We checked out Ragged Island WMA, on the Suffolk side of the James River
Bridge, yesterday. UNfortunately, since one of us is 5 mos pregnant, the
earliest we could get out there was 11:45 a.m. <grin> We were out until 2:00
pm.
So not TONS of bird activity, but a neat place to check back again. We
recommend going at a low-ish tide since we were able to easily walk all the way
out (2 miles?) along the boardwalk and the beach/marsh, to the trees at the
point you can see from the bridge. Looked like a great spot out way there for
migrant passerines & warblers, but the birds that were there were very high and
very quiet at that time of the day. And right before the trees, a nice little
inlet where wintering ducks might shelter.
So here's our short but interesting list, in order of sighting:
Brown-headed nuthatch--10 at least, in parking lot pines at 11:45, very active
Brown Creeper--1
Great Blue Heron--3
Virginia Rail--4-5 (sighted 1; heard more, throughout most of the time we were
there)
Caspian Tern--4
Semipalmated Plover--3
Red-tailed Hawk--1
Great Egret--1
Osprey--1
DC Cormorant--too many to count...someone apparently spooked a bunch of them at
the bridge
--Elisabeth & Jeff Wilkins, Suffolk, VA
PS: And a nice look at a Bald Eagle on the way out of town...probably one of
our residents from the Nansemond River...not migrating...
