWO stand for? I'm new to all of this, but
it sounds really interesting.
Diane Bumpass
----- Original Message -----
From: Bob Reilly
To: va-richmond-general@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Tuesday, September 06, 2005 7:02 PM
Subject: [va-richmond-general] Re: they're on the move!
Kristi,
No arrangement is needed to visit and observe. Jethro runs 7 days a week
from about 15-30 minutes before sunrise through the early afternoon, and later
if there are still birds around. He is always happy to have visitors walk up,
and if you tell him you would like to help out, he might well put you to work
and show you how various things are done there. He is a very friendly and
generous person. The season is Aug 15th - Nov. 22nd. A good tip: the best
days are the ones associated with a cold front the day/night before, so that
the winds have been from the NW the night before. Almost all the songbirds
that migrate do so at night and attempt to take advantage of the wind.
Bob
----- Original Message -----
From: botnizn@xxxxxxx
To: va-richmond-general@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Tuesday, September 06, 2005 6:34 PM
Subject: [va-richmond-general] Re: they're on the move!
Bob, how does one arrange a visit to view and or assist with banding
efforts on Kiptopeke?
-Kristi
-----Original Message-----
From: Bob Reilly <rjreilly@xxxxxxx>
To: va-richmond-general@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Mon, 5 Sep 2005 10:22:15 -0400
Subject: [va-richmond-general] they're on the move!
Heard from Jethro Runco, CVWO's bander at Kiptopeke this morning. They
started on Aug. 15th, and he says they are off to the best start ever. Already
banded 58 species, including Louisiana waterthrush, Nashville warbler, Kentucky
warbler, blackpoll warbler, golden-winged warbler, blue-winged warbler, and
blackburnian warbler! Also banded an eastern screech owl and a
chuck-wills-widow. Says this current cold front has been terrific. The birds
are moving!
Bob Reilly
You are subscribed to VA-Richmond-General. To unsubscribe, send email to
va-richmond-general-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the
Subject field. To adjust other settings (vacation, digest, etc.) please visit,
//www.freelists.org/list/va-richmond-g eneral.
Other related posts:
