[nnasnet] weekend birds
- From: Tom Saunders <birdnerd53@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: nnasnet@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2013 11:35:19 -0400
I worked in my vegetable garden most of the day Saturday, so birding was
confined to brief snatches of time. Lots of raptors: bald eagles and
ospreys were numerous, a male northern harrier patrolled the edges of the
field, red-shouldered and red-tailed hawks soared high up and several
sharp-shinned hawks passed by at middle height. Juncos, field sparrows and
song sparrows worked the blueberry patch and mockingbirds scolded from
several nearby perches. The resident bluebirds have been going in and out
of the nest box for days but there is no nest material in it so far.
Yesterday we ventured to Chincoteague for the black-tailed godwit that has
been hanging out near the Tom's Cove visitor center for a few weeks. We saw
it, thanks to a most helpful Maryland birder who showed us the distant bird
in his scope. While there we enjoyed close looks at lots of oystercatchers
and northern shovelers, wigeons and gadwalls. Along the causeway we enjoyed
a nice raft of brant.
On the way home we swung by the spot in Virginia Beach where a pacific loon
has been reported for a week or so. It was pouring rain by the time we got
there and the bird was a long way from the road so my views weren't great
but I'll count it anyway.
The last hour of our drive home was through heavy wet snow. No fun. When we
got to Balls Neck in the last minutes of daylight, however, we were treated
to more than 50 Wilson's snipe furiously working the edges of the ditches
and puddles along our long lane, worried, perhaps, that the snow might make
food hard to find.
Tom Saunders
Balls Neck
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