This morning, while birding with Gerald and Nancy Klein of New Jersey, I
noted a brilliant female King Eider resting at the base of the jetty on the
western side of the second CBBT island (North Thimble Island) at about 11:00
a.m. The bird stayed around, even as several fishing boats approached, but
moved over to the central part of the west side of the island, where we left
it. I took a roll of film of it, as it was the first King I had seen here in
several years. Also on the CBBT about 45 Ruddy Turnstones, 2 Great
Cormorants, 540 Double-crested Cormorants (many actively migrating), courting
pairs of American Oystercatchers (6 birds on 3 islands), 66 Purple Sandpipers
(roosts on all islands), one White-winged, 3 Black, and 10 Surf Scoters, 25
Red-breasted Mergansers, small numbers of Tree, Barn and Northern
Rough-winged Swallows, and a Common Grackle (Island 2).
On the mainland, many migrants were evident between the Eastern Shore of
Virginia NWR and Oyster, including Short-billed Dowitchers, Greater and
Lesser Yellowlegs, a Green Heron (on Fisherman Island), Gray Catbirds,
White-eyed Vireos, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Ovenbirds, and nice local nesters
such as Pileated Woodpecker (nest at Magotha!), Pine Warbler, Willet,
Northern Rough-winged Swallows, Forster's and Royal Terns, etc.
Ned Brinkley
Cape Charles, VA
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