KIPTOPEKE, Virginia. Friday-Tuesday, SEPTEMBER 1-5, 2006.
GALAPAGOS REPORT. A report on a recent Galapagos Islands trip, mentioned
below, will be available in a couple of weeks. Anyone wishing an
electronic copy please let me know at: harryarmistead@xxxxxxxxxxx
BROWN NODDY: See below, such as it is, which will be the extent of my
documentation for VARCOM. Not much more I can say about it.
A very good trip this Labor Day Weekend for ibises, terns (10 species), and
shorebirds (25 species), especially Lesser Yellowlegs. Most of the
shorebirds are either flyovers or else (the majority) have put down in
muddy, very wet, bare (or nearly so) fields following the heavy rains and
high tides of Ernesto. Muchas gracias, Ernesto! At the Hawkwatch Platform
hawkcounter Micah Scholer shares our obervations there.
ABBREVIATIONS: ESVNWR, Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge;
KSP, Kiptopeke State Park. SBR, Sunset Beach Resort (i.e., best Western,
formerly America House). Points of the compass: N, E, S & W.
Friday, SEPTEMBER 1. Liz and I Leave Philadelphia at 1 P.M. Stormy drive
down with increasingly strong winds (up to 45 m.p.h.) and heavy rains. On
I-495 east of Wilmington the pickup truck on my left, fast lane, jams on
the brakes. I wonder why. Then a big German shepherd, headed right in
front of my car, appears, miraculously stops just in time.
Below the Chincoteague turnoff, a.k.a. T's Corner, the rain stops and the
heavy NE winds become heavy SE winds. Widespread power outages (which
means red lights are out, too) around the Onley area (where there's a Black
Tern over a large pool of rainwater) and farther S. Many big trees and
more big limbs are down. The center strips, ditches, and peoples' yards
have huge, spectacular, amounts of standing water. Arrive at SBR c. 6:30
and immediately deploy to look for strays blown in by Hurricane Ernesto. I
find none. But soon it becomes apparent that there is a tremendous flight
of Eastern Kingbirds.
EASTERN KINGBIRD CONCENTRATION. At one point a steady stream estimated at
3,100 passes heading S. By 7:45 when it is still overcast and almost dark
my final total is c. 5,175. This is more than double any number I've seen
here previously. My strategy is to try to count by 10s. I'm wondering how
many I may have missed before 6:30.
Also of interest: 1 Solitary Sandpiper. 30 Baltimore Orioles. 185 robins.
20 Lesser Yellowlegs. 2 Pectoral Sandpipers. At ESVNWR 1 Yellow-crowned
& 5 Black-crowned night herons, 14 White Ibis. 2 Black Terns. 1 deer & 1
cottontail. Green Tree Frogs and Fowler's Toads, energized by the abundant
rains, are calling.
Sat., SEPTEMBER 2.
BROWN NODDY, 2. Seen 7:46-7:49 A.M. Scanning over the Loblolly Pines N of
the gap between the trees on the bluff overlooking Chesapeake Bay at SBR I
see a sharp-and-pointy-winged bird that is immediately noticeable as
"different." My immediate impression is of a nighthawk. A split second
later, seeing the bird, joined by a second one, is all dark, I think they
may be dark phase jaegers. A couple of seconds later I am sure they are
noddies. The strong SW winds blow them E, flapping occasionally and
slowly, and out over ESVNWR towards the sea to the SE. The initial
sighting is less than 150 yards to the north and perhaps less than 100 feet
over the trees. They steadily get farther away until they disappear east
of Route 13 at a distance of perhaps 1/3 of a mile. Seen through 10 X 42
EL Swarovski binoculars. Overcast. 66 degrees F. Winds SW 20-25 m.p.h.
No rain at the time.
They are sleek, all dark birds, with pointy tails and long, pointed wings,
slightly smaller and less bulky than Laughing Gulls, which are in the air
with them. It is easy to see they have all dark underparts, including
under the tail (crissum) and under the wings, an important point in
distinguishing them from juvenile Sooty Tern, which is also very dark but
with whitish in those areas. I am unable to see the whitish cap on these 2
birds. I would have had a better chance, I think, to see the whiter, more
clearly demarcated white cap of a Black Noddy. But I am confidant they are
not Black Noddies. I am certain of their relative size because of the
Laughing Gulls with them. Black Noddies are considerably smaller. Their
spikey, long bills would seem to eliminate the possibility of them being
jaegers.
It helps that each day from August 12-20, 2006, while in the Galapagos
Islands, I saw Brown Noddies frequently, often hundreds (August 16, 18 &
20), sometimes as few as c. 35 (on August 12). I have also seen them in
the Dry Tortugas in Florida. I've seen both Bridled and Sooty Terns (both
of which are seen in numbers in Virginia today, Sept. 2) in Virginia,
Maryland, North Carolina, and Florida. Later today I see 9 Sooty Terns,
both adults and a juvenile, some of them over land heading the same
direction, orientation, and altitude as the noddies did. In my experience
with several hurricane remnants in the past 10+ years or so this is the
classic pattern of displaced terns when hurricanes pass W of where one is
watching: to fly down the Bay back out towards the sea, usually when the
winds have shifted to become westerly. I think this is the 3rd report of
the species in Virginia. There are at least 2 additional Brown Noddy
reports during the course of today. Soon after I see them I phone Ned
Brinkley to tell him of my observation.
Comparative lengths of species mentioned (from the Sibley guide):
15.5 in. Brown Noddy
13.5 Black Noddy
16 Sooty Tern
15 Bridled Tern
16.5 Laughing Gull
16.5 Parasitic Jaeger (to 20 in breeding adult)
15 Long-tailed Jaeger (to 23 in breeding adult)
9.5 Common Nighthawk
Bob Anderson & Thuy Tran also saw the following.
KSP Hawkwatch: 9 Sooty Terns incl. at least 1 juvenile (I didn't see all 9
of this species today). 22 Black Terns. 22 White Ibis. 1 fawn, still
with spots. Jethro Runco bands 2 Mourning Warblers.
Bull's Drive (OFF LIMITS TO THE PUBLIC). Goes 1.8 mi. all the way down to
Magothy Bay. Ends at extensive saltmarsh with views of Skidmore, Mockhorn,
and Smith islands. 20 Seaside Sparrows. 7 Clapper Rails. 2 Bald Eagles.
19 oystercatchers. 45 White Ibis. 1 harrier. 3 Buff-breasted, 3
White-rumped, 70 Least, 4 Stilt & 3 Pectoral sandpipers. 2 both of
Blue-winged & Green-winged teal. 6 Gull-billed, 4 Black & 1 Least tern.
14 Hudsonian Godwits (just N of Bull's Rd.). 55 Semipalmated, 2 golden &
60 Black-bellied plovers. 30 Short-billed Dowitchers.
Sunday, SEPTEMBER 3. KSP Hawkwatch Platform. 39 White Ibis incl. 2
adults. 22 Glossy Ibis. 1 Cooper's Hawk. Today's birds shared by us, Bob
Anderson & Thuy Tran.
Arlington Road. Nice, muddy field with some grass and big wet areas. 70
Black-bellied, 2 golden & 30 Semipalmated plovers. 1 Black-necked Stilt.
1 White and 76 Glossy Ibis. 2 Blue-winged Teal. 1 ad. Bald Eagle. 2
Peregrine Falcons, 1 of which caught a peep, 65 or so of which survived our
visit (Leasts & Semipalmateds). 30 Pectoral Sandpipers. 20 Lesser
Yellowlegs. 1 turnstone.
Holly Bluff Farm E of Rt. 600. Big "pond" from rain runoff and nice muddy
fields. 6 Gull-billed Terns. 8 Wood Ducks. 600 Laughing Gulls. 20
Semipalmated & 20 Black-bellied plovers. 25 Short-billed Dowitchers.
Hudsonian Godwit field (don't know what to call it otherwise; farther S and
W of 600 N of Bull's Dr.): 1 golden, 25 Black-bellied & 35 Semipalmated
plovers. 5 Killdeer. A 4 plover field. 1 Hudsonian Godwit.
Our 40th anniversary dinner with Bob Anderson, Thuy Tran, and Micah Scholer
at The Chesapeake in Cape Charles. Nice place. None of the pomp and
circumstance of some of the other places nearby, which impress us as being
overpriced and with too much overhead. The Chesapeake is more than a theme
place but jazz is a theme there. Ned Brinkley and Steve Hairfield and
their friends also happened in there while we were eating. 7 Common
Nighthawks on the edge of town.
Monday, SEPTEMBER 4. KSP Hawkwatch Platform. 1 adult Red-headed
Woodpecker. 1 Yellow-billed Cuckoo. 2 Black Terns. 60 Glossy Ibis. 48
Lesser & 35 Greater yellowlegs. 3 Gull-billed Terns. 4 Merlins.
HUGE BARN SWALLOW FLIGHT. During the course of the day five 10-minute
counts of Barn Swallows are conducted from 2 to 12 after the hour looking W
from ground and sea level up to no more than 45 degrees. For example, I
count 434 Barn Swallows from 1:02-1:12 P.M. in the lowest 45 degrees to the
W. During the morning the flight, which started before 7, is steady and
heavy but drops off after 1 P.M. My impression is that just as many birds
are passing to the E of the platform in the lowest 45 degrees there. That
leaves 90 degrees more or less "overhead" where, since I'm looking more or
less "up" there, not that many swallows are going through, because the
flight is mostly low (a horizonal spread of birds rather than a vertical
one). Based on such factors, and extrapolating from the 10-minute segments
(which is dangerous), by various calculations, counts, and subjective
impressions I estimate AT LEAST 47,160 Barn Swallows passed through KSP
today. I thank Andrew Odell for helping with the count. The total is my
own conclusion. Call it voodoo mathematics if you will. Some of the
swallows today pass so close to my head I can feel them, feel a little
draft next to my ears. Others sometimes course over the ground within a
foot of my ankles. They are a marvelous species.
ESVNWR: Ramp Lane. A dusk watch, 6:20-7:45 P.M., netted: 6 imm.
Yellow-crowned Night Herons. Only 12 White Ibis. 6 Seaside Sparrows. 7
Clapper Rails. 77 Snowy & 12 Great egrets. 1 peregrine carrying dinner.
3 Tricolored, 8 Great Blue, 1 Black-crowned Night & 2 Green herons. 7
Glossy Ibis. 10 Canada Geese. 29 kingbirds. 1 Spotted Sandpiper. At the
pond an Eastern Narrow-mouthed Toad cuts loose, loud eno' so it should be
called big-mouthed toad. You go, Toad! Sound Off!!
Tue., SEPTEMBER. 5. KSP Hawkwatch Platform. 2 juvenile Eastern
Bluebirds attended by a female. 2 juvenile Chipping Sparrows with adults.
Colorful male Pine Warbler in the Deodora. 7 Greater Yellowlegs. 2
Gull-billed Terns in the vicinity of "Lake Maddox."
WILLIS WHARF. Mid-day, Sept. 5. Always seem to get here when the tide's
wrong, in this case, way low, but find 1 Whimbrel, 1 Marbled Godwit, and 2
Willets anyway. Lunch at the near-schoolbus-sized Exmore Diner; good crab
cakes, mozarella sticks, and a BLT with lots of B. Rain, often heavy, the
rest of the 4+ hours to home. The drought is long over.
SUNSET BEACH RESORT, morning counts of selected species. Counts of
cormorants, Fish Crows & Cattle Egrets used to number in the hundreds. Ned
& I see all 6 swallow species on Sept. 4 there.
species: Sep. 2,3,4,5
Canada Goose 0,9,9,3
American Black Duck 0.0.0.1
Brown Pelican 145,195,155,205
Double-crested Cormorant 210,270,210,205
Great Blue Heron 5,8,12,12
Cattle Egret 1,0,0,0
White Ibis 0,37,1,0
Glossy Ibis 0,0,5,0
Osprey 17,3,3,4
Northern Harrier 0,0,0,1
Merlin 0,0,0,1
Peregrine Falcon 0,0,0,1
Lesser Yellowlegs 0,0,95,3
Wilson's Snipe 0,0,1,0
Brown Noddy 2,0,0,0
Caspian Tern 0,1,0,3
Black Skimmer 1,0,0,0
Black-billed Cuckoo 0,1,0,0
Yellow-billed Cuckoo 0,1,0,0
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 0,1,0,2
Eastern Kingbird 235,50,145,52
Fish Crow 1,3,11,9
Purple Martin 30,55,20,40
Cliff Swallow 0,0,0,4
Barn Swallow 95,110,200,45
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 0,0,0,1
warblers, unidentified 33,10,21,1
Yellow Warbler 0,0,0,3
Blackburnian Warbler 0,1,0,0
Bobolink 575,260,165,355
Red-winged Blackbird 0,35,130,45
Baltimore Oriole 2,3,16,5
start 6:00,6:03,6:10,6:05
finish 8:15,8:00,8:15,8:10
sky overcast,fair,fair,fair
wind direction SW,calm becoming ENE,NE,SE
wind speed 20-25,calm-5,5,5+
temperature at start 66,70,74,74.
Best to all.-Henry ("Harry") T. Armistead, 523 E. Durham St., Philadelphia,
PA 19119-1225. 215-248-4120. Please, any off-list replies to:
harryarmistead at hotmail dot com (never, please, to 74077.3176 ....)
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