I am sorry about the late posting, but I only returned home late last
night and have not been on the computer.
I birded the CBBT Tuesday morning, meeting three fellow women birders,
whose names I forget, on islands 2, 3, and 4. A female King Eider was
seen on the south side of Island 2, and a pair (male and female) of
Harlequin Ducks on the north side of the same island. I have not seen a
King Eider before, but through the scope, it seemed that it could be
nothing else. It was a very warm brown, with strong barring across the
chest. The bill was typically that of an eider, though certainly more
delicate than the Common Eiders I have seen. There was also a clear
white patch around and mostly above the eye. She was initially with 2
scaup and later with a male red-breasted Merganser.
Fairly large rafts of surf scoters were present at all four islands. A
few Black Scoters were mixed in, but I saw no white-winged scoters.
There were also Long-tailed Ducks at islands 2, 3, and 4; 31 Oyster
Catchers at island 2; and 1 Great Cormorant on island 4. Ruddy
turnstones were seen on island 1 and a single purple sandpiper on each
of islands 3 and 4. Buffleheads were seen at island 2, so too 1 Horned
Grebe. Red-breasted Mergansers were present on islands 2 and 3. The
usual species of gulls were plentiful, and DC Cormorants were also
present.
Jim Goehring
James E. Goehring
Department of Classics, Philosophy, and Religion
Mary Washington College
Fredericksburg, VA 22401
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