Hello Virginia birders,
Fourteen members and guests came out Saturday for the Cape Henry Audubon
Society field trip to Back Bay NWR. Some of us had unwisely believed the
weatherman and expected a balmy Spring day with warm sunshine and light
breezes. We were underdressed for the fog and gloom that rolled in off
the ocean. Staying near the parking lot for a few minutes, we were
surprised by an adult White-crowned Sparrow, keeping company on the
grass with some lingering White-throated Sparrows. A Yellow-breasted
Chat was heard by one of our group and several Field Sparrows sang their
plaintive songs; but otherwise things were pretty quiet. A chill wind
kept the birdsong down for the first two hours and forced us to start
the day in the protected thicket of the Bay Trail, near refuge
headquarters. That turned out to be fortunate because that is where we
discovered a close-by American Bittern. It seemed relatively unconcerned
with our presence and stalked around the pond edge within 10 feet of our
group. The Bittern never did flush and we eventually left it where we
found it. Quite a treat! Also on the Bay Trail were several singing but
invisible Marsh Wrens and quite a few Common Yellowthroats. Later, we
heard two Sedge Wrens "singing" from the marsh and were surprised that
they were still in the area. If we find Sedge Wren still there in May,
suspicions of nesting may be in order.
As the fog lifted and the temperature rose, we ventured farther south on
the dike trail and enjoyed quite a variety of marsh and shorebird
species. King Rails and a Sora were heard. Flocks of Semipalmated
Plover, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs and Least Sandpiper traded back
and forth, and we got good scope-views of 5 or 6 Wilson's Snipe. A
Solitary Sandpiper, a Willet, a Spotted Sandpiper and a Whimbrel padded
the list. Besides the American Bittern, other members of the heron tribe
included Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Tricolored Heron,
Green Heron, White Ibis and Glossy Ibis. Several Osprey, a Kestrel and a
pair of Merlins were our only raptors for the day.
Returning up the beach, we found a group of five Lesser Black-backed
Gulls, a Gull-billed Tern, a Caspian Tern and several Royals. Also, a
group of close to a hundred Forster's Terns was joined by 3-4 Common
Terns. A full-plumaged Common Loon was diving just beyond the surf and
an adult Northern Gannet sat on the ocean and gave a great view through
the spotting scope. Back at the parking lot, Eastern Kingbirds, a Brown
Thrasher and a sharp-looking Orchard Oriole put the cap on a great
outing. We saw or heard a total of 86 species of birds. Two
Cottonmouths, several Green Frogs and a variety of butterflies were also
enjoyed.
Good birding,
David L. Hughes
C.H.A.S. Field Trips
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