I stopped briefly at Craney Island off River Shore Road in Portsmouth this
afternoon.
The visiting hours at the Craney Island office are different from what I
remember. Now the hours are 7:00 am to 3:30 pm on Mondays through Thursdays
and 7:00 am to 2:00 pm on Fridays.
The only shorebird I saw was a Willet. The west side of the north
impoundment held about 16 Caspian Terns, 4 Gull-billed Terns, and a few
Great Black-backed Gulls. I saw 2 Black Ducks and a female Mallard with one
duckling in the south impoundment. There was a female Mallard with a flock
of ducklings off the beach on the west side of Craney, along with Brown
Pelicans, Double-crested Cormorants, Osprey, many Barn Swallows, a Great
Egret, and some Boat-tailed Grackles. I thought that there would be a few
more shorebirds. A heat wave at the horizon prevented a thorough study of
distant mudflats. I ended up looking at butterflies -- mostly species of
Whites or Yellows. I saw a few others that I was unable to ID. Later, I
will look at a field guide. In any case, it was nice to get out and feed
the mosquitos. ;)
Elisa Enders
Portsmouth, VA
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