The ornithology class from William & Mary headed to Kiptopeke and
environs Tuesday and Thursday, and between the two days had a great
list. Tuesday Sunset Beach was devoid of migrants at dawn and the
Kiptopeke banding station had only 2 birds on the first two runs, a
redsart and red-eyed vireo, but the hawk watch was great, with 8 bald
eagle sightings (at least 4 birds), 2 peregrines, 6 merlins, and
several sharp-shinned, osprey and harriers, all before 8:30 AM. The
field at the junction of Arlington and the road to Custis Tomb
contained approximately 10 least sandpipers, 2 black-bellied and 10
semipalmated plovers, and dozens of killdeer and horned larks, all
under attack by another peregrine and a Cooper's hawk.
Thursday (today), contrasted sharply with Tuesday because a cold front
had passed, so Sunset Beach was alive at dawn, with at least 40 mimic
thrushes (mostly catbirds, but also thrashers and possibly resident
mockingbirds), dozens of redstarts, several black-and-white warblers
and magnolias, and several unidentified yellow warblers and flycatchers
all passing by northwards within 15 minutes. The boat landing on the
refuge provided a good show of herons, with 25 black-crowned night
herons, 1 yellow-crowned, 2 glossy ibis, 40 white ibis (including 2
adults), 14 little blue herons (including 2 adults), 5 tricolored
herons, and countless great egrets. Dozens of great blue herons were
migrating high overhead at dawn (on Tuesday as well). The banding
station at Kiptopeke was lively with the same catbirds and redstarts
we'd seen at Sunset Beach, plus a smattering of other songbirds. A
winter wren was heard nearby, and a large movement of flickers was
seen. The hawk watch was accipiters-only before 9 AM, with none of the
diversity or good close looks of Tuesday. Arlington Road had lower
numbers of the same shorebird species seen Tuesday. Thanks to banding
master Jethro and the hawk counter O'Connell at Kiptopeke for providing
help to the class.
Dan Cristol
Daniel A. Cristol, Associate Professor
Department of Biology
College of William & Mary
PO Box 8795, Williamsburg, VA
(757) 221-2405/6483 (tel/fax)
dacris@xxxxxx
http://dacris.people.wm.edu/
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