Yesterday I assisted Dorie Stolley at Back Bay NWR with the impoundment
survey. I had been out of town the previous week with my extended family on
Virginia's Eastern Shore so I hadn't had a chance to look for the BBWDs posted
on Friday. I thought for sure that if the birds were still around, we would
find them during the survey. However, there are never any sure bets in birding
and the birds didn't turn up. We did however see four Common Moorhens, the
largest number in years, along with great views of four Least Bitterns.
This morning I responded to Dorie's posting that her nephew had seen the
BBWD on his tram tour. I hustled out to Back Bay NWR and sure enough, this
time the ducks stayed put. I saw them in essentially the same area that Dorie
posted, i.e. from the East Dike in C-Storage impoundment. A bicycle makes the
run from headquarters down the dike a little more manageable. C-Storage is the
impoundment between the first two cross-dikes after you've gone through the
gate near the maintenance buildings. It's a little over a mile south.
Cheers,
Bob
Robert L. Ake
6603 Catherine Street
Norfolk VA 23505
