1 Seaside Sparrow on Island #2, in west vegetation, two poles from the
garage. At 5 PM, it flushed twice when approached in the goldenrod weeds,
finally flying to the rocks beyond the west guardrail at about 6PM.
No other landbirds noted in a search of the sparse vegetation.
3 to 5 Yellow-crowned Night Herons were seen:
2 adults on the jetty of #2 at 5PM, which then apparently walked out of
sight between the rocks;
1 immature on #1, which flew in at 7PM from the direction of the fishing
pier landing and remaining on the rocks just west of the restaurant at the
base of the pier, apparently not in sustained flight; and
2 night herons, at 7:10 PM, assumed to be Yellow-crowned, which flew in from
the south over the bridge lanes, apparently in sustained flight at about 40
feet up in the air above the traffic lanes, presumably from the mainland.
These birds disappeared over the garage on island #1 heading north, either
to #1 jetty or farther north.
Besides the scores of turnstones and perhaps a dozen Spotted Sandpipers, at
least 5 and perhaps as many as 15 sandpipers were noted along the exposed
intertidal rocks. All that could be identified were Sanderlings, with much
rufous toward the head and neck (breeding-plumage); wing stripes and
single-noted Sanderling callnotes were fieldmarks used to id.
No oystercatchers, and no landbirds (except the Seaside Sp) noted around and
on the islands. Did see the usual 4 gull species, and Common and Royal
Terns. No pelagics noted. Focus of search was landbirds and Yellow-crowned
Night Heron.
[On August 3rd or 4th, during a brief stop on island #1, an immature Y-c.
Night Heron was again seen, plus 4 Oystercatchers, by Elisa Enders,
returning from Chincoteague NWR, where a Curlew Sandpiper was NOT seen by
several searchers.]
Frank Enders, Halifax, North Carolina. fkenders@xxxxxxxxxxx
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