Twelve members of the Hampton Roads Bird Club explored the Grandview area of
Hampton on our monthly field trip Sat, Jan 14. We encountered mild, breezy and
occasional sunny conditions as we started out; but by noon the weather
deteriorated, with strong winds and storm clouds building, and the temperature
falling fast.
My husband Lee and I checked out Ridgeway Park first, and we saw plenty of
American Widgeon and Mallards, but not the Eurasian Widgeon. At Grandview Beach
we were joined by the other club members. Highlights included Common Goldeneye,
Long-tailed Duck, Common Loon, Red-throated Loon, Surf Scoters, Buffleheads,
Brown Pelican and Red-breasted Merganser. Many Northern Gannets were flying
just above the waves. Along the trail to and from the beach we encountered
Belted Kingfisher, Swamp Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Gray
Catbird and many Yellow-rumped Warblers.
Next we drove to the salt ponds at the opposite end of the street from the
entrance to Grandview and found several Gadwall and American Widgeons, along
with a male Hooded Merganser and Great Egret. While we were there, two flocks
of Tundra Swans flew overhead.
At our final stop, a pond (sand pit) across from Willow Oaks Shopping Center,
we found Redhead Duck, Ring-necked Duck, Pied-billed Grebe and several Ruddy
Ducks. As we turned to leave the pond, we heard several birds calling and
looked up to see a Red-tailed Hawk fly by. A great way to end the day! We had a
total of 47 species for the morning.
Our next field trip is Sat, Feb 11, and we'll explore the Colonial Parkway from
Yorktown to Jamestown. Meet us at 8:00 AM at the Yorktown Visitor's Center if
you'd like to join us!
Meredith Bell
Field Trip Coordinator
Hampton Roads Bird Club
merandlee@xxxxxxx
Total list of birds:
Pied-billed Grebe
Common Loon
Red-throated Loon
Common Goldeneye
Northern Gannet
Long-tailed Duck
Red-breasted Merganser
Surf Scoter
American Widgeon
Gadwall
Great Egret
Hooded Merganser
Tundra Swan
Redhead Duck
Ruddy Duck
Ring-necked Duck
Mallard
Bonaparte's Gull
Greater Black-backed Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Double-crested Cormorant
Mourning Dove
American Robin
Common Grackle
Belted Kingfisher
Northern Cardinal
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Brown-headed Cowbird
Red-wing Blackbird
American Crow
Bufflehead
Great Blue Heron
White-throated Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Gray Catbird
Canada Good
Carolina Wren
House Finch
Swamp Sparrow
Brown Pelican
Sanderling
American Goldfinch
Turkey Vulture
Rock Cove
Red-tailed Hawk
