Greetings,
While my wife Kathryn and I were traveling home from the eastern shore
today, we stopped at the Eastern Shore of Virginia NWR and the CBBT en route.
Above the pond at Ramp Road on the refuge was a soaring American White
Pelican. It circled long enough to get tasty looks, including seeing the
epidermal plate on the bill. It drifted off out of view to the north.
On the pond was a pair of Gadwall. In the mud on the edges were about two
hundred shorebirds, which I didn't scrutinize thoroughly, but did tease out a
couple of White-rumped Sandpipers. Also there were a few Dunlin, both
Yellowlegs, some Semipalmated Sandpipers, and Least Sandpipers. A
Black-crowned
Night-Heron was roosting in the trees across the pond.
The CBBT didn't bring much. No black-billed, long-tailed terns, just
Commons and Royals (though I did have Caspian here 29 April). The only
passerine
was a White-throated Sparrow on the fourth island. Chimney Swifts were seen
at all of the islands. Most of the highlights were lingering ducks, of which
there were a couple. Surf Scoters were on islands three and four, a Black
Scoter was on island three, and a Lesser Scaup was at island one. I didn't
see
any Purple Sandpipers, but may have heard one on the second island. Plenty
of Gannets still around, at least three dozen, mostly immature birds.
Earlier in the morning I took short walk to the beach and jetty at Cape
Charles. Here was one singing Marsh Wren, a brace of hen Surf Scoters tight
to
the jetty, twenty Common Loons, about two dozen Purple Sandpipers, twelve or
so Bonaparte's Gulls heading north with one feeding among the Forster's Terns
near the shore. On the trees on the opposite side of the road I had a
singing Black-throated Blue Warbler, a Nashville Warbler, and an American
Redstart.
Cheers,
Todd
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Todd Michael Day
Jeffersonton, Virginia, USA
BlkVulture@xxxxxxx
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