[va-richmond-general] Eastern Shore 10/25-26/08, snow bunting
- From: "Janice Frye" <jjfdc@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <va-richmond-general@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, <va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 27 Oct 2008 18:06:38 -0400
Though I missed the Fisherman Island trip with Richmond birders, it was a
most excellent weekend on the peninsula. I explored a few places that I
wanted to look at closer after the Kiptopeke Challenge and tried to remember
where to turn for locations that my sleep-deprived brain had not stored very
well. Even on gray Saturday it was beautiful out there and the real rain
held off until the very end of the day when the light was nearly gone.
Temps ranged from 3-4 layers and flannel-lined jeans to shorts and short
sleeves :-) and the wind was quite variable (really fierce that night). I
was aiming for home after running into the Richmond group at Willis Wharf
when I decided to check out their plush cabin at Kiptopeke SP and ended up
staying. Who knew there were so many hospitable gourmet cooks in RAS? Wow,
you're AWESOME! The cabin rocks, too. The next morning I went to wish for
loons at the fishing pier before going to the banding station. Complimented
a fisherman on 2 extremely good dogs and while we chatted I looked to my
left and there was a snow bunting inhaling massive quantities of grass seed
under the wooden fence-there followed quite a bit of camera with dead
batteries, no bird book on me, bird flew away and had to be relocated, cell
phones not answered, driving up to the banding station, calling a birder in
NoVA about how rare this bird might be for the area (not unheard of, but
still a great bird). Eventually about 20 or 30 people showed up (life bird
for 8 that I know of, self included) and we found 2 of the birds. One was a
very cooperative subject and allowed lots of photos. Jethro thinks perhaps
they could winter there, so keep a lookout for future postings. The
behavior is mouse-like (even the fisherman thought that when it showed up
before sunrise and began foraging). You apparently use the term mousing the
way you would say fly-catching or hawking. First sightings for the weekend
follow, with others if I remember them. Some of these places are on the
birding trail, others are just roads on the map, usually east of Rt.
600/Seaside. Skipped Island 1 going and coming back (there is some
interesting talk about lifetime passes for 2/3/4-anyone able to clarify
yet?). 61 sp. and a couple of mystery birds.
10/25/08
Rt. 13 near Fisherman Isl.
N. Harrier-everywhere all weekend
Gr. Bl.-backed gull
Osprey
BV-many, also a roost at Oyster/out Sunnyside Rd.
GB Heron
Herring gull
Mockhorn/GATR (anyone know what GATR stands for?)-north of ESNWR down Jones
Cove Rd.
Am. crow
Fish crow
Winter wren
Carolina wren
E. towhee
Swamp sparrow
Yellow-rumped warbler (just a couple, several hundred times, everywhere)
N. flicker-most stops or roads
Gray catbird
Tree swallows-several places, possibly 1 bank swallow--too short a look
Am. goldfinch
Magotha Rd.-not much 10/26 with a convoy of cars, although 2 adult bald
eagles were very upset about something
Killdeer
Br. Headed cowbird-huge flocks with starlings, no yellow heads detected :-)
E. starling
Gr. Egret
Belted kingfisher-any stop with water
Va. rail-heard, listened to Birding by Ear to confirm
TV-same as BV
Sharp-shinned hawk
N. Mocker
N. Cardinal
NO EURASIAN COLLARED DOVES ANYWHERE
RC kinglet-also Eyre Hall
Red-headed WP
Red-bellied WP
Red-winged BB
Clapper rail-same as Va. rail
DC cormorant-KSP, CBBT, etc.
Martin's Landing Rd./Harmony Rd.
Mourning dove
Car. Chickadee
Rt. 600/Seaside
Am. kestrel 2-another on Indiantown Rd. 10/26
E. bluebird
E. meadowlark-heard and seen numerous times, Allen :-)
BB Plover 2
Northhampton Landfill
Am. black duck
Mallard
Peregrine falcon-soaring in a thermal
Canada goose
Seaview Farm-CES06 on the birding trail, not birdy today but very generous
during the KC, nice place with a short boardwalk
RT hawk
Imm. Bald eagle
Willis Wharf
Willet
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs-both vocals heard
Snowy egret
Pigeons
Eyre Hall-west of 13 opposite the landfill turn-off, no wood duck in Eyre
Hall Circle pond, rain hit as dusk approached so I skipped the big pond and
wetland
Am. Robin
10/26/08
Kiptopeke State Park
Great cormorant-1 flyover
Snow bunting
Sanderling
Brown pelican
Bl. Thr. Blue warbler
Yellow Cc. Night Heron
600/Seaside
Horned lark
Am. Pipit
Palm Warbler-Yellow
Eyrehall
Chipping Sparrow
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