Kiptopeke State Park area, Northampton County, Virginia, November 8-11,
2002, sightings by George L. & Henry T. Armistead (and others as noted).
Observers, among others: Bob Abrams, Bob Ake, Bob Anderson (RLAn), those
Armistead boys, Deniz Aygen, Ned Brinkley, Fenton Day, Todd Day, Matt
Hafner, Steve Hairfield, Susan Heath, Larry Lynch, Alex & Phil Merritt,
Jethro Runco, Zach Smith, Jim Stasz, Mike Stinson, Brian Taber, Ian
Topolsky, Thuy Tran, Bill Williams.
Abbreviations: ESVNWR, Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge;
K.S.P., Kiptopeke State Park; S.B.R., Sunset Beach Resort
Nov. 8, Friday:
George and I spent 6:45 - 9 A.M. watching the flight at Best Western Sunset
Beach Resort (nee America House) from the bluff on the Bay with these
resulting tallies: 1,785 robins, 735 waxwings (today was the first big
push for them according to several folks), 150 House Finches, 45 Rusty
Blackbirds, 240 goldfinches, 20 Killdeer, 9 Wood Ducks, 150 or so Chipping
Sparrows, 126 American Pipits, 1 Merlin, 1 ad. peregrine, 11 flickers, 2
shovelers, 1 Cooper's Hawk, 1 imm. Bald Eagle and 30 scaup (sp.).
This was a good flight. I had slept in my car , which was chilly, the
temperature going down to the low 40's. The stars were beautiful last
night. For the rest of our stay the days would get warmer each day. In
contrast to the Labor Day Weekend flights here, when warblers, vireos,
flycatchers and orioles invariably fly north, today's birds were all
heading south. 6 dolphins between the shore and the concrete ships at
K.S.P.
George found a very late Yellow-billed Cuckoo in front of the hawk trapping
station also seen by TD, HTA, RLAn & ZS. He also found a Clay-colored
Sparrow at ESVNWR along the grassy trail between the bunker and the Visitor
Center, which is loaded with sparrows, including some White-crowneds. At
Ramp Lane (ESVNWR) at dusk (4 - 5:15) RLAn, TT and I saw 90 White Ibis, 110
Green-winged Teal, 1 Merlin, 1 Black-crowned Night Heron, 2 Clapper Rails,
26 Willets, 15 scaup (sp.), 2 shovelers, 15 Wood Ducks and 165 Boat-tailed
Grackles. I had estimated only 75 ibis in one big shifting flock that flew
swiftly by but Bob Anderson's video of this, which he examined carefully
later, revealed a flock of exactly 88 that combined with 2 stragglers gave
us the grand total of 90. At last light we saw 4 woodcock and a bat at the
GATR tract just north of there.
Jethro banded a late Black-throated Blue Warbler today.
Nov. 9, Saturday:
Today was the date for the Eastern Shore of Virginia fall roundup,
well-organized by Ned Brinkley and Todd Day. Somewhat similar efforts
today in coastal Worcester County, MD, and at Cape May failed, as we did
also, to turn up any true rarities. Last night most of us gathered for
dinner at the Foggy Dog at Cheriton (good pizza), no relation to the Froggy
Dog eatery in Frisco on Hatteras Island. George, Mel Baughman and I drew
these areas: Kiptopeke State Park, Sunset Beach Resort, Oyster and the
landfill. Our day's total was 107 species, a good effort, but not as
compulsively vigorous as a Christmas Count. In fact, the day was quite
relaxing. 5 miles on foot, 35 by an ageing 1986 Chevrolet Suburban with
293,00 other miles on it. It was memorable - clear, warm, breezy, a lovely
time - with these birds of interest:
26 Common Loons, 40 gannets, 3 Great Cormorants (on the concrete ships), 10
Hooded Mergansers (+ 13 other waterfowl species), 76 Black Vultures (mostly
at the landfill), and from Oyster (where Ned Brinkley and others joined
us): 45 Willets, 16 Marbled & 1 Hudsonian Godwit (NB), 225 Western
Sandpipers, 825 Herring Gulls, 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull (GLA et al.), 40
Horned Larks, 2 late Bank Swallows (1 at the landfill by HTA; 1 at "Lake
Maddox" at K.S.P. by GLA), 2 Orange-crowned Warblers (GLA, 1 at S.B.R., 1
at Oyster), 175 Chipping Sparrows and 2 Vesper Sparrows (GLA at K.S.P.).
Our total included 14 shorebird species.
Birds others saw are summarized by Ned on a Nov. 10 posting on VA-BIRD (cf.
birdingonthe.net, then the "list archives index", then go into Virginia),
with more analysis likely to follow. 20 or so of us attended the
"compilation" where Ned called the species roll in a festive atmosphere
inside the K.S.P. yurt, where I spent 3 peaceful nights.
Our party saw 2 baby toads, 5 tiny but furred, appealing baby mice
discovered by Bill Williams, and these butterflies: 5 Monarchs, 3
Cloudless Sulphurs, 12 Orange Sulphurs, 1 American Lady, 3 Cabbage Whites,
7 Buckeyes and 1 Question Mark plus dozens of dragonflies, many of them
Green Darners. Bill also saw a Red Admiral. For some of us the day's
highlight was the breathtaking assemblage of Tree Swallows after sunset at
Oyster, which I guestimated at 11,000, ALL of which did their exciting
high-speed descent into the Phragmites, everyone of them disappearing in
the space of a minute or so into their night roost. It looks as if they
are flying vertically at full speed into the reeds, hundreds every second,
like smoke being powerfully vacuumed into a black hole. RLAn captured all
of this on video. It is one of the greatest bird spectacles I have ever
seen. I say this each time I see it and I have seen it here for many
years.
Nov. 10, Sunday:
Slow at the hawkwatch these 4 days, e.g., today there were 14 Turkey
Vultures, 9 harriers, 74 sharpies, 5 Cooper's and 2 Red-tails for a total
of 104.
2 Hoary Bats were inadvertently caught last night by Fletcher (the saw-whet
owl bander). Not too many saw-whets are being caught this year but I think
Fletcher has had one or two foreign recoveries and has banded a few screech
owls as well. A Long-eared Owl has been banded and a few others seen.
Big robin flight from 7 to 10:30 A.M. (when it abruptly ended) with a total
of c. 36,905 birds. 7-8 A.M. 13,200; 8-9 10,070; 9-10 9,930; 10-10:30
3,705. This was a careful effort during which I did nothing else but
estimate robin numbers, trying to count them by 10's, with sometimes over
400 per minute. Brian Taber helped formulate an estimate from 7-8 when I
wasn't there.
The Yellow-billed Cuckoo was seen again today by RLAn, BT, ZS et al.
During the day George wandered north with TD, FD, SH, IT and others seeing
the Machipongo Western Kingbird, first found yesterday, a field with 200
Black-bellied Plovers, and 140 American Pipits.
Evening at the end of Ramp Lane again with RLAn, TT, FD, BT. About 75
White Ibis flew SW along the Intracoastal Waterway, this time without the
adult. Bob videotaped them again. Also: 15 Clapper Rails, 125 Snow Geese
(in the distance at Fisherman's Island), 12 sharpies, 3 woodcock and 1
Marsh Wren plus 1 Red Fox and 2 bats. We saw well the near mythic green
flash sunset, the first I've ever seen.
Deniz caught and banded at least 23 raptors today, mostly sharpies.
Nov. 11, Monday:
Driving along we discovered our own Western Kingbird on the wire on Rt. 600
c. 200 feet north of Bull's Lane n. of ESVNWR at 10:10 A.M. George got c.
10 shots of it at close range. It then flew out of sight to the south.
Willis Wharf: High tide but there was a roost of 310 Willets and 65
Marbled Godwits plus a few Short-billed Dowitchers and Dunlin. The roost
was just breaking up when we arrived. Eastern Bluebird: 149 along Rt. 600
from ESVNWR north to Willis Wharf but only 47 additional ones from Willis
Wharf north along Rts. 600 and 679 to the Maryland line. Thousands of Snow
Geese and c. 45 Blues plus a few Canadas in fields along Wallops Island Rd.
close to the entrance gate to the NASA island facility.
At the 2 places where I do most of my hawking, Kiptopeke and Hooper's
Island, there seems to have been a poor Red-tailed flight this year.
Cape Charles-Kiptopeke Christmas Bird Count is on Friday, December 27.
Hope to see you there.
Best to all.-Harry Armistead, 523 E. Durham St., Philadelphia, PA
19119-1225. 215-248-4120. Please, any off-list replies to:
harryarmistead@xxxxxxxxxxx
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