Report on Anhinga at Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch (Augusta County), Sunday,
September 7, 2003
The morning started out with a NNW wind, approximately 20 km/h, partly
cloudy with white cirrus and strata, providing wonderful backdrop.
At the start of the 10 o'clock hour (EST), temperature was 25.5 C and
humidity was 49%. On board to help me were Pat Alther and Robert Plank.
By 10:15 a.m. I noted winds seemed to be diminishing. Ten minutes later,
at 10:25 (EST), I was standing next to Robert Plank who was seated to my
left when I heard him say what sounded like "comrade". I responded with
a "Huh?" "DC" he replied, "Over tepee." It registered -- DC Cormorant
over the tepee located across I-64, north side of the gap.
I immediately picked up the bird through the binoculars and noted a large,
black-bodied bird. It was less than a glass off top of ridge and coming
straight on heading south; it was not flapping but sailing on fully
extended longish, broad, black wings. When it reached the gap it turned
heading east. As it began moving eastward following top of the north
ridge, it slowly circled, gaining a little more altitude to approximately
1.5 glasses by the time it reached the "twin trees". This was NO DC
Cormorant! I flew over to my scope and quickly picked it up, confirming
what I had seen in my 10x42s. "Oh my God, it's an Anhinga!" I shouted. In
profile I could see the long slender neck with small head/long slender bill
that was more like an extension of the neck and the head/neck extension
appeared close in length to the long "tapered" tail, that reminded me of a
turkey's tail. The underside appeared uniformly dark except head/neck that
appeared buffy beige. On one of the turns I thought I saw what looked like
a narrow "white collar" around the upper breast near base of neck that
seemed to blend in with the buffy beige neck. It did not extend down the
underside like that of an imm. DC Cormorant. Was that a play of the
light? There was a slight downward angle where head seemed to join the
neck and there appeared to be a small knob on underside of the long neck
that I likened to an "Adam's apple." The slight downward angle in no way
gave it the appearance of a heron's crooked neck. By the time the Anhinga
reached the far right rollover near the towers on the NE side of the gap,
it was now approximately 2.5 glass above top of ridge. It made one last
circle and without flapping, turned facing ESE and with the NNW wind to its
back, it quickly sailed across the interstate, continuing out-of-side not
flapping a single stroke, crossing over small section of Nelson County into
Albemarle County at 10:31 a.m.
Having lived in Northern Florida for 10 years, visiting many times since
returning to my hometown (Charlottesville) and participating in CBC's in
Jacksonville, Florida, I have observed many Anhinga. And to think I made
countless trips to Stumpy Lake this summer in search of one (which I was
finally successful.) Think of all that gas money I could have saved! Who
knew???????
Brenda Tekin
Coordinator, Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch
Augusta County, VA
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