VA BIRDers,
I was fortunate to find the Brant, previously reported by Lori Markoff
yesterday, just off the Bay View Trail near the boardwalk at Mason Neck SP
today. It was loosely associated with about 50 Canada Geese near hordes of
ducks; it was the expected horta subsp. The bird was about 50-100 yds from
the shoreline. This is the first Brant I have seen in No. VA - there are
very few records of this salt water goose of which I am aware.
Congratulations to Lori on an incredible regional find. I do wish it sticks
around till the end of the year (for obvious reasons!).
I viewed the Brant and the other ducks as the sun was setting at Belmont Bay
today and estimated the numbers of waterfowl and other interesting species as
follows:
C. Goose ca. 150
Brant 1
Green-winged Teal 5
Canvasback 1
Ring-necked Duck 12
Greater Scaup 3
Lesser Scaup ca. 2500
Bufflehead 8
Hooded Merganser 8
Ruddy Duck ca. 4000
Am. Coot 3
Boneparte's Gull 1
Chipping Sparrow 2, assoc. with DE Juncos near the north bayside parking lot
I could have easily missed a species or underestimated the large duck numbers
as all the waterfowl were spread out over a mile. This would be a great spot
to scope ducks and find more species!
Kurt Gaskill
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