Calling all birders:
Is anyone looking for a reason to bird the Eastern Shore in early November?
Would you like to be down there when there are others doing the same thing,
in hopes of seeing a few birds of the less usual variety? If so, then read
on.
On 8 November 2003, a day of birding on the Eastern Shore of Virginia is
beckoning. Loosely called "The Rarities Roundup," birders will comb areas of
Northampton and Accomack Counties during the autumn peak for unexpected,
vagrant,
accidental, and rare birds in the region. However, it is more than just
rarities. Early November is a fine time to bird the Eastern Shore, and pulling
as
many birders as possible to the area will allow extensive coverage during this
dynamic time.
On 9 November 2002 a similar attempt was made, covering part of Northampton
County and Chincoteague NWR in Accomack. Nothing terribly unexpected was
found, however we did amass a decent list of annual, but sometimes difficult to
find birds including two Western Kingbirds, Hudsonian Godwit, Clay-colored
Sparrow, Ross's Goose, and Sedge Wren. Other notable birds included two
Baltimore
Orioles, Prairie Warbler, two Bank Swallows, Northern Rough-winged Swallow,
White Ibis, Green Heron, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Caspian Tern, a possible
Clay-colored/Chipping Sparrow hybrid, and over 100 Marbled Godwits. Conducting
the search on Saturday allows those interested to try to relocate interesting
birds on Sunday. Everyone who was interested in doing so was able to see one
of the two Western Kingbirds the following day. We'll establish some means of
communication for information of about any birds of great interest that are
found in order to be shared on the day of the Roundup.
The idea to do this stems from the folks in Maryland that have conducted a
similar survey for the last four years in Worcester County on roughly the same
weekend. The first year it was attempted in Maryland an Ash-throaed Flycatcher
was discovered at Assateague. Our event is loosely modeled after theirs.
The way it works is to let me know that you're interested, and Ned Brinkley
and I will assign blocks of territory to the various parties. We keep the
parties small to increase coverage, usually two people, but exceptions are
made.
While certainly there are areas that are well known for birding on the Eastern
Shore, any of the unusual birds we might find can show up anywhere. Any
chunk of territory has virtually unlimited potential. A previously unknown
spot
could very easily turn up the bird of the weekend. Folks will have
descriptions or a map of their territory, and on Saturday morning, we go out
and beat the
bushes. At dark we'll assemble somewhere and tally up the results. Those
spending the night will then probably make plans for the next day's birding.
Do know that this event isn't quite the same as a Christmas Count. We're not
just hitting parks and counting everything (though we do hope that people
keep some track of the birds they find). This isn't for the timid. Aside from
hitting known spots, we're doing some pioneering by birding patches that are
unbirded and birding areas that look good based on habitat. A good knowledge
of
the birds we might find is important to knowing what it is you're looking at,
and where to look for them. That said, if you have a comfortable knowledge
of the birds that are regulars here, then you'll know when you see something
different, even if you're not exactly sure what it is at first glance.
The weekend we're scheduling this is a fine weekend to see some pretty rare
birds including Cave Swallow, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Western Kingbird and
other western species. Or course nothing is guaranteed, and there are many
factors that will influence what we find.
If anyone is interested in participating, please let me know no later than
Wednesday, 5 November so we can get territories assigned. If anyone has any
questions, feel free to contact either Ned (at phoebetria@xxxxxxx) or me.
So head on over to the Eastern Shore, make a weekend out of it, and maybe
luck into finding something really special.
Cheers,
Todd
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Todd Michael Day
Jeffersonton, VA
BlkVulture@xxxxxxx
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